Turkish EFL learners' awareness and use of English morphology in guessing the meanings of unknown words from context : a case study

Abstract

This study investigated Turkish university preparatory school EFL learners’ awareness and use of English affixes as a knowledge source in guessing the meanings of unknown words in written contexts. In addition, this study also examined Turkish learners’ use of prefixes and suffixes separately. The study was conducted with the participation of 10 pre-intermediate students at the English Language Preparatory School of Gaziosmanpaşa University. The data was gathered through think aloud procedures. The participants were asked to read a reading passage and try to infer the meanings of 13 target words that included prefixes, suffixes, or both. The participants were tape-recorded during the think aloud procedures. The tape recordings were transcribed in order to provide the data. The data analysis involved reading and rereading of the tape scripts. Then, knowledge sources were identified and classified, and the participants’ successful and unsuccessful used of English morphology was examined. This study implies that English affixes are effective knowledge sources in determining the meanings of unknown words. Thus, EFL teachers should teach students strategies about how to use English prefixes and suffixes in inferring the meanings of unknown words in context.