High school students' attitudes and opinions about German course

The aim of this study is to determine the attitudes and opinions of high school students about German language. Since the research has quantitative and qualitative dimensions, the objectives are presented in two frameworks, quantitative and qualitative. The sub purposes of quantitative dimension of the study are as follows: to determine the attitudes of high school students about liking German as a compulsory second foreign language, to determine their self-confidence attitudes in learning German, to determine their attitudes about the need to learn German, and to determine their attitudes about their determination to learn German. Efforts were made to determine whether student views on these sub-dimensions differ according to gender, grade level and school types as sub-objectives of the study. The sub-objectives of the study on the qualitative dimension are as follows: to determine the views of high school students on the necessity of teaching German as a compulsory second foreign language, to determine the opinions on the adequacy and effectiveness of the methods and techniques used in the course, to determine the students' views on the teaching materials and their effectiveness in the German language course, to determine the students' thoughts on the difficulties they face in learning German, and to determine the students' views and suggestions on more effective German teaching. The study group consists of an Anatolian High School from five different educational districts (Hazar, Bahçelievler, Harput, Fırat and Karşıyaka) in the Central District of Elâzığ province, during 2019-2020 academic year first term. In addition to this, Kaya Karakaya Science High School, Cemil Meriç Science High School and Ahmet Yesevi Social Sciences High School, which are located in the city center, are also included in the research scope because of their status in terms of the student intake based on the score of the High School Entrance Exam (HSEE) results and their difference in terms of school types. A total of 4227 students from eight high schools participated in the study. These are by stages; 1338 students from 9th grade, 1005 students from 10th grade, 992 students from 11th grade and 892 students from 12th grade. For the qualitative dimension of the study, four students from each school were identified, one student from each grade level of the schools. Thus, interviews were conducted with a total of 32 students. For this, convenience sampling is preferred. In this context, 32 students who wish to participate in the qualitative dimension of the research on a voluntary basis were enrolled in the study group. The study used a mixed research model where quantitative and qualitative research patterns are combined. "Interview Form for German Lesson" and "German Language Course Attitude Scale" (GLCAS) were used in the study. When we looked at the quantitative dimension of the study, we found a statistically significant difference between students' attitudes in terms of gender, grade level and school type variables based on liking subscale. Statistically significant differences were found in students' attitudes towards self-confidence subscale based on gender, class level and school type variables. There was also statistically significant differences between the attitudes of the students in terms of gender, grade level and school type variables based on need subscale. Research results revealed statistically significant differences between students' attitudes in terms of gender and school type variables based on perseverance subscale while no statistically significant difference were found between students' attitudes based on class level subscale. A statistically significant difference was found between students' attitudes on the whole scale according to gender, grade level, and school type variables. In the qualitative dimension section of the study, various views of high school students on compulsory German language course were determined. The majority of students found the methods and techniques used in the German language course inadequate. Both the inefficiency of class hours and the large number of students prevent the activities in the course with the desired frequency and constitute a negative attitude towards the students' ability to learn the language. These negatives revealed that the teachers were unable to follow the traditional method and followed parrot fashion. In explaining their thoughts, the students agreed that the lack of material and the lack of effective use had a negative impact on German language learning. In addition, the biggest difficulties experienced by students have been identified as difficulties in the structure, pronunciation, and grammar of the language. The inclusion of German in the teaching program from high school was perceived by the students as being too late. There are student opinions that argue that German should be taken into the education program from primary school or secondary school in order for efficient and complete learning to take place. In addition, in our society, where there are a majority of people who have a prejudice that the German language sounds rude, it has been determined that the student has gone as far as to hide his desire to learn. The lack of questions in a German exam, such as the Basic Proficiency Test (TYT), which is the determinant of academic life, has led to the view that students are deprived of the necessary interest and relevance to this course. Suggestions have been made about adding German questions in the TYT exam to increase responsibility for the course and the realization of the targeted learning. Keywords: Foreign Language, German lesson, High School student, attitude