Teacher candidates’ dichotomous construction of educational and gender inequalities in Türkiye during a telecollaboration project

Utilizing critical discourse analysis, this study explored how teacher candidates from Türkiye (TCTs) (re)produced the East/West binary extant in hegemonic socio-economic and sociopolitical discourses while discussing educational and gender inequalities during telecollaboration with their peers from the US. The TCTs had dichotomous views about Türkiye's education system (eastern schools, understaffed and lacking resources; western schools, established and affluent). Gender wise, the TCTs had similar opinions (eastern women in domestic roles with little education/western women as educated and working). These reductionist representations aligned with hegemonic discourses. Teacher education programs should address such stereotypes to improve TCs' social justice awareness.