The effect of technology-enriched foreign language teaching on special talented individuals' English attitude

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of technology-enhanced foreign language teaching on the English attitude of special talented individuals. Within the framework of the research, activities were prepared and applied to teach the goals set for gifted individuals more efficiently and permanently with the help of various technical tools. Also, the effects of these practices on students' English attitudes were examined. In the research mixed method was carried out. In line with the purposeful sample selection for the research, a total of 30 6th and 7th grade students studying at Bilecik Science and Art Center participated. In the study, the Attitude towards English Scale developed by Orakcı (2017) was used to measure the English attitude of gifted individuals. In addition, during the eight-week technology-supported English teaching period, a research diary was kept and at the end of the process, the students' opinions about the process were taken with the help of interview questions prepared by the researcher and an expert. Since the mixed method was adopted in the study, data analysis was carried out in two different ways. The SPSS program for the analysis of quantitative data, paired sampled t-test analysis, totals and averages and for the analysis of qualitative data, induction and content analysis were used. It was determined that the technology-enriched English teaching program applied to the students for eight weeks had a positive effect on the students' English attitudes. In addition, by using the technological tools used every week, the students created various activities in the form of various digital stories, word clouds, games, competitions and quizzes. Moreover, students stated that they found the technology-enhanced foreign language teaching process enjoyable and that this practice had a positive effect on their interest in the English lesson. Regarding the problems experienced in the process, the students suggested that there are problems resulting from the internet in general and that this should be resolved with the necessary infrastructure reinforcement. In addition, the students stated that the eight-week application period contributed to them the most in vocabulary skills, that technological tools continue to be used in English teaching, and that technology-supported English lessons are fun and enjoyable as a reason. Finally, the students stated that it would be useful to use technical tools during the consolidation phase of the lesson. As a result of the research diary analysis, three main categories and twenty sub-categories were obtained. The results of the research reveal that technology-supported alternative teaching methods have a significant effect on increasing students' attitudes towards the English course in a positive way. It is emphasized that the technology-assisted language teaching method discussed within the scope of the study has the potential to be an important alternative to traditional teaching environments in English teaching in terms of students' vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.