Kelime öğretme stratejileri üzerine okutmanların görüş ve uygulamaları

Vocabulary is the building block and the core component of language learning and teaching. It has long been the issue for language specialists to be observed, researched and discussed. This led to realizing that some certain language learning strategies facilitate the acquisition process carrying the vocabulary knowledge to the long-term memory. Starting from this point of view, this paper has aimed to raise the awareness of EFL instructors at tertiary level about what type of strategies they use in their classes to teach vocabulary and to give their students the autonomy and initiative of their self-learning; besides, it provides them with self-evaluation and self-reflection on their vocabulary teaching strategies. Teachers' use of language learning strategies is commonly assumed to reinforce students' language learning, and therefore have there been many empirical, both qualitative and quantitative, evidence to support this statement. This teacher-based investigation focused on what vocabulary learning strategies EFL instructors in Istanbul –at a private university, as a case study- apply in their classes and how they think these strategies affect EFL university students' language learning process. The reason behind why this study exclude students' reflections is because most of them might lack the ability to describe the reasons why and how they use or why they do not use the strategies since it might be above their cognitive and emotional level. In the first phase, the strategy use for vocabulary teaching of 55 EFL instructors was measured by the adapted version of Language Strategies Use Inventory (LSUI) (2002) which is a five-point Likert scale, and in the second phase, further structured interviews that consist of ten questions were held with voluntary-participating 12 of these instructors in order to reach more reliable and specific data. The quantitative data obtained from the inventory were analyzed using LISREL 8.80 and SPSS (t-test and ANOVA test), and the qualitative data ensued from the structured interview were examined through descriptive content analysis and NVIVO program. Correct analysis of all the data is expected to give instructive feedback about what vocabulary strategies are used by the EFL instructors and how to provide students with the competency to acquire vocabulary autonomously, and also what other types of vocabulary teaching strategies could be implemented in class and in the teaching programs at tertiary level. This research is both qualitative and quantitative as it provides us with re-interpretation of the existing literature and analyzes what strategies teachers already implement in their classrooms and/or favour in their teaching. As it is a wide field in language learning area, it is aimed to provide evidences solely on vocabulary learning and teaching strategies. It is especially intended to draw implications for classroom and suggestions for the areas still requiring further research highlighting the limitations of this work. The major findings reveal that the more the experience and/or the degree that the EFL instructors have, the less number of vocabulary strategies are employed by them. This study concludes in the way that depicts conclusions on the use of vocabulary learning and teaching strategies for EFL instructors. It also delivers suggestions to lighten up the way for further studies. Therefore, it will lend assistance to not only the EFL instructors who are willing to apply language learning strategies in their classes, but also the academicians who would like to further study this subject and the autonomous language learners, as well.