Is CEFR Really over There?

AbstractCommon European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a comprehensive guideline for teachers with respect to the processes of planning, learning, teaching and assessing and it has brought standardization, transparency, coherence and consistency across different countries. Despite its popularity, reputation and wide spread approval, CEFR-based English language teaching is far from effective implementation in Turkey. This study aims to reveal this problem-if any- by referring to English language instructors⿿ perceptions regarding their current teaching practice on the basis of CEFR and CEFR based curriculum at the tertiary level. An adapted Likert Scale was administered to 18 instructors from private university and 36 instructors from state institution. The data gathered from the survey were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS.17 and descriptive statistics were performed. The findings of the study shows that although their perceptions do not vary on the knowledge about the CEFR and the necessity of CEFR-based curriculum development, there is a significant difference between instructors working at a state university and private university regarding their CEFR based experiences. One striking result is that in-service training they have received exerts an enormous impact on the practices of English language instructors at the private university. Another finding is that both groups desire to have more projections of CEFR on the curriculum and teacher training services. These results imply that both pre-service and in-service training should educate teachers on CEFR and raise their awareness on how to use the reference for foreign/second language teaching in a more effective way ranging from setting objectives, materials development to evaluation