A qualitative study on reflection and teacher autonomy in tertiary level online EFL classes

The covid-19 pandemic has brought about dramatic changes in almost all fields including teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). It has triggered the use of online classes by EFL teachers. Teacher autonomy and reflection play a vital role in offering effective language teaching in the online setting. In this respect, the present study aimed to examine how Turkish EFL teachers' reflection influenced their perception of teacher autonomy in online classes throughout the pandemic. This descriptive qualitative case study was conducted in the School of Foreign Languages (SFL) of a foundation university in Gaziantep, Turkey, during the 2020-2021 academic year. The data were collected in three stages from 5 Turkish EFL teachers through convenience sampling with the help of e-mail interviews, reflective journals and in-depth interviews. Inductive content analysis was employed in the current study, and the findings suggested that Turkish EFL teachers' reflection influenced their perceived teacher autonomy in terms of teaching skills, classroom management and professional development during online learning. Accordingly, learner-centeredness and ways of providing effective teaching were the most frequently mentioned issues in their teaching skills. Likewise, in terms of classroom management, the participants' reflection mostly influenced their perception of teachers' individual characteristics and classroom management strategies. The findings also indicated that reflection and CPD emerged as the most frequently referred ways of professional development by Turkish EFL teachers. The study suggested implications for educational institutions, EFL teachers and curriculum designers. Keywords: Teacher Autonomy, Reflection, Online Learning