Exploring Social Justice Language Education: Insights from Pre-service Teachers in Scotland, Türkiye, and Pakistan

Citation

Yilmaz A, Ortactepe Hart D, Brown S, Celik S, Rana S, Karaca B, Ullah S & Gulzar MA (2025) Exploring Social Justice Language Education: Insights from Pre-service Teachers in Scotland, Türkiye, and Pakistan. In: Book of abstracts and proceedings: 3rd International Symposium on SJELT - Language Education at Times of Turmoil. 3rd International Symposium on SJELT: Language Education at Times of Turmoil, Istanbul, Turkiye, 30.05.2025-31.05.2025. Vizetek, pp. 114-125. https://www.socialjusticeinelt.com/Home/Symposium2025

Abstract
The field of English language teacher education has recently embraced a social justice turn, integrating issues such as race, social class, gender, and migration into classroom practice. This shift, known as Social Justice Language Education (SJLE), positions language teaching as a means to address systemic inequities within and beyond schools. While scholarship in this area has expanded, most empirical work remains concentrated in Western contexts, leaving a gap in understanding how SJLE is taken up in other regions. This study addresses this gap by examining the initial perspectives of pre-service English language teachers in three underrepresented contexts: Scotland, Türkiye, and Pakistan. Data were collected from 66 participants through a pre-workshop survey and a structured textbook analysis task. Thematic analysis revealed two key findings: (1) participants strongly aligned with social justice values such as equity, diversity, and inclusion but expressed uncertainty about how to enact these in practice; and (2) the textbook analysis, scaffolded by a structured rubric, facilitated the emergence of critical consciousness, enabling participants to identify stereotyping, exclusionary practices, and cultural bias, as well as propose inclusive adaptations. These findings suggest that while pre-service teachers bring a strong ethical orientation to SJLE, they require explicit pedagogical tools and structured opportunities for practice to translate values into action. By foregrounding perspectives from diverse contexts, this study contributes to a more inclusive understanding of SJLE in global teacher education.

Keywords
pre-service teacher perspectives; equity in education; critical pedagogy; curriculum innovation