Browsing by Author "Peker, Hilal"
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Item Open Access A case study on the perceptions of professional development unit members at an EFL program(2019) Peker, Hilal; Özkaynak, O.; Arslan, Z.; Tunç, H.Prior research focusing on teacher training indicated that professional development is considered as a continuous process, and trainings are essential for teacher development. In this qualitative case study, researchers examined the perceptions of professional development unit (PDU) members regarding the training sessions they offered at a foundation university in Turkey. After ethical committee permissions were obtained, the data were collected through semi-structured interview questions besides note taking during the interviews. There were five PDU members as participants. Content analysis was utilized after all the notes and transcriptions were brought together. To carry out the content analysis, the researchers employed a modified van Kaam method as defined by Moustakas (1994). Thematically analyzed data indicated three main findings: continuous professional development, good rapport, and motivation. These themes are discussed as reflected by the participants and implications are provided for future professional development series.Item Open Access Examining the relationship between Latinos’ English proficiency, educational degree, language preferences, and their perceptions on the Americans(Selcuk University, 2020) Peker, HilalUsing data from the 2018 National Survey of Latinos that was conducted by The Pew Hispanic Center/Kaiser Family Foundation, the researcher in the present study reports on the perceptions of Latinos on English and their educational degrees as well as their language preferences. This non-experimental quantitative study is considered one of the first ones focusing on Latinos’ language preferences conducted all over the United States. A highly randomly stratified 2,288 Latino adults (1,041 males and 1,091 females) who are 18 years old or older identified themselves as Latinos in this study. These participants were from 48 states in total. The results indicated that there was a positive relationship between the last degree attended and participants’ English proficiency; however, there was no association between participants’ preference of English over Spanish and their perceptions on the friendliness/closeness of American individuals. The implications and future direction are recommended at the end of the study based on these results.Item Open Access Exploring the perceptions of pre-service english teachers on vocabulary learning strategies in a foreign language teaching context(Untested Ideas Research Center, 2018) İstifçi, İ.; Peker, HilalThe purpose of this study was to investigate vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) of pre-service English language teachers in a foreign language teaching context. The data were collected during Fall 2016 semester from 34 second-year and 54 third-year undergraduate students studying English Language Teaching (ELT) at the College of Education of a state university in Turkey. The instrument used to collect the data was a 5-point Likert-Scale survey adapted by Riankamol (2008) from the Taxonomy of Vocabulary Learning Strategies developed by Schmitt (1997). The main purpose of the study was to identify mostly preferred VLS categories (Cognitive, Memory, Metacognitive, Determination and Social) by second and third year pre-service teachers in ELT programs and to examine if there are any differences between the second and third year pre-service teachers in terms of the specific VLSs they use. Further, semi-structured interviews were also conducted with 20 students to triangulate the quantitative data with the qualitative data on pre-service teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about VLSs. The results indicated some similarities and differences between the two groups of students. Implications highlight the importance of teaching VLSs to pre-service English teachers.Item Open Access Yes they can! Demystifying the effects of foreign language learning for students with special needs(National Network for Early Language Learning, 2018) Regalla, M.; Peker, HilalThis paper addresses the issue of integrating students with special needs into foreign language programs in the early childhood years. A partnership between a university and a charter school in central Florida began as a result of parent and teacher interest in providing a foreign language program for its prekindergarten students. Since 2014, prekindergarten students have been receiving French instruction twice per week in a typical foreign language exploratory (FLEX) program designed to introduce the French language and culture; however, this program is atypical because of the population of the charter school, United Cerebral Palsy (UCP). At UCP, approximately 50% of the students have special needs ranging from mild delays to significant physical and cognitive disabilities. Since the beginning of the French program, questions have been raised by various stakeholders (including some parents and other educational professionals) about students with special needs experiencing confusion in foreign language programs. The educators who started the French program designed a study to address questions raised about the suitability of foreign language programs for students with special needs. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a French language program on the first language skills of an inclusive prekindergarten population. This article presents the preliminary results from the ongoing research study.