Enhancing oral skills of Turkish adult learners of English through self-transcription method: A case study

The purpose of the present study was to promote oral skills of non-native adult learners of English language through self-transcribing and editing of their own speeches, and reflecting upon them. While the focus of the study was on enhancing learners' speaking skills, it also aimed at helping them notice their weaknesses, strengths and encouraging them to take responsibility for their own learning and bringing them one step closer to be autonomous learners. The study was conducted in English Preparatory Program of a private university in Turkey. The learners were from different departments; however they had to join one-year English preparation program since it was obligatory for all learners. The number of learners who took part in the study was 13. The data were collected in three steps. The first one was through transcriptions and self-reflection forms. Each week, learners spoke on given topics in pairs or as individuals, they transcribed them, and edited their transcriptions with their partners. Then, they had a short feedback session in which the researcher guided them and checked what they had done. When the feedback session was completed, participants filled out a self-reflection form each week. At the end of the term, the researcher had interviews with 11 participants individually to evaluate the whole process and to get feedback about the study. The researcher analyzed transcriptions, self-reflection forms, and interviews. The data revealed that self-transcribing had positive effects on learners' speaking skills to some extent. In addition to the contribution to their speaking skills, this activity enhanced participants' self-evaluation skills. Interviews also demonstrated that all participants appreciated the effects of self-transcribing on their learning, and this also gave them self-confidence to speak English more. All of them developed positive attitudes toward transcribing activity, and were able to see different dimensions of learning, and had an opportunity to look their own learning process from various perspectives.