English
1,878 theses under this subject heading
The effectiveness of using morphological analysis as a vocabulary learning strategy
This study attempts to investigate the effectiveness of explicit instruction of morphological analysis on developing EFL high school learners' capacity to learn new vocabulary and the relationship between the morphological analysis and their learning styles. The study was a quasi-experimental research and a pre-posttest experimental and control group design was used. Prior to the implementation of the study, the participants (N=38) were administered Oxford's Quick Placement Test and Nation's Vocabulary Size Test in order to evaluate and compare their level of proficiency and readiness. To collect the data, Morphological Analysis Test was designed and implemented in order to test participants' existing morphological knowledge before the intervention and their acquired morphological knowledge at the end of the intervention. During the intervention, the experimental group was instructed fifteen prefixes and roots via morphological analysis while the control group only received a word list of the same target words and learned them through the traditional ways of vocabulary learning such as memorizing or using a dictionary. Following the instruction process, the experimental group was given a questionnaire about learning styles. Results revealed that the mean scores of the experimental group surpassed those of the control group in the post test condition. Thus, it can be suggested that morphological analysis is more effective in vocabulary learning than the memorization of the target words. According to the results of the questionnaire, experimental group has right-brain dominance and global learning style while morphological analysis is often related to analytical thinking and left-brain dominance. Considering all of these, this research study sheds light on the role of morphological analysis as an alternative vocabulary learning strategy in EFL high school curriculum.
The use of other-initiated self-repair patterns by adult learners in an English speaking course
English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has a significant impact in order to be able communicate with native and non-native users of the language. In relation to this, it is clear that speaking has become one of the challenging and substantial skills in the process of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). Although it is considered that the learners might be interrupted for the mistakes to be corrected by the instructors in English spoken interaction, it is noticed that the learners may modify the mistakes by themselves with the help of certain hints that is denominated as the other-initiated self-repair (OISR) organisation of conversation analysis (CA) methodology. Considering the studies in Turkey, it has been realized that there are certain studies in relation to the repair types. Nonetheless, OISR organisation in the English spoken interactions of the academicians who are adult learners are not researched in Turkey. Therefore, this study investigates the use of OISR patterns by the adult learners in a speaking course. The study also aims to discover presumptive reasons about why the adult learner utilise OISR organisation. The study was accomplished in the spring term of 2019 at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University. 12 adult learners who were the academicians at the university attended to the B1 level English speaking course. For the study, the 16 hours of video-based recordings and 7 semi-structured interviews were utilised as instruments. The video recordings were transcribed in the method of CA with the Jeffersonian transcription notation and analysed in different categories of OISR whereas the interviews were transcribed and categorised under the terms of the content analysis. The study demonstrates that the adult learners utilise the different categories of OISR patterns in their interactions. Furthermore, it is notified that the troubles emerged by the adult learners are discovered by the scaffolding of the teacher and the classmates, and the flow of the speech and negotiation of meaning are provided by the self-repair.
The use of EBA (Education Information Network) in teaching vocabulary and grammar to efl young learners
In our rapidly changing world, technology and the Internet have created new and important opportunities to foster foreign language learning. Digital technologies used in language education have enabled students to improve communication and collaboration skills in a student-centered environment. In parallel with these developments, educators and researchers have shown a growing interest in online tools and platforms to evaluate learning through online studies in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the effects of online follow-up activities conducted through EBA, a digital learning platform, on student success and to identify EFL young learners' perceptions and attitudes towards these activities. For the study conducted in 2019-2010 education year, 32 4th grade students (aged 7-8) at a primary school in Muğla were selected as participants and divided into two groups as experimental (N=17) and control (N=15) groups. During the 7 weeks process, the experimental group performed online follow-up activities while the control group followed traditional ones. To meet the objectives of this study adopting embedded mixed method design, data were gathered quantitatively from vocabulary and grammar achievement test applied as pre-test, post-test and delayed test, and qualitatively from semi-structured student interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed by SPSS 22.0 programme with independent and paired samples t-tests, and qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The findings revealed that the levels of vocabulary and grammar achievement and retention of the experimental group were higher than those of the control group; however, these results were not statistically significant. On the other hand, the findings from the delayed tests showed that the experimental group performed significantly better than their post-tests unlike the control group i.e. traditional activities were not efficient in retention of language items as much as online activities. The qualitative data results indicated that online activities affected their ideas about English positively and EBA created an enjoyable learning atmosphere for young learners.
The assessment of speaking skills: Perceptions and reported practices of secondary school teachers
Speaking is a core skill that is fundamental regarding learning English as a second language. Mastering the speaking ability in the target language (TL)is considered a must; thus, the assessment of the speaking skills is highly sought after to ensure the development of the English language learners. In Turkey, there is a perception that even the learners with an adequate and even excellent competency in reading, listening, writing, and a high-level proficiency in English grammar rules have a hard time mastering the speaking skill and implementing it into their everyday life. However, considering students start learning English as early as second grade, the incompetency or inability to speak fluently in the target language indicates a problem that needs to be addressed. A considerable amount of research concerning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Turkey has disclosed numerous issues encountered by English language learners and teachers regarding assessing and evaluating the speaking skill. This study aims to scrutinize Turkish secondary school EFL teachers' perceptions and reported practices regarding the assessment of speaking in TL. This research also focuses on problems EFL teachers encounter and their recommendations on the solutions concerning the evaluation of the speaking skill. This paper seeks its answers through the EFL teachers' responses who work at EFL departments in a Turkish context. The qualitative data in this study was derived within two phases. In the first phase of the research, a questionnaire with open-ended and "yes or no" questions completed by 42 participants, and a focus group interview conducted with seven volunteers. Based on the thematic analysis of the participants' answers who contributed to the questionnaire and the focus group interview, the following results have been revealed. EFL teachers reported that they encounter several setbacks during the implementation of the speaking assessment process such as class size, time restrictions, the objectivity of assessment, finding the right tools for evaluation, focusing on the proper assessment criteria, speaking and test anxiety students go through and making sure that the assessment is fair, valid and reliable. Diversity in activities, personalization of assessment tools and activities according to the student differences, effective use of corrective feedback to prepare students for speaking assessment, focusing on the right grading criteria and use of target language in the classroom to ensure students get substantial exposure was deemed as solutions to make the English speaking assessment process more efficient. Lastly, EFL teachers stated that for the assessment of the speaking to be effective, the professional development of the educators is also required.
Özetleme becerisi öğretiminin üniversite İngilizce hazırlık sınıfı öğrencilerinin okuduğunu anlama ve okuma stratejileri üstbilişsel farkındalık düzeylerine etkisi
Bu araştırmanın amacı özetleme becerisi öğretiminin üniversite İngilizce hazırlık sınıfı öğrencilerinin okuduğunu anlama ve okuma stratejileri üstbilişsel farkındalık düzeylerine etkisini incelemektir. Araştırma, nicel ve nitel verilerin bir arada kullanıldığı karma yöntem ile desenlenmiştir. Araştırmada nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden öntest- sontest kontrol gruplu yarı deneysel çalışma modeli kullanılırken öğrenci görüşlerinin incelenmesinde nitel verilerden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırma, 2019-2020 eğitim-öğretim yılında Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksekokulu İngilizce Hazırlık Programı ön orta seviye (pre-intermediate) dil seviyesinde öğrenim gören 117 öğrencinin katılımıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmada öğrencilerin İngilizce okuduğunu anlama düzeylerini belirlemek için araştırmacı tarafından hazırlanan "İngilizce Okuduğunu Anlama Testi", öğrencilerin okuma stratejileri üstbilişsel farkındalık düzeylerini ortaya koymak için Mokhtari ve Reichard (2002) tarafından "Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory" (MARSI) olarak geliştirilen, Türkçe'ye uyarlama çalışmaları Öztürk (2012) tarafından yapılan "Okuma Stratejileri Üstbilişsel Farkındalık Envanteri (OSÜFE)" ve araştırmacının özetleme öğretimine yönelik öğrenci görüşlerini saptamak için oluşturduğu yansıtma yazıları kullanılmıştır. Veriler, SPSS 21 paket programı ile analiz edilmiştir. Nicel araştırma verilerinin analizinde Bağımsız Örneklem t-testi, nitel verilerin analizinde ise içerik analizi tekniği kullanılmıştır. Araştırma ile elde edilen sonuçlara göre özetleme becerisi öğretiminin öğrencilerin okuduğunu anlama ve okuma stratejileri üstbilişsel farkındalık düzeylerine anlamlı bir etkisinin olmadığı belirlenmiştir. Fakat, özetleme becerisi öğretiminin etkililiğine dair öğrenci görüşleri incelendiğinde öğrencilerin genel olarak almış oldukları öğretimin özetleme becerilerinin gelişiminde ve özet yazma ile ilgili kişisel farkındalık oluşturmada kendilerine katkı sağladığını belirttikleri görülmüştür. Anahtar kelimeler: okuduğunu anlama, özetleme becerisi, okuma stratejileri üstbilişsel farkındalık düzeyi, üniversite İngilizce hazırlık sınıfı öğrencileri
Yabancı dil ağırlıklı beşinci sınıf İngilizce öğretim programına ilişkin öğretmen görüşeri
Bu çalışmanın amacı, Muğla ilinde Yabancı Dil Ağırlıklı Beşinci Sınıf İngilizce Öğretim Programı'nın bu programın uygulandığı ortaokullarda görev yapmakta olan öğretmenlerin görüşleri temel alınarak incelenmesidir. İnceleme dört yıldır uygulanmakta olan programın güçlü yönleri, uygulama sürecinde karşılaşılan sorunlar, ders kitabı sorunları, okul imkanları, temel dil becerilerinin gelişimi, programın öğrenci başarısına olan katkısı ve sürdürülebilirliğine ilişkin öğretmen görüşleri üzerinden gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması deseni kullanılmıştır. Çalışma grubunun belirlenmesinde amaçlı örnekleme yöntemlerinden ölçüt örnekleme kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın verileri görüşme tekniği yoluyla toplanmıştır. Veri toplama aracı olarak araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen veriler içerik analizi ile kodlanmış, kodlardan kategorilere ve temalara ulaşılmıştır. Araştırmadan elde edilen sonuçlar; öğrenci odaklı uygulamaların dile ilişkin önyargıları kırma, özgüven gibi öğrenci özelliklerini geliştirdiği, öğrenme-öğretme sürecinde farklı uygulamalara yer verildiği, programa öğrenci seçiminde sorunlar yaşandığı, öğrencilerin İngilizce öğrenmeye ilişkin önyargılarının süreci olumsuz etkilediği, programın içerik olarak yoğun olduğu, hem ders kitabı hem de dijital ders kitabıyla ilgili sorunların olduğu, programın dil öğrenmeye olumlu katkılarının olmakla birlikte dört temel becerinin gelişiminin dengeli şekilde gerçekleştirilemediği, yazma becerisinin diğer becerilere göre daha zayıf kaldığı, konuşma ve özellikle dinleme becerisinin ölçme değerlendirilmesine ilişkin sorunlar yaşandığı şeklindedir. Ayrıca programın daha etkili biçimde sürdürülebilmesi için sınıflara öğrenci seçiminin belli kriterlere göre yapılması, programın uygulanmasında ortak bir anlayış geliştirilmesi, kazanım ve tema yoğunluğunun gözden geçirilmesi, programa uygun bir ders kitabının geliştirilmesi öğretmenlerin ortaya koyduğu temel önerileri arasındadır. Anahtar kelimeler: yabancı dil eğitimi, yabancı dil ağırlıklı İngilizce öğretim programı, temel dil becerileri
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.
İlköğretim okullarındaki İngilizce öğretmenlerinin kaynaştırma uygulamalarına ilişkin görüş ve önerileri
Bu araştırmanın amacı, ilköğretim İngilizce Öğretmenlerinin kaynaştırma uygulamalarına ilişkin görüş ve önerilerini belirlemektir. Araştırma, 2011-2012 eğitim öğretim yılında Eskişehir ili Tepebaşı ilçesinde kaynaştırma uygulaması yapan ilköğretim okullarındaki İngilizce Öğretmenlerinin görüşlerine dayalı olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmada tarama modeli kullanılmış, 25 İngilizce Öğretmeni ile görüşülmüştür. Araştırmanın verileri, nitel veri toplama yöntemlerinden yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği ile toplanmıştır. Verilerin çözümlenmesinde betimsel analiz tekniği kullanılmıştır. Verilerin sayısal çözümlemesinde frekans kullanılarak, bulgular nicel olarak sunulmuştur. Araştırma bulgularına göre; İngilizce Öğretmenlerinin çoğu, kaynaştırma öğrencilerinin normal sınıflarda bulunmasından memnun olmadıklarını belirtmişlerdir. Araştırmanın sonucunda, öğretmenlerin kaynaştırma eğitimi konusunda bilgi eksikliklerinin olduğu ve uzmanlar tarafından bilgilendirilerek gerekli destek hizmetlerin sağlanması gerektiği tespit edilmiştir. Aynı zamanda, öğretmenlerin pek çoğunun hazırlamaları zorunlu olmasına rağmen BEP planı hazırlamadıkları ve sınıflarında bulunan kaynaştırma öğrencilerine İngilizce beceri ve kavramların öğretiminde kullandıkları yöntem ve teknikler konusunda güncel ve yeterli bilgiye sahip olmadıkları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Tüm bunların yanında, lisans eğitimleri sırasında kaynaştırma eğitimine ilişkin ders almalarının gerekliliğine de dikkat çekmişlerdir. Ayrıca, öğretmenler okulların yetersiz fiziki koşulları, kalabalık sınıf mevcutları, zaman ve materyal eksikliği gibi sorunlarla karşılaştıklarını belirtmişlerdir. Öğretmenlerin bilgi ve uygulamadaki eksikliklerini gidermek amacıyla seminer ve hizmet içi eğitim programlarına ağırlık verilmesi önerilmektedir. Anahtar Sözcükler: Kaynaştırma Uygulaması, İngilizce Öğretmenleri, Kaynaştırmaya İlişkin Görüş ve Öneriler.
Reflection on reflection: EFL university instructors' perceptions on reflective practice
The primary objective of the present study was to engage EFL university instructors in reflective teaching practices through the use of various reflective tools and to find out their perceptions about these reflective teaching practices that they were engaged in. For the research purposes, a total of eight EFL university instructors working at the Foreign Language School of Kastamonu University, Turkey participated in the study. For a regular and systematic implementation of reflective practice, different reflective teaching tools; namely, reflective diaries, reflective video analysis, and reflective peer sessions were used. Prior to the implementation of the actual study, the participants were first trained on how to use the reflective tools. During this training, necessary information about the concept of reflection, significance of reflective practice, and the procedure of the study was given to the participants. After the training, the participants used each of these tools by following the guidelines provided for them beforehand. Data were collected through the qualitative research instruments. After the participants were involved in reflective practices through the reflective tools, they were asked to write a reflection on the use of each tool. Also, a perception questionnaire was administered to the participants in order to identify how they felt and perceived about the reflective practices and the use of reflective tools. Finally, in order to support the data obtained through the reflections and perception questionnaire, the semi-structured interview was conducted with the participants. The qualitative data were analyzed by using the Constant Comparison Method. The results of the study put forward that all of the EFL university instructors benefited much from the current study and were highly pleased with having participated in these reflective teaching practices by means of various reflective tools. These practices were perceived fruitful by the EFL university instructors. Engaging in reflective practices was found as an important opportunity for gaining awareness about teaching skills and practices, increasing self-evaluation and professional growth. The findings also yielded that the participants were positive about all the reflective tools they used throughout the study. However, a few of the participants mentioned some difficulties about reflective diary and reflective video analysis. They reported that the use of reflective diary and reflective video analysis as a way of reflection required much time, effort, and commitment, yet no negative perceptions about participating in reflective peer sessions were found. At the end of the study, the reflective practices increased the instructors' motivation and enthusiasm in order to implement the ideas of reflective teaching for their future professional practices. The participants also realized that reflective practice is an effective method for teacher development, and it can be applied through different ways or tools. Further, they noticed that reflective teaching practices can contribute to professional empowerment if they are implemented in a systematic fashion. The findings were discussed with regard to the previous research. In the light of the research findings, some implications for the effective use of reflective teaching were provided, and suggestions for further studies were offered. Key words: Reflective teaching, reflective diary, reflective video analysis, peer sessions, professional development, Turkish EFL university instructors.
The effect of task-induced involvement load on incidental vocabulary acquisition among ELT students
Vocabulary knowledge is at the heart of language learning as both comprehending and producing messages depend on knowing words. Second/foreign language learners need to acquire a great deal of vocabulary in a limited time to be successful in nearly all aspects of the target language Therefore, a large body of research has been devoted to investigating the best ways to help learners in their endeavour. In recent years, incidental acquisition of vocabulary has been found to be beneficial in expanding vocabulary knowledge. In this regard, how incidental vocabulary can be promoted is an intensely investigated subject. Incidental vocabulary acquisition through reading texts has been found to be facilitated by additional vocabulary tasks drawing the learners' attention to specific words. Therefore, designing the best vocabulary tasks has been an important issue for teachers. In order to address this concern, Laufer and Hulstijn (2001) proposed the Task-induced Involvement Load Hypothesis positing that the absence or presence of three components (evaluation, search and need) in a task determines the overall involvement load level induced by the task. Evaluation is related to learners' judgement on whether a specific word fits into a context. Search explains whether the meanings of words are searched by consulting dictionaries or other sources. Need is the motivational dimension of the construct and explains whether the drive to learn the word is extrinsically or intrinsically exposed. Using the framework of Laufer and Hulstijn (2001), this study aims to investigate the effect of four vocabulary tasks with varying distributions of evaluation, search and need components on incidental vocabulary gain and retention. The subjects were 139 first year ELT students from eight intact classes taking Academic Reading Course in the fall semester of 2015-2016. The subjects were assigned to four groups randomly: fill-in with glossary, fill-in by searching, retelling with glossary and retelling by searching. Two different texts were designed for four tasks. Each text contained 10 target words accompanied by reading comprehension questions. Prior to the implementation of the tasks, the participants' familiarity with the target words was tested through a pre-test which required providing the L1 equivalent or English explanations of the target words. The groups were to complete the reading comprehension tasks and the vocabulary tasks they were assigned to. The fill-in groups completed the gaps in the text with the target words, with or without glossary. The retelling groups wrote their own versions of the text by incorporating the target words, with or without glossary. Once the tasks were completed, the worksheets were collected and an unannounced post-test similar to the pre-test was administered. Similarly, two weeks later, an unannounced delayed post-test was conducted. For marking, each correct answer was counted as 1 and the incorrect ones as 0. Partially correct answers were awarded 0.5 point. The comparison of the groups on immediate and delayed post-tests using one-way ANOVAs showed that the tasks with higher level of involvement load yielded higher vocabulary gain and retention. However, the only significant differences were between retelling by searching and fill-in groups on the delayed post-test, which provided partial support for the Task-induced involvement load hypothesis. Keywords: incidental vocabulary acquisition, involvement load level, task-induced involvement load, vocabulary gain and retention, vocabulary tasks
FL listening comprehension strategy employment of high and low anxious listeners
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between FL listening anxiety and FL listening comprehension strategy use. Also, it was aimed to determine whether there existed a statistically significant difference between high and low anxious listeners in terms of FL listening comprehension strategy use. Furthermore, how high and low anxious listeners employed FL listening comprehension strategies also examined. A total of 79 first year ELT students in Anadolu University, Turkey participated in the study. In order to collect data for the purposes of the study, both quantitative (FLLAS and LCSI) and qualitative (learner diaries and guided interviews) were utilized. To determine FL listening anxiety level and FL listening comprehension strategy use of the participants, FLLAS and LCSI were distributed. Then, participants were trained on how to write effective diaries for the purposes of study. After diary keeping, which lasted for five weeks, participants were divided into three categories according to their FLLAS scores namely, high anxious, moderate anxious, and low anxious listeners. As the purpose of this study was to investigate the FL listening comprehension strategies used by high and low anxious listeners, learners with high and low levels of anxiety were invited to participate in guided interview sessions. As a result of the quantitative data analysis, a statistically moderate relationship was found between the two variables, in that participants FL listening anxiety level increased when their FL listening comprehension strategy use decreased or vice versa. It was also found that high and low anxious listeners employed FL listening comprehension strategies with a statistically significant difference. In other words, the results yielded that both group of listeners used FL listening comprehension strategies at some level however; low anxious listeners used more FL listening comprehension strategies than high anxious listeners. In order to demonstrate in which FL listening comprehension strategies (cognitive, metacognitive, and socioaffective strategies) high and low anxious listeners showed difference, qualitative data collected through learner diaries and guided interviews were analyzed through content analysis method in addition to quantitative data analysis. It was found that low anxious listeners outnumbered high anxious listeners in the employment of FL listening comprehension strategies in all categories i.e. cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies, and socioaffective strategies. The analysis of the learner diaries and guided interviews demonstrated that high and low anxious listeners employed FL listening comprehension strategies in different manners. The findings of the current study yielded that FL listening anxiety and FL listening comprehension strategy use affected each other mutually. However, deciding which one affected the other one was a difficult task and beyond of the scope of the study. Nevertheless, as FL listening comprehension strategies can be taught to FL listeners, the strategies used by low anxious listeners can be taught to high anxious listeners to reduce their FL listening anxiety levels. The findings of this study might be viewed as one of the first steps into implementing explicit strategy training into FL listening classes. The findings of the study were presented and discussed with respect to the related literature. Bearing in mind the research findings, some implications regarding the FL listening anxiety and FL listening comprehension strategy use were proposed. Key words: FL listening comprehension, FL listening anxiety, FL listening comprehension strategies, first-year ELT students
An explanatory investigation on the Turkish EFL teachers' tpack and their attitudes toward the use of interactive whiteboards
The present study aimed to investigate (a) TPACK of Turkish EFL in-service teachers; (b) the attitudes of the in-service Turkish EFL teachers towards the use of Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) in their classes; (c) the relationship between TPACK and teachers' attitude toward IWB use; (d) the relationship between gender of the participants and their TPACK levels; (e) the relationship between gender of the participants and their attitude toward IWB use; (f) the relationship between teaching experience and TPACK; and (g) the relationship between teaching experience and attitude toward IWB use. The research was carried out in the contexts of 24 Anatolian High Schools in Gebze, Darıca and Çayırova municipalities of Kocaeli at the beginning of the second term of 2014/2015 academic year. A total of 106 in-service EFL teachers from these schools responded to all of the questions in the instruments. Data was collected through two main instruments: (1) Attitude questionnaire; (2) ELT-TPACK questionnaire gathering information combining technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge. Additionally, teachers' demographic characteristics were also used in order to detect the participants profile in detail and to get information for investigating the relationships between the results of questionnaires and some of these variables. Quantitative data were analysed by descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation, correlation analysis, and regression methods. The findings of the analysis of descriptive statistics indicated high levels of TPACK of the Turkish EFL in-service teachers. Additionally, the participants reported positive attitudes toward Interactive Whiteboard use in their classes. Furthermore, correlation analysis demonstrated a statistically meaningful positive relationship between the TPACK levels and attitudes of the teachers. In terms of the effect of gender and teaching experience on TPACK and attitude, further analysis were conducted. The results showed no meaningful relationship between gender and TPACK and similarly between gender and attitude. On the other hand, the analysis of the relationship between teaching experience and TPACK and teaching experience and attitude showed statistically meaningful relationships. As it was carried out to investigate the TPACK levels of the Turkish EFL in-service teachers in a certain geographical area and the attitude of the teachers' towards using IWB in their classes, and additionally exploring the effect of gender and teaching experience on TPACK and attitude for the first time, this study proved to have valuable contributions in getting a complete picture of TPACK levels of EFL teachers in a certain area and revealing the attitudes of these teachers towards using this technology in their classes. At the end of the study, there are some implications for educators, educational authorities and educational researchers.
The relationship between vocabulary size, lexical diversity, lexical density and efl writing scores: A cross-sectional study
Vocabulary is an important aspect of language learning. Many studies were carried on vocabulary, vocabulary knowledge, vocabulary instruction, vocabulary learning and since 1990s the focus of the studies have shifted on the effects of vocabulary on second language (L2) learning. For Nation (2000) knowing a word includes form, meaning and use. The role of vocabulary knowledge in receptive and productive L2 skills cannot be ignored as it is used in predicting the learners' competence. It is obvious that this would affect L2 learners in expressing their thoughts through productive skills. The aim of the study is to find out the vocabulary size, lexical density and lexical diversity in argumentative essays of Turkish ELT students and to compare these with their writing scores. It is assumed that high vocabulary size, lexical density, and lexical diversity may lead to higher scores. The data, including 309 argumentative essays written by 165 first year and 144 fourth year students, were collected from Anadolu University ELT Department. In order to analyze the data and find answers to the research questions the LFP was used to obtain an estimate productive vocabulary size of the students, the vocd-D was used for lexical diversity of the essays, and the lexical density formula was used. According to the results, among other variables, only lexical diversity was found to have a significant correlation with 1st year students' essay scores and it significantly explained 7.8% of the 1st year essay scores. For the 4th year essays, no significant effect of the variables was found. Moreover, the results also demonstrated that while the variables accounted for 8.7% of the vocabulary scores in the 1st year essays, they did not yield a significant explanation for the 4th year essays vocabulary scores. Therefore, considering the results of the study, it can be concluded that lexical features are not the only factors effecting writing scores. Key Words: Vocabulary size, Lexical diversity, Lexical density, EFL writing, Turkish ELT students.
İngiltere'de yaşayan Türkçe ve İngilizce konuşucusu sıralı ikidilli çocukların dil gelişim performanslarının özgül dil bozukluğu riski açısından incelenmesi
Bu çalışma, anadili Türkçe olup İngilizceyi ikinci dil olarak edinen ikidilli çocukların dil gelişim performanslarını belirlemek ve Özgül Dil Bozukluğu (ÖDB) tanılaması için geliştirilen ölçüm araçları ve testleri ikidilli çocuklarda sınamak amacıyla yapılmıştır. Çalışmanın katılımcı grubu 6:0-7:11 yaş aralığında Londra'da yaşayan 20 ikidilli çocuktan oluşmaktadır. Çalışmada sözel olmayan zekâ testi ile Türkçe ve İngilizce olmak üzere dil gelişim testleri, cümle tekrar testleri ve anlamsız sözcük tekrar testleri kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada nicel betimsel (tarama) araştırma deseni temelinde karşılaştırmalı ve ilişkisel araştırma yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Ölçüm araçlarından elde edilen sonuçların birbirleriyle olan ilişkileri incelenmiş ve performansların yaş gruplarına göre farklılık oluşturup oluşturmadığı test edilmiştir. Yapılan analizler sonucunda ikidilli çocukların %95'inin konuştuğu dillerin en az birinde ortalama ve üstü düzeyde performans gösterdiği, katılımcıların %85'inin anadilleri olan Türkçede İngilizceden daha başarılı oldukları ve yalnızca %25'inin ikinci dilleri olan İngilizcede ortalama ve üstü düzeyde puan aldıkları saptanmıştır. Testler arası ilişkiler incelendiğinde Türkçe Erken Dil Gelişimi Testi (TEDİL) ile Türkçe Cümle Tekrar Testi ve Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-4) ile İngilizce Cümle Tekrar Testi arasında pozitif yönde anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu görülmüştür. İki dilde aynı özelliği ölçen testler arasında ise anlamlı ilişkiler görülmemiştir. Çalışma bulguları sözel olmayan bilişsel performansla dil becerileri arasında istatistiki olarak anlamlı bir ilişkinin olmadığını göstermiştir. Ayrıca, testlerde yaş grupları arasında farklılıklar incelendiğinde herhangi bir testte gruplar arası istatistiki olarak anlamlı bir farklılığa rastlanmamıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: ikidillilik, özgül dil bozukluğu, dil gelişim testleri, cümle tekrar testi, anlamsız sözcük tekrar testi, dil baskınlığı
Impact of peer feedback on EFL learners' foreign language writing anxiety and their ideas about peer feedback
The present study aims at researching the impact of peer feedback on foreign language writing anxiety experienced by Turkish prep school students studying EFL and their opinions about peer feedback. To achieve these aims, the participants in the experimental group got training on peer feedback, gave and received peer feedback for nine weeks. 120 participants in both control and experimental groups responded to Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) at the beginning and end of the study. Besides, 15 participants from the experimental group were interviewed about their thoughts regarding peer feedback and its impact on foreign language writing anxiety. The study revealed that training and practices on giving and receiving peer feedback had a significant impact on decreasing foreign language writing anxiety. The present study highlighted the idea that peer feedback practice needs to be a well-planned implementation supported with a continuous learner training on how to give peer feedback effectively and efficiently. For the participants in the present study, getting and giving peer feedback was helpful in feeling more relaxed and self-confident as they realized that their peers do similar mistakes and have similar worries during writing. As a conclusion, training and practices on peer feedback have the potential to lead learners to believe that they can be successful by reducing foreign language writing anxiety and increasing their awareness about EFL writing.
Contribution of L2 morphological awareness to passage-level l2 reading comprehension above and beyond vocabulary knowledge, grammar knowledge and reading strategy use among intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners
The primary objective of the present study was to investigate to what extent intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners are aware of lexical and grammatical functions of certain suffixes in English. The study further aimed at exploring the unique contribution of L2 morphological awareness to passage-level L2 reading comprehension above and beyond such reading-related factors as vocabulary knowledge, grammar knowledge and reading strategy use among intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners. With these purposes, the data were collected from a total of 87 EFL learners through a number of testing instruments. These instruments consist of reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge and grammar knowledge subtests of the proficiency exam that Anadolu University School of Foreign Languages (AUSFL) administered at the end of 2014-2015 fall semester, Turkish version of Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) by Sheorey and Mokhtari (2002) and the two-section Morphological Awareness Test (MAT), designed by the researcher with some adaptation from Mahony (1993) for the current study. The data were analysed using a number of statistical procedures. The first research question, which is about exploring to what extent intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners are aware of lexical and grammatical functions of certain suffixes in English, was answered by means of descriptive statistics, paired samples t-test and one-way ANOVA with repeated measures. The second research question, which is about the unique contribution of morphological awareness to reading comprehension above and beyond vocabulary knowledge, grammar knowledge and reading strategy use, was responded through hierarchical multiple regression and bivariate regression analyses. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a smaller group of the participants to support the data gathered from the quantitative data collection instruments of the present study. The results of the study revealed that intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners show at least moderate awareness of English word morphology. It was also found that the participants could judge whether a morphologically complex word comes from a simple word better than they identified the lexical and grammatical functions of certain derivational suffixes in English. Moreover, suffix categories and each suffix in each category used in the present study affected the participants' performance. The results further revealed that L2 morphological awareness does not make a direct contribution to L2 reading comprehension among intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners either along with or above and beyond vocabulary knowledge, grammar knowledge and reading strategy use. However, further analysis revealed that morphological awareness might make an indirect contribution to L2 reading comprehension via its direct contribution to L2 vocabulary knowledge. Additionally, the semi-structured interviews displayed that intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners are likely to benefit from word morphology in foreign language learning. The findings were discussed with regard to the previous research, and implications and suggestions for further research were offered. Key words: Intra-word structure, word morphology, morphological awareness, L2 reading comprehension, Turkish EFL learners.
Lexical bundle use of Turkish and native English writers: A corpus-based study
In recent decades, English has been the lingua franca of the academic and students and scholars are expected to produce written works in this global language. However, this creates a pressure on non-native students and scholars since they need to have a native- like proficiency to be able to fulfill their studies and publish their work, and moreover they need to be familiar with the distinguishing features of academic discourse such as words or multi-word combinations. In this sense, many studies have been conducted to identify such type of combinations, one of which is the recurring multi-word expressions, mostly referred to as lexical bundles. Being composed of three or more words, lexical bundles such as on the other hand and as a result of are extremely common and important in shaping academic discourse. Moreover, lexical bundles vary across different disciplines meaning that successful use of lexical bundles typical of a specific academic discipline is important for writers and the absence of such bundles may not sound fluent and native-like. Recent studies (e.g. Adel & Erman, 2012; Chen & Baker, 2010) have revealed that non-native writers produce not only fewer types of lexical bundles, but also less varied ones. Furthermore, they also overuse a restricted number of bundles in their writing. However, they should have a successful and native-like control over the lexical bundles which are commonly used in their discipline. In this regard, there is a need for studies identifying the frequent lexical bundles in a particular discipline and examining non-native writers' texts to see to what extent they approximate native writers in terms of lexical bundle use. The primary aim of this study was to investigate Turkish and native English postgraduate students' and native scholars' use of lexical bundles in a specific academic discipline, that is foreign language teaching, in terms of frequency, functions and structures of bundles. For this aim, a corpus of 150 texts was collected containing Turkish and native English students' MA and PhD theses along with native scholars' published research articles. Four-word combinations occurring 25 times per million words and appearing in at least 5 texts or more were identified as lexical bundles. WordSmith Tools 6 was used to retrieve the lexical bundles in the research corpus. The results revealed that Turkish postgraduate students used far more lexical bundles in their texts compared to both native students and scholars. However, there was a redundancy in Turkish students' texts when the token frequencies were examined, meaning that Turkish students overused most of the lexical bundles. On the other hand, statistical analysis of the bundle lists revealed that Turkish postgraduate students employed different bundles from their native peers and scholars. Finally, the structural and functional categories did not show any statistically significant differences. Keywords: Lexical bundles, English academic discourse, Turkish postgraduate students, native English postgraduate student, native scholars
An analysis of the functional moves in the introduction sections of research articles written by Turkish scholars
English is the main medium of communication among academic researchers. Publishing in international journals may become very challenging for non-native speakers who may have different conventions of writing research articles. In the existing literature, research articles (RAs) written in English and in other languages have been examined in order to explore whether the textual organization in various languages is similar or different. However, intercultural studies of texts produced by L2 writers in English are few in number - in particular studies focusing on the introduction section which is known to be troublesome for novice writers (Ahmed, 2004; Jogthong, 2001). Moreover, while abstracts in academic writing have received attention recently, much less research has investigated introduction sections and there has been little descriptive investigation of their move structure, including interdisciplinary variation. Introduction sections of RAs are of great importance because in these sections writers create rhetorical patterns in each language to claim knowledge. Due to lack of enough research in the introduction sections of RAs, this study aimed to examine research article introductions (RAIs) written in English and Turkish by Turkish speakers across two disciplines- Preschool Education and Special Education, using Swales' (2004) CARS Model to focus on the move and step structures. The analyses of the data indicated the existence of both similarities and also differences. The findings demonstrated that both native and non-native writers are well aware of the functional moves of the introduction sections of the research article proposed by Swales (2004). The results demonstrated that although less than half of the RAIs followed the move sequence of 1-2-3 in both of the disciplines, regardless of the sequence, all of the moves were existent to a high degree in the RAIs. A couple of implications were drawn from the study and some suggestions were made regarding teaching second language writing in general and also teaching English academic writing for Turkish advanced learners and Turkish scholars. Key words: Research Articles, Introduction Sections, Contrastive Rhetorics, CARS Model, Teaching Academic Writing.
Online support application for oral communication skills course: A case study
The purpose of this research study is to explore how first year candidate teachers of English made use of online asynchronous speaking and listening activities outside the classroom as an online support to their EFL oral communication courses. In relation with the purpose of the study, a case study research paradigm was conducted. There were three research questions posed for the study. The first research question explored how the participants used the online support. The data for this research question came from the learning logs and researcher's logs. The second research question targeted at revealing the opinions of the participants. The last research question examined the factors that prevented the participants from using the online support. The study lasted for one whole semester and a total of 21 first year candidate teachers of English participated the study. The findings of the study suggest that the online support has potentials as a supplementary independent study tool to support oral communication courses. Those who used the online support found it useful and necessary to support the oral communication skills course. They reported gains in language proficiency, fluency, and confidence to speak in English. Especially, the feedback they received helped them to realize their weaknesses in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. They also believed that the activities in the online support helped them to make spontaneous speech and prepared them for unrehearsed speech. Half of the participants thought it helped them to develop their pronunciation, whereas the other half disagreed. Similarly, half thought completing the speaking activities helped them to reduce their anxiety, whereas the other half disagreed. The participants used the activities in the online support mainly to expand the learning that takes place in the classroom and to revise the relevant content. Previewing was another reason to use the activities; however, it was not as common as the other two purposes. However, participants' effective use of the online support depends on availability of internet connectivity and finding suitable study environments. Furthermore, personal factors, such as disinclination, the presence of other required course work and poor time-management, also have a role in participants' effective use of the online support. One last factor that affects participants' decision to use the online support is attitudes towards computer mediated asynchronous communication. Participants who have negative attitudes towards computer mediated asynchronous communication decide not to use the online support from the beginning. Others, who are neutral prior to the implementation, may develop negative feelings towards computer mediated communication in the course of implementation and decide not to use the online support.
Araştırma makalelerinde etkileşimsel üstsöylem öğeleri
Bu çalışmanın amacı Türk yazarlar tarafından yazılmış Türkçe, İngilizce, Amerikalılar tarafından yazılmış İngilizce makalelerde üstsöylem öğelerinden iletişimsel boyutunun kullanımını araştırmaktır. Bu amaçla yabancı dil öğretimi alanında yayınlanmış 150 makale, Hyland ve Tse (2004)'ün sınıflaması temel alınarak incelenmiştir. Amerikalı akademik yazarlar ve Türk akademik yazarlar tarafından yazılmış 50şer İngilizce makale ve Türk akademik yazarlar tarafından yazılmış 50 Türkçe araştırma makalesi incelenmiştir. Bu çalışma nitel bir araştırma desenini temel almıştır ve bu nedenle veriler nitel bir çözümleme programı olan NVivo 10'da incelenmiştir. İngilizce araştırma makaleleri uluslararası yayınlanan hakemli dergilerden, Türkçe araştırma makaleleri de ulusal yayınlanan hakemli dergilerden toplanmıştır. Amerikalı akademik yazarların özgeçmişleri kişisel ve kurumsal internet sitelerinden incelenmiş olup, eğitimini (Yüksek Lisans ve Doktora) ABD'lerinde tamamlamış olup bir ünivesitede çalışan akademisyenler seçilmiştir. Veriler Hyland ve Tse(2004)'ün sınıflaması temel alınarak incelenmiştir ve bazı öğe gruplarında yapılan pilot çalışma sonrası eklemeler yapılmıştır. Tüm veriler ek öğelerin ilk çözümleme sürecinde ortaya çıkmasından dolayı iki kez incelenmiştir. Etkileşimsel öğelerin frekansları bulunmuş olup yazarlar arasında anlamlı farklılık olup olmadığını belirlemek için istatistiksel test uygulanmıştır (binom testi). Binom test sonucunda etkileşimsel üst söylem öğelerinin araştırma makalelerinde Amerikalı ve Türk akademik yazarlar arasında farklılık görülmüştür. Amerikalı yazarların etkileşimsel üst söylem öğrelerini Türk yazarlara göre İngilizce yazılan makalelerde daha fazla kullandıkrları bulunmuştur. Türk yazarların bu öğeleri İngilizce araştırma makalelerinde Türkçe araştırma makalelerine göre daha sık kullandıkları gözlemlenmiştir. Alt kategorilerden eminlik, tutum belirteçleri ve ben/biz dili açısından anlamlı farklılılar bulunmuştur. Anahtar Kelimeler: Akademik yazma, araştırma makaleleri, etkileşimsel üstsöylem öğeleri.
The effects of arcs motivational model on student motivation to learn English
The present study was designed to examine the effects of ARCS motivational model (Keller, 2010) on students' motivation and to identify the perspectives of the students related to activities and the teacher behavior that motivates them. For this purpose, ARCS motivational model strategies were inserted to the instructional design via detailed lesson plans and these plans were applied throughout ten weeks. To find out the effects of ARSC model data were collected using two scales. These scales were Course Interest Survey (CIS) and Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) by John Keller, and they were administered to a sampling of 30 preparatory school students at Namik Kemal University before and after the application of lesson plans. To examine the effects of ARCS motivational model on students' motivation CIS and IMMS results were evaluated using Paired Samples t-test. The results of Course Interest Survey indicated a significant increase since students showed higher course motivation based on the overall CIS results at the end of the study. The Course Interest Survey items were evaluated in terms of each ARCS category and a significant difference was observed in all scales. The results showed that the ARCS model inserted language instruction had positive influence on students' course motivation in all categories. To examine the effects of ARCS strategies on increasing students' motivation in terms of instructional materials the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey results were evaluated. A paired samples t-test yielded a significant difference in students' instructional motivation scores. For a deeper understanding, two subscales of IMMS were assessed separately to identify the difference in mean scores and whether the instructional materials based on ARCS strategies were implemented into the classroom instruction successfully. The results revealed significant differences in both subscales. Students' instructional materials motivation increased. Students' comments that were collected through weekly comments sheet also supported statistical data obtained through both CIS and IMMS. The second purpose of the study was to identify course design features that motivated students most. For this reason, students were asked to write weekly comments sheet and to comment on the effectiveness of the instruction and the type of instructional materials and activities motivated them during the class hour. These were collected by the instructor at the last lesson of each week. Students reported that extra materials such as info-gap, problem solving, picture description, picture and sentence matching etc. activities increased their motivation. Especially vocabulary teaching activities supported with games, listening practices such as songs and videos were suggested as highly motivating. Activities that required learner participation such as pair works, group activities, competitions and games were considerably effective in increasing student motivation. Moreover, activities that allowed students use their creativity and their own ideas were other motivating course design features. Besides class materials, instructor behavior was indicated as relatively motivating. Polite, energetic, enthusiastic, caring instructor behaviors were reported as effective in increasing students' motivation to the lesson. Furthermore, providing constructive feedback, giving verbal praise and providing rewards for accomplishing a difficult task or showing effort were other motivating instructor behaviors. In addition, students reported that frequent student-instructor communication helped them focus their lesson and increased their motivation. KEY WORDS: ARCS Motivational Model, CIS, IMMS, Motivation