Utilizing instructional technologies in teaching vocabulary to the learners of Turkish as a foreign language

In our age and in the globalizing world, learning a foreign language has become a necessity rather than a necessity. Today's conditions have made it compulsory for individuals to learn more than one foreign language. Understanding the importance of knowing a foreign language has focused on how foreign language teaching is done. Different approaches, methods and techniques have been used for an effective foreign language teaching from past to present. In addition to these, teachers have started to benefit from visuals, games, materials and technology in order to facilitate the learning of the target language and to ensure its permanence. With the integration of technology, foreign language teaching continues to be computer-assisted, internet-based, mobile-supported, digital game-based. All of these are advanced applications against how people can learn better, and the arrangements made in the teaching environment for an effective foreign language teaching, with or without the use of tools, are called instructional technologies. Today, in the field of teaching Turkish as a foreign language, instructional technologies are used so that learners can learn the language more easily, quickly, effectively and permanently. Vocabulary teaching is one of the areas where the knowledge and skills of those who learn Turkish as a foreign language can be improved by integrating instructional technologies into teaching. When the studies on the use of instructional technologies in the acquisition of vocabulary by the learners in the process of teaching Turkish as a foreign language are examined, it is understood that the number of studies conducted is small. However, in the researches conducted in the field of teaching Turkish as a foreign language, it is seen that the effectiveness of a single instructional technology/tool in gaining and enriching vocabulary knowledge is investigated. In this context, it can be said that there is a need to investigate the effectiveness of more than one tool in the acquisition of vocabulary in teaching Turkish as a foreign language. When the methods of the studies on integrating teaching technologies into teaching vocabulary in the field of teaching Turkish as a foreign language are examined, it is seen that experimental studies are generally made from quantitative research methods. In the process of teaching Turkish as a foreign language, there is also a need for studies in which the effects of teaching a word in which teaching technologies are included are "qualitative". In particular, a study to be conducted with a pattern such as "action research", one of the qualitative research designs, will be able to present the views of both instructors and learners about the inclusion and effect of instructional technologies in vocabulary teaching in depth, with a few data collection tools. When the literature is examined, it is noticed that no "action research" has been conducted on the relevant subject. In this context, in this study, it is aimed to investigate the effect of instructional technologies on vocabulary teaching to learners of Turkish as a foreign language. In the study, the "action research" design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used. The study group of the research consists of 20 people who learn Turkish as a foreign language at B2 level in the Turkish Teaching Center of a state university in the Marmara Region. As data collection tools within the scope of the research, "Personal Information Form", "Word Learning Experiences Form for Learners of Turkish as a Foreign Language", "Event Practices", "Event Evaluation Form", "Researcher Observation Form", "Researcher Diary Form", "Student Diary" form" was used. The data of the study were collected by the researcher within the first 6 weeks when Turkish learners at B2 level started teaching. In this process, a total of 11 activities using instructional technologies were implemented. The 8 teaching technologies used in the activities are: Voice Spice, Story Jumper, Quizlet, Canva, Learningapps, Wordwall, Kahoot, Padlet. The data collected within the scope of the research were analyzed by content analysis and descriptive analysis. As a result of the research, it has been revealed that using teaching technologies in teaching vocabulary to learners of Turkish as a foreign language has positive effects on learners and vocabulary teaching in many areas.