in: Researching ELT: Classroom Methodology and Beyond, Köksal D. , Editor, Peter Lang Gmbh Internationaler Verlag Der Verlag Der Österreichischen Akademie Der Wissenschaften, Frankfurt A.M., pp.185-192, 2017
This chapter reports a three-year study which aimed to familiarize prospective language teachers with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its companion the European Language Portfolio (ELP) as part of the Special Teaching Methods course. The first component of the course aimed at introducing the underlying principles of CEFR, while the second component focused on equipping prospective teacher candidates with CEFR-awareness tasks. Such tasks comprised analyzing English textbooks for competences, and preparing an ELP. To assess the impact of the course, data were collected from pre- and posttest, task performances, and designing an ELP. Findings from multiple sources indicated a notable change in the CEFR-awareness of the teacher candidates, a high level of familiarity with various components of CEFR before teacher candidates became practicing teachers of English. An illustrative sample task and ELP are included. Implications of the study for other teacher education programs are offered.