DOI: 10.35207/later.2007246 ISSN: 2636-8102

Neoliberalism in English Language Teacher Education in Türkiye: A Scoping Review of the Literature

Nihat Dal, Kemal Sinan Özmen
This scoping review intends to identify, map and synthesize the scholarly literature on neoliberalism and English Language Teaching Education (ELTE) in Türkiye, highlighting key concepts, research trends, methodological approaches, and emerging knowledge gaps. This review is guided by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews and is reported regarding the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A broad search is conducted across major electronic databases, and followed by extraction, charting and summarization of the data by using descriptive and thematic analyses through a theory-informed conceptual framework. The findings indicate that scholars in Türkiye largely conceptualize neoliberalism in ELTE as a process that restructures teacher professionalism by prioritizing competencies, accountability, effectiveness, and technical expertise while diminishing teachers’ critical, political and transformative roles. This restructuring reflects broader neoliberal governance, in which policy discourse, audit culture, and accountability mechanisms redefine teachers as technical implementers of externally prescribed policies rather than autonomous professionals.