Attitudes towards testing speaking at Gazi University Preparatory School of English and suggested tests

Speaking is an important part of language learning. However, generally it isnot integrated in curricula of most schools, and hence it is not focused on in classes.A language is a whole and has components each of which is important and necessarywhile one is learning a foreign language. Speaking is one of the components whichshould not be neglected. Otherwise, the process of learning a foreign language willnot be complete.This study serves to demonstrate whether speaking is given the necessaryemphasis at Gazi University Preparatory School of English. This is realized throughthe questionnaires given to both the instructors and students at prep school. Theresults yield that grammar, reading and vocabulary are the skills that are mostlyemphasized whereas the students want speaking skills to be given the most weight inclass.Afterwards, speaking tests are prepared in line with the coursebook `CuttingEdge? used at prep school. Three classes took the test. The teachers of these classesalso participated in the test as raters. The students who took the test and theirteachers were delivered questionnaires in order to get feedback about the givenspeaking test. Having completed the data collection process, all the questionnairesare analyzed and the results were interpreted. The analysis of the questionnairesillustrate that both the instructors and the students take positive attitudes towards thespeaking test conducted. Moreover, they think that a speaking course and speakingtests should be a part of the curriculum of prep school.To sum up, the thesis is proved to be successful in demonstrating the lack ofemphasis on speaking in class at prep school. The instructors and the students?positive attitudes towards the speaking tests comprise the most significant result ofthe questionnaires applied after the test, which indicates the necessity and usefulnessof a speaking course and speaking tests at Gazi University Prep School.