English as a lingua franca awareness among Turkish efl high school students

This study investigates Turkish EFL (English as a Foreign Language) high school students' perceptions of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Given the increasing role of English as a global communication medium, understanding these perceptions is critical for developing effective language teaching strategies. This descriptive, non experimental research study adopted both quantitative and qualitative approaches to address four distinct research questions. For the quantitative research, the Turkish EFL Learners' Perceptions of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) questionnaire (Geckinli, 2020), based on a Likert scale ranging from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree), was used. This questionnaire was administered to 740 students aged 15-18 from three different high schools in Türkiye. Four open-ended questions were asked in a semi structured focus group interview, a type of qualitative research. The findings reveal a moderate level of acceptance of ELF among students, significantly influenced by demographic factors. Older and upper-class students have more favourable perspectives towards ELF. Additionally, students more interested in English and use the language frequently perceive ELF more positively. These findings provide valuable information for educators and policymakers aiming to improve English language teaching. The study contributes to the literature on ELF by presenting detailed perceptions of Turkish high school students and supports ELF-oriented pedagogy.