Field specific competencies for French language teachers in Turkey: A model proposal

The Republic of Turkey’s Ministry of National Education has long been working on the general professional and field specific competencies for teachers in Turkey in collaboration with universities. As a result of these efforts, the “General Competencies for Teaching Profession” was prepared in 2006. Later in 2008, the field specific competencies that teachers should have in their respective fields were determined. For primary school teachers, specific competencies were determined in 14 fields. While the field specific competencies for English language teachers are among these 14 fields, no such work has been conducted for French language teachers. For intermediate school (middle school) teachers, specific competencies were determined in 8 fields and were put into effect in 2011. This study aims to formulate a model related to the field specific competencies for French language teachers in Turkey as the existing literature on the topic is insufficient.


INTRODUCTION
A country"s level of development in terms of its politics, economy and culture is closely related to its education system and its components. In particular, the constant advancements in education and training technologies as well as the changing student profile make it necessary to revise the knowledge, skills and competencies of teachers, who are the cornerstone of education. Although today"s education is "student-centred", the role and importance of teachers at all stages of education and training has not diminished. On the contrary, quick access to information thanks to advanced technologies has transformed and increased the qualities expected of teachers. Having long been described as people who merely "hold information and pass it onto others", today, teachers are generally seen as people who facilitate learning and guide students. "The social, economic and technological developments as well as new approaches in the field of education bring forth changes in teachers" traditional roles and functions. Teaching profession is dynamic, and the expectations about what teachers should know and be able to do constantly changes" (TED, 2009a: 6).
In today"s world, teachers play a vital role in raising modern individuals with inquisitive minds. They have various duties and responsibilities for the development of societies. Raising qualified individuals can be achieved with the help of competent teachers with sufficient knowledge. After all, the most basic factor that determines the quality of education is without a doubt of the level of general and field specific competencies of teachers. The most important requisite for increasing a country"s education quality is to increase the quality of its teachers and improve their qualifications. Therefore, increasing the quality of education is directly linked to teacher qualifications during pre-service and in-service processes.
There are many factors affecting student success including teachers, family, school management, social circle, skills and interests of the student, etc. Numerous national and international studies have been conducted on this topic. It would not be wrong to say that these studies began with the reports of Coleman et al. (1966) in the Plowden Report (1967). According to these studies, the most important factor affecting student success was the socio-economic status of the family. However, the findings from these studies were later challenged by many researchers and resulted in other findings that prove the most important factors affecting student success to be school and class size (Glass et al., 1982;Mosteller, 1995) and teacher competencies (Darling-Hammond, 2000;Rockoff, 2003;Goe and Stickler, 2008) (TED, 2009b). The studies in Turkey (Olcay and Döş, 2009;Engin et al., 2009) also list various factors for having an impact on student success such as school and its physical conditions, financial and technological resources provided to education, etc., however, they point out that the most important factor in relation to student success is teachers and their qualifications. Especially, "the changing student profiles as well as the rapidly advancing educational technologies and the professional development approach dictated by our age have made it necessary for teachers" knowledge, skills and competencies to be updated" (İnal and Büyükyavuz 2013: 222). However, teacher competency cannot be reduced to effective lecturing only; several different factors such as teachers" professional competencies, personality traits, communication skills, lesson planning and management skills must be considered all together. In this respect, general professional and field specific competencies for teaching profession is a noteworthy topic to be studied.

Teaching profession
Teachers are the main building block of a society. Their role and importance for the development and progress of a country can never be ignored. "Acting as a bridge between knowledge and those who demand it, and passing down social values to future generations, teaching has always been one of the most respected professions throughout human history" (MEB, 2017:1). The respect that teachers garnered in society has in turn Saraç 337 increased their responsibilities. It should be noted that a country"s quality of education can only be improved by training qualified teachers. In this regard, it is highly important that teachers practice self-improvement and attain to necessary professional standards in a world of science and technology. The acceptance of teaching as a professional occupation took a long time. Article 43 of the Basic Law of National Education No. 1739 dated 1973 defines teaching profession as follows: (https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5. 1739-20140206.pdf 5101-5113) "Teaching is a specialised profession that undertakes the state"s responsibilities related to education, training and their overall management. The training for teaching profession covers general cultural knowledge training, subject matter training and pedagogical training. In order to attain these qualifications, all prospective teachers should receive higher education irrespective of the grade they will teach in." In 2013 and 2018, the United Kingdom based Varkey Foundation conducted researches that surveyed the prestige and social status of teaching profession across 35 countries. According to these researches, Turkey ranked third and seventh in Global Teacher Status Index (2013 reports, respectively, in terms of teachers" prestige in the society. Countries where teachers have the highest social status were China, Malaysia and Taiwan whereas the countries with the lowest status were Israel, Brazil and Italy (OECD, 2005). Despite the decrease in the teaching profession" prestige in Turkey between the two reports, teaching is still considered a respected profession in Turkey. In the research titled "Türkiye"de Çalışma Yaşamı ve Mesleklerin İtibarı" (Working Life and Occupational Prestige in Turkey) (2015) conducted nationwide with the support of TUBITAK (The Scientific And Technological Research Council Of Turkey), teaching ranked as the fourth most prestigious profession after medical doctor, university professor and judge. (https://tyap.net/turkiye-meslekiitibar-skalasi).
"Similar to the rest of the world, teaching was not considered as a professional occupation within the Turkish education system until mid-19th century; and a handful of competencies were deemed sufficient for people who would take up teaching as an occupation" (Beyreli, 2017: 331). In many European countries, education activities were carried out either by actual clerics or by people with religious educational backgrounds until this approach finally changed in the 19th century. "For instance, the world"s first normal school (that is, teacher-training college), which was opened in France in 1794 shortly after the French Revolution, was closed the following year and was not opened again until 1808. Similarly, the normal school opened in England in 1830 did not function until 1840 due to pressure from the church" (Öztürk, 2005). In the history of Turkish education, teaching was an occupation that was generally intertwined with the "clergy". It was not accepted as a separate field of specialisation and lacked a separate curriculum" (Yalçınkaya and Aktepe, 2016: 398). With the teachers" colleges opened in 1848, teacher training in Turkey became systematic; and since 1982, the job of training teachers has been carried out by universities.

Teachers in the 21st Century
The rapid developments in science and technology in the 21st century have resulted in radical changes in the field of education just like other fields. In this context, determining teacher competencies became imperative. These changes "make it necessary to have a comprehensive definition of what a competent teacher is and implement teacher training policies that are prepared within that framework" (MEB, 2017). The traditional teacher model, which is based on having knowledge and passing it along to students, has, in today"s world, transformed into a model of teachers who act as guides and life coaches teaching students how to reach information while also constantly improving themselves. Today, "in addition to having an extensive knowledge about the subject matter they teach, teachers are expected to have competencies for facilitating students" learning processes, being effective educators, organising group works and studies, and attracting students" attention" (Karacaoğlu, 2008: 1). Particularly, the "information age" that we live in expects students to be inquisitive, to interpret things and to be productive individuals, which makes it necessary for teachers" competencies, which are crucial in terms of student success, to be redefined in accordance with the conditions of the time.
The first studies on the qualifications required of teachers show that having professional pedagogical knowledge is more important than having field specific knowledge in terms of increasing student success. The "pedagogical content knowledge model" proposed by Shulman (1986) argues that content knowledge and professional pedagogical knowledge should be balanced. This model has been used throughout the world. However, the proliferation of technology in our daily lives soon began to affect education and training as well as teachers as one of its primary stakeholders. Specifically, "with the integration of technology, student expectations, teachers" approach to training materials and the general structure of training activities" have changed (Sağlam-Kaya, 2019: 186). The topic of technology, which was absent in Shulman"s model, was later introduced with the "technological pedagogical content knowledge" model proposed by Mishra and Koehler (2006). According to this model, which was created by combining pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge with the use of? technology, "quality teaching requires developing a nuanced understanding of the complex relationships between technology, content, and pedagogy".
The elements constituting this model are as follows (Mishra and Koehler, 2006) This model of seven elements is also compatible with the standards established by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to innovate education https://www.iste.org/standards/standards-in-action/globalreach. ISTE"s standards aim to prepare students for both life and business, and are aimed at bringing up individuals who are "empowered learners, digital citizens, knowledge constructors, innovative designers, computational thinkers, creative communicators, and global collaborators".

Definitions, scope and developing processes of teacher competencies
When talking about teacher qualifications, terms like "qualification", "competency", "standard", "quality", "capacity", "characteristics" and "effectiveness" are used in the literature. The Republic of Turkey"s Ministry of National Education (2008: VIII) defines teacher competencies as "the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for effectively and efficiently practicing teaching profession". "According to the Teacher Development Agency (TDA) for England and Wales, "professional standards are statements of a teacher"s professional attribution, professional knowledge and understanding, and professional skills"" (Köksal and Convery, 2013: 2).
While educational technologies transform the scope and quality of education and training, they also make it necessary to review and revise teachers" professional competencies. Reaching goals in education can be possible with teachers who can cater for the needs and requirements of our age. "The educational reforms taking place around the world signal that teachers must improve themselves so as not to fall behind the constantly changing social and economic life" (Buldu, 2014: 117). This means that teachers should be more qualified than ever before.
In order to improve the qualifications for teaching profession and to train teachers in accordance with the conditions of the 21st century, first, the general and field specific competencies for teachers must be determined. Then, teachers should be provided with the means and opportunities to adopt these competencies through preservice and in-service programmes. "Therefore, to achieve success in education, prospective teachers should gain these competencies through theoretical and applied studies during teacher training programme" (Karaca, 2008: 69). The general professional competencies that teachers should have change according to the education system of each country (Eurydice, 2018: 14). For instance, in the United States, the idea that education should be based on certain standards gained ground in the 1980s. Since then, federal governments and states have adopted and implemented it as law, and have turned it into a general practice. In this respect, the general professional competencies for teachers in the United States are determined by a central body whereas the field specific competencies are determined by professional organisations such as the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), which are then shared with related institutions (Özcan, 2011: 53).
In its report on teaching careers within the national education systems in Europe, the European Commission (2018) defines teacher competency as "a collection of statements about what a teacher as a professional should know, understand and be able to do." The areas of competency included in the report are "psychopedagogical competences, subject knowledge and its teaching approaches, the organisation of learning and evaluation, innovative teaching approaches, communication with pupils, cooperation with colleagues, and relationships with parents and other external partners" (Eurydice, 2018: 79).
As the rest of the world, there are works carried out in Turkey regarding teachers" professional competencies. However, establishing general professional and field specific competencies for teaching profession is an incredibly difficult and open-ended process due to the ever-changing conditions of our society and the dynamic nature of the teaching profession. The first official efforts in Turkey related to teacher competencies began in 1999 by the "Teacher Competencies Commission" consisting of representatives from the Ministry of National Education and various universities (MEB 1973). The commission prepared the "Teacher Competencies Document" in 2002 consisting of 3 main headings, namely "educationteaching competencies", "general cultural knowledge and skills" and "subject matter knowledge and skills". This was followed by the "Support to Basic Education Programme" (SBEP) signed between the European Commission and the Government of the Republic of Turkey that same year (2002). As a result of these, first, the "General Competencies for Teaching Profession" came into effect in 2006 (https://oygm.meb.gov.tr/www/ogretmenlik-meslegigenel-yeterlikleri/icerik/39). The "General Competencies for Teaching Profession" consisted of 6 main competency domains, 31 sub competency domains and 233 performance indicators. Later, "Primary School Field Specific Competencies" were determined in 14 fields Saraç 339 while "Secondary (Intermediate) School Field Specific Competencies" were determined in 8 fields, which were put into effect in 2008. However, some problems began to arise regarding the implementation of the "General Competencies for Teaching Profession". This led to a need to update the professional competencies so that qualified teachers who are able to cater to society"s needs could be trained. The works to update the "General Competencies for Teaching Profession", which was published by the Ministry of National Education in 2006, were carried out in 2008" (MEB, 2008). After consulting a large number of stakeholders, the "General Competencies for Teaching Profession" and "Field Specific Competencies for Teaching Profession", which were initially planned as two separate frameworks, were combined into a single text. "The General Competencies of Teaching Profession has been updated in this context and it now consists of 3 interrelated competency domains; namely "professional knowledge", "professional skills", and "attitudes and values". These main domains include 11 competencies and 65 indicators related to the competencies…" (MEB, 2017: 8).
The "European Qualifications Framework" was adopted internationally by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in 2008. In relation to this, efforts to establish National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for higher education began in Turkey. National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education in Turkey (NQF-HETR) prepared by YÖK (Turkish Council of Higher Education) covers 14 main fields including the teaching profession (http://tyyc.yok.gov.tr/?pid=11). One of those fields is "Teacher Training and Education Science", and it consists of 22 undergraduate programmes. "However, it is important that the existing General Competencies for Teaching Profession prepared by the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) is compatible with National Qualifications Framework as well as the Higher Education Qualifications Framework" (Buldu, 2014: 118).

Teacher training and general competencies for teaching profession in France
The centralised governing style in France is also apparent in its education system and most of the authorities related to education are handled by central bodies except for some specific powers. Prior to the educational reform on July 2, 2010, teacher training in France was carried out by universities and the Teacher Training Institutes called Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres (IUFM) founded in 1991. Teacher training would last 5 years, including undergraduate education. "Until the 2010-2011 academic year when the IUFMs began to be reconstructed, 3 years of this education would be given by universities, and the remaining 2 years would be given by IUFM" (Yücelsin Taş, 2011: 74). To become a primary, intermediate or high school teacher, the candidates had to take one of the 7 exams at the end of their first years at the IUFM. IUFM"s mission was not only to train teachers in every field but also to organise and regulate in-service trainings for teachers.
The process of gradually reconstructing teacher training in France began with the 2010-2011 academic year. "The teacher training and higher education reform which was proposed at the end of 2012 within this context, and which was an extension of previous reforms, included a new policy and a new system devised in order to provide the best theoretical and applied education to prospective teachers at French universities and aptly configuring them in the most excellent way possible as well as providing regular, constant job opportunities for them (Saydı, 2013: 327). The name of the teacher training institutions that were founded on September 1, 2013 (Écoles Supérieures du Professorat et de l" Éducation-ÉSPÉ) was changed to INSPE (Institut national supérieur du professorat et de l"éducation) with the law introduced on July 29, 2019 (https://www.devenirenseignant.gouv.fr/pid33962/lesinspe-pour-former-les-futurs-enseignants.html).
The main goal of teachers and education personnel in France is to perform the educational duties in the country, providing education to help all students reach academic success and helping students develop both professionally and socially. In line with these goals, the official bulletin of the Ministry of National Education and Youth (https://www.education.gouv.fr/pid285/bulletin_officiel.htm l?pid_bo=2974) dated 25 July 2013 (No. 30) listed 14 general professional competencies for teachers (BO, 2013): 1. Sharing the values of the Republic. 2. Carrying out teaching profession within the framework of the fundamental principles of the education system and within the school regulatory framework 3. Knowing students and the learning process 4. Taking into account student diversity 5. Accompanying students in their education journeys 6. Acting as a responsible educator and in accordance with ethical principles 7. Using French language in accordance with communicational purposes 8. Using another foreign language when necessary 9. Integrating digital culture elements when performing the job 10. Working as a team 11. Contributing to education 12. Cooperating with the parents of students 13. Cooperating with school partners and stakeholders 14. Having an individual and collective approach to professional development.
It is clear that in France, just like in Turkey, the standards for teaching profession are only addressed within the context of general professional competencies; they do not focus on field specific competencies.

Aim and significance of the study
The aim of this study is to formulate a model that determines the field specific competencies that French language teachers who teach French as a 1st or 2nd language in intermediate and high schools in Turkey should have.
The problem statement of the research is "What are the field specific competencies for French language teachers in Turkey?" In line with this problem statement, the following sub-problems have been determined: (1) What should be the field specific competencies for French language teachers? (2) What should be the scope of the field specific competencies for French language teachers? (3) What should be the performance indicators of the field specific competencies for French language teachers?

Research model
This descriptive study was designed as a qualitative research and was carried out by using a survey model. Survey model methodology is a research approach that aims to describe a past or present situation the way it occurs (Karasar, 2000). In light of the data gathered through document analysis, field specific competencies and performance indicators for French language teachers have been determined.
As this is a qualitative research, the trustworthiness factor was adopted according to the criteria determined by Guba and Lincoln (1982) instead of validity and dependability. In this regard, instead of internal validity, the credibility factor was used while instead of the principle of external competence, the transferability factor was used. The trustworthiness and transferability of the results obtained from the research conducted according to these factors were examined. The principle of dependability was adopted in this study and it is aimed that the study produces similar results when repeated with similar participants. In line with these principles, the credibility and dependability of the study was ensured through feedbacks from practising French language teachers at intermediate and high school levels, from graduate students studying at French Language Teaching departments, and from the expert opinions of Marmara University"s Ataturk Faculty of Education members.

Collecting and analysing data
The research data was obtained through literature review and document analysis. "Document analysis includes the analysis of written materials that provide information about the phenomenon or phenomena aimed to be researched" (Yıldırım and Şimşek, 2018: 189). In this respect, to prepare a model for the "field specific competencies for intermediate and high school level French language teachers", first, a national and international literature review on teacher competencies was conducted. Then, the documents were examined through content analysis. The validity of the content analysis is directly related to the compatibility between the study objectives and the data collection tools. "The only tool to measure validity in content analysis is category definitions" (Karadağ, 2014: 5). The resources and materials used in this research consist of the following national and international reports and documents: (1) Temel Eğitime Destek Projesi (2006). "Öğretmenlik Mesleği Genel Yeterlikleri" (Support to Basic Education Programme (2006). "General Competencies for Teaching Profession") (2) Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı (2008

FINDINGS
In this part, based on the data obtained from document analysis, the field specific competencies for French language teachers that are/will be teaching in intermediate and high schools in Turkey are listed followed by their related performance indicators. The following 6 competencies and 50 performance indicators were determined according to the sub-problems stated in this research. In this regard, first, the competencies required from intermediate and high school level French language teachers were listed followed by an explanation of the scope of each competency; finally, the performance indicators related to each competency were listed. This field specific competency model was originally presented to French language teachers, academics, and graduate students to get their opinions; and according to their feedbacks, the list was revised and formulated as 6 competencies and 50 performance indicators:

Improving French Language Related Knowledge
Scope: This competency is concerned with having theoretical and practical knowledge about language (phonetics, syntax, grammar, etc.), history, methodology, literature and culture related to teaching the French language.

Performance Indicators:
A1. Knowing the history of French language teaching. A2. Knowing the grammatical and phonetic features of the French language. A3. Having a good lexical command of the French language.

Planning and assessing the teaching process
Scope: This covers the practices and competencies related to planning the French language teaching process, setting goals and objectives, determining methods and techniques appropriate for the subject matter and the target audience, creating suitable teaching environments, choosing and preparing the right equipment and materials, and using technological resources.

Performance indicators:
B1. Ability to plan the teaching-learning process in accordance with the curriculum. B2. Ability to analyse French language course books. B3. Effectively using printed and digital materials during teaching process. B4. Ability to adopt the developments in French language teaching and reflect them in own teaching practices. B5. Effectively using methods, techniques and strategies that are appropriate for French language teaching. B6. Ability to plan the teaching process by taking into consideration students" learning characteristics (learning strategies, learning styles, etc.). B7. Taking into consideration the students" age when planning the teaching process. B8. Taking into consideration the language proficiency levels of students when planning the teaching process. B9. Taking into consideration the readiness levels of students when planning the teaching process. B10. Ability to plan the teaching process in accordance with the students" cognitive, emotional and social traits. B11. Helping and guiding students about lifelong learning and self-learning. B12. Guiding students for developing their learning strategies. B13. Taking into consideration the needs of special needs students during the teaching-learning process. B14. Ability to design activities that develop students" higher-order thinking skills. B15. Ability to design the learning environment in a way that enables active student participation. B16. Creating a stimulus-rich learning environment during the teaching-learning process. B17. Ability to design the learning environment by taking into consideration the individual differences and attributes of students. B18. Effective time management during the teaching and learning process.
B19. Enabling active student participation in the teaching and learning process.

Improving students' French language skills
Scope: This competency covers the sub-competencies related to developing students" basic language skills, which are listening-understanding, speaking and spoken interaction, reading and writing, in accordance with the criteria in the "The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages".

Performance indicators:
C1. Improving students" listening and watching skills. C2. Improving students" reading skills. C3. Improving students" writing skills. C4. Improving students" dialogue skills. C5. Helping students use French correctly and intelligibly C6. Having a pragmatic approach when improving students" basic language skills and associating them with communicative environments. C7. Ability to utilise grammar either explicitly or implicitly whenever necessary while improving students" language skills.

Monitoring and assessing students' French language improvements
Scope: This competency is related to determining, monitoring and assessing the students" French language improvements during the teaching process in accordance with The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages criteria.

Performance indicators:
D1. Setting goals for the assessment and evaluation practices related to French language teaching. D2. Communicating the goals related to the assessment tools that will be used in the learning environment to the students. D3. Using assessment and evaluation tools in French language teaching that are diversified according to basic linguistic skills. D4. Using assessment and evaluation tools that are diversified according to language proficiency levels. D5. Interpreting evaluation results related to students" French language improvements and providing feedback. D6. Knowing the European Language Portfolio and benefiting from it during the assessment and evaluation process. D7. Using process and result assessment tools together.

Developing and Assessing Cross-Cultural Interaction
Scope: This covers the competencies related to developing students" social and cultural identities; familiarising them with France and the francophone culture, teaching them to respect other cultures.

Performance indicators:
E1. Contributing to the development of students" personal, social and cultural identities. E2. Being a role model and guiding students with regards to being tolerant and respecting differences (ideas, beliefs, lifestyles, etc.) and other cultures. E3. Ability to teach French culture and the francophone culture both explicitly and implicitly. E4. Ability to utilise written, oral and digital materials on both French and Turkish cultures. E5. Preparing activities aimed at developing students" cross-cultural skills.

Professional development and assessment in the field of French language teaching
Scope: This is related to the practices and competencies of French language teachers with respect to their own professional development.

Performance indicators:
F1. Identifying professional competencies and doing selfassessment to improve them. F2. Following national and international publications and activities to support and improve professional experiences and knowledge. F3. Participating in national and international courses/seminars for professional development. F4. Using student, colleague and supervisor opinions to improve own professional competencies. F5. Sharing knowledge and experiences and exchanging ideas about French language teaching with other colleagues.

DISCUSSION
Both national and international researches show that teacher competencies have a direct impact on student success. One of the most significant problems in educational institutions is the quality of education, and the most important factor that affects the quality of education is teacher qualification. To train qualified teachers who can cater for the technological needs and requirements of our age, it is of utmost importance that all factors affecting teacher competency are taken into consideration, and the policies related to teacher training are formulated accordingly. In order to make a sufficient and effective teacher assessment, it is necessary to determine and define certain standards. Such standards can help better understand how competent a teacher is based on their assessment.
Created based on the data obtained from literature review and document analyses, this model bears some similarities to the "Field Specific Competencies for Primary School Level English Language Teaching" guidebook published in 2008 by the Ministry of National Education in Turkey. However, no data has been found in any international documents regarding the field specific competencies that French language teachers should have.
Diverging from the "Field Specific Competencies for Primary School Level English Language Teaching" guidebook, which consists of 26 performance indicators under 5 competencies, that is, "Planning and Organising English Language Teaching Processes", "Improving Linguistic Skills", "Monitoring and Assessing Language Improvement", "Cooperating with the School, Family, and Society" and "Professional Development in the Field of English Language Teaching", this study is prepared for French language teachers and proposes 6 competencies and 50 performance indicators. The 6th competency, which is "Improving French Language Related Knowledge", focuses on having theoretical and practical knowledge on language (phonetics, syntax, grammar, etc.), history, methodology, literature, and culture in relation to teaching French. This competency is not included in the "Field Specific Competencies for English Language Teaching" guidebook. However, it is a crucial competency for teachers who teach French as a 1st or 2nd language in intermediate schools and high schools. The rest of the competencies listed in the model proposed here show similarities with the competencies included in the ministry"s said guidebook; however, the performance indicators differ. For instance, the competency of "Planning and Assessing the Teaching Process" has 19 performance indicators here, which is more than the ministry"s guidebook. The 3rd competency, that is "Improving Students" French Language Skills" has similar performance indicators such as "improving students" speaking, listening, reading and writing skills" but it has been enriched with the inclusion of performance indicators that today"s communicational and performative approaches entail such as "having a pragmatic approach when improving students" basic language skills and associating them with communicative environments" and the "ability to utilise grammar either explicitly or implicitly whenever necessary while improving students" language skills". The 4th competency, which is "Monitoring and Assessing Students" French Language Improvements" is related to determining, monitoring, and evaluating students" improvements during the education process in accordance with the criteria in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Another performance indicator, which is "knowing the European Language Portfolio and benefiting from it during the assessment and evaluation process", was added under this competency; and in doing so, the competencies currently expected of foreign language teachers internationally have been updated. The 5th competency is "Developing and Assessing Cross-Cultural Interaction", and it covers competencies related to developing students" social and cultural identities, helping them learn about France as well as the francophone culture, and teaching them to respect other cultures. Since this competency is deemed to be highly important in today"s foreign language teaching environment, it has been added to the model as a new competency. The 6th competency, which is "Professional Development and Assessment in the Field of French Language Teaching" also exists in English language teaching; however, in the model proposed here, its performance indicators have been broadened. The competency of "Cooperating with the School, Family, and Society" included in the "Field Specific Competencies for English Language Teaching" guidebook has been left out in this model as it is part of the general professional competencies.
It is critical that teachers who teach French as a 1st or 2nd language in intermediate schools or high schools acquire the competencies listed in this "Field Specific Competencies for French -Language Teachers" model, which was formulated by taking into consideration the current methods and approaches in foreign language teaching. In this regard, the following is a list of actions that can help French language teachers in acquiring the field specific competencies that are required of them.
(1) The Education Faculties that train French language teachers and the schools run by the Ministry of National Education can collaborate more; with more importance given to applied courses in particular. In doing so, better equipped teachers with more professional competencies can be trained. Teachers can especially be supported to further improve their competencies for "Planning and Assessing the Teaching Process" and "Monitoring and Assessing Students" French Language Improvements".
(2) In service training programmes can be organised with the collaboration of the Ministry of National Education and the Education Faculties in order to provide continuous development for French language teachers. In doing so, French language teachers can have the opportunity to improve themselves both in terms of the methods they use and in terms of technological advancements.
(3) To improve the linguistic skills of French language teachers, the number of opportunities for them to train in France for certain periods can be increased. Such trainings that take place abroad can improve the linguistic skills of teachers while also helping them learn that country"s culture.
(4) The curriculums of Education Faculties that train French language teachers for intermediate and high schools can be designed in a way that will improve prospective teachers" field specific competencies covered in this model.
(5) Practices that encourage French language teachers to participate in social and cultural activities as well as conferences and seminar in order to develop themselves can be organised.
It should be noted that this study constitutes a starting point, and the topic will be examined in all its aspects through future applied researches.