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Analysis of Ankara Police High School 9th grade students' English speaking levels according to speaking criteria of the common European language framework of reference for languages
The purpose of this study is to analyse the speaking level of Ankara Police High School 9th grade students? in the academic year 2009-2010 according to speaking criteria of the Common European Language Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The reason for choosing CEFR for evaluation criteria is that CEFR is considered to be the most effective and the most accepted language assessment system in the whole of Europe.For the speaking analysis, two questionnaires were administered to 225 9th grade students and to 12 ELT teachers who taught English in the academic year 2009-2010 in the 9th grades at Ankara Police High School. Besides these questionnaires, a discourse completion test was administered to a sample group of 60 students. The results obtained after the implementation have been assessed statistically. The findings in the research indicate that the opinions of the students and of the teachers in assessing Ankara Police High School 9th grade students? speaking levels according to Common European Language Framework of Reference For Languages speaking criteria is as follows:?A1 Spoken Interaction: Students: =4,27; Teachers: =4,50?A1 Spoken Production: Students: =3,99; Teachers: =4,75?A2 Spoken Interaction: Students: =3,58; Teachers: =3,98?A2 Spoken Production: Students: =3,85; Teachers: =4,18?B1 Spoken Interaction: Students: =3,31; Teachers: =3,69?B1 Spoken Production: Students: =3,16; Teachers: =3,24
The comparison of Gazi University ELT freshmen's receptive and productive skill performances
This study investigates whether the freshmen?s education at the preparatory school affects their receptive and productive skills performances, and whether this effect leads to a meaningful difference between the freshmen?s performances who attend the preparatory programme and those who are exempt from this programme. In light of these questions, this study mainly aims to find out whether there are performance differences among ELT freshmen who have attended the preparatory class and those who have not in terms of receptive and productive skills.The quantitative research model is employed for this study. First, the problem was identified. Next, the main research question, and depending on it, six sub ? category questions were formed. Numerical data were collected by analysing ELT freshmen?s scores in English language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) courses in fall and spring terms in 2009 ? 2010 academic year. They were processed in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 16.00) software. 40% of their mid- term exams and 60% of their final exams were calculated. Results were evaluated in accordance with these scores.The participants are 260 freshmen in total, 210 of whom are females, while 50 of them are males. While 122 of these freshmen are enrolled in the day programme, 138 of them are enrolled in the evening programme. Upon this admission to the ELT department all new students take an English proficiency exam. Those who got 60 out of 100 in this exam directly attend their freshman year at the ELT department. In our case, 148 students passed this exam. The rest, 112 learners, failed and attended the preparatory school for a year at Gazi University Preparatory School of Foreign Languages. The scores obtained from Gazi University Registrar?s Office were analyzedin terms of three dimensions: attendance at the preparatory school, gender and the programme type (day or evening programme). First of all, these dimensions were evaluated in terms of frequencies and percentages. Second, these data were illustrated in tables so that students can be compared in terms of each dimension. Third, the independent samples T test was used since there are independent variables in this study to see the differences between these variables.It is revealed that in fall and spring terms reading and writing skills, the freshmen who attended the preparatory school are found to be more successful than those who did not attend. Besides, attendance at the preparatory programme is a matter of fact in determining their success in the aforementioned skills. As for listening and speaking skills, the freshmen who attended and who did not attend the preparatory programme are found to be equally successful for both terms. In other words, the preparatory school does not have a crucial role in developing these learners? listening and speaking skills. Suggestions related to the syllabus followed in the preparatory programme, to instructors? effect on the freshmen?s performances and to the reliability and validity of the English proficiency exam are provided. Another alternative study may be that the comparison of learners? performances in receptive and productive skills can be carried out in all ELT preparatory programmes of Turkish universities.
What makes a good language teacher? Teacher trainers' views and suggestions
Teachers have a very crucial role in the learning process. This creates a concept of good or in other words effective teachers and ineffective teachers. However, the definition of a good teacher has been difficult to outline for long. For this reason, the researchers were interested in the qualities of a good language teacher from the perspectives of teacher trainers in the ELT programs through a qualitative approach. The questions addressed are: How do teacher trainers in ELT programs conceptualize the term 'effective English language teacher' through metaphors? What characteristics do effective teachers have according to these trainers? and do they consider the current language teacher education program fit for training effective language teachers? To this end, an online survey with open-ended questions were designed and distributed via Google Forms to explore the ELT teacher trainers' perceptions of a good language teacher and the appropriateness of teacher education programs for training effective language teachers. The results show that being able to use the knowledge of methodologies, knowledge of teaching four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking), 21st century skills, adjusting his/her own teaching styles and strategies, being motivated and motivating and showing empathy are stated as major traits of a good language teacher. Moreover, metaphors that describe a good language teacher is mostly related as a resource person, such as the sun, sunshine and tree. Additionally, the current language teacher program was not considered fit for training effective language teachers as it failed to prepare student teachers for real-world English language teaching conditions. The results offered implications for language teacher education curriculum and teacher education policies.
The english test in TEOG (Transition examination from primary to secondary education-tepse): Content validity and English language teachers' views
One of the most important dynamics of the educational setting all over the world is examinations, and some of those are English tests. In Turkey, one of the English tests for the students preparing for the high schools was TEPSE. The effects of these exams have been investigated; however, other principles of language assessment such as validity and reliability have not been investigated based on the analysis of documents. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the content validity of the English tests in TEPSE, which were conducted from 2015 to 2017 based on both documents and language teachers' views. TEPSE English tests from 2015 to 2017, the coursebook, and semi-structured interviews held with 21 English language teachers were used to collect data. The analyses of TEPSE English tests and the coursebook were compared based on the frequently used items to reveal the consistency between them. Moreover, table of specifications was used to examine the alignment between TEPSE English tests and the functions of the units. The results revealed that there was an alignment between TEPSE English tests and the coursebook based on the frequently used items. However, there were some inconsistencies between the functions and the units, and distribution of the questions on the units was not equal in some TEPSE English tests, which might affect content validity negatively. Despite some inconsistencies, unequal distributions, and neglecting four language skills, TEPSE English tests between 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 have content validity based on the alignment between the coursebook and TEPSE English tests.
An enquiry into the relationship between the willingness to communicate levels of academicians at faculties of education and their Yds (Foreign Language Exam)
Willingness to communicate concept has caught the interest of many studies in the field of second language acquisition. Although studies which examine relationship between WTC and foreign language proficiency can be found in the literature, all of them were conducted with the participation of university students; therefore, this study aims to examine the WTC levels of the academicians working at Faculties of Education in Turkey, and the relationship between their willingness to communicate and proficiency as determined by YDS (Foreign Languages Examination). Another aim of this study is to obtain the views of the academicians towards their willingness to communicate in English and explore the factors affecting it. In order to pursue these aims, this study benefited from a mixed design which consisted of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The quantitative data was gathered by a questionnaire which included WTC scale and the qualitative data was gathered by semi-structured interviews. A total number of 450 (53.1% female and 46.9% male) academicians working at the faculties of education different parts of Turkey participated in the questionnaire which was administered online and from these participants eight (three female and five male) of them participated in the interviews. The quantitative results indicated that the academicians were moderately willing to communicate in English and they preferred communicating among friends, and the in small group discussion. Their willingness to communicate levels were also moderately correlated with their YDS scores (r=.37). The results of the interview showed similarity with the quantitative results in terms of willingness level and preference types. The factors affecting their willingness were language anxiety and foreign language proficiency (personal factors), interlocutor characteristics, formality of the situation, assistance of a peer, being assessed, and content of the talk (situational factors). The factors which affect their willingness showed similarity to the findings of previous studies in the literature. Moreover, aforementioned factors can be significant for future studies which aim to investigate what leads a person, more specifically academicians, to be more willing to communicate in English.
The effects of online EFL assignments on student success: Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKU) Gölhisar Vocational School (GVS)
Giving homework is a common practice at all levels of education, yet its impact as a pedagogical tool on the learning process is still a matter of debate. The past decade has seen the rapid development of web-based tools created for educational purposes. In parallel with these developments, researchers and educators have begun to show an increased interest in online homework systems in recent years in order to evaluate learning and to overcome the drawbacks of pen-and-paper homework. Many of the problems regarding traditional homework practices are experienced in university vocational schools in Turkey as well. This study aims to investigate the effects of online English as a Foreign Language (EFL) assignments on student success, and to identify students' views on online assignments in a university vocational school context. Participants of this experimental study were 49 first-grade students studying at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKU) Gölhisar Vocational School (GVS). Of these students, 28 constituted the experimental group and 21 constituted the control group. The study was conducted in the spring term of the 2016-2017 academic year for a 12-week period. At the beginning of the study, a pre-test was applied to both groups. Next, five weekly assignments were given for the experimental group via Edmodo and for the control group as pen-and-paper homework. During the assignment process, semi-structured interviews were held with the participants in the experimental group about the online assignments they did. In the final week, the same pre-test applied at the beginning of the study was applied to both groups as a post-test. The effect of the assignments on student success was determined by comparing the two groups' pre-test and post-test results using quantitative methods and the attitudes of the students towards online assignments were determined by analysing the interviews held with the participants in the experimental group using qualitative methods. The findings revealed that assignments whether online or pen-and-paper increased students' success significantly. Moreover, the success improvement of the students who did online assignments was about double that of the students who were responsible for doing pen-and-paper assignments. The study also revealed that students usually have positive views on online assignments. The study concluded with suggestions that EFL teachers should give assignments in university vocational schools and that these assignments should be given as online since they are more instructive, motivating and enjoyable to do for students, as well as, more practical in terms of submission, checking, and grading.
A suggested syllabus for the advanced level English course at Gendarmerie Schools Command in accordance with NATO stanag 6001 level 3 perspective
The aim of this study is to prepare a suggested syllabus in accordance with NATO Stanag 6001 Level 3 perspective for the Advanced Level English Course at Gendarmerie Schools Command which is subordinate to Gendarmerie General Command. It is believed that this study will contribute to other studies in the context of NATO Stanag 6001 language standards at Language Schools of Armed Forces both at home and in the world.The data in this study collected from the trainees, teachers, graduates, and the organization by means of NATO Stanag 6001 Level 3 Questionnaire, Graduate Questionnaire, and Teachers Questionnaire, Trainee Questionnaire Trainee Interest Questionnaire, NATO Stanag Level 3 Exam and KPDS Exam. This data proves that the present course is insufficient in reaching language skills objectives; i.e. listening, reading, speaking and writing which are vitally important to be successful in international joint missions. Therefore, in the suggested syllabus, the aim is to improve four language skills and to put into practice a topic-based syllabus to meet the professional needs of the personnel. In addition, a task-based syllabus is given priority for speaking and writing skills which are usually believed to be insufficient in especially international missions.
Evaluation of the four coursebooks used in TOBB ETU in terms of three speech acts: Requests,refusals,complaints
In a world where communication between cultures and nations gains importance with every passing day, English as a common tool for communication has been indisputably one of the most indispensable parts of this process. English language teaching has been in line with the current view on English itself; achieving communication through English has moved to the foreground for the last thirty years or so, replacing the role of having complete control of grammatical rules for language proficiency.This study set out to find out to what extent English language learners at TOBB University of Economics and Technology Preparatory School can perform strategies of three speech acts, which serve as an important part of everyday communication with English. The specific speech acts were requests, refusals and complaints and they have several ways to be realized through strategies. Data was collected from 90 students with a discourse completion task. The other aim of the study was to check the presentation of the aforementioned speech acts in the coursebooks used during the three semesters in the preparatory school program. So, second group of data was gathered from the coursebook evaluation phase, at which eleven coursebooks were evaluated in terms of their inclusion of requests, refusals and complaints.The study was designed as a descriptive one; the purpose was to take a picture of the current state of the problem and offer some solutions, if there were such a necessity. In the data analysis part, the frequencies of request, refusal and complaint strategies were identified both in the discourse completion task and coursebook evaluation data.The results of the DCT demonstrated that students at the TOBB ETU Preparatory School were able to perform requests and refusals more or less while their complaints were realized appropriately to some extent; the appropriateness of their complaints included less care than their requests and refusals did. A common point in their speech act performances was that majority of the answers lacked variety, which meant several specific strategies? always being on the top. Results of coursebook evaluation were common at some point with the results of the DCT. Although the frequency of requests in the books was not problematic, the refusals and complaints were barely included in most of them. They also had a paucity of various strategies not only in their contents, but also in their other parts such as exercises, audioscripts and so on.Key Words: English Language Teaching, Teaching Pragmatics, Coursebook Evaluation, Requests, Refusals, Complaints
Teacher identity: An investigation of personal and professional experiences of turkish efl teachers
The aim of this study is to investigate personal and professional experiences that influence teacher identity of Turkish EFL teachers and to explore how much factors like teacher knowledge, professional development, teacher anxiety and morale have an influence on teacher identity of Turkish EFL teachers.The population of the study is Turkish EFL teachers employed by state schools and the sample size is four female teachers teaching at state schools. Participants had a different background and teaching experiences from 3 to 25 years. Due to qualitative nature of the research, it was decided to apply narrative inquiry. The research instrument of this research was in-depth interview that was conducted with each participant individually. The interviews were conducted in Turkish for a better self reflection. The interviews were tape recorded, converted into verbatim transcript, and translated into English. Data analysis was done from English versions of the transcripts highlighting its main and interesting themes.The main findings of the research revealed that personal and professional experiences the participants had during school and university years had a significant influence on their identities as Turkish EFL teachers: participants had beautiful and young English teachers to whom they admired and wished to resemble them. All participants had turning points that influenced their teacher identities. They have experienced impressive events that happened in the university years and played a crucial role in their teacher identities. Factors like teacher knowledge, teacher anxiety and morale had significant influence on participants? teacher identity.
Sexism in language coursebooks a study on gender representations in the visuals of the primary and secondary education English coursebooks
As materials, coursebooks have a great importance. With the texts and visual elements included, they transfer cultural and social elements of the target language and/or directly or indirectly cultural values, social norms or ideological views of their authors. This is called hidden curriculum. As nothing is explicitly stated in hidden curriculum, coursebooks should be analyzed to understand the hidden or unstated values.This study aimed to find out whether there is any sexism in ELT coursebooks used in the state schools of primary and secondary education, written by Turkish authors and published by the Ministry of national Education. Data was gathered in two ways, by using two questionnaires, ?Coursebook visuals evaluation scale? and ?student?s perception of gender in occupations inventory? and by the content analysis of 11 coursebooks. Questionnaires were applied to 779 students in 15 schools, which were selected by means of opportunity sampling in four districts Çankaya, Yenimahalle, Keçiören and Altındağ. The visual contents of the coursebooks used in the visited schools were analyzed considering the criteria such as appearance of female and male characters, family roles, occupations, household activities, spare time activities, sports they do, places they were shown in, which family member the child/teenage characters are pictured with, objects/toys and games that child/teenage characters shown with.The results of the analysis revealed that coursebooks used in secondary education have more sexist viewpoint compared to primary education coursebooks in terms of the criteria stated.
Efl state school teachers? perceptıons on ın-servıce teacher development programs ın the Turkısh educatıonal system
The aims of this study are to figure out the EFL state school teachers? perceptions on in-service teacher development programs, to determine the factors that force the EFL state school teachers to attend in-service development programs and to reveal the fields that need to be improved. The participants of the study were 100 EFL teachers working in state schools. The data was gathered through using a questionnaire. The gathered data was analyzed by using mean scores and standard deviation. The analysis of the obtained data revealed that the EFL state school teachers believe in-service development activities have beneficial contributions for their organizational and individual improvements. Furthermore, it has been seen that ??scientific, technological and social developments?? is the primary grounded factor that causes the teachers to get in-service development programs.
Vocabulary retention: A collocational study
Teaching young learners has been on the agenda of educationists and researchers for a long time. A lot of investigations have been carried out about techniques for how best to teach young learners. On the other hand, vocabulary that plays an important role in foreign language learning process has been neglected for decades. But recently with raising importance of vocabulary many techniques and approaches related to vocabulary teaching and learning have emerged. Using collocations, which accepts the vocabulary learning as a phrase acquisition, is one of the recent way to teaching vocabulary.The purpose of this study is to investigate whether teaching vocabulary through collocations will increase the learners vocabulary gain. The study was conducted at Mezitli Technical and Vocational High School for Girls. The participants were 33 ninth grade students. They were young language learners at the elementary level of proficiency. At the beginning of the study, 15 target words were selected according to curriculum. A paper, which presents the words via different activities, was prepared by the researcher for each word. The study lasted five weeks. A vocabulary test, which was administered as the pre- and post- test, was used as data collection device. In order to find out if there is a difference between the pre and post tests, t-test was used. At the end of the study interviews were made with the students and they asked what they think about the treatment. The results of the case study indicated that teaching vocabulary through collocations made a significant effect on the learners retention of the words. In other words, the young language learners improved their vocabulary as a result of using collocations.Keywords: Collocation, Vocabulary Retention
The application of e-portfolio in speaking assessment and its contributions to students' attitudes towards speaking
E-portfolio is used in foreign language teaching and assessment, especially inteaching and assessing writing. E-portfolio improves students writing skills byenabling them to self-assess their own products, to improve their products according to the teacher's feedback, to follow their own progress, and to organize their ownlearning. Speaking and writing are productive skills though they are different in nature. Speaking can be assessed and improved like writing. However, e-portfolio is more often used to assess writing, not speaking. As a result of this, the present study tries to answer the question of whether eportfolio can be used to assess speaking as it is used in writing assessment, whether the application of e-portfolio has an effect on the students attitudes towards speaking, and what kind of contributions e-portfolio can make to the students speaking performance if it has an effect on the students attitudes towards speaking. This study was carried out with 17 students studying in level D in the English Language Preparation Department of Zirve University. It lasted 8 weeks. To collect data, researcher's diary, interview 1, interview 2, self-assessment paper 1, self-assessment paper 2, and cover letters were used. The data was analyzed by using content analysis. The results of the study show that e-portfolio could be used in speaking assessment, it affected the students attitudes towards speaking positively, and it could improve their speaking skills. Also, the results of the study indicate that according to the students, they improved their speaking in terms of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary, they felt more self-confident and less anxious while speaking, and they improved their technology skills, such as recording and arranging video.Keywords: Speaking Assessment, E-portfolio, E-portfolio Assessment
The role of teacher efficacy over English language teaching
The main purpose of this study is to examine teacher efficacy levels of English language teachers who work in secondary schools. Also, teachers? self -reported English proficiency level and use of pedagogical strategies were investigated. The data were collected through three different questionnaires from 28 English language teachers. Results showed that teacher efficacy has an impact on teaching English. The data indicated that teachers? beliefs in their ability were correlated with their self-reported English proficiency. It was found that most of the teachers use communicatively oriented instructional strategies in the classroom. This study provides necessary and useful information to understand teachers? needs to develop their efficacy.
Teachers' and students' conceptions of assessment in a university EFL preparatory school context
The purpose of this study was to study and investigate teachers and students conceptions of assessment in a university EFL Preparatory School context. Using survey instruments designed for each group, teachers and students provided demographic information about themselves and their conceptions of assessment practices. Data were gathered through the short version of Teacher Conceptions of Assessment Scale (TCoA-IIIA), which had 27 items and Student Conceptions of Assessment Scale (SCoA), which was the adapted form of TCoA. A total of 400 students enrolled at Çağ University Preparatory Department and 31 teachers teaching at Çağ University Preparatory Department completed the questionnaires.The Exploratory Factor Analysis results revealed that there were four factors in the scale affecting teachers conceptions of assessment, namely Student Accountability, School Accountability, Improvement, and Irrelevance as in the original scale of TCoA. There were also affecting students conceptions of assessment, specificically Irrelevant, Affect/Social Benefit, External Attributions and Improvement as in the original scale of SCoA.A Multivariate Analysis of Variances with Pillai's Trace test was employed to investigate whether the significant differences among dependent variables across independent variables existed both for teachers and students. The findings of Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) with Pillai's Trace test indicated that years of teaching experience did not make any significant difference in teachers conceptions of assessment. However, teachers gender and education level showed a significant difference in the conception of School Accountability. The undergraduate institution teachers graduated from did have a significant difference in their conception of Improvement. When student conceptions of assessment were taken into consideration, it was observed that the type of school they graduated from did not have a significant difference in their conceptions of assessment according to the findings of Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). However, there was a significant difference based on gender in students conception of Irrelevance.Key Words: Assessment, Conception, Traditional Assessment, Alternative Assessment,Formative Assessment, Summative Assessment
The effects of cooperative learning on students' writing performance
This research investigated the effects of cooperative learning in developing students? writing performance and grammar achievement in writing. The purposes of the research were to find the differences between pre-test and post-test results in terms of overall writing quality and grammar development in the control group and the experimental group and to compare the control group and the experimental group considering the scores obtained through pre-test and post-test in terms of overall writing quality and grammar. The sample included two tenth classes comprised of 50 EFL students at a vocational high school located in Tarsus.The study lasted 12 weeks. STAD, a method of cooperative learning was implemented in the experimental group whereas traditional learning was implemented in the control group. In order to assess participants? writing performance and grammar development, they were assigned to write a narrative essay as pre-test and post-test. Considering the mistakes done by students in the pre-test, the syllabus was designed. All essays were analytically rated by two teachers.Scores obtained through pre-test and post-test were statistically analyzed by means of SPSS 17. As a result of the analysis, it was found that there was a significant difference between pre-test and post-test results of the experimental group in terms of overall writing performance and grammar development in writing whereas there was not any significant difference between pre-test and post-test results of the control group in terms of overall writing performance and grammar development. It was found that cooperative learning was effective in developing students? writing performance and grammar achievement.Key Words: Overall Writing Performance, Grammar Development, Cooperative Learning
A study on professional development needs of EFL instructors working at a foundation university
The objective of the present study is to analyze professional development needs of EFL instructors at a foundation university in Gaziantep. In order to get a comprehensive idea, different aspects of professional development programs have been focused.First of all, general attitudes of instructors toward professional development programs have been determined and then teachers have been asked to state their professional development needs. In addition to the areas they need development, the reasons that hinder them from attending these programs have been investigated. The last step has been to identify the delivery formats and methods of the program based on instructors? preferences.A hundred EFL instructors consisting of both Turkish and international staff participated in the study. As the data collection tool, a questionnaire was adapted and administrated to instructors. Data that was gathered through a questionnaire and analyzed by means of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS).The first result which this study revealed was that EFL instructors held positive attitudes for the professional development programs. Sharing experiences and ideas with other colleagues was the most common activity among instructors to develop themselves professionally and the main reason that hindered them from attending these programs was indicated as inconvenient time and date. Productive skills were challenging for most instructors both to teach and to assess. As to delivery formats and methods of the professional development programs, instructors preferred programs to take place at their institution, up to 45 minutes and generally delivered by an expert or trainer outside the institution.
Teacher development: Critical friends group
Owing to the changes in economy and politics, the education system in Turkey has been exposed to educational reforms. One of the key elements in implementing the educational reforms into the classroom is the professional development of teachers, which has received a great deal of attention for a long time. Thus, the Ministry of National Education has implemented teacher development meetings and workshops to enhance the qualities of teachers. However, the study of Baran and Çağıltay (2006) reveal that not many teachers have engaged in the teacher development activities willingly since they feel that these activities do not contribute to their professional development. As Yumru (2000) suggests, a sense of ownership rests on the core of professional development of teachers. In this study, it was aimed to explore whether Critical Friends Group (CFG), a kind of teacher development program based on reflective teaching, can contribute to teachers? professional development through creating opportunities for them to share their experiences and dilemmas related to their teaching in collegiality. The researcher acted, as a participant observer, called CFG facilitator and 4 participant teachers were included in this study lasted 8 weeks. The data was collected using diary keeping, the researchers? field notes, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that Critical Friends Group programs could contribute to professional development of teachers by enabling teachers to work in collaboratively to improve their professional knowledge and teaching in a supportive and reflective professional community.
Multimodal presentation of selected stage play literature in a multimedia environment a case study
The aim of this study is to document the response of a selected group of students to theaudio-visual presentation of literary works in a multimedia environment. The study attemptsto identify the key elements of students' learning experience such as acquisition of literaryknowledge gained through the study of stage play literature by audio-visual text format andobservation. Furthermore, the study aims to reveal the balance between cognitive andaffective learning concerning facts and emotions.Data were collected through interviews with Pre-intermediate level students. Interviewresults were compared to document the students' feelings and ideas on learning experiences ina multimedia environment. The audio-visual presentation of stage play literature wascombined with discussion of themes, plot and character development in which the studentswere asked to summarize and reflect on their experience. Furthermore, students were alsogiven post-tests comprising 3 brief essay questions in which they were asked specificquestions about the thematic content of the works.The main results of the study revealed that students improved their learning experiencein target language through the audio-visual materials, as they were able to transfer knowledgereinforced through context learning in audio and visual media.Key Words: Multimodal Learning, Multimedia Environment, Knowledge Construction
An analysis of the final speaking exam at an English preparatory school in Turkey
Speaking as a language skill has always been important both for foreign language educators and learners. The reason for this may be the fact that the success in speaking a foreign language is considered as an indicator for success in that language. However, although speaking ability is one of the most important skills, it is also the most difficult skill to assess. Therefore, appropriate ways for assessing speaking skill has been one of the most common research issues in this field.The main purpose of this study is to investigate whether or not the speaking component of final exam at Zirve University Preparatory School has any problematic areas. In order to reach this aim content validity and inter-rater reliability of the exam are examined. Moreover, the ideas and suggestions about the exam were gained by interviews held with the students and the instructors.The participants of the study are 15 students and 10 teachers of Zirve University Preparatory School. Interviews conducted with the participants are used to gather data for identifying the weak points of the exam and suggesting appropriate and better ways to do the speaking exam. It was found out that although the exam was discovered not to have content validity, the inter-rater reliability of the exam was satisfactory. Furthermore, using the participants? opinions and recommendations gathered from the interviews, ways for a better speaking assessment procedure for Zirve University Preparatory School was suggested.
Promoting learner autonomy to increase self-efficacy through meta-cognitive strategy for effective writing
Writing in a foreign language is found difficult because of including a number of individual differences which directly affect the language learning process and the outcomes of learning. Moreover, writing is a complex and important process of language learning. Some researches on writing have shown the importance of the terms like meta-cognitive strategies, self efficacy, learner autonomy which is accepted essential part of producing new language items. Furthermore; these terms are absolutely effective on developing writing and producing longer and more quality texts. This study aims to meet the need for exploring the effect of self efficacy and meta-cognitive strategies on a foreign language writing in a detailed way.The study was conducted on 40 participants from 8th grade students in Yemişli Primary school in Karataş.Pre-test and post-test design was adopted
Bilingualism and attitudes towards foreign language learning
The aim of this study is to find out the significant differences between the attitudes of the monolingual and bilingual students who are learning English as a Foreign Language. For this reason, the Language Attitude Questionnaire which was developed by Cook and composed of six clusters of social, psychological and personal monolingualism and social, psychological and personal bilingualism was applied to them.The participants of the study were selected from the Preparatory School of Çağ University students who are studying English. Only eighty students were selected for the study and forty of those eighty students are bilinguals and the other forty of them are monolinguals.In Chapter One, the statement of the problem, background to the study, research questions, hypotheses, operational definitions and limitations are presented. The related literature on monolingualism, bilingualism, multilingualism and attitudes towards foreign language learning is reviewed in Chapter Two. In Chapter Three, the research design, participants, data collection and data analysis are provided. The data analysis and further comments on the collected and analysed data are included in Chapter Four. Conclusion takes place in Chapter Five.
Teachers' perceptions of classroom based language assessment in tertiary level English language programs in Turkey
This study aims to explore teachers? beliefs and their application with relating to classroom based language assessment. It examines the teachers? current operational principles of assessment and their practices in higher education in Turkey.The first part of the study discusses concerning the theories of language assessment; then it considers how closely classroom based language assessment in higher education matches up to those theoretical principles.The second part of the study presents the findings of a questionnaire. Four stages in teachers? classroom based language assessment were discussed; planning, implementation, monitoring, and recording and dissemination. The findings of the questionnaire were analyzed statically and qualitatively. Extra qualitative data was additionally collected and analyzed through interviews with volunteer participants.The results of the study showed that usually the teachers hold and exercise their own firm beliefs concerning classroom based language assessment.Beside this, there has been variety of issues that arose from their assessment beliefs and their application. The results of the questionnaire showed that they did not put a number of their principles into application. Throughout the interview, they mentioned that in some cases they do not have chance to put their beliefs into application like central assessment system of the institution, intensive syllabus that they have to finish in a very restricted time and students? educational background that they brought from primary and secondary schools? education system.
Teachers' perceptions of increased appreciation and understanding of literature through literature circles
This study aims to determine why teachers prefer implementing literature circles. The study also aims to discover if the literature circle helps students? comprehension of literature and language and how it affects students? attitudes towards reading through teachers? perceptions. Along with the presence, implementation and effect of literature circles in education, the process and changes that students go through while taking part in the circles based on selected literary works were investigated. When the data gathered through interviews with literature circle teachers were analyzed, it supported the view that the use of literature circles clearly helps students to understand literature better by increasing their desire to read. Additionally, the view that students? general attitudes towards reading change positively after taking part in the circles was supported by the results. The results also emphasized that students can develop better comprehension techniques in the circles which will enable them to use the literature for authentic and meaningful purposes.
Teaching vocabulary to sixth graders through games
This study examines the application of teaching English through vocabulary games to sixth graders and the effects on students? motivation within this method. The resources and games that are used in teaching English vocabulary classes to sixth graders were researched and the effects of these games on teaching English are presented. Research provides a method to effectively implement the use of vocabulary games, which serve to enrich English language classes. The activities and methods that are indicated at this study will enlighten individuals who study this area. In the first chapter, the background and purpose of the study are presented. The statement of the problem and research questions are offered in this chapter, which is associated with the operational definitions and limitations of the study. The second chapter includes the literature review section of the study, including vocabulary definitions and teaching vocabulary. Moreover, this chapter provides information about young learners and games, types of games, as well as the advantages of games. Chapter three provides information about the methodology of the thesis, including: the design, participants, instrumentation and the procedure of the study. In other words, where and when was the research applied and which students and evaluation methods were chosen. The games, tests, questionnaire and reading texts are also included in this chapter. The last chapter provides information about the data analysis and evaluation, with results of the tests. This chapter also includes the conclusions and discussions of the study. This study also has an appendix which consists of the questionnaire, reading texts and the pre/post tests applied in this thesis.
Developing an effective learning environment in an EFL classroom
Assessment has always been a very crucial part of language education, for both teaching and learning. Summative and formative assessments are the two major kinds of assessment used in EFL classrooms and serve different purposes. Although they are used for different purposes, the main focus of assessment is effective teaching and effective learning. There have been various studies on both summative and formative assessments such as; the affects of summative and formative assessment, students' and teachers' perceptions on assessment, using feedback, and the affects of feedback. Unfortunately, although both assessment forms are used in Preparatory Schools in Turkey; there have not been any studies on creating an effective learning environment using both formative and summative assessments as a tool at a Preparatory School of a university. Therefore the purpose of this study is to investigate general attitudes and feelings of the students on assessment and how to create an effective learning environment using the conditions that were suggested in the literature while using both summative and formative assessments as a tool. The participants of this study were the students of Çağ University Preparatory School. The study was conducted with 20 students, 11 females and 9 males. The study has been designed as a case study in which action research and qualitative research designs were used. Interviews, students' diaries, researcher's observations and notes were used as a tool to collect the data. Before starting the action research, students were not motivated; they were stressed and had negative attitudes and feelings towards assessment. With the help of the conducted study, they became aware of their weaknesses and strengths, motivated, and gained some positive attitudes towards assessment.
Automated essay scoring system: A reliability study
New materials have continuously been added to the assessment instruments in ELT day by day. The question of whether writing assessment in ELT can be done via e-raters was first addressed in 1996, and this system, which is commonly called ?Automated Essay Scoring Systems? in especially America and Europe in recent years, has taken part in the field of assessment instruments of ELT with steady development. The purpose of this study is to find out whether AES can supercede the writing assessment system that is used at The School of Foreign Languages at Zirve University. It is performed at The School of Foreign Languages at Zirve University. The participants of the study were a group of 50 students in level C which is the equivalent of B1. The beginning of the quantitative study includes the assessment of essays written by C level students at The School of Foreign Languages at Zirve University by three human raters and e-rater. After the study it was found that the writing assessment has been currently used at The School of Foreign Languages at Zirve University costs more energy, more time and it is more expensive. Thus, AES was suggested for use at The School of Foreign Languages at Zirve University which has proven to be more practicable.
Developing the reading skill objectives in accordance with Common European Framework
This study was conducted considering The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) which was published by Council of Europe in order to enable the language education to run in the standardized conditions. CEFR was adopted by the member countries of the European Union as a leading source through which the language programs set their curriculum studies, course objectives, and criteria for testing and evaluation. In the study, it was aimed that the course instructors could evaluate the current objectives of Reading course at English Preparatory Program in The School of Foreign Languages at Zirve University in accordance with the illustrative descriptor scales of CEFR in two different steps, the data obtained from two implementations could be reanalyzed within the focus group discussions and the recommendations of the focus group could be reported in the end. The course objectives play a significant role for education programs in planning the course, how it is run, which methods are used and determining the needs of learning. The students at Zirve University English Preparatory Program are supposed to complete four levels of proficiency which are listed from elementary level to upper-intermediate level: A, B, C, and D. In the first stage, the Reading course instructors were interviewed about the course objectives through the questions prepared before. In the second stage, four different checklists were used by the same group of instructors so that they could compare the course objectives with the illustrative descriptor scales of CEFR. In this stage, the instructors marked four different columns of the checklist showing the according rate of the two lists. The data obtained from the first and second implementations were examined in consideration of qualitative research principles. Those findings were explained by applying the method of content analysis, which provides categorizing mostly stressed parts by the course instructors. In the last stage of the study, the categorized data obtained from the two implementations were discussed by the focus group. The group?s recommendations over developing the course objectives were presented in the end. As to the recommendations, the list of the objectives should be updated with clearer descriptions, which give details on practical uses. Also, they should address the usages of every-day-life with authentic variations. Finally, the list needs to contain more communicative action verbs, which define both academic and social confrontations.
The English proficiency exam in EFL context: A validation study
The aim of the English Proficiency Exam at Çağ University is to assess whether the students have the ability and skills to follow the education program and academic studies in the undergraduate program. The purpose of this study was to investigate and study the validity and the reliability of the English Proficiency Exam conducted at Çağ University Preparatory School. To this end, the Model for language ability by Bachman (1990) was utilized. 133 students? proficiency exam results in the 2011-2012 academic year were taken as samples in the study. The data were gathered through the exam results of the students who had taken the exam English Proficiency Exam in the related term. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and content analysis. Cronbach?s Alpha co efficiency was calculated to investigate the reliability of the exam and descriptive statistics were calculated for each components of the English Proficiency Exam. Results of the study indicated that the English Proficiency Exam partially served for its purpose. The findings revealed that some improvements in the content, materials and assessment dimensions of the program were required to make the Exam more valid and reliable.
An action research on e-mentoring: A supplemental tool for professional development of EFL teachers working at MNE schools
This paper reports on findings from an online action research project conducting e-mentoring on eight EFL teachers working at MNE schools in Turkey. The study may raise some interesting ideas about how EFL teachers working at MNE schools with locational disadvantages can enhance their FA strategies in the context professional development through the use of e-mentoring. These schools are situated in mostly locational disadvantaged areas. In this study, the author plays the role of researcher and mentor, i.e. he acts as an e-mentor with teachers online, conducts e-mentoring. He reports findings related to the impact of e-mentoring on EFL teachers working at MNE schools with locational disadvantages. EFL teachers who voluntarily work in collaboration with other teachers have improved their formative assessment strategies through e-mentoring support. This thesis also inquires how a professional development program can be designed and implemented online for EFL teachers in Turkey; using an action research perspective, reporting on the results, reflecting on the process, and developing a framework for future online EFL teacher professional development programs. This paper may reach the conclusions in the context of online collaborative platform regarding the support that MNE may provide in order for their EFL teachers? development to be more economic and effective.
A study on the evaluation and the development of computerized essay scoring rubrics in terms of reliability and validity
This study investigated the validity and the reliability of essay scoring rubrics used for intermediate and upper-intermediate levels at Zirve University English preparatory school. The rubrics were examined in terms of content validity and inter-rater reliability. In order to determine the content validity of the rubrics, a focus group interview was held with the participation of five writing skill instructors as the first research question. The aim was to what extent the writing class objectives and the descriptors of essay scoring rubrics matched each other. The focus group concluded that the rubrics were compatible with the writing class objectives of the preparatory school, but the descriptors of the rubrics needed to be re-designed. For the second research question, totally 351 C (intermediate) level and D (upper- intermediate) level students' essays were analyzed by using Pearson r correlation coefficient in order to see the inter-rater reliability between graders of the rubrics. The analysis results showed that the correlation between graders was low as Pearson r results for total scores of the students? essays were r= .623 for C level and r= .552 for D level at the 0.01 level. As the third research question, one more focus group interview was held with the same participants in order to develop a new institutional essay scoring rubric for Zirve University English preparatory school. The focus group developed a new essay-scoring rubric by taking the results of the first two research questions into consideration. The newly developed rubric was also analyzed by Pearson r correlation coefficient in order to see the inter-rater reliability between graders. 59 C (intermediate) level and D (upper-intermediate) level students' essays were used for that analysis. The analysis results showed that the correlation between graders was higher than the present rubrics as Pearson r results for total scores of the students? essays were r= .848 at the 0.01 level. As a result, the newly developed essay-scoring rubric provided more reliable results than the present rubrics used at the preparatory school. It may be concluded that having an institutional rubric, which is compatible with the needs and the objectives of the institution, meets the expectations and provides more consistent grading results.
The development of students' use of reading comprehension strategies in English texts
In this study, it is aimed to develop the use of reading strategies by the students. This study was carried out in Higher Vocational School of Cag University in 2011-12 academic year. The participants of this study included 20 beginner level EFL students. It was designed and developed as an action research project (Kemmis and Mc Taggart, 1988). In this model, a self-reflective spiral consists of four phrases; planning, acting, observing and reflecting. Data was also collected to document the actions and ideas of the students involved in this research. A reading strategy survey was used as a pre-test to identify which strategies the students were aware of and a post-test to see if an eight week strategy development programme resulted in an increase in students? use of reading strategies. In the lights of the study, it was identified that eight-week reading strategy development programme resulted in an increase in students? use of reading strategies. It was also found out that in week five and six, the students showed more motivation and more focused on their reading through various reading strategies.
EFL teachers' and students' perceptions towards the use of writing portfolios in language learning process
This research aims to determine the attitudes of teachers and students towards the use of portfolio in EFL writing classes at Turgut Ozal University (T.O.U). Also, it aims to reveal the advantages and challenges of using portfolio in a university context from the teachers' and the students' points of view. This study was conducted with 16 EFL teachers and 96 students studying at T.O.U who are taking EFL writing classes. The study was based on the data collected by portfolio use attitude surveys which investigated the opinions of teachers and students. As a result of the findings of two surveys, it is clear that all teachers and majority of students have positive attitudes towards the use of portfolio in EFL writing classes at T.O.U. Also, according to the teachers and students the use of portfolio in EFL writing classes has demonstrated a great number of benefits along with some challenges.
The evaluation of performance tasks given at primary education according to students' teachers' and parents' opinions
In this study it is aimed to find out students', teachers' and parents' opinions about performance tasks given in English classes at primary education. The study was carried out in private schools in Adana and Tarsus in 2011-12 education year. The participant of this study were 150 7th grade EFL students, 30 English language teacher working with them and 50 students' parents. Questionnaire and document analysis were used as data collection. It was identified as a result of study that students, teachers and parents stated that in general performance tasks are useful, they help students to improve their English language skills, students have fun while doing them, they enable students to develop their ability of research. On the other hand, ıt has been found out that parents do not have enough knowledge about performance tasks, these tasks are taken from internet as they are, without any effort, a great deal of tasks are done by tutors, students sometimes have to do many tasks at the same time and these tasks are really difficult to do. In the light of findings of this study, some suggestions were made to English language teachers, universities, schools and Minister of Education.
Attitudes towards learning English and English language
The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of the students towards learning English. This research was conducted at Niğde University. A questionnaire consisting of four parts for the students was used as the data collecting instruments for the research. The first part of the questionnaire indicates attitudes toward learning English. The second part describes attitudes and feelings when using English. The third part explains participants' attitudes to people who are native speakers of English and carrying their culture. The last part endeavors to explain family and social encouragement learn English. 222 engineering students? questionnaires were taken into evaluation. The significance of differences between means was analyzed using function analysis tests and the data related to the opinions of the students were analyzed by utilizing frequency distribution on percentages. The validity was assured by means of factor analysis procedure. All of these statistical procedures were carried out using SPSS v20.0 software in windows for IBM platform. Key Words: Social Attitudes, University, English Learning as a Foreign Language
A case study on ELT teachers' perceptions towards professional development activities
In recent years, because of the changing nature of language and high standards of the modern age, professional development of language teachers has gained importance. The purpose of this study was to investigate language teachers' perceptions towards professional development activities and the factors that hinder their professional development. The participants of this study were 122 English language instructors at Erciyes University School of Foreign Languages. The data collected were analyzed descriptively to find out teachers' perceptions and differences among teachers. The data analysis indicated that teachers accepted professional development activities as part of their professional life but did not implement them as much. Gender and experience were indicators of differences among teachers. Almost all the factors that hinder teachers' professional development were found important by language teachers. However, self motivation was considered as the most important factor hindering professional development.
The ways of increasing students' participation level in business english classes: Integrating multiple intelligence theory into teaching and using literature
When carefully observed, there is a common transition from teacher centered education to student centered education in today?s modern education system. Teaching methods which support that concept of intelligence can be assessed by limited, inefficiently standardized tests and conventional teaching methods which give over emphasis on the linguistic skills and the usage of course books in foreign language teaching are replaced by more modern and learner centered approaches. Nowadays, many educators who study on the education field adopt multiple intelligence theory, suggesting every learner posses all different levels of intelligences which function uniquely and they also support the integration of multiple intelligence theory into teaching by stating the various advantages of it. In means of these, I tried to design and implement a new course design based on the features of multiple intelligence theory and advantages of using literature instead of implementing conventional, stereotyped teaching method to increase my students? class participation level in business English classes by enhancing the quality of learning and teaching processes. In this action research study, I aimed to portray the positive impacts of integrating multiple intelligence theory into teaching and using literature in business English classes on students? class participation level.
The effects of multiple intelligence theory on the improvement of grammar skills
The purpose of this study is to find out if the Multiple Intelligence Theory improves students? grammar in EFL classes. Another aim of the current study is to receive students? opinions about the implementation of MI Theory in English classes. Within the frame of the Multiple Intelligence Theory suggested by Howard Gardner, the Multiple Intelligence Checklist developed by Thomas Armstrong was implemented so as to define which intelligence types the students have. In data collection, pre-test and post-test were done with the aim of finding out the relation between this theory and grammar improvement. The study was conducted on 34 freshman students who are studying at Toros University Vocational School Child Development Department.
Washback effect of KET Exam in learning English as a foreign language
As learning a foreign language has become one of the necessities in our daily life, tests to assess the learner during the learning process take the major role in this period. The influence of tests on teaching and learning practices is called "washback".This washback effect whether positive or negative has an important place in the language learning period. During the preparation process for a test, this washback effect either positive or negative occurs. There are different types of tests in the English language as it is one of the most used lingua francas in the world. Therefore, washback effect varies according to the type of the tests. The study was conducted on an English teacher and 20 participants from 7th grade students in Çukurova Bilfen College in Adana. Video recordings of the KET exam preparation classes and general English classes, interviews with the teachers and a questionnaire with the students were done to collect the data. The results of this study aimed to show the nature and the scope of washback effects of the KET preparation program on classroom practices and interactions including the teachers? and students? thoughts about this preparation process. Keywords: Washback, KET Exam, Test Preparation
Disruptive student behaviors in university preparatory classes observed by teachers of English
The purpose of this study is to identify the disruptive student behaviors observed by teachers of English in university preparatory classrooms. The teachers? perceptions on students? behaviors described as ?disruptive? and common disruptive student behaviors in the classrooms were investigated. This study seeks answers for the following questions: ?How do teachers of English in university preparatory classrooms perceive disruptive student behaviors? What types of disruptive student behavior do the teachers of English encounter in their classrooms? What are common disruptive student behaviors observed by teachers of English in university preparatory classrooms? Is there any significant relationship between the teachers? gender, age, the department they graduated from, experience, the number of classes they teach and the number of students they have in their classrooms and their perceptions of disruptive student behavior?? This research was a survey study. 40 teachers of English in preparatory classes of Çukurova University School of Foreign Languages participated in this study. The data was collected through a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. In the first part, there were questions about the participants? gender, age, experience, the department they graduated from, the number of classes they teach and the number of students they have in their classrooms. In the second part, the perceptions of English language teachers in university preparatory classrooms of the disruptive student behaviors were investigated. The results indicated that ?Using a mobile telephone during the lesson?, ?Arguing or disagreeing with the teacher or other pupils?, ?Cheeky or rude remarks or replies to the teacher? ?Cheating?, ?Not studying regularly? were common disruptive student behaviors. Besides, ?Goofing off? was the most commonly encountered misbehavior type. Lastly, there was a significant relationship between the teachers? gender, age, teaching experience, the number of classes they teach and the number of students they have in their classrooms and their perceptions of disruptive student behavior. On the other hand, there was no significant relationship between the department the teachers graduated from and their perceptions of misbehavior.
A content analysis study on the use of literary texts and multimodality in language classes
The purpose of the study is to examine the effectiveness of literary works as a medium for the multimodality principle in language classes. The study has two focal points, the first of which is to highlight the efficiency and advantages of literature usage in language classes. The second is to emphasize the strenghts of multimodality. Both conclusions have come after a wide and detailed literature review supported by the analysis and comments of the contributors of the field; a content analysis based study. Conclusions are based on the comparison of methods concerning language instruction. The research in the field demonstrates that rather than using traditional, uni-modal approaches in language learning environment, literary works presented in a multimodal context enchance the learning process. The use of more modern methods such as multimodal literature and language instruction have proven to be more successful than traditional methods.
Success and failure attributions of academic staff studying for foreign language achievement tests
In this paper, how the academic staff who study for YDS exam conceptualize their success and failure attributions is studied. Academic staff who studied for YDS examination took part in this study. This study refers to 2 different subjects:
Enhancing EFL students' vocabulary knowledge by using web 2.0 tools
The astonishing rise in the use of Web 2.0 tools has led researchers to consider their potential for educational purposes. Current studies in literature mostly deal with descriptions of students' attitudes towards the reasons of the use of Web 2.0 tools in general. This study aims to contribute to the field by investigating the feasibility of Web 2.0 tools as a supplement to the traditional classroom environment. The present research examined the use of Web 2.0 tools to improve students' vocabulary knowledge at Higher School of Foreign Languages, Gaziantep University. It is an experimental study supported with semi-structured interviews and field notes. The study was carried out during the spring semester of 2012-2013 academic span and lasted for three months. The researcher assigned one experimental and one control group randomly from Level A (A1-A2 according to the CEFR). A pre-test was created in order to measure students? vocabulary knowledge from upcoming vocabularies students were going to learn throughout the semester and it was applied to the groups. Both groups followed the same curriculum to learn the target vocabulary but the experimental group received a treatment by using various Web 2.0 tools and field notes were taken. At the end of the treatment, a post-test was applied to the groups and results were analysed with the Independent Samples t-test. Following the post-test, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 students in the experimental group. The analyses of the test results showed that both groups had gains but the mean of the experimental group was higher and this difference was statistically significant. Findings suggest that this research is viable and worth the effort. Also, almost all students have positive attitudes towards the educational use of Web 2.0 tools.
Foreign language learning anxiety in preparatory school students contributing factors
English is the most commonly preferred language among foreign language speakers. Throughout the world, when people with different languages come together they commonly use English to communicate. But, of course, learners may encounter many difficulties while learning an English language. This qualitative study has two aims: one of them was to state preparation school students? English learning anxiety reasons and the other one has been to identify learners? suggestions to alleviate their anxiety. The study was carried out at the preparation department of Çağ University in Mersin. The data was gathered through interviews with eighty learners whose ages were between 18 and 22. Results have demonstrated that there are four anxiety-provoking situations among the learners. These are; tests, speaking in front of others, reading a text aloud and answering the teachers? questions. Fear of negative evaluation from peers and fear of being laughed at by other students, teachers? attitudes, students? personalities, lack of preparation and course materials are the reasons that affect learners negatively during the English lessons. According to the findings, there are some recommendations that may help students alleviate anxiety.
The effect of a selected graphic novel on reading comprehension
Literacy in the 21st century is constantly evolving. To teach literacy effectively, educators need to embrace and understand linguistic, cultural and textual practices that are relevant for students. Reading graphic novels is one of the 21st century literate practices. This study focuses on how 18 preparatory school students who are in intermediate level develop their reading comprehension after reading a selected graphic novel and a non-graphic novel. In addition, it focuses on whether reading a graphic novel has changed students' attitudes toward reading at the end of the study. The study evaluated the reading comprehension scores of these students after reading selected non-graphic novel and selected graphic novel through reading comprehension check questions. The results were considered. These two sets of scores were then compared. In addition, a reading attitude questionnaire was administrated to these students as pre- and post-test to learn students' attitudes toward reading and whether this graphic novel implementation has changed their attitude at the end of the study and the mean of the responses were compared through SPSS. The results of this study did not conform the hypothesis that graphic novels increase the reading comprehension scores of students and students' attitudes toward reading will change in a positive way.
Implementation of writing portfolios at a preparatory school in a university context
This study aims to investigate the implementation of writing portfolios at a preparatory school and the effects of portfolios on students in becoming aware of their strengths and weaknesses. 17 students of Zirve University English Preparatory School participated in this study for eight weeks. Data collection tools were the researcher?s diary and cover letters of students. The results of the data analysis indicated that the use of portfolios could be implemented and portfolios helped students become aware of their strengths and weaknesses in writing.
EFL learners' conceptions of learner autonomy
Promoting learner autonomy in EFL classes has been one of the most fundamental objectives of education. It is known that Turkish educational system has traditional educational methods that constrain autonomous language learning. Learner autonomy is a concept that has many dimensions. The concern of this study is to find out EFL learners' conceptions of different autonomous behaviours that learners need to have in their learning. Those areas include learners' readiness for self-direction, learners' conceptions of independent work, learners' beliefs related to the role of class and teacher, learners' conceptions of the role of the teacher in explanation/supervision, learners' attitudes towards particular language learning activities, learners' readiness to share responsibility in selection of content, learners' roles in determining objectives and self-evaluation, learners' conceptions of external assessment in their motivation, and learners' attitudes towards the culture of the language they are learning. As the data collection tool Autonomy Learner Questionnaire was used. The survey was administered to 114 7th grade students at Şehit Selahattin Elemantary School in Hakkari, Turkey. The data analysis was carried out through quantitative (frequencies, percentages) analysis techniques. The findings of the study showed that while the learners have more autonomy over some aspects of learning, they have less readiness and awareness over the others.
Second language word associations of Turkish adult learners of english
This study investigates L2 word associations of Turkish adult learners in terms of lexical relations and word class selections. Namely, the research is based on the forms and meanings of word associations of L2 learners. To this effect, Jung's Word Association Test (WAT) was conducted with careful consideration of prompt words to 26 ELT students who are studying at the 4th class at Çağ University. The results of WAT were classified into 4 categories in terms of lexical relations and divided into 3 categories in terms of word classes. The results indicated that nouns were dominant in L2 learners? mental lexicon and for verbs syntagmatic and for nouns paradigmatic associations had the highest rate. In view of these results, further suggestions for making use of word associations in and out of classroom setting are made in the hope that vocabulary learning and teaching can be improved.
A study on using videos for vocabulary learning
It is accepted by educationalists that the earlier language learning starts, the better it is. Although language learning comprises many areas, we may say that the basic area is vocabulary learning. Lately, the importance of vocabulary knowledge raised and many approaches and techniques have been adapted for vocabulary learning. Using videos for vocabulary learning is one of the techniques. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of using videos for vocabulary learning. The study was conducted at Osmaniye Kırıklı Kanlıgeçit Primary School and Çardak Primary School. 50 students, whose language level is elementary, participated in the study. There are 30 students in the experimental group from Kırıklı Kanlıgeçit Primary School and 20 students in the control group from Çardak Primary School. The students in the experimental group were presented the new words with ten different videos. A course book and a workbook were used for the control group. The treatment longed for 8 hours for both groups. At the end of the treatment sessions, a post-test was administered to the both groups. An attitude questionnaire was applied to the experimental group after the treatment session is over. The analysis of the study showed a significant difference for the experimental group and they have positive attitudes towards videos.
The attitudes of very young learners towards the use of games in language classes
The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of games on teaching English vocabulary to very young learners and to analyze the attitudes of these learners towards games in vocabulary teaching. Learning a language is a cognitive process which requires different steps, tasks and methods. Today, most of the children worldwide are taught English as their foreign language from very early ages. Turkey is one of the countries in which English is the most taught foreign language. There have been several researches and studies to understand the best ways of teaching English to very young learners. This study is carried out in a kindergarten environment with twenty, five year old children. Besides analysing the studies on this subject, the basic method of this study is mostly visual and verbal which includes observation and interviews at the end of each lesson. The observation group is consisted of twenty children who were observed three times a week for six weeks. Their English lessons lasted forty minutes. At the end of the classes, they were interviewed about the vocabulary they learnt and the games they played during the lessons. A variety of games was observed in the vocabulary classes for five year old children who proved the effectiveness of the games for vocabulary teaching.