Theses supervised by Prof. Dr. Erdoğan Bada
22 theses · Çukurova University, Hakkari University
Use of first person pronouns: A Corpus based study of journal articles
Scientific writing is traditionally thought to be impersonal. Therefore, it is notsurprising for academicians to see the encouragement of the use of impersonalconstructions in scientific articles by most of style manuals. This study is based on aninvestigation of the use of first person pronouns in journal articles. In many of suchscientific articles, personal pronouns I and we can both be seen as a choice for authorsto stand their involvement in their writings. In this study, I have made a comparison of16 articles published between 2000-2005 in the Social Sciences Journal of ÇukurovaUniversity (SSJÇ) and English Language Teaching Journal (ELTJ) to determine thefrequency of occurrence of first person pronouns I and we. I have also investigated thesemantic references of these pronouns as inclusive and exclusive according to the waythey are used in these articles. In the light of the results, it is clear that writers of ELTJused first person pronouns more than those of writers of SSJÇ. Among the first personpronouns, I was used more than we by writers of ELTJ whereas we was used morethan I by scientific writers of SSJÇ. Scientific writers of ELTJ mostly preferred usingexclusive we whereas scientific writers of SSJÇ preferred using inclusive we. It isconcluded that pronoun use is an important aspect of scientific writing and should beincluded in the curriculum to raise awareness of learners to use them effectively intheir scientific texts.Key Words: Scientific Writing, First Person Pronouns, Scientific Journal Articles
Sürece dayali dramanin İngilizce siniflarindaki ögrencilerin özsaygilarinin ve konuşma becerilerinin gelişmesi üzerindeki etkisi
For years, much research has been conducted so as to seek better ways to teach English as a Second Language (ESL). Most of the conclusions were about the application of knowledge and skills acquired and the use of such skills in a cooperative way in real life situations so that individuals could see themselves as part of the society being aware of their worthiness. It will be useful to indicate that creative drama suggests that in modern education individuals learn best and discover themselves when they cooperate with others effectively during the application of the knowledge and the skills that they have acquired. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of process drama on the enhancement of self-esteem and oral language skills in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The subjects were 10th grade students in Ceyhan Anatolian High School. The study sought to find out whether the integration of process drama improved self-esteem and oral skills of high school students. Two groups of students participated in the study: Experimental and Control Groups. The control group was held constant while the experimental group used the strategies of process drama while learning English, yet the content of the course was the same.Five different instruments were employed in the study: Pre-, While-, Post- Self-Esteem tests, Family Self -Esteem Test, Pre-, While-, Post-Speaking Scales, Personal Information Form and Individual Learning Diaries. Pre-, while-, and post-test of self-esteem and speaking tests were analyzed by using the Paired Samples T-test for differences between groups. For individual diaries, descriptive statistics was used and frequency analysis was carried out. The results of the obtained data indicate that there were significant differences in the use of process drama in terms of enhancement of self-esteem and orals skills of the experimental group and also between experimental group and the control group.Keywords: Process Drama in Education, Self-Esteem, English as a Foreign Language, Oral Skills, English as a Second Language
Interlingual development of Turkish adult learners of English: L1 vs. L2-Based communication strategy use
Interlanguage (IL) is accepted as being developed by fossilizing L1 or L2 items, thus utterances produced in IL generally contain erroneous forms. These erroneous forms cause idiosyncrasies surfaced by communication strategies (CSs) which learners resort to when their linguistic repertoire does not allow them to communicate flawlessly in the target language (TL). As errors in learner language provide considerable information about second language acquisition (SLA), this issue has been one of the main focuses of SLA research. This research is designed as a developmental study aiming to investigate possible effects of exposure to the TL on the use of CSs in both speaking and writing in English. In this study, 20 Turkish learners of English were observed throughout the 2011-2012 academic year to investigate whether CS employment in speaking and writing is affected by TL exposure. The participants were chosen from beginner level, and they designated their own topics they would speak and write about. Their oral and written performances on the topics were tested at the beginning prior to instruction, in the middle and at the end of the academic year to observe whether types and functions of CSs altered over time. The findings of this study show that participants resorted to different types of CSs in their speaking and writing tasks. As the nature of speaking is different from writing, total numbers of CS employment in speaking and writing tests indicate a significant difference. The comparison of CS employment in each test shows that learners? CS preferences changed over time in both speaking and writing. The results also indicate that use of L2-based CSs increased while L1-based CSs decreased as a result of exposure to the TL. Therefore, it is concluded that exposure to the TL may have a significant effect on the preference of CSs in terms of type and function. Despite not receiving any specific CS training, learners can make use of L2-based CSs according to their needs as long as their TL repertoire allows. The findings of this study have important implications for teaching English as a foreign language in reference to effects of language exposure on the use of CSs in both oral and written performances of L2 learners.
Lexical collocations (verb+noun) across written academic genres in English
The dominance of syntactic studies in linguistics has caused lexis and grammar to be perceived as two distinct categories. With introduction of the paradigm of cognitive linguistics, the studies in syntax have been replaced by those in lexis and concepts. Semantics has come to the fore through the studies in cognitive linguistics, and there has been a trend from syntactic studies to lexical ones. In addition to research in cognitive linguistics, construction grammar has also emphasized the continuum between lexis and grammar. With the emergence of corpus linguistics, the studies regarding the continuum between lexis and grammar have gained momentum, and thus studies of collocations have been theorized. Early studies of collocations have focused on only lexis and disregarded grammar. However, in the process the studies have also incorporated grammar as well, and this view supports the idea that each word has its own grammatical properties. Therefore, lexis and grammar should be studied on the same continuum because there is a continuum between these two categories rather than a discontinuum. Within the framework of this paradigm, this study focused on verb+noun lexical collocations across the health, physical and social sciences in the written academic genre and analyzed these lexical collocations through the frequency and chi-square analysis. The study aimed to search for commonalities and differences between the verbs with their collocations. The results showed that there were more similarities and relationship between the health and physical sciences, while the social sciences indicated a significant difference compared to the other two. The study found 165 common verbs used across the three sciences. 12 verbs among the 165 verbs were found to be candidates verb+noun lexical collocations as prototypes. Key words: Corpus linguistics, collocations, construction, prototype, written academic genre
Pausing preceding and following adverbial clause conjunctions in English: A comparative study of Turkish and native speakers of English
The primary purpose of the research was to identify any possible difference between native English and non-native Turkish speakers of English in terms of their pausing durations preceding and following adverbial clause conjunctions in English. To do this, 15 native and 40 Turkish participants have been made to read a total of 40 sentences which contained five different adverbial clause conjunctions (namely when, because, whereas, although, and if). The recordings were transferred to the computer and the pausing durations were analyzed using a sound editor software. As a result of t-tests comparing the mean durations of pausing preceding and following the conjunctions, it was detected that there were statistically significant differences between the native and non-native groups concerning two of the five conjunctions. While native speakers of English paused significantly longer preceding all the conjunctions than following them, Turkish participants are found to do just the opposite for because. Besides, no statistically significant difference between pausing preceding and following whereas in the read speech of the Turkish participants was detected. In the causal analysis of the difference between native and non-native participants, we utilized two research methods. On the one hand, the analysis of pausing preceding and following çünkü and oysa, two Turkish discourse connectives corresponding to because and whereas respectively, pointed to the fact that the idiosyncracy concerning because and whereas did not depend on transfer from Turkish, at least for read speech. On the other hand, unstructured interviews done with 10 of the 40 non-native participants revealed that the difference between native and non-native pausing patterns may have stemmed from three types of transfer: (i) transfer from teacher and teaching practices, (ii) transfer of cognitive planning habits in spontaneous speech to read speech, and (iii) transfer from other learners. Since the study was of quasi-experimental nature, the non-native participants were divided into two equal groups: Experimental Group and Control Group. The EG was provided with awareness training for 10 hours about their idiosyncratic pausing patterns, whereas the CG was not exposed to any kind of training. The posttest analysis of the pausing durations preceding and following the conjunctions revealed that the treatment was effective in making the non-native participants in the EG aware of the correct pausing patterns. The findings showed that they started to use the native speaker pausing norms, while the CG remained idiosyncratic.
Young adult literature in EFL context: Attitudes of ELT students towards reading literary texts
The effects and importance of literary texts as valuable authentic material in foreign language teaching has always kept its popularity alive through years. Literature is essential for cultural enrichment, linguistic competence and personal involvement of students in English Language Teaching (ELT) Departments. The aim of this study is to find out the preferences of ELT students about reading literary texts. This study focuses on the attitudes of the students about choosing the type of literary texts to read as class assignments. Particular emphasis has also been put on the attitudes of the students regarding selection of themes and subjects within literary texts. The data for our study comes from questionnaires which were administered to students of the ELT Department of Çukurova University, interviews and field notes taken by students during literature courses, regarding their ideas about literary texts chosen as course materials. The overall data were analysed carrying out a chi-square, non-parametric test of SPSS v.16. (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). The results of this study have potential implications regarding assisting instructors of ELT departments in choosing texts for literature classes and encouraging students to enjoy reading becoming life-long readers.
Repetitions as communication strategies used by Turkish adult EFL learners: A cross-sectional study
Communication strategies (CSs) are coping strategies that second language learners resort to when they face a problem during their speech in their Interlanguage (IL) system. IL includes the fossilization of first language (L1) and second language (L2) rules. As a result of this fossilization, language learners develop a different system with its own structures and rules apart from their native (NL) and the target languages (TL). Since the utterances produced by second language learners have the potential to be erroneous, these learners make use of CSs to compensate for their mistakes. This notion has attracted many researchers in second language acquisition (SLA) research for the past four decades. This study was designed as a descriptive study aiming to investigate the effects of the duration of exposure to TL on the usage of repetitions as CSs in the oral narratives of 48 Turkish learners of English in the English Language Teaching (ELT) Department of Çukurova University. Twelve students from each first, second, third and fourth year were randomly selected to investigate whether their usage of repetitions as CSs got affected by their amount of exposure to TL during their university education. Making use of cross-sectional analysis, this study revealed gradual differences among types and forms of repetitions across these groups. The findings of this study show that participants resort to repetitions as CSs during communication breakdowns in their oral narratives. Regardless of the year, all the participants used vocalized fillers to gain time and self-repairs to attempt to correct their previous erroneous utterance and pronunciation, to make an explanation and to emphasize a part of speech. These results are also supported by the pilot study which was conducted for this study. The study reveals that there is no systematic effect of sole exposure on the usage of repetitions either as vocalized fillers or self-repairs across groups even though some parts of the results seem to be significant. In addition, exposure by itself has no effect on the repetitions' word classes or types as word-level, grouplevel or sentence-level. The findings of this study have important implications for teaching English as a foreign language in schools or at university level making a reference to the effects of exposure on the usage of repetitions as communication strategies. Key Words: Interlanguge; Communication Strategies; Repetitions; Exposure.
Construct shift of marine engineering cadets in maritime English via on board training experience
This study focuses on construct shift in marine engineering cadets in the period between pre and post practicum. In accordance with IMO's requirements, practicum-on board training- is obligatory and standard pre-requisite for all prospective seafarers. Regarding engine crew members, it is compulsory to carry out working at sea for six months (twelve months for the engine cadets registered in 2013) prior to taking proficiency exam to be seafarer-entitled as a third marine engineer. Participants in this research are 50 marine engineering cadets of Istanbul Technical University. They responded to questionnaires and participated in interview sessions to express personal views on their English learning and utilization experience. Both data collection tools which were constructed in open ended and semi-structured styles were presented to cadets both before and after on-board training. Collected data was analyzed via SPSS 16.0.The study holds issues worth reconsidering in terms of content and quality in the teaching and learning process of maritime English. Besides, the study reveals significant results regarding both Service Providers (SP) and Service Receivers (SR), as it reflects the views of prospective marine engineers toward language related problems in the profession. Key words: Marine engineering cadets, maritime English, construct shift, pre and post practicum, on board training.
Pedagogical translation: Recognition versus production skills
At varios stages of their lives, (prospective) learners of foreign language need to take such foreign language examinations as the university extrance examination (YGS) and/or the foreign language examination (YDS), which also include translation sections. Applicants are mostly asked to recognize and select the most accurate and appropriate option from among a series of five alternatives offered. There may be other occasions where the applicants themselves are expected to translate a SL text. Such translation acitivities are usually employed as a tool to measure and evaluate student performances at foreign language and/or translation departments or as part of job applications and interviews after graduation. Empirical data suggest that students oftentimes display a better performance in recognition skill rather than production skill. The researcher decided to carry out this mixed-method study in order to ascertain students' level of recognizing the correct option in a multiple-choice test and of producing acceptable renderings in translation classes. The statistical data obtained revealed that the two groups were more successful in displaying their recognition skills compared to production skills. Another finding was that, despite its brevity, the training offered between the first and the second sessions did lead to betterment in the both groups' recognition and production skills. Consequent to the training period, the participants displayed a two-tier improvement by obtaining a higher average of correct, acceptable responses and at the same time decreasing the number of incorrect, unacceptable answers.
Inclusive education in efl classes of Turkish secondary schools: a case study
For the last decades, the issue of inclusive education has been at the top of the agenda of governments, universities, educators, governmental and non-governmental organizations, researchers and all stakeholders. In the literature, there are a great number of studies investigating inclusive education in terms of various factors; yet, with very few focusing on foreign language teaching/learning and inclusive education in Turkey. Therefore, this study, based on mixed methods approach, was designed as a descriptive study which aims to investigate inclusive education in English classes at Turkish secondary schools from the perspectives of English teachers, typically developing students and students with special needs. As participants, 111 English teachers, 21 typically developing students and four students with special needs took part in this study. "The Opinions Relative to Mainstreaming Scale" which was developed by Antonak and Larrivee in 1995, and adapted to Turkish by Kırcaali and Iftar in 1996, semi-structured interviews and classroom observations were utilized as data collection tools in order to collect in-depth data. Findings of the study revealed that while most of the typically developing students and students with special needs were positive about inclusive education, English teachers held negative attitudes towards inclusive education. In addition, it was found that students with special needs supported the idea of inclusion in English classes. However, preferences of English teachers and typically developing students regarding inclusion in English classes were negative. Furthermore, advantages and disadvantages of inclusive education were discovered as they were elicited from the participants. The study did propose some significant suggestions as to how to cope with problems stemming from educational situations where students with special needs were integrated. This study by its nature has significant implications for education institutions, administrators, teachers and students requiring special needs. Key Words: inclusive education, English as a foreign language, students with special needs, typically developing students, English teachers.
Reading comprehension in paper and digital based English texts: A comparative study
Reading mediums, which were primitive materials like clay, leather, and papyrus, then paper dominated reading for a long period, now have been evolving into digital screens. While the act of reading constitutes a significant role in our daily lives, how we read what we read is very important, since platforms from which we read, do seem to affect not only our comprehension but also help us raise awareness about our reading preferences specific to a particular medium. Therefore, the first stage of this study is to identify preferences of university students who were treated as participants of the study. Considering that the main purpose of reading can be regarded as comprehension, the primary aim of this research is to investigate whether reading mediums have an impact on reading comprehension. For this, as a first stage, our participants, 170 undergraduate students from the Electrical-Electronics Engineering (EEE) and the English Language Teaching (ELT) departments at Çukurova University in Turkey, were administered a questionnaire inquiring about reading medium preferences and pertaining reasons. As a second stage, they were administered a reading comprehension test through digital screen and printed-paper with an eight-week interval between the two mediums. Participants' preferences and their test performances were analyzed through SPSS 20.0 utilizing descriptive statistics (frequencies and crosstabs) and a paired-samples t-test. The findings of the study indicate that the majority of participants preferred printed-paper over digital screen for their reading activities. While no statistically significant difference was found between preferences of the EEE and the ELT participants, a significant difference, however, was observed in favor of females preferring printed-paper. In terms of reading comprehension, while reading from printed-paper was found to provide higher comprehension performance for overall participants in general and ELT participants, regarding comprehension performance of EEE participants, no statistically significant difference was observed between the two mediums. This study, by its nature, has significant implications for all readers in general, and specifically, for students performing academic work, teachers, school administrators, policy makers, and e-reading designers.
Cross-linguistic patterns of pausing: A case of Turkish, Swahili, Hausa and Arabic speakers of English
Linguists usually investigate grammatical patterns on written outputs while carrying out studies on second language acquisition. However, this usually does not reflect the actual speech performance of the speaker, and thus creates a distance between the text and its producer. In this context, studies on prosodic features yield much information about the nature of actual performance. Although there is ample research on pauses in English, there are not many studies regarding this issue. Since speech is a dynamic process during which various factors interact with each other, it becomes a necessity to investigate this complex relationship within differing contexts. The dynamics of speech, prosodic features in particular, can significantly contribute to gain insights into the underlying mechanics resulting from contextual differences. Duration of pauses in a continuing speech can show the effects of these variables. In this descriptive study, the researcher investigated the read and spontaneous speech pausing patterns in coordinating conjunctions with 40 participants from Turkish, Swahili, Hausa, and Arabic speakers of English. For the read speech, the participants read out a short story, and for the spontaneous speech, semi-structured interviews were carried out. In total, 9318 pauses in 4659 coordinating conjunctions in read and spontaneous speech were measured through Praat, a speech recognition software, and findings obtained from the data were analysed by Paired Samples t-test. The results showed that pauses differed in favour of the preceding position in coordinating conjunctions in read and spontaneous speech of participants. However, differences were observed to be statistically significant since the speakers employed different strategies for pause durations in both cases. It was also observed that speakers from the same mother tongues performed similar pausing patterns which could be an important indicator of a cross-linguistic influence. Characteristics of the speakers' mother tongues were found to be a significant factor for speakers' performance in English. Since findings of the follow-up phase of the research also revealed that prosodic features were mostly neglected in classrooms, the researcher recommended integration of these prosodic characteristics into the ELT curriculum.
Comparison of conventional and online corrective feedback in EFL writing
The rapid dissemination of computer and Internet use has brought about noticable changes in many fields and even in life itself. Language education is a place where we can apply the upsides of this change. Internet usage, which is not limited to computers, is seen in every area of life with many devices such as smartphones and tablets. In fact, the use of new forms and jargon in speech and writing language is instrumental in our lives. This study aims to examine the effects of technology and Internet usage on writing ability that affects our daily life. In this study, participants, all tertiary level students, performed writing tasks on two different platforms: conventional and computer-based. Similarly, the instructor provided conventional and computer-based feedback to participants regarding idiosyncrasies in the writing tasks. Following the feedback, errors produced in texts rendered via the two platforms were compared in terms of nature and frequency. This process was repeated three times: at the beginning, mid and end of the spring term of the 2016 academic year. The participants who created the texts in a computer environment were asked to submit their texts electronically and thus received feedback through the same method; and when they submitted their tasks conventionally, the feedback reached them in the same manner. Before the initiation of the process, the participants were introduced to error correction symbols employed by the instructor to facilitate understanding of modified language material. The results which were obtained after this process was repeated three times in both platforms (conventional and online) were compared in terms of the number of errors on both platforms, the types of errors and the correction of errors according to thefeedback given. Students' opinions and evaluations about the process were examined. The findings of the study showed that online feedback was more effective in terms of error correction rate than conventional feedback regarding nature and frequency of errors. Besides, the informal interviews conducted with participants illustrated that participants held positive views towards online writing and online corrective feedback. Keywords: feedback, conventional corrective feedback, online corrective feedback, English as foreign language, English writing.
The impact of teaching topical structure analysis on coherence in EFL writing
Building logical bridges between words, sentences, and paragraphs have still been considered to be difficult for L2 learners who are expected to produce comprehensible and fluent written productions—searching for valid and applicable instruction in L2 writing classes, the current study aimed at finding instructional effects of Topical Structure Analysis on the establishment of coherence L2 learners' written productions. The study participants were 14 male L2 learners studying in the prep class of a higher education institution in Turkey. The study employed a quasi-experimental design. The experimental group received instruction on using TSA to revise and compose their writings. In contrast, the control group learned writing conventions within the scope of the curriculum applied in the institution. The quantitative data was obtained from pre-test and post-test rubric scores and progression types scores and the qualitative data was elicited from student reflections and teacher observation notes. The study revealed the positive contribution of TSA on the establishment of coherence in the writings and writing performances of the experimental group. The student interviews and teacher's observation notes have also shown that the implementation of TSA contributed to raising learners' awareness of coherence while diminishing their writing anxiety.
Digitalization of learning: A comparative study of university learners' and lecturers' perceptions and experiences on distance education: A Hakkari University case
In this study, we aimed to examine distance education, considered a reflection of digitalization in learning, from the perspective of learners and lecturers at a state university in Turkey. Although most previous studies focused on students' and lecturers' views separately, few studies have compared and examined both sides' experiences and perceptions of distance education. Therefore, this mixed-method comparative case study is intended to be presented to the university as a report, thus providing online program managers and faculty advisers with a deeper understanding of the essential aspects that impact the efficiency of the distant education process. The research sample consists of 1373 students and 112 lecturers at Hakkari University. An online 'Satisfaction Survey' composed of 18 questions was used to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data in this study. The IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 program was utilized to analyze the quantitative data. As for the qualitative data, thematic analysis with an inductive approach was applied to determine the related themes. The results revealed statistically significant differences between the technical equipment used by the learners and lecturers, the ways of accessing the internet, the rates of participation and attendance in the courses, and the satisfaction rates with the course materials and assessment methods. Additionally, an in-depth examination of the qualitative data showed that the rate of students experiencing technical, economic, and familial difficulties was higher than the lecturers. Moreover, some motivational issues were observed among the participants. The researcher proposes technical, pedagogical, communicative, and assessment and curriculum-related implications based on the findings. Recommendations for further research based on the limitations are included at the end of the study.
English language teaching program students' approach to translation: a case study on Çukurova and Mersin university ELT students
This study represents research that aims to examine the role and effectiveness of translation in language teaching. The research aims to analyze the translation practices of students studying English Language Teaching at Çukurova and Mersin Universities. The translation is used as an important tool in language teaching, but this study aims to understand how the translation practices of Çukurova and Mersin University students examined under this heading contribute to language teaching. The research will examine in detail the translation practice of English Language Teaching students at these two universities and evaluate the impact of this practice on the effectiveness of language teaching. This research aims to answer various questions regarding translation practice, which is an important component of language teaching. It is anticipated that these questions will contribute to understanding the translation practices of Çukurova and Mersin University students and how these practices are integrated into language teaching. One of the main focuses of the research is to determine how the translation practices of students in English Language Teaching at Çukurova and Mersin Universities differ. The differences between these two universities will help to show how translation practices are affected by local conditions and student profiles. Additionally, this research will examine the factors affecting the translation practice of English Language Teaching students at Çukurova and Mersin Universities. These factors include students' attitudes toward translation, translation technologies, translation skills, and the resources they receive training from, etc. Three separate data collection tools will be used in this research. First, a survey will be applied to examine students' expectations and attitudes towards the translation course. Secondly, in order to find out the language skill levels of the students, sample translation texts will be created, the students will be asked to translate them, and the translated texts will be collected and evaluated according to the rules of linguistics (linguistics - grammar, vocabulary, sentence knowledge, etc.). After the use of these two tools, a second survey will be applied to collect the thoughts, approaches, and impressions of the students who participated in these activities. The results obtained from the two universities will be evaluated comparatively. The results of the research can provide important information about how combining language teaching with translation can affect students' language skills. It is envisaged that this information can be used to improve language teaching practice and provide a more effective learning experience. As a result, this research will try to make a more comprehensive sense of this important aspect of language teaching by examining the translation practices of English Language Teaching students at Çukurova and Mersin Universities. This study can provide guidance on how translation practice can be integrated into language teaching and provide new information in the field of language teaching.
An analysis of gender representation and stereotyping in terms of occupation and appearance in secondary school EFL coursebooks published by the Turkish Ministry of National Education
This study examines gender representation and stereotyping in English Language Teaching (ELT) coursebooks for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades published by the Turkish Ministry of National Education. By focusing on the portrayal of professions and physical appearance, the research evaluates how gender roles are depicted and whether they align with principles of equality and inclusivity. By using a content analysis methodology, the study categorizes and quantifies representations of male and female characters in terms of their occupations, roles, and visual depictions. Findings reveal significant disparities in gender representation, with male characters predominantly occupying high-status professions and active roles, while female characters are often relegated to caregiving or passive positions. Additionally, stereotypical depictions of appearance—such as associating women with beauty and men with strength—further reinforce traditional gender norms. The absence of non-binary or gender-diverse individuals highlights a lack of inclusivity. This analysis underscores the persistence of gender stereotypes in educational materials, which may influence students' perceptions of societal roles and opportunities. Recommendations are provided to promote gender-balanced and inclusive representations in future coursebook designs, contributing to a more equitable learning environment. Keywords: Gender representations, gender stereotypes, gender-based prejudices, gender roles, textbook evaluation, content analysis.
The effects of explicit instruction of contractions as a connected speech feature on Turkish EFL learners' read speech
Some approaches, such as Communicative Language Teaching, emphasize the importance of intelligibility and comprehensibility in speaking and listening. This focus on suprasegmental features has been growing since the late 1980s. Pronunciation teaching has thrived as a result. Teaching suprasegmental features, including stress, rhythm, connected speech, and intonation, is crucial for effective communication. Connected speech (CS) is important for understanding spoken language. Recent research has focused on connected speech and its positive impact on listening, speaking, and language learning in general. Contractions play a significant role in connected speech. Therefore, this study specifically focuses on the often-overlooked topic of contractions, which can be considered a subcategory of CS. An experimental and a control group from a state university in Türkiye participated voluntarily in the quasi-experimental study, and the experimental group was provided with some special training designed by the researcher, while the control group followed only the curriculum of their institution. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through read speech audio recordings, researcher and participant journals, and semi-structured interviews. It was concluded that it is possible to improve Turkish EFL learners' read-speech performance significantly through explicit instruction of contractions as a connected speech feature. It is expected to fill a gap in the connected speech and suprasegmental features literature in the context of Türkiye specifically. As the study is closely linked with the teaching of English, it can be advocated that it has implications for the integration of teaching contractions and connected speech into speaking, listening, reading and writing classes, and it is the other aspect of the present study, i.e., the results and suggestions are expected to be a great contribution to the educational and research sphere. Key Words: Connected speech, contractions, pronunciation teaching, read speech, suprasegmental features
Comparing the relative effects of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR)and Traditional Reading (TR) on EFL learners' readingcomprehension, vocabulary knowledge, motivation, and attitudes toward reading
Reading is a fundamental academic skill, and difficulties in reading can negatively impact learners' overall educational success. In the context of second language acquisition, reading proficiency is a key component of overall language competence. This study explored the effectiveness of a 10-week Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) program in comparison to traditional reading (TR) instruction for Turkish high school students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Using a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design, the research investigated the impact of SSR on students' reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and motivation and attitudes toward reading in English. A total of 68 students participated in the quantitative phase of the study, with 33 students in the experimental group (SSR) and 35 in the control group (TR). Quantitative data were collected through reading comprehension tests, vocabulary tests, and a motivation and attitude scale, while qualitative data were obtained from interviews with 10 students. The findings showed that SSR improved reading comprehension and vocabulary, with the strongest effects on students' motivation and attitudes toward reading. These results support the integration of independent reading practices such as SSR into regular EFL instruction. By providing learners with increased exposure to meaningful and self-selected reading materials, SSR fosters both cognitive and affective gains.
The relationship between experience year and teacher reflection level in English language teaching
Teacher development requires thinking about the teaching practices. Besides thinking, purposeful and reasoned observation is necessary to organize thoughts in order to maintain development. Reflection differentiates from thinking with these particular characteristics. Since reflection is different from thinking, teacher reflection is seen as one of the most substantial parts of teacher development in order to make judgments about one's own teaching practice. This study aimed to comprehend how much in-service teachers are aware of teacher reflection and determine whether the teacher reflection is affected significantly by teaching experience year. The quantitative data was collected from 100 in-service teachers in public schools using the questionnaire prepared by Akbari et al. (2010). The qualitative data was collected from eight in-service middle school teachers in public schools with different experience years using teacher journals and interviews in the 2021-2022 academic year. The quantitative data was analyzed by using SPSS 25, and the qualitative data was analyzed using Maxqda 2020. This study showed that the relationship between reflection level and experience year is generally not determined, and the reflection levels of the participants increase due to practicing teacher reflection. Keywords: Reflective teacher, Reflection levels, Teaching experience, Teacher reflection
Comparison of Turkic and non-Turkic content short stories in English learning: Secondary school students' perceptions
Teaching culture is an inevitable part of language education. However, the utilization of texts with inner circle content in English language teaching and learning has recently been a hotly debated issue among scholars due to the possible intercultural conflict faced by the learners and inducing the learners' confusion during class. This study aimed to investigate the learners' perceptions of English in Turkey regarding using short stories with inner circle content, outer circle content (excluding Turkic origin), and Turkic content. The current study was conducted with the participation of secondary school students. The study employed mixed methods sequential explanatory design. The quantitative data were collected through a Likert-type questionnaire, and descriptive statistics were analyzed through SPSS 25. The qualitative data were collected through classroom observation form and semi-structured interviews conducted with five participants and analyzed via Quirkos 2.4. The findings revealed that a great majority of the participants had a positive perception regarding using short stories with Turkic content in English language teaching and learning. The learners stated that the short stories with Turkic content provided a much easier learning process since they were embedded with more relevant schemata, thus making it simple for the learners to understand local short stories compared to short stories with more exposure to target culture. In addition, the participants also agreed that the short stories with outer circle content provided them to compare their local culture with international cultures, create intercultural awareness and enhance their intercultural competence.
Self-efficacy perceptions of non-native English speaking teachers of English as a foreign language
Global changes inevitably affect languages because languages are the main factor that provides communication between people. As a result of global changes over the years, English has been accepted as a world language. With this, learning and teaching English has become necessary to adapt to the developments all around the world. The study examines the self-efficacy perceptions of non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs) of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Turkey and how their anxiety about their experience affects their teaching skills. In this study, the concurrent embedded mixed design was used. The quantitative data were collected from 125 NNESTs in Turkey during the 2021-2022 academic year. For qualitative data in the study, 20 English teachers working in Turkey were included in the study group in the 2021-2022 academic year. Descriptive and differential statistics were used in quantitative data analysis; the descriptive analysis technique was used for qualitative data analysis. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the teachers' self-efficacy perceptions were at a medium level. The study concluded that male teachers' self-efficacy perceptions were higher than female teachers. The study determined that the self-efficacy perceptions of English teachers did not differ significantly according to their state of being abroad, education level, age range, a teaching degree, and teaching experience. This study contains several implications for NNESTs.