Browsing by Subject "Content-based instruction"

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Open Access
Foreign language teachers' perceptions and practice of content based instruction in a Turkish university
(2011) Er, İbrahim
The purpose of this case study was to investigate foreign language instructors’ perceptions of content-based instruction (CBI), and diverse CBI models in Karadeniz Technical University, where content-based instruction was once used but then terminated in the Department of Basic English and is still in use by only some instructors in the Department of Modern Languages. Another aim was to find out the potential advantages and disadvantages of using content-based instruction in university preparatory programs. The preliminary data were collected through observations, and two questionnaires, one in the Department of Basic English and the other in the Department of Modern Languages. The descriptive analysis of the questionnaires was used as a basis for selecting the final sample group of six instructors who were interviewed during the second phase of the data collection. In addition, focus group discussions with CBI-practicing instructors were organized. The findings of the study showed that the majority of the language instructors from both departments clearly regarded content-based instruction as a better and desired way of preparing students for their further academic studies. On the other hand, most of them were also aware of the particular challenges and obstacles which hindered the implementation of content-based instruction. The controversy in the EFL instructors’ perceptions of content-based instruction arose over the interpretation of these challenges and obstacles.
Open Access
The Mathematical and communicative discourse in a multicultural content based classroom of an international school: an ethnographic study
(2015-05) Özcan, Tuğba
The purpose of this ethnographic study was to investigate the culture of a content-based English/Mathematics classroom in terms of mathematical and communicative discourse. The participants of this study were 21 multicultural secondary grade students and an international mathematics teacher in a content-based classroom of an international school in Turkey. The main data instrument was the researcher as a participant observer. The data were the audio-recordings gathered through 17 separate secondary grade lessons consisted of 540 minutes course-time. In the data analysis, two different methods were used: qualitative method to investigate the characteristics of the mathematical discourse and descriptive method to analyze the communicative discourse using a research-based scheme. The results indicated that in this multicultural content-based classroom, mathematical discourse was productive in terms of encouraging students to use the language of mathematics; strategies, solution methods and different perspectives; mathematical reasoning and mathematical justification; and connection between mathematical ideas/concepts and extension in mathematical thinking. As a result, the students in this classroom did and learned mathematics by participating in mathematical discourse. The teacher-students interactions were effective in terms of teaching mathematics but it needed to improve for developing learner's English. As this was a multicultural content-based classroom where English was the only medium of instruction, it carried features of mathematical discourse. Yet, in terms of communication, the teacher tended to ask questions to which she already knew the answers, and that restricted the variety of language forms that students could produce. To conclude, in a multicultural content-based classroom, mathematics instruction should aim to encourage English learner students to participate in communicative discourse more because they are not only learning mathematics but also English.
Open Access
Teacher and student interest, quality of motivation and engagement in content-based EAP classes
(2020-06) Doğdu, Ecem Merve
The present study sought to investigate if there was a relation among ENG 101/ 102 instructors’ and students’ interest, quality of motivation (i.e., autonomous versus controlled motivation) and students’ engagement in content-based EAP classes. The study was carried out at an English-speaking private university located in Ankara. The participants of the study were 52 freshmen (51% female, 49% male; Mean age = 19.59, SD = 0.5) taking ENG 101 and 102 classes which are compulsory English and essay composition courses. The results of the hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that students’ interest in the theme of their ENG 101/102 classes was a significant and positive predictor for students’ autonomous motivation as well as their agentic and behavioral engagement. Furthermore, instructors’ perceived quality of motivation in teaching the content of ENG 101/102 classes was significantly and positively linked to students ‘quality of motivation. On the other hand, while instructors’ and students’ interest and enthusiasm in the themes of ENG 101/102 classes were significant and positive predictors of students’ agentic engagement, students’ behavioral engagement was only predicted by autonomous student motivation and student interest in the themes of their class. The implications for practice were provided in the light of the findings.