The implementation of critical pedagogy in Turkish pre-service teacher education: an empirical case study

Although critical pedagogy has gained increasing attention in teacher education research, there remains a notable lack of empirical studies that systematically model its integration into language-focused courses—particularly within the pre-service teacher education (PSTE) framework of Türkiye. In response to this gap, this study aims to understand how critical pedagogy implementation in a Mass Media Communication course affects Arabic language pre-service teachers’ critical thinking and pedagogical perspectives in a PSTE programme. Using an empirical case study design, data came from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and reflections from five Turkish pre-service teachers over 15 weeks. The thematic analysis explored changes in their awareness and critical engagement with global socio-political issues. Findings indicate that participants developed enhanced media literacy, critical awareness, and socio-political sensitivity. Classroom discussions enabled them to question media bias, engage with diverse perspectives, and reflect on the role of language in representing power and ideology. While some participants initially hesitated to integrate critical topics into a language course, others acknowledged the pedagogical and intellectual values of such discussions. The study concludes that context-sensitive implementations of critical pedagogy can deepen pre-service teachers’ critical perspectives and improve their language proficiency by connecting linguistic development with social consciousness. Recommendations are provided for integrating critical approaches into pre-service teacher education curricula and designing future research.