Founded in 1988, Bilkent University’s Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (MA-TEFL) offers an academically rigorous graduate curriculum that aligns advanced empirical research with real-world educational practice. Rooted in Bilkent’s tradition of research excellence and with a legacy of almost 500 thesis graduates, the program is led by an active research faculty who widely publish in top-tier journals informing the future of applied linguistics and English language teaching. The current expertise in MA-TEFL lies in multimodal conversation analysis, language processing, and psychology in language education, marking the three research clusters. To accommodate varied professional paths, the program operates through a dual-track structure: a Research Track geared toward expertise in research methodology and publication-oriented thesis work; and a DELTA Track designed for experienced educators seeking to combine classroom practice with research excellence. Supported by tuition waivers and evening scheduling, the program trains graduates to lead, innovate, and contribute original research to the field of English language education.
- published in Bilingualism: Language and Cognition; Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism; Journal of Psycholinguistic Research; Second Language Research; Studies in Second Language Acquisition; Language Teaching; Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development; Innovation In Language Learning and Teaching; Language Teaching Research; Foreign Language Annals; European Journal of Education; Journal of Pragmatics; English for Academic Purposes; International Journal of Applied Linguistics; Applied Linguistics; Learning, Culture and Social Interaction; European Journal of Teacher Education; Language and Intercultural Communication; Linguistics and Education; Health Communication; Computer Assisted Language Learning; Language Assessment Quarterly; ReCALL; Applied Linguistics Review; SYSTEM; TESOL Quarterly; Pragmatics; Research on Language and Social Interaction; Text & Talk; Language Learning & Technology (this list only includes the team’s papers published in SSCI-indexed journals).
- hold editorial seats in TESOL Quarterly; SYSTEM; Linguistics & Education.
- published books and chapters in Springer, Routledge, Palgrave.
- led projects funded by the European Union, TÜBİTAK; DFG (Germany), DFF (Denmark), British Council.
- received research awards from Bilim Akademisi (BAGEP), IAPLL, International CALL, Hacettepe University
- supervised postgraduate theses of more than 30 MA & PhD students
- are well-networked with Applied Linguistics, ELT, SLA, TEFL, and LTE researchers worldwide.
Achievements
- New Publication! Crosslinguistic effects in the priming of novel grammatical structures and the psycholinguistic mechanisms of language change
New research by Duygu F. Şafak, co-authored with Holger Hopp and Chantal van Dijk, has just been published in Language with open access. See the details of the article below: Title: Crosslinguistic effects in the priming of novel grammatical structures and the psycholinguistic mechanisms of language change Access link: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0097850726000172 Abstract: To identify potential psycholinguistic… Read more: New Publication! Crosslinguistic effects in the priming of novel grammatical structures and the psycholinguistic mechanisms of language change - New Publication! Dealing with topics of potential cross‑cultural sensitivity among transnational groups of pre-service language teachers in video‑mediated virtual exchange interactions
New research paper by Ufuk Balaman has just been published in AILA Review with open access. See the details of the article below: Title: Dealing with topics of potential cross‑cultural sensitivity among transnational groups of pre-service language teachers in video‑mediated virtual exchange interactions Access link: https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.00065.bal Abstract: Conversations involving potentially sensitive topics across cultures pose… Read more: New Publication! Dealing with topics of potential cross‑cultural sensitivity among transnational groups of pre-service language teachers in video‑mediated virtual exchange interactions - Ufuk Balaman receives the Academic Performance Award 2026
On the 23rd of September 2026, MA-TEFL program director, Ufuk Balaman received the Academic Performance Award 2026, from his previous institution, TED University, for ranking 1st across all fields in the 2025-26 academic year. The award was given by the rector of TED University, a former Bilkent professor, Levent Akdeniz. - Mehmet Sak joins a FRIPRO application as a key collaborator
Dr. Mehmet Sak attended an intensive research proposal writing meeting at the University of Bergen from 21 to 25 September 2026, serving as a key collaborator on a research project proposal led by Prof. Kenan Dikilitaş. The retreat focused on developing a competitive application to the Research Council of Norway’s “Researcher Project for Experienced Scientists… Read more: Mehmet Sak joins a FRIPRO application as a key collaborator
News
- SEMINAR – GenAI-Based L2 Writing Assessment: Evidence from Construct-Oriented Qualitative Analyses
Speaker: Aysel Sarıcaoğlu Aygan Venue: G160 Time & Date: 10:30 – 19.11.2026 GenAI-Based L2 Writing Assessment: Evidence from Construct-Oriented Qualitative Analyses Aysel Sarıcaoğlu Aygan Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools are increasingly used in second language (L2) writing assessment practices — both summative and formative. Several studies have demonstrated the potential… Read more: SEMINAR – GenAI-Based L2 Writing Assessment: Evidence from Construct-Oriented Qualitative Analyses - Özlem Eslemez defends her thesis in the MA-TEFL Program
Eslemez’s thesis investigates undergraduate students’ self-reported academic speaking strategies in an English-medium university in Türkiye. Using a mixed-methods design, she examined strategy use through questionnaire data and interviews. The main findings indicate that students’ speaking strategies were flexible and context-dependent, with variations across particular participant characteristics and academic contexts. Title… Read more: Özlem Eslemez defends her thesis in the MA-TEFL Program - MA-TEFL Faculty-Student Gathering: Meet the New Team Event
The MA-TEFL faculty and students were gathered in a beginning-of-the-semester event on the 17th of September, 2026. Following the program director’s plenary on the new program components and expectancies from the students. Strongly emphasizing the research-oriented structure of the MA-TEFL program, each faculty member featured the newly established research clusters… Read more: MA-TEFL Faculty-Student Gathering: Meet the New Team Event - EVENT: Meet the New MA-TEFL Team
We are organizing the “Meet the New Team” event on the 17th of September, 16:30 at Room, 160, G-Building to introduce the structural and academic changes in the department and the MA in TEFL program. The event will also cover the orientation for the new cohort students. All MA-TEFL students… Read more: EVENT: Meet the New MA-TEFL Team - Mehmet Sak joins the MA-TEFL program as an Assistant Professor
As of 1st of September 2026, Dr. Mehmet Sak has joined the Faculty of Education and the MA-TEFL Program as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Sak’s research draws on the psychology of language learners, teachers, and teacher educators with a particular focus on their wellbeing, motivation, and emotions from complexity and… Read more: Mehmet Sak joins the MA-TEFL program as an Assistant Professor - Ufuk Balaman joins the MA-TEFL program as a Full Professor and the Head of Department
As of 1st of September 2026, Prof. Dr. Ufuk Balaman has joined the Faculty of Education and the MA-TEFL Program. Dr. Balaman will act as the program director. Balaman’s research draws on multimodal Conversation Analysis for L2 learning, teaching, and teacher education mainly in digital spaces and aims to contribute to the… Read more: Ufuk Balaman joins the MA-TEFL program as a Full Professor and the Head of Department