Theses supervised by Naciye Kunt
12 theses · Eastern Mediterranean University
Using Storybooks to Teach English to Young Learners
This thesis would try to analyze and understand whether or not the use of stories will be beneficial to the children. The findings tried to help us to understand if the use of stories stimulated the children to learn the English language, and would stories increase the perception of the students towards the English language. The study was conducted at Alasya Primary School in Northern Cyprus, in total thirty two primary children aged between ten and eleven which contributed to the study. The participants were surveyed during interview with observation in the classroom, questionnaire. The researcher’s field notes were also included in the study. The questionnaire and interview questions were adapted from Gardner (2004). The interviews and questionnaire had been held one by one and due to the age of the participants. The method of analysis was statistical and Descriptive. The interviews were taped, copied and converted into English by the investigator. Using the statistical package 22 the findings were implemented. The overall results showed that the stories had a positive impact on the learners and that they motivated towards the lesson. According to the outcomes of the study, some implications for teaching and further research are suggested. Keywords: stories, motivation, young learners, motivation, cultural variances
Difficulties in Dealing with English Prepositions of Place Encountered by Students with Native Arabic Language Background
This study investigated the errors that Arab EFL learners produce when they use the English spatial prepositions above, among, at, behind, below, between, in front of, on, and under. Also, the role of the mother tongue in producing such errors in using these ten prepositions was under investigation in this study. The participants of this study were 72 Arab students 48 males and 24 females, who study at the Foreign Languages and English Preparatory School, Eastern Mediterranean University. All the participants were Arabic native speakers, and they were from different Arabic countries which are: Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Morocco. A test consisted of two parts was used to collect data. The first part was fill-in-the-blank question which contained 30 questions about the ten prepositions of place (three questions for each preposition). And the second part was a picture incomplete sentence which had 20 incomplete sentences (two questions for each preposition). The data obtained from the participants was analyzed qualitatively by checking the answers and scoring the wrong answers for each preposition. Results showed that Arab EFL learners have the problem of substitution in using English prepositions of place. In addition, leaving the question with no answer was employed by the participants. The results about the role of the mother tongue found that negative transfer played a role in the production of these errors. Finally, the study provides implications for Arab EFL learners regarding the use of English spatial prepositions, and some suggestions for further research in this area. Keywords: Negative transfer, Substitution, Spatial prepositions, Language interference.
An Investigation into the Influence of Montessori Method on Professional Development of EFL Teachers and Productive Skills of Students with Autism
Educating students with special needs specifically those suffering from autism spectrum disorder is a challenging task and requires much effort, and professionality, and employment of further strategies than those applied to normal students. However, most teachers working with autistic students do not have adequate knowledge and skills required to teach to this group of students. Therefore, this qualitative study was designed to investigate the influence of the training of Montessori method on professional development of EFL teachers. This study also aimed to explore the influence of teachers’ training of Montessori method on L2 productive skills of students with autism. To this end, three EFL teachers who dealt with 10 students with autism from an educational center for autistic children in Iran were recruited to participate in a 10-week teacher training of Montessori Method. The theory and practice issues of Montessori education were introduced and discussed during four workshops which also included open discussions. While attending the workshops, Montessori Method were implemented in three English language classes of students with autism. Four instruments including approaches to teaching inventory, interviews, open discussion sessions, and observation were used to collect data. The results of the inventory indicated that the Montessori-oriented training changed the teachers’ approach of teaching English to the autistic students. teachers’ perceptions of their changes were characterized by adopting a role as a facilitator, extending teacherstudent relationship, incorporating material suitable for students with autism, providing an opportunity to learn more independently. Teachers also perceived that Montessori Method could be effective in teaching English to autistic students and it could improve their L2 productive skills, their motivation, foster more independence, and enhance their interaction with peers. This study yielded some implications for teachers, teacher educators and educational material developers. Keywords: Montessori Method, professional development, EFL teachers, autism, L2 productive skill
Anxiety in Foreign Language Learners: A Case Study of Kurdish Students
The study was carried out to investigate foreign language anxiety levels of high school students in grade 11th from a Kurdish setting in Kurdistan, Iraq, as well as to figure out the factors that are responsible for their anxiety. The sample population of this study consists of 87 students from two high schools in Irbil. All the participants in this study are native speakers of Kurdish studying English as a foreign language (EFL). The instruments used in this study are background questionnaire, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), open ended questions and researcher’s field note. The results of this study show that public Kurdish high school students experienced language anxiety. The main factors causing anxiety in the context of this study are learners’ attitudes and beliefs regarding English language learning; classmates’ level of speaking ability; teacher-student interaction in class; the teacher’s questioning when students are not prepared; and unannounced pop quizzes; and the teacher’s explanation in class through explicit means. Among other significant factors are seeing others speaking better English; fear of being laughed at by others; others’ thoughts and reactions when they speak English. In this regard, the findings in this study are in line with those of previous studies, such as Chan and Wu (2004), Young (1991), Young (1994), MacIntyre (1995), Awan, et al. (2010). This study adds to the body of knowledge on the understanding of EFL learners' level of anxiety and factors that cause anxiety.
Parental Beliefs Regarding Children’s Native and English Language Acquisition: The Case of Northern Nigeria as a Multilingual Context
The research attempted to investigate the parental beliefs regarding their children’s native and English language acquisition in the context of multilingual Northern Nigeria. The study was conducted in Northern Nigeria involving 104 participants from Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The study used the mixed methods research where both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through the use of Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) questionnaire and semi-structured interview. Out of the total sample, 18 participants were randomly selected for the interview. Findings of this present study reveal that parental beliefs on their education and attitudes enhance their children’s English language acquisition. This research acquaints parents with information to adjust to their children’s native and English language acquisition and, would provide government with relevant knowledge to be used in adopting and implementing useful educational policies on children’s native and English language acquisition in the context of multilingual Northern Nigeria. Considering the coverage of this study conducted within just an institution, similar studies could be replicated in other parts of Northern Nigeria with more number of institutions at having greater number of participants. Keywords: English and indigenous language acquisition, Attitudes, Multilingualism, Bilingualism.
Postgraduate Iranian Students' Attitudes toward the Use of ICTs in EFL Learning
The use of Information Communication Technology ICT tools in language learning has been a very important aspect of the twenty first century, which is considered to be the beginning of technology revolution era. The wide use of Information Communication Technology ICTs, such as computers, mobile applications, films, blogs, etc. has helped a lot of learners to improve their English. This, also, has helped in promoting learner autonomy, where the learners depend on themselves to learn. This study examines the attitudes of Iranian postgraduates at Eastern Mediterranean University towards using Information Communication Technology ICTs in learning English. As EMU adopts English-medium of instruction approach, in which foreign language learners learn in English, the researcher found that there is a need to examine the role of Information Communication Technology ICTs and the learners' attitudes towards them. As the Iranian students who study in majors other than English language teaching ELT - such as engineering, business, and IT - don't study in English in Iran, most of the studies examined the role of Information Communication Technology ICTs in language learning for Iranians in ELT department, or in language institutes. Therefore, this study covers this gap by targeting this group and examining their attitudes towards the use of ICTs in Learning English. The researcher used the mixed method, which contains qualitative and quantitative methods. First, the questionnaire was distributed to 150 Iranian postgraduates at EMU. The questionnaire asked the learners about their attitudes towards Information Communication Technology ICT tools in learning. Then, ten participants were chosen for the interview. The researcher analyzed the questionnaire using SPSS 23rd Edition. This included descriptive analysis, frequencies, 'T' test, and Pearson Correlation. Regarding the interviews, the responses of the interviewees were analyzed and themed to come up with a model that represents the participants' attitudes towards the use of Information Communication Technology ICTs. The results show that ICTs positively affect the learners' language skills, and it has fostered learner autonomy. This study was also proved by the qualitative results, which showed that there most of the participants support the use of Information Communication Technology ICTs to improve their learning skills, language skills, and learner autonomy. A small number of the participants, however, cast doubts about the effectiveness of Information Communication Technology ICTs.
Use of Oral Communication Strategies in English Language by Graduate Students in an International Context
Students studying in international universities usually experience some difficulties and challenges when communication in English with students and people coming from different cultural and ethnic background. Nevertheless, to cope with challenges students may use Oral Communication Strategies (OCSs) but studies addressing these strategies in the international contexts have been rare. As such, this study was set out to identify a) the oral communication strategies used by the international students when communicating in English; b) to identify any possible differences in the use of OCSs used by students from different ethnic backgrounds; c) any possible gender differences in the use of OCSs used by the international students. The context of the study was Eastern Mediterranean University, Northern Cyprus, and the participants were 32 graduate (master's and PhD) students majoring in English Language Teaching (ELT) who were selected by convenience sampling who fell in five nationality groups (Turkish, Iranian, African, Iraqi& Others). This study adopted a mixed-method approach to address the questions under investigation. On the one hand the Oral Communication Strategy Inventory, adopted from Nakatani, provided quantitative data, and on the other hand, the oral communication task and semistructured interview along with observation and the researcher's field notes were triangulated to provide qualitative data. The quantitative data was analyzed through SPSS software and descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA tests were performed to provide answer to the research questions. The findings of the current study indicated that social affective, negotiation for meaning while speaking and message reduction and alteration were the next most frequently reported speaking strategies and negotiation for meaning while listening and nonverbal strategies while listening were the most frequently reported listening strategies by the international students. Comparing OCSs across different nationality groups showed that OCSs were not statistically significant across different nationality groups. However, gender differences were significant in two speaking strategies: social affective and negotiating for meaning while speaking with the females obtaining higher means than the males. The study yielded some important implications for practitioners, teachers and researchers who investigate this field of inquiry. Keywords: Oral Communication Strategies (OCSs), English Language Teaching (ELT), Social Affective, negotiating for meaning
Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety of Pre-Service English Language Teachers in Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Pre-service teachers‟ feelings of stress and anxiety while teaching English as a foreign language have been a source of debate and research in second (foreign) language studies. Even though the levels of foreign language pre-service teachers‟ anxiety have been explored, only some studies have tried to have a multifaceted view of anxiety in foreign language pre-service teachers. The purpose of this study is consequently to examine the level of anxiety amongst pre-service teachers majoring in an English department. In addition, this study attempts to recognize anxiety-distressing reasons for both third and fourth-year pre-service teachers. An overall of 80 third and fourth year students (30 students in third-year and 50 students in fourth-year) from Raparin University in Kurdistan region of Iraq participated in this study. This study employed Teacher Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (TFLAS) questionnaire which is designed by Horwitz (1996), and seven interview questions prepared by the researcher to find out about the most or least anxiety-distressing items. The outcomes revealed that both third and fourth-year students experienced parallel levels of anxiety. On the other hand, this study also investigated the connection between anxiety and gender. The results revealed that there was significant difference between females and males in terms of their anxiety level. Besides, as reported by the content analysis of the interviews conducted, eight different individual aspects for instance teaching in front of the students for the first time, teaching in a new environment, inadequate content knowledge, students‟ low proficiency level in classroom, teacher‟s insufficient preparation for the class, students‟ different level of proficiency in the classroom, inadequate classroom management, the pre-service teacher‟s shyness in the classroom were mentioned by students interviewed when they were engaged in teaching English. Finally, to reduce foreign language anxiety teaching, some pedagogical implications are recommended for English language teachers and English pre-service teachers so as to diminish English pre-service teachers‟ level of anxiety during teaching English. Moreover, this study recommended some suggestions for further study in this area. Keywords: Foreign language anxiety, Gender, English as a foreign language, Iraqi Kurdish pre-service teachers.
EFL University Students’ Beliefs about English Language Learning; the Case of Kazakhstan
The purpose of the study is to investigate the university students‘ beliefs about English language learning at Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages and Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan. In the light of the aim, the study used qualitative and quantitative methods, involved 150 students from the second and third year in EFL department from two different universities. The instruments for the present study (1) Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI), (2) Semi-structured interviews, and (3) classroom observations. Results reveal that Kazakhstan university students have positive and realistic beliefs about English language learning as regard their aptitude, the nature of language learning, communication strategies, motivation and expectations about learning English as foreign language. The study recommends some guidelines to EFL teachers in Kazakhstan in their teaching techniques and methods which would also match with their learners‘ beliefs. The present study has several differences and similarities when compared to other studies, like foreign language learners in the USA (Horwits, 1988; Kern, 1995; Kuntz, 1996; Oh, 1996, Hurt, 1997; Mori, 1997), New Zealand (Cotterall, 1995); Brazil (Barcelos, 1995), China (Wen and Johnson, 1997), North Cyprus (Kunt, 1997), Japan (Luppescu and Day, 1990; Keime at al., 1996). The first finding of the study was that Kazakhstan University students‘ believed that (1) Children are better learners than adults. (2) Everyone can speak a foreign language. (3) Some languages are easier than others (students compared different languages). (4) Will learn the English language very well. (5) Learning a foreign language is a matter of learning a lot of new vocabulary words. (6) Target environment is the best choice for learning a foreign language. The second finding was about the differences between ―high‖ and ―low‖ proficiency language learners. It illustrated that (1) ―high‖ and ―low‖ proficiency language learners‘ interests towards English language were different. ―high‖ proficiency language learners are interested in learning English (Positive), while ―low‖ proficiency learners learn the English language as a must (Negative). (2) Their motivations were different; ―high‖ proficiency language learners are motivated by their Native speaker teachers, want to achieve native like speaker, for future carrier, or to learn more languages, while ―low‖ proficiency language learners consider that they have low motivation for learning English language, and some of them were motivated by their teachers or classmates. (3) Their‘ beliefs about foreign language learning were different. While ―high‖ proficiency learners believed that hard work can get good level, ―low‖ proficiency language learners believed that not all people can learn a foreign language; it depends on person, some people can learn foreign language; some others cannot learn foreign language. (4) Language learning Strategies. ―high‖ proficiency language learners try to find English environment for practicing their English language, like reading book, watching movies with subtitle; communicate with others in English language. On the other hand ―low‖ proficiency language learners said that they don‘t know any language learning strategies.
Effects of Cooperative Language Learning on Preparatory School Students of EMU: A Case Study
Given the benefits of cooperative learning and its prevalence in social approaches to language learning, the present study was designed to investigate 1) whether language teachers at preparatory school of EMU report using cooperative language learning in their teaching environment; 2) whether students participate in Cooperative Language Learning (CLL) activities; 3) whether language teachers implement cooperative learning activities; and 4) what challenges and benefits CLL activities might have from the students‟ and teachers‟ perspective. To this end, 15 students and 4 teachers at the preparatory school of EMU were selected through availability sampling and participated in the study. The study used a mixed-method research design including both qualitative and quantitative approaches (questionnaire and interviews) to investigate the research questions. The results of the study showed that teachers that are teaching at preparatory school of EMU had more preference for Cooperative learning styles and reported high agreement for participation in collaborative activities. The teachers also reported incorporating collaborative activities in their classes although experiencing some major challenges related to grouping the students and managing the groups. Both teachers and students found CLL as effective in promoting students‟ learning. Keywords: Cooperative Language Learning (CLL), learning and teaching English, Turkish students
A Study on Acculturation Strategies of International University Students
This study focused on the preferences of acculturation strategies among Arab and African international students studying at a university in North Cyprus. The study further investigated the role of learners‘ cultural, motivational, and personal factors that interplay, and the influence of these factors on their language learning performance within the acculturation process. The study adopted a mixed methods research design. The first phase included a survey with 210 students while the second phase consisted of in-depth interviews with 19 student selected based on demographic information. Findings revealed that integration was preferred over other acculturation strategies while female students generally had a higher level of acculturation than males, and African students preferred integration as an acculturation strategy more so than did Arab students. Overall, results indicated that students from abroad perceived themselves in a positive light in relation to their acculturation in North Cyprus. Findings reflected very little antipathy towards the host nation or disappointment with the university, especially teachers not always using English as a medium of instruction in class even though Eastern Mediterranean University is an English-medium university. Overall, participants adopted different strategies to deal with stress, tension, and homesickness. In conclusion, the results indicated that the safe environment with the absence of fear, war, and civil conflict made the university attractive to many students from countries experiencing social unrest. Keywords: Acculturation, North Cyprus, Foreign Language Education, Language Learner Motivation, Cultural Diversity, Multicultural Environment.
Using Songs in Teaching English to Very Young Learners
The aim of this study is to examine the importance of using songs in the English language classroom. This study will identify if using songs in the English language classroom will promote vocabulary acquisition, and if using songs in the classroom will motivate the children to learn the English language, and will songs raise the children’s cultural awareness. The study was conducted at Eastern Mediterranean Doğa Kindergarten in Northern Cyprus, in total forty kindergarten children aged four participated within the study. The participants were examined through a pre-test, post-test, interview, a questionnaire and through classroom observations and field notes. The pre-test and post-test were designed and developed according to the selection of songs which had been chosen to teach the target vocabulary by the researcher. The adapted version of The International Attitude/Motivation Test Battery by R.C. Gardner (2004) was used for the questionaire, and in order to enrich the results of the study interview questions were written and developed by the researcher. Face to face interviews were carried out for the interview questions and for the questionnaire due to the participants being very young. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and translated into English by the researcher. The instruments were analyzed using the statistical package (SPSS 17). The results of the pre-test confirmed that the children had not acquired the target vocabulary beforehand. The post-test results confirmed the increase of scores therefore confirming vocabulary acquisition of the target vocabulary which was taught using the selection of songs. The results of the questionnaire revealed that when songs were used to teach the target vocabulary in the English language classroom the kindergarten children were motivated towards the lesson. The results of the interview questions revealed that iv when songs are integrated in to the foreign language classroom it raised the awareness of the cultural differences between the languages, the English language and the participant’s native language, which is Turkish. Keywords: songs, motivation, foreign language learning, very young learners, vocabulary, culture.