EFL teachers' mindsets and their beliefs about online teaching during Covid-19

This thesis aims to investigate the beliefs of in-service English teachers with different mindsets towards online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic in Türkiye. The study was conducted using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, starting with the collection of quantitative data and followed by the collection of qualitative data to provide further explanation or elaboration of the quantitative results. To facilitate data collection, an online survey was administered to 260 participants who work at state and private schools as EFL teachers, in the cities of Muş and Hakkari in Türkiye. Moreover, in-depth interviews were conducted with a carefully selected subset of teachers, including 8 individuals with Fixed Mindsets (FM) and 7 with Growth Mindsets (GM), in order to delve into the specific impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their technological proficiencies and professional development. Additionally, the research questions focus on the differences and similarities between the beliefs of in-service English teachers with different mindsets regarding online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of teachers being reflective practitioners who are aware of their mindsets and biases. This thesis adds a new dimension to teacher belief studies by exploring the relationship between mindset and teacher beliefs towards online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this study may help teacher educators to understand the importance of developing a growth mindset among their pre-service teachers. The study will also contribute to the literature on mindset and teacher education, and provide a basis for further research on this topic.