Analysis of speaking skill in high school English language curricula and coursebooks in Turkey

The aim of the current study is to investigate the distribution of the speaking skill in the English language curricula and the coursebooks of high schools in Turkey from the perspective of Bloom's revised taxonomy. The relationship and differences between the speaking outcomes in the high school English language curricula and the speaking activities in the high school English language coursebooks have been determined according to the cognitive process and knowledge dimensions in the taxonomy. Based on a mixed-method research design, document analysis has been chosen to collect data from the high school English language curricula and the coursebooks for the grades between 9th and 12th in Turkey. Data have been analyzed through content analysis and placed into the taxonomy table. Findings have been presented with their frequencies and percentages in tables. The interpretation of the findings has been made relating to the dimensions of Bloom's revised taxonomy. At the end of the study, it has been revealed that both the speaking outcomes in the curricula and the speaking activities in the coursebooks are mostly placed in the lower order categories according to the cognitive process dimension, in all the grades except for the 12th grade. Besides, it has been found that most of the outcomes and activities are based on conceptual knowledge and there are not any outcomes or activities aiming at metacognitive knowledge. The study presents suggestions to the curriculum designers, coursebook writers, and teachers.