Judgments and Experiences of English Language Teachers at the Ministry of National Education about English as a Lingua Franca

English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has gained significant attention in English Language Teaching (ELT) due to the growing number of non-native English speakers globally. With only 375 million native English speakers out of approximately 1.5 billion speakers (Eberhard et al. 2022), ELF reflects the use of English as a common language among diverse linguistic backgrounds. Defining ELF has been challenging, but it involves utilizing various local versions of English, especially in expanding circle countries. However, a common core is absent, making identifying ELF as a specific variety difficult. To this end, this study addresses the gap in the literature by focusing on ELF judgments and experiences of English language teachers at the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Turkey. While previous studies explored ELF mainly in higher education contexts, this research aims to understand the perspectives of MoNE teachers from various levels. A qualitative research design was used with a convenient sample of 30 English language teachers in Turkey to investigate the teachers’ attitudes and opinions. Data were collected through judgment tasks and semi-structured interviews and analyzed using mean scores and thematic analysis. The study’s emphasis on the Turkish context is crucial since there is limited research on ELF in this setting. Based on this background, the study aims to answer two main research questions: What are the ELF judgments of ELT teachers at MoNE, and what are their ELF experiences? The findings are expected to contribute to understanding ELF’s role in English language teaching in Turkey, guiding the development of more suitable pedagogical approaches for English learners in the country. Consequently, this research delves into ELF perceptions among MoNE English language teachers in Turkey, bridging a gap in the existing literature. The results will help curriculum designers and researchers comprehend how teachers view ELF and its practical application.