Esra Ozdemir

Why FSU?

There are several reasons why I have chosen to attend FSU to pursue my graduate degree. First of all, FSU’s ranking and having the oldest College of Education in Florida has made me think that the university and the college is deeply rooted, so all the programs are well-structured and well-organized. In addition, my interests align well with the faculty members in my program, so I will be able to get invaluable guidance and support to reach my goals. Funding opportunities such as assistantships, scholarships and awards are another reason I chose FSU. Diversity in students, faculty, and staff has really drawn my attention, as well. I have been so lucky to contact with two FSU alumnus working as academicians back in my country, Turkey. They shared how their experiences were amazing and enriching when they were at FSU. So, all these factors have really fascinated me, and I have really wanted to be a member of FSU family!

What motivated you to pursue a graduate degree?

My desire to help students motivated me to pursue a graduate degree. When I was teaching at a university in Turkey, some of my students had a hard time learning a new language due to fear of failure and language learning anxiety. Their struggles raised a lot of questions and motivated me to talk to experts in the field. One student, in particular, came to me for assistance. With intentional academic and psychological support, she became more confident and comfortable in class and was successful in taking exams. This situation emphasized how learners' perceptions and psychology are significant in language learning classrooms and how we are able to transform negative feelings into positive ones. It inspired me to pursue advanced study in learner psychology and teacher education so that I could find answers to my questions in an academic setting and help my learners.

Describe the importance of your research and work? Why should anyone care about the work you are doing?

My research and work hold a great significance in terms of developing International Teaching Assistants (ITAs). As an international teaching assistant and a research assistant, I realized how I felt uncomfortable when I needed to speak in English although I passed all the required tests with success. I think I was courageous enough to share those feelings with my friends and other ITAs. Once I learnt almost all of them were sharing similar emotions as mine, I realized that there were some common feelings, which may prevent us from being more productive or engaging in the class that we are teaching. I was courageous enough to share my feelings of stress and anxiousness with my friends and other ITAs and found out that almost all of them shared similar feelings. These common feelings were preventing us from being productive and engaging in the classes that we taught. Based on our shared experiences, I decided to learn more about language mindsets and emotions to enable ITAs to feel more comfortable and confident in their classrooms and improve their performance, confidence, and instructional skills. This research will, in turn, affect our course outcomes.

Briefly describe your career aspirations.

Upon earning my degree here at FSU, I believe that I will be fully equipped with scholarly research skills and teaching experience. I would like to publish articles in top-tier journals and conduct independent research studies, as well as collaborative ones. By designing courses, training programs, and workshops, I would like to train both pre-service teachers and ITAs. During these courses, training programs, and workshops, I would like to draw special attention to the significance of learners' emotions. This way, they can be well-equipped with the qualifications to understand their learners as a whole being, so that they can identify their learners' attitudes, behaviors, and needs more easily. Besides teaching, I would like to work as an academician and continue designing research studies on language anxiety, language confidence, language enjoyment, and language mindsets while improving prospective teachers' and ITAs' instructional skills. Designing such research projects and courses will help us understand learners and individuals as a "whole being" in the classroom to make them feel comfortable, prolific, and relieved in an environment conducive to learning and teaching.

Advice for anyone considering graduate school.

You should definitely step outside your comfort zone! Graduate school is a great place to improve academically, professionally and personally! It is a great challenge which is worth trying. You should do some research about the program you want to pursue your studies, contact with the faculty, students and staff to get some information about the program that you are planning to apply for. If you can, it is a great idea to go and visit them. Once you think and feel that you have found the best program serving your needs and goals, go for it!

Accomplishments during your graduate career that you are proud of.

I learned a lot by participating  in a research group lead by my advisor. The experience honed my research skills and ultimately resulted in our research being accepted for presentation at a known international conference. In addition, our paper was accepted to one of the top-tier journals in the field. In 2017, I received the Program for Instructional Excellence (PIE) Teaching Training Recognition followed by recognition for the Advanced PIE Teacher Training in 2018. I am also a recipient of the 2014 Fulbright Foreign Student Program award!