LANGUAGE ECOLOGY IN SECONDARY EFL CLASSROOMS OF KARAKALPAKSTAN: TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES
Keywords:
Keywords: language ecology, teacher beliefs, teacher cognition, classroom practices, EFL, KarakalpakstanAbstract
Abstract: This article explores teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices in secondary EFL classrooms in Karakalpakstan. English is taught there alongside Karakalpak, Uzbek, and Russian. This creates a layered multilingual setting. Teachers work within it every day. Most of them have no formal training in multilingual pedagogy. The study asks two questions. How do teachers understand the language ecology of their students? How do these views shape classroom practice? The study uses a qualitative multiple-case design. It draws on language ecology theory and teacher cognition theory. Data come from eight EFL teachers in four secondary schools. The researcher used semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations. Thematic analysis followed the six steps of Braun and Clarke (2006). The findings show a gap between stated beliefs and observed practice. Most teachers preferred English-only instruction. They saw it as best practice. Yet lessons showed frequent movement between English, Uzbek, Karakalpak, and Russian. Teachers described this movement as a practical need, not a planned choice. The study argues that teacher training should address this gap. Training can help teachers turn spontaneous language mixing into informed pedagogy. The findings add to a small but growing body of research on language ecology and teacher cognition in Central Asia.
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