English lessons
377 theses under this subject heading
Sosyoekonomik düzeyleri farklılık gösteren devlet ilkokullarında 4. sınıf ingilizce dersi programının uygulanabilirliğini etkileyen faktörlerin incelenmesi
Türk Eğitim Sistemi'nde İngilizce Öğretim Programı oldukça önemli ve zorunlu bir programdır. İngilizce öğrenmenin önemi gün geçtikçe artmaktadır bu nedenle İngilizce Öğretim Programı üzerinde yoğun çalışmalar yapılmaktadır. Bu çalışmalar sonucunda Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Talim ve Terbiye Kurulu kararı ile 2013-2014 Eğitim-Öğretim yılında İngilizce Öğretim Programını yeniden düzenlenmiştir. Bu düzenlemeyle kademe olarak İngilizce öğretimi 2. sınıf düzeyinde başlatılmış, yöntem değşikliğine gidilerek İletişimsel Öğretim Yöntemi kullanılmaya başlanmış, dinleme ve konuşma becerileri daha çok vurgulanmış ve teknolojiye daha çok ihtiyaç duyulmuştur. Bu araştırmanın amacı yeni düzenlenen İngilizce Öğretim Programı'nın sosyoekonomik düzeyleri farklılık gösteren devlet ilkokullarında nasıl uygulandığını incelemek, uygulanabilirliğini belirlemek ve uygulanma başarısına etki eden faktörleri ortaya koymaktır. Bu nedenle, sosyoekonomik durumları farklılık gösteren 3 okuldan ilkokul 4. sınıf düzeyinde 24 öğrenci ve 6 ilkokul İngilizce öğretmeni katılımcı olarak belirlenmiştir. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden gözlem ve görüşme teknikleri kullanılarak veriler toplanmıştır. Çoklu durum çalışması ile birden fazla durum yani sosyoekonomik düzeyi farklı okullar incelenerek bu durumlara ait veriler ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Ulaşılan veriler içerik analizi tekniği ile analiz edilmiştir. Bu analizler sonucunda sosyoekonomik düzeyleri yeterli ve kısmen yeterli olan okullarda yani araştırma yapılan okulların çoğunda yeni düzenlenen İngilizce Öğretim Programı'nın etkili bir şekilde uygulanabildiği ve sınıf içi faktörlerin bu duruma olumlu katkıda bulunduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Sosyoekonomik düzeyi diğer 2 okula göre yetersiz olarak nitelendirilen okulda ise sınıf içi faktörlerin yetersizliği sebebi ile İngilizce Öğretim Programı'nın etkili bir şekilde uygulanamadığı belirlenmiştir. Bu sonuçlara dayanarak İngilizce Öğretim Programı'nın araştırmaya katılan okulların çoğunda etkili bir şekilde uygulanabildiği bununla birlikte sınıf içi faktörlerin yetersizliği sebebi ile programın uygulanmasında bütünsel başarıyı sağlayamadığı ortaya çıkmıştır.
The effect of modeling on the planning process: A study on reading plans of prospective English language teachers
Lesson planning plays a vital role not only in teaching but also in the teacher training process. However, lesson planning is a painful process for novice teachers and especially prospective teachers. In the English Language Teacher Training Program of Anadolu University in Turkey, prospective English language teachers prepare reading lesson plans in their third year. In order to investigate the effect of modeling on the reading lesson planning process, a research using mixed methods explanatory sequential design was conducted. For the research, 22 prospective English language teachers were asked to participate in the modeling sessions, prepare reading lesson plans, report how they planned their lessons and answer questions for the surveys. The quantitative data obtained through the evaluation of the lesson plans were analyzed using one way ANOVA for repeated measures and t-test for paired samples as a post hoc test. These statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 21. The qualitative data obtained through lesson planning process action lists and surveys were analyzed through Constant Comparison Method. The data revealed the effects of the modeling on the lesson planning process of the prospective teachers.
The relationship between teacher efficacy and technological pedagogical content knowledge within the scope of efl pre-service teachers
The present study aimed to investigate (a) perceptions of Turkish EFL pre-service teachers related to their overall teacher efficacy and its three sub-scales: student engagement, classroom management, and instructional strategies; (b) level of their Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK); and, (c) the relationship between levels of teacher efficacy and TPACK of Turkish pre-service teachers of English language. Involving the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, "Data Triangulation" was employed in this study. The research was carried out in the contexts of English Language Teaching in Educational Faculties in Anadolu University, Marmara University, Yıldız Technical University, and Yeditepe University in 2013-2014 Spring Term. A total of 110 fourth-year students in these universities responded to all of the questions in the instruments. Data were collected through 3 main instruments: (1) English Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale to gather information related to their understanding of their efficacy levels (Chacon, 2005); (2) TPACK-Deep Scale for gaining information about combining technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge in the ways of both learning and teaching processes (Kabakçı-Yurdakul, Odabaşı, Kılıçer, Çoklar, Birinci, and Kurt in 2012); and (3) Open-ended questions to assess their self-report of how efficaciously they integrate and use technology in their teaching experiences during the last part of their undergraduate studies. Additionally, "Teacher's Background Information" part was also used in order to detect the participants' technology use in English language teaching in a more detailed way. Quantitative data were analysed by descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation, correlation analysis, and bivariate regression methods; and, qualitative data were analysed with constant comparison method. The findings of the analysis of descriptive statistics indicated high levels of teacher efficacy beliefs of the Turkish EFL pre-service teachers. Additionally, the participants reported to have high levels of TPACK. Furthermore, correlation analysis demonstrated a meaningful relationship between overall teacher efficacy and TPACK competence. As for the further analysis, the results of regression analysis showed that TPACK has an influence on all three sub-scales of teacher efficacy which are "Student Engagement", "Classroom Management", and "Instructional Strategies". The results of the open-ended questions also supported the relationship between TPACK and teacher efficacy. Thus, quantitative data results were supported with qualitative data. As it was carried out to reveal the relationship between teacher efficacy and TPACK for the first time, this study proved to have valuable contributions in order to improve training process of Turkish EFL pre-service teachers. At the end of the study, there are some implications for educators and educational researchers.
The factors affecting teacher efficacy perceptions of pre-service English language teachers
Teacher efficacy is considered to be one of the most important constructs which affect not only teacher practices but also learner performances. It has been asserted that teacher efficacy is also influenced by some factors such as subject areas, motivation, and teaching practice in its developmental phase; that is, in pre-service years. In order to understand the judgments that teachers make about themselves better in these years, what kind of factors affect the perceptions of pre-service teacher efficacy can be explored. This might provide some benefits in terms of the things that can be done to improve teacher efficacy positively early in learning. Indirectly, this may give some insights about the quality of teacher education programs and the practicum. With these in mind, the present study aims to investigate the factors that may have an impact on the efficacy perceptions of pre-service English language teachers. A total of 113 pre-service English language teachers who were at their final year at Anadolu University participated in the study. Since the current study is based on the explanatory design, surveys and focus group interviews were utilized. Descriptive statistics were run to examine the quantitative data, and content analysis was used to examine the qualitative data. The results showed that the sample had a moderate level of perceived teacher efficacy. Moreover, their perceived efficacy in classroom management, instructional strategies and student engagement were found to be close to each other, though efficacy in classroom management had a little higher mean score than the other two components. Focus group discussions, carried out by 22 representative pre-service ELT teachers, revealed four main factors that affect their efficacy perceptions: ELT education they received at university, their practicum experiences, perceived language proficiency and their affective states. Compared to others, practicum experiences had the biggest role in the development of teacher efficacy. Furthermore, these factors were found to have either positive or negative effects in their perceived teacher efficacy. While classroom practices, students, the view of teaching as a profession, personality characteristics, and motivation contributed positively to efficacy, the content of the teacher education program, cooperating and supervisor teachers, perceived language proficiency and emotions had negative effects. The findings of the study are believed to provide new perspectives into the efficacy perceptions of pre-service ELT teachers.
İngilizce okutmanlarının öğretimsel yeterlik algıları ve bu yeterlikleri uygulamaya yansıtma durumları
Bu araştırma İngilizce okutmanlarının öğretimsel yeterlik algılarını ve bu yeterlikleri uygulamaya yansıtma durumlarını belirlemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Nitel araştırma yaklaşımlarından durum çalışmasına göre desenlenen araştırmanın katılımcıları 2014-2015 eğitim öğretim yılında Dumlupınar Üniversitesi (DPÜ) hazırlık sınıflarında derse giren İngilizce okutmanlarıdır. Araştırma verilerinin toplanmasında yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme, yarı yapılandırılmış gözlem, belge incelemesi ve araştırmacı günlüklerinden yararlanılmıştır. Verilerinin analizinde tümevarım analizi ve betimsel analiz teknikleri kullanılmıştır. Araştırmadan elde edilen bulgular okutmanların yeterlik algıları ile sınıf içi uygulamaları arasında bazı noktalarda farklılıklar olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu farklılıklar en çok dersin giriş ve sonuç etkinlikleri ile dersin öğretiminde hedef dilin kullanımı boyutlarındadır. Gelişme aşamasında ise çoğunlukla kitaba bağlı kalındığı için okutmanların yeterlikleri uygulama durumları yeterince yorumlanamamıştır. Okutmanların görüş ve uygulamalarında çoğunlukla paralel olan boyutlar ise iletişime dayalı ve rahat bir sınıf ortamı oluşturmak ve öğrencilerle iyi bir iletişim kurmaktır. Okutmanların genel anlamda kendilerini güçlü buldukları yönler okuma ve yazma becerilerinin öğretimi ve öğrencilerle iletişim, geliştirmeye ihtiyaç duydukları yönler dinleme ve konuşma becerilerinin öğretimi ile alandaki gelişmeleri takip etmedir. Anahtar Sözcükler: İngilizce Okutmanı, Öğretimsel Yeterlik, İngilizce Hazırlık Sınıfı.
Improving speaking skills of primary school students through drama plays in English language lessons
The aim of this study is to observe drama activities in language classes and how they affect students' speaking skill. It also aims to apply suggested activities by Gillian Lazar and his method of using drama in English language classrooms. Literature and Language Teaching by Gillian Lazar is the handbook and a major resource for the study. This study took place in small, public school in Erciş /Van outside of city where there is very limited resources for students. Primary School 4th grade students were the subject of this study. Language outcomes had been measured by teacher based on observations and the data were collected according to teacher's observations regarding language outcomes of the related unit. The first chapter gives information about the background of the study, aims, subjects and the method. The second chapter presents related literature review, reasons of using drama, effects of drama in language classes and its relation to speaking skill. The third chapter contains methodology of the study including data collection and teachers' observations. The fourth chapter is about the findings of the study specific on anxiety, enthusiasm, improving speaking skill and speaking fluency. The final chapter provides summary of the study, suggestions, limitations and conclusions. The analysis of the collected data has pointed out that drama activities utilized in teaching English as a foreign language classes at elementary school affected students' speaking abilities. Furthermore, drama activities and their implementation in elementary level language learning programs could be utilized as an effective tool. Keywords: Role- play, act out, speaking skill, primary school students, drama.
EFL teachers' perspectives on the English textbooks of the adopted self learning program in Northern Syria
The current study aims to investigate the perspectives of the EFL teachers who teach the adopted Self Learning Program (SLP) English Textbooks in North-west Syria through evaluating the English textbooks to show the effectiveness and suitability of this curriculum in non-formal education settings. In addition, this study considers the crisis context in Syria; it is clear that during conflict status, the normal life is not the same as most of the life sectors get affected as a result of insecurity, recurrent displacement, poor economic condition, psychosocial problems among people, increasing rate of dropping out from schools, disabilities. So, to get an actual evaluation of the English textbooks, EFL teachers were engaged in providing their viewpoints because they recognize the context of teaching and the students' educational levels, which means that they know better which resources are more suitable and effective. The study fundamentally focused more on the SLP curriculum, specifically the English textbooks, to get a more comprehensive overview that can support getting useful conclusions considering that both UNRWA and UNICEF accredit the SLP curriculum as a supportive non-formal curriculum. In the current study, a mixed method was used, in which the findings were obtained from different quantitative and qualitative data collection tools. The questionnaire has 49 items distributed into five structured dimensions covering various angles of EFL textbooks avoiding any overlapping to get clear data which are the following; layout and design, the objectives of the textbook, teaching methods and activities, language skills. There were also three demographic variables that are related to participants were considered in the questionnaire; sex, qualification, and teaching experience of the English language. The second tool focused on the qualitative data that was obtained from interviews through five open-ended questions. The present research got a total of respondents from 106 EFL teachers who are all in Syria; 43 females and 63 males, as well as five separate interviews. The study's findings revealed that based on EFL teachers' perspectives which were obtained from the questionnaires and interviews that over 60% as an average of EFL teachers assured the adapted SLP English textbooks are applicable include a clear sequence of English units that fit children's needs in crisis contexts. Keywords: The Adopted Self Learning Program (SLP), dropped out students, Education in Emergency (EiE), textbooks, evaluation, displacements.
Investigating the standards and procedures in the recruitment of testing office members in English preparatory programs at universities in Turkey
The aim of this research is to determine the procedures in the recruitment process for independent testing units within the English Preparatory Programs in Turkey and the standards considered by the administrators in this process. This study also investigates the training programs provided by the institution for the staff assigned to the testing unit and what changes are desired to be made by the administrators in the process of testing office recruitment. For the current study, the qualitative research method has been utilized and semi-structured interviews were conducted with administrators from 15 universities (9 state and 6 foundation universities) invited by the researcher for qualitative data collection. In these interviews, the interview questions prepared by the researcher through literature research and expert opinion were forwarded to the participants. The interviews were transcribed by the researcher and analyzed by the content analysis method. Qualitative findings have shown that there is no standard procedure for assigning testing unit members and that each university prefers different practices when choosing the testing office members. In addition, it has been observed that the candidates of testing offices are not required to have assessment literacy, educational background in English language teaching, or a certificate in the field of assessment. 7 participants stated that they measured the candidates' skills in developing and applying appropriate assessment methods during the testing unit recruitment process. "Experience in the current institution" was the most mentioned criterion in the study. The results also showed that the participating institutions offered training to the testing unit officers with various resources such as master-apprentice relationships, observation, and training programs provided by different institutions. Finally, 7 of the participants expressed that they were pleased with the current practices and did not want to make any modifications while the other 8 participants mentioned some desired changes in the recruitment process, qualifications, or the induction process. As a result, it can be concluded that there is no standardized procedure or any list of criteria for the testing unit recruitment process in English Preparatory Programs in Turkey, and participating universities have developed their own methods and techniques.
The integration of TRIZ method in English language teaching and learning
The educational systems have started to give a higher focus on English language teaching and learning because of its widespread dissemination in many countries around the world. TRIZ is one of the most important teaching methods that helps the development of students' study skills and stimulates their creative thinking. The purpose of this thesis is to illustrate how the TRIZ method can be used to teach and learn English. A quasi-experimental research design was utilized to demonstrate the consequences of integrating TRIZ into English language teaching and learning. The participants of this study were four classes of sixth-grade students at 23 Nisan Middle School in Uşak, Turkey. Two of these classes were assigned as the experimental group, while the other two classes were determined as the control group. Each group had 48 students. The pre-test of Macmillan Academy Stars was administered for both groups, and then the experimental groups were taught using lesson plans based on TRIZ principles, while the control groups kept using the usual way of learning English. After two months of instruction, the same test was administered as a post-test to both groups in order to compare their results. The results of the study were examined using the SPSS statistical analysis program, and the results showed that both groups had improved their performance; however, the experimental groups did much better than the control groups. Within the framework of this study, data were obtained to support the use of TRIZ in sixth-grade English lessons and the benefits that it offers to students. The present research also shows how important it is for teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to incorporate TRIZ into their lessons to assist students in developing their creative abilities and learning new information in novel ways. These novel ways keep students interested in learning and encourage both participation and innovative thought. Keywords: TRIZ, TRIZ Method, TRIZ Principles, English Language Teaching, Creative Thinking.
Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Temel İngilizce Programının bir değerlendirmesi
Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksek Okulu Temel İngilizce biriminde uygulanmakta olan ders programının öğrenciler, öğretim elemanları ve yönetim tarafından değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu nedenle öğrencilere dört açık uçlu sorudan oluşan bir sormaca verilmiştir, öğretim elemanlarına ve yönetime ise öğrenci sormacalarından elde edilen cevaplardan hareketle düzenlenmiş çoktan seçmeli bir sormaca uygulanmıştır. Sormacalardan elde edilen bulgular ile yukarıda belirtilen kümelerin ders programının amacına, içeriğine, yöntemine ve değerlendirme etkinliklerine ilişkin görüşleri hakkında bilgi sahibi olunmuştur. Bütün kümelerin varolan izlenceyi yapısal olmakla eleştirdikleri ve daha iletişimsel bir ders programına sahip olmak istedikleri gözlemlenmiştir. Anahtar Sözcükler: Program değerlendirmesi, Belirli Amaçlı İngilizce öğretimi, görev dağılımlı izlence. m
Liselere Geçiş Sistemi sınavları İngilizce sorularının Yenilenmiş Bloom Taksonomisi ve öğretim programına göre değerlendirilmesi
Bu araştırmanın amacı, 2018, 2019 ve 2020 LGS İngilizce sorularının Yenilenmiş Bloom Taksonomisine göre hangi bilişsel basamaklarda olduğunun ve 8.sınıf İngilizce dersi öğretim programındaki kazanımları ne derece ölçtüğünün belirlenmesidir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda çalışmanın ilk kısmında detaylı bir doküman incelemesi yapılmış ve Yenilenmiş Bloom Taksonomisine yönelik araştırmalar detaylı olarak incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın ikinci kısmında sorular ve kazanımlar uzman görüşleri doğrultusunda eşleştirilmiş ve içerik analizi yapılarak taksonomi tablosuna yerleştirilmiştir. Çalışmanın üçüncü kısmında LGS İngilizce sorularının 8.sınıf İngilizce dersi öğretim programında yer alan 20 kazanımı ne derece ölçtüğü hakkında anket yoluyla Çankırı ili sınırları içerisinde görev yapan 90 öğretmenin görüşleri alınmıştır. Elde edilen verilere göre kazanımlar bilgi boyutu olarak kavramsal ve işlemsel bilgi türünde yoğunlaşırken, bilişsel süreç bakımından yalnızca anlamak ve uygulamak basamağında bulunmaktadır. Üstbilişsel bilgi türüne ait ve bilişsel süreç açısından da çözümlemek, değerlendirmek ve yaratmak basamaklarına ait kazanım bulunmamaktadır. 2018 LGS'de sorulan İngilizce sorularının hiçbiri üst düzey bilişsel bir süreci ölçmemektedir. 2019 ve 2020 yılında sorulan soruların ise üçte biri çözümlemek ve değerlendirmek gibi üst düzey bilişsel süreç basamaklarında yer almaktadır. Araştırma anketine katılan öğretmenlerin büyük çoğunluğu soruların kazanımları ölçtüğü yönünde görüş bildirmiştir. Araştırma sonucuna göre LGS İngilizce sorularının öğretim programındaki kazanımlara uygun olduğu ancak tüm kazanımları ölçmediği görülmüştür.
Ders çalışma becerileri eğitiminin ilköğretim II. kademe 8. sınıf ingilizce(yabancı dil) ders başarısına ve kalıcılığına etkisi
Bu araştırmanın temel amacı, ilköğretim 2. Kademe 8.sınıf İngilizce(Yabancı Dil Dersi) ?Success Stories: A Living Scientist?, ?Personality Types: Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses? ile ?Language Learning: A Good Language Learner? ünitelerinde ders çalışma becerileri eğitiminin öğrenci başarısına ve bilgilerin kalıcılığına etkisini incelemektir.Çalışma grubunu, İstanbul ili Arnavutköy ilçesi Sabri Akın İlköğretim Okulunun, 2009-2010 eğitim öğretim yılındaki 8-A ve 8-B sınıflarının 13-15 yaş arası 40 öğrencisi oluşturmaktadır.Öğrencilerin akademik başarıları ve öğrenmenin kalıcı olması yönünden, ders çalışma becerileri eğitimiyle işlenen ders ile geleneksel öğretim yöntemleriyle(ders çalışma becerileri eğitimi verilmeden) işlenen ders arasındaki farklılıklar tespit edilmiştir. Konu ile ilgili literatür taraması yapıldığında ve yapılan çalışmalar gözden geçirildiğinde yapılan t- testi sonuçlarına göre ders çalışma becerileri eğitiminin öğrenci başarısını arttırdığı ve öğrenmede kalıcılık sağladığı tespit edilmiştir.Araştırma, İlköğretim 2.kademe 8.sınıf İngilizce(Yabancı dil) dersinde, ders çalışma becerileri eğitimi ile birlikte verilen ders ile geleneksel öğretim yöntemleriyle işlenen bir dersin, öğrenci başarısına ve kalıcılığına etkisi neden sonuç ilişkilerini belirlemeyi amaçladığı için deneme modeline uygun olarak yapılandırılmıştır.Araştırmada kullanılan veriler araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen ön test, son test ve kalıcılık testi aracılığıyla toplanmıştır. Hazırlanan testler öğrencilere deney öncesi ve sonrası uygulanmıştır. Elde edilen veriler SPSS paket programı kullanılarak incelenmiş anova, ancova, t- testi ve betimsel istatistik verileri ile sınanmış, .01 düzeyinde anlamlılığı test edilmiştir.
Implementing task-supported teaching in primary EFL classes
This study was conducted in a state primary school, and the researcher worked with the 7th grade students. Task-supported teaching was implemented in the study. The study was completed in a whole academic year. Nine communicative tasks were implemented during the span of the study. The results of a task-supported teaching implementation were investigated. Besides, the researcher aimed to see the actual difficulties perceived on the issues of; class size, noise, class control, instructions/explanations, time available, materials/resources, covering the syllabus, pupils? attitude, pupils? ability, and pupils? use of the mother tongue in task-supported teaching context. Learner perspectives were also investigated in this study aiming to find out the differences in the perceptions of learners on the two types of tasks; enabling tasks and communicative tasks, in relation to the difficulty of task, stress felt during task, confidence in doing task, interest in doing task, and motivation to do task. Data collection occurred in five phases. In the first place, communicative tasks were designed by the researcher using a task plan taking the characteristics of an effective task into consideration. The researcher made use of the tasks and task types used and suggested in literature. Secondly, a reflection-paper was completed after each communicative task by the researcher. The researcher completed a difficulty checklist following each communicative task as a third step. This checklist was designed by Carless (1997). In the fourth phase, the participants completed a questionnaire following both enabling tasks in the coursebook and the communicative tasks designed by the researcher so as to gain an insight into the learner perspectives. In order to support the data derived from the questionnaire, the researcher interviewed with the participants in the last phase. The study revealed that the communicative tasks were accepted by the students depending on different reasons, provided a variety for English lessons and increased the students? motivation. The issues of classroom size and the materials/resources caused no difficulty throughout the study, whereas the time available, instructions and covering the syllabus appeared as the most problematic issues. When the other difficulties were graded from the most problematic ones to the least, such a sequence appeared; class control, the use of mother tongue, pupils? ability, pupils? attitude, and noise. It was also found out that both types of tasks (enabling and communicative) were welcomed by the participants, and no significant difference appeared in learner perceptions between the two types of tasks in terms of the difficulty of task, stress felt during task, confidence in doing task, interest in doing task, and motivation to do task.
Lexical and syntactical modifications in teacher talk of native and non-native speakers in EFL classrooms
ABSTRACT LEXICAL AND SYNTACTICAL MODIFICATIONS IN TEACHER TALK OF NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS IN EFL CLASSROOMS Arzu ÜNEL Master Thesis Dissertation, English Language Teaching Department Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Meryem MİRİOĞLU January 2014, 95 pages Classroom language in EFL classrooms consists the core of communication between teachers and learners. Teacher talk plays a central role in understanding the nature of classroom language in this respect. According to Krashen input hypothesis, teacher talk also constitutes an important source of comprehensible input for the language acquisition of the learner (Krashen, 1981). To make the input comprehensible, teachers may make modifications in their vocabulary, syntax, rate of speech or discourse. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to discover whether native and non-native speakers of English make any lexical and syntactical modifications in their teacher talk at elementary and pre-intermediate levels and to try to find out what kind of lexical and syntactical modifications they make if they modify their lexis and syntax during their speech. This study also aims to probe whether there is a lexical variety in teacher talk of native and non-native speakers of English in elementary and pre-intermediate level classrooms. The study was carried out with 8 EFL instructors (both NSs and NNSs) at Çağ University in Turkey using their audio-recordings and conducting a questionnaire and an interview. Antconc 3.2.1 Programme, Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's English Dictionary – Fifth Edition and SPSS 17.0 Programme were used to analyse the quantitative data. The findings of the data were incorporated with the results of interviews forming the qualitative part of the study. The results of the data revealed that native and non-native speakers of English made lexical and syntactical modifications in their teacher talk at elementary and pre-intermediate levels. Regarding lexical modifications, there were differences in word tokens, word types, type token ratios and dictionary frequencies of 100 most frequently used content words at both levels. As for syntactical modifications, they ranged from words per sentence, types of verbs, verb moods, voice of verbs (passive and active verbs), the verb "be", subordinate clauses to the types of sentences. The findings of the study also demonstrated that the lexical and syntactical modifications in teacher talk of native and non-native speakers at both levels depended on the proficiency level of the learners although not all of these modifications formed a statistically meaningful difference. As for lexical richness, interestingly, no lexical variety was observed in the speech of native and non-native speakers of English at both levels. Keywords: English as a Foreign Language, Teacher Talk, Lexical Modifications, Syntactical Modifications, Comprehensible Input.
An investigation of verb islands in Turkish and English language coursebooks used at primary school level
Learning verbs, as one of the hardest parts of language learning, has been the concern of many studies so far. In these studies, the islands of the verbs have been determined in line with their uses (Tomasello, 1991). Taking the roots from the previous research, the current study aims to investigate the verb islands in Turkish and English language coursebooks used at primary school level. As for the research, electronic formats of Turkish language coursebooks (1st grade to 5th grade) and English language coursebooks (4th and 5th grade) have been used in electronic format, and the coursebook corpora have been created. Via the coursebook corpora, the islands of the verbs have been searched and identified. The basic idea of the study is that if an island is not presented in Turkish or English coursebooks, it may seem difficult for language learner to learn that island. According to the results of the present study, there is not a one to one match between the verbs used in Turkish and English coursebooks. It has been found out that only two English verbs are not presented in Turkish coursebooks. Furthermore, there are more Turkish verbs, which is an expected outcome, since Turkish is the mother tongue. When the islands of the verbs have been taken into consideration, it has been found out that most of the verbs have islands with NP. This study sheds light onto the curriculum planners in terms of choosing the verbs together with their islands. Keywords: Verb Islands, Corpus Linguistics, Coursebooks
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)in EFL classrooms: Elementary school English teachers' knowledge of ADHD, classroom management and teaching strategies
Research conducted on Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) so far has revealed that approximately one child in every classroom is estimated to have ADHD. The symptoms of ADHD are present in children as young as 2-3 years old; however, the disorder is most commonly diagnosed in the elementary school years when the demands of school expose the problem. The most common age of diagnosis is 7 years old. Therefore, it is essential that elementary school English teachers are equipped with the necessary information about the disorder to effectively teach these students. 252 elementary school English teachers, all of whom were EFL teachers in state schools, completed a survey containing information on demographic characteristics, a questionnaire on their knowledge of ADHD and a survey on their educational interventions for students with ADHD. 10 teachers were selected from among the 252 teachers and were interviewed in order to collect further data for the study. Results indicated that the teachers' mean scores on the Knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorders Scale (KADDS) were 18,23 out of 34 points. Findings from both Teacher Intervention Survey (TIS) and the semi-structured interview revealed that the teachers performed better in the instructional management category. This category notably included the strategies of physical arrangement of the classroom, structure of the classroom, varied presentation and format of materials and use of cues, prompts and attention checks. Teachers underperformed in behavior management category, notably including token economy, response cost, time-out from positive reinforcement, home –based contingencies and self-management. The results also revealed that the teachers generally perceived more barriers to the implementation of interventions that fell under the category of behavior management. Findings revealed that teachers need more effective training about ADHD in order to improve the theoretical and practical knowledge about the disorder. It is worth mentioning that school counselors and other service providers need to reconsider the factors that may have a contributing effect on the knowledge of ADHD and implementation of strategies. Keywords: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), elementary school English teachers, state schools, knowledge of ADHD, educational interventions
An evaluation of "Sunrise 9'' from EFL teachers' and students' perspectives in Northern Region of Iraq
Basically, textbook is one of the most essential parts in the process of teaching/learning all around the world, also there is debatable case about using and non-using a textbook in the first place in EFL program. Moreover, there are three basic components in EFL program including (teacher, student and textbook), but amongst them textbook plays a significant role in the process of English Language Teaching. It is one of the main crucial materials that have been using by students and the language teachers throughout the world. Additionally, educationalists claim that textbook is the heart of the English language classrooms. Some indisputably enunciated that textbooks guide teachers and facilitate the process of teaching and learning. In accordance with, the present study aims at evaluating SUNRISE 9 from teachers' and students' opinions and finding out whether there is a statistically significant difference between the teachers' and students' responses with regard to the strengths and weaknesses of the textbook which are used in language classrooms in all basic schools in the Northern Iraq. The findings reveal that the teacher participants have negative opinions towards most of the sections of the textbook and some others have not stated any opinions but the student participants generally have positive opinions about SUNRISE 9. Moreover, two data collection tools or/and instruments were carried out in the current study. Thus, the teachers' and students' opinions were conducted on SUNRISE 9, a student questionnaire and a teacher questionnaire. Furthermore, the evaluation of the textbook was carried out in terms of five criteria which include: the layout and design, activities, skills, language type, subject and content and conclusion. The quantitative data were obtained using questionnaire for teachers and students with a total number of 375 9th grade students and 40 9th grade teachers. They were chosen randomly from Sulaimanyah city in the North of Iraq. For the qualitative part of the study, semi-structured interviews were held among 13 teachers to gather more necessary data. The quantitative data obtained, were analysed using SPSS, a Statistical Program for Social Sciences. A five-point Likert type scale was used for analysis. To analyse the qualitative data, a deductive content analysis was employed. Keywords: Textbook, Evaluation, Textbook Evaluation, Material, Materials Evaluation
English as a foreign language teachers' coursebook dependency
The influence which coursebooks have on learners as the main language learning tools is axiomatic. The way they are implemented in language classrooms can lead to positive and negative outcomes equally and this necessitates a critical approach to language teaching by means of these tools which have been taken for granted for decades so far. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate how dependent English language teachers are on coursebooks and whether there are any relationships between teachers' coursebook dependency levels and their genders, experiences, educational backgrounds. A 'Coursebook Dependency Questionnaire' was developed to conduct this study as the literature did not provide an appropriate scale to measure the desired construct. Therefore, the study has two main aspects which include analyses for the validity and the reliability of the scale developed and the analyses of the data gathered by the 'Coursebook Dependency Questionnaire' to answer the research questions. The current study was carried out mainly at a state and private university as well as primary and secondary schools in Gaziantep with a total of 324 respondents. Participants working at private and state universities and schools throughout Turkey were also sent questionnaires by e-mail (N=58) or requested to fill in an online questionnaire (N=18). The data was collected through the coursebook dependency questionnaire which was designed for this study and reliability value was found to be .90. The results revealed that majority of the participants (N=223) were medium dependent on coursebooks in their teaching practices while the number of high (N=89) and low (N=12) dependent teachers on coursebooks comprised less than half of the participants in total. The analyses of the relationships in gender, experience and educational backgrounds with regards to coursebook dependency levels indicated no statistically significant differences among these variables although one might expect negative correlations between the years of experience and dependency levels of teachers.
Iraqi EFL teachers' beliefs and practices of multimedia in ELT classes
Technology has become an important and inevitable part of our lives nowadays, especially in the field of education; it has a big role in improving ways of teaching and enhancing teaching techniques in many ways. In language teaching, multimedia has a great impact on students' achievement. This descriptive study investigated Iraqi EFL teachers' beliefs and teachers' practice of multimedia by using quantitative data collection methodology. The participants of the study consisted of 39 females and 64 male EFL teachers from various schools of Iraq. The results of the study showed that while Iraqi EFL teachers had a positive attitude towards the integration of multimedia in their classes, they had a low level of their practice of multimedia in their own classes. However, the results in both cases showed a little difference in both male and female teachers. According to the results of the study, female teachers were more positive about using multimedia and more active in their integration of multimedia in their classes when compared to male teachers. Keywords: Multimedia Technology, Information and Communication Technology, Teachers' Beliefs, English as a foreign language, Teachers' Practices.
Lean as an innovative method in english language teaching to increase learner's reading and writing skills
Different methods of teaching have become a controversial topic in English language classrooms as the needs of the English learners should be met. Lean as an innovative method offers an effective language learning method to cater for learning. To exhilarate learning, teachers need to use effective methods of teaching to achieve what target they do want to reach. The current study investigated the impact of applying lean as an innovative method of teaching English on learners' reading and writing skills in English language teaching. A pre-post-test quasi-experimental design was used with a treatment and control group. The experimental group was given the treatment after the pre-test for 12 weeks, while the control group received no lean treatment. The analyses were conducted on 56 students from a coeducational high school participated in the study. Additionally, lean was introduced to the students before applying it as a method of teaching, it was also distributed among the participants to identify their goals. Statistical analyses were carried out using descriptive statistics and t tests. In the results, it was found that the score was significantly different between the two groups in terms of their performances in the pre- and post-tests (t=2.923, df=54, p<.05). The experimental group increased their mean score with an average of 3.7 in the post-test highly more than the control group which was 1.85. In addition, the descriptive statistics showed that the participants in the experimntal group improved better in the reading skill with an average of 2.4 more than the writing skill with an average of 1.71. The result was significantly different in the reading (t= -3.910, p<.05) and writing (t= -4.628, p<05) sections in the pre-post-test scores of the treatment group . In the control group in terms of reading and writing, there were apparent increases between the pre and post tests, reading with an average of 1.7 and writing with an average of .78 increases. It was found that the learners recorded different achievements in each part of the test, which were nine parts. Moreover, the study indicated that the two groups improved in different areas of the test after the treatment period but the use of lean method produced a higher achievement in the experimental group. This study provides evidence that applying lean increases the end-result of the learners of English effectively. These findings indicate that implementing lean method is possible and effective in English language teaching. A new model of lean in education has been shown in the study to increase the end-result of an educational process and finish the syllabus on time. Keywords: Lean, lean method, English as a foreign language (EFL), reading and writing skills, English Learners.
İngilizce öğretmenlerinin Eğitim Bilişim Ağı (EBA) kullanım durumlarının incelenmesi
Bu çalışma, İngilizce öğretmenlerinin FATİH Projesi'nin bileşenlerinden biri olan Eğitim Bilişim Ağı'nı (EBA) kullanım durumlarının incelenmesini amaçlamıştır. Araştırmada nicel araştırma desenlerinden betimsel tarama deseni tercih edilmiştir. Çalışmada Karabük il merkezinde ve Safranbolu ilçesinde proje kapsamında donanım ve yazılım kurulumu tamamlanmış 50 okulda görev yapan 105 İngilizce öğretmenine anket uygulanmıştır. Anket uygulanan öğretmenlerden gönüllülük esasına göre seçilen 8 kişi ile de yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmadan elde edilen sonuçlara göre İngilizce öğretmenleri etkileşimli tahtayı belirli sıklıklarla kullanırken EBA'yı kullanma sıklıkları istenen düzeyin altındadır. EBA'yı en çok içerik sağlamak için kullanan İngilizce öğretmenleri, EBA'da içerik geliştirmemekte ve paylaşmamaktadır. İngilizce öğretmenlerinin EBA'ya karşı olumlu tutum geliştirdikleri ve EBA kullanım öz-yeterliklerinin de iyi düzeyde olduğu çalışmada ulaşılan sonuçlar arasındadır. Öğretmenler EBA'da bulunan ders içeriklerini ise sayıca yeterli fakat verimsiz olarak değerlendirmekte ve EBA'da daha kaliteli içeriklerin bulunmasını beklemektedirler.
Türkiye ve Rusya'daki İngilizce öğretmenlerinin etkili öğretim stratejilerine ilişkin yaklaşımlarının analizi
Bu araştırma, Türkiye'de görev yapan İngilizce öğretmenleri ile Rusya'da görev yapan İngilizce öğretmenlerinin, Marzano'nun etkili öğretim stratejilerine (MEÖS) ilişkin yaklaşımları ve bu stratejileri kullanma durumlarını analiz etmek amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada nicel araştırma desenlerinden biri olan tarama deseni kullanılmıştır. Örneklemi, Türkiye'den 54 ve Rusya'dan 40 İngilizce öğretmeni oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada "Etkili Öğretim Stratejileri Anketi" ve açık uçlu anket veri toplama araçları olarak kullanılmıştır. Verileri analiz etmek için içerik analizi ve Non-parametrik Mann-Whitney U testi yapılmıştır. Araştırmanın sonucunda, birinci ve ikinci problem durumlarıyla ilgili olarak Türkiye ve Rusya'da görev yapan İngilizce öğretmenlerinin Marzano'nun etkili öğretim stratejilerine ilişkin yaklaşımları ve MEÖS'ler kullanımına ilişkin düşüncelerinin kısmen farklılık gösterdiği anlaşılmıştır. Türk öğretmenler Rus öğretmenlere göre şu stratejilere daha az önem vermektedirler: özet çıkarma ve not alma, ev ödevi uygulama, hipotez üretme ve test etme. Rus öğretmenlerin ise dile dayalı olmayan temsiller kategorisindeki stratejileri daha az benimsedikleri görülmüştür.
4MAT öğretim modelinin ilkokul 4. sınıf İngilizce dersi öğrenci başarısına etkisinin incelenmesi
Bu araştırma ile sınıftaki tüm öğrencilerin öğrenme stillerine uygun olarak öğrenme öğretme ortamları sunan 4MAT öğretim modelinin ilkokul 4. sınıf İngilizce dersinde öğrenci başarısı üzerine etkisi ortaya koyulması amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda İlkokul 4. Sınıf İngilizce öğretim programında bulunan "Cartoon Characters, "My Day" ve "Doing Experiment" ünitelerindeki etkinlikler 4MAT öğretim modeline uygun olarak düzenlenmiştir ve 4MAT öğretim modelinin öğrenci başarısına etkisi incelenmiştir. 4MAT öğretim modelinin akademik başarıya etkisi ön test son test kontrol gruplu zayıf deneysel yöntem kullanılarak araştırılmıştır.Bu araştırma 2016-2017 eğitim-öğretim yılında Gaziantep ilindeki bir devlet okulunda uygulanmıştır. Deney grubunda 17 erkek 13 kız, kontrol grubunda 16 erkek 14 kız olmak üzere toplam öğrenci sayısı ise 60'tır. Deney grubu olarak seçilen öğrencilere 4MAT öğretim modeline dayalı İngilizce öğretimi gerçekleşmiştir. Kontrol grubuna ise ilkokul 4. sınıf öğretim programında yer alan etkinliklerle doğrultusunda öğretim gerçekleşmiştir. Uygulama deney ve kontrol gruplarına 12 hafta 24 ders saati olarak uygulanmıştır. Araştırmacı, Eğitim Programları ve Öğretim alanının uzmanı ile iki İngilizce öğretmeninin görüşlerini alarak hazırladığı başarı testini deney ve kontrol grubundaki öğrencilere öğretimden önce ve sonra uygulamıştır. Araştırma sonucunda 4MAT öğretim modeline uygun olarak öğretim yapılan deney grubu öğrencilerinin daha başarılı oldukları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Araştırmaya derinlik katmak için deney grubu öğrencilerinin 4MAT öğretim modeli ile ilgili görüşleri alınmıştır.Öğrencilerin verdikleri cevaplar doğrultusunda İngilizce dersine dair olumlu his geliştirdikleri ve uygulamadan memnun kaldıkları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.
An investigation of integrating critical thinking skills into ELT pre-service teacher education programs
The idea of teaching higher-order thinking skills in schools besides the subject matter has been around for the last decades in the field of education. However, the reciprocity between critical thinking and language learning and its paramount role in raising effective global citizens who can cope with the contemporary challenges of 21st century work arena is a recently acknowledged issue. The devastating spread of digital technologies in daily life makes the need to act selectively and wisely a must in gaining knowledge which is a vital component of higher-order thinking, accompanied by effective communication skills with people from other nations. Therefore, the development of a culture of higher-order thinking in language classrooms has become an important goal of language education. Nonetheless, the awareness of language teachers and pre-service language teachers regarding the prominence of critical thinking – a higher-order thinking skill - in language teaching, and the ways they could merge critical thinking with their teaching remain to be scarcely researched. Derived from this necessity, the aim of this study was two-fold: first, to explore pre-service English teachers' perceptions on i) critical thinking, ii) how to integrate critical thinking into language education, and iii) the challenges that could be faced during this process; secondly, to determine whether there was a development in their perceptions towards critical thinking, how to integrate it into language teaching and the real-context challenges after an action plan implementation on CT-based language instruction. Besides the perceptual dimension, to what extent the pre-service teachers could transfer the knowledge they gained from the training intervention into practice was also examined. This practical side of the study represented the unique dimension that could offer promising implications for the related literature. As such, the study comprising of a practical action research design investigated the impact of a 14 week action plan implementation on 8 pre-service English teachers' awareness and teaching skills regarding the integration of critical thinking into language teaching. Data collection involved the use of semi-structured interviews, CT-tasks, lesson plans, observation forms of the video-recorded macro teachings, and self-reflection journals of the participants. Both quantitative analysis in the form of descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis in the form of content analysis were performed to scrutinize the results. The study revealed outstanding findings in relation to the research questions. First of all, a perceptual improvement on the part of the participants in connection with the concept of critical thinking was obviously observed. Before the action plan implementation, the participants offered vague, superficial or limited definitions of critical thinking, which showed their hesitance about the meaning of critical thinking, whereas their explanations at the end of the study were much more comprehensive and self-confident indicating a cognitive shift about the term. Another important finding was about their awareness on how to integrate critical thinking into language teaching. The in-depth analysis of the data demonstrated that they had a more positive attitude with plenty of ideas on the techniques and the activities to be employed for fostering critical thinking in a language classroom at the end of the study. The challenges of teaching critical thinking in language classrooms mentioned by the participants both before and after the implementation period were in line with the related literature. The salient difference was that they had a tendency to blame the external factors, such as the education system or the students in the pre-stage, but they also articulated the teacher related internal constraints, such as lack of background information and experience on infusing critical thinking into language teaching in the post-stage. Finally, the participants were remarkably able to transfer the procedures and the techniques they were exposed to during the action plan implementation period into their macro teachings despite the external and internal obstacles. This indicated that pre-service English teachers could successfully integrate critical thinking into language teaching so long as they were given sufficient and appropriate guidance. Keywords: Critical thinking, pre-service teacher education, action research