Investigation of English language teachers' and school principals' views on the foreign language based implementation in 5th grades in secondary schools

This study tries to determine the opinions of foreign language teachers' (English) and school manager's on the ongoing pilot implementation of foreign language intensive classes for 5th graders. Therefore, revealing the upside and downsides of the implementation, the hardships that teachers and managers face, program, content, time period and readiness of students according to the implementers is aimed. Determining the opinions of teachers and managers is of prime importance regarding the healthily and systematical continuation and more widely utilization of the programme throughout the country. In this context, research is a qualitative study. The interview form, consisting of semi-structured questions, was used to collect data. While analyzing the data, themes and codes were reached by using descriptive analysis method. The findings were then reported. Sixteen english teachers and four school managers who work at the schools in five central districts of Antalya province that has implemented the pilot practice took place as participants in the study. With participation of the implementers of the programme who are the teachers and school management regarding the sub problems of the study, some findings were: that the programme is a constructive one, that some schools lack necessary class environment and some don't, that are there insufficiencies of teacher count and materials regarding the implementation of the program, that weekly class hours are sufficient, that physical education classes need to be also added to the programme, and the whole program needs to be widely utilized after its deficiencies are overcome. As a result, with answers to the questions by teachers and school managers regarding the sub problems, opinions towards the wide utilization of the programme were the most commonplace.