Browsing by Subject "English as a foreign language"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Open Access
Conceptual socialization in EFL contexts: a case study on Turkish EFL learners’ request speech acts realization
(Selçuk University, 2019) Şanal, Merve; Ortaçtepe, Deniz
Conceptual socialization refers to the process second/foreign language learners go through to transform their conceptual system so as “to fit the functional needs of the new language and culture” (Kecskes, 2002, p. 157). Therefore, the present study examined Turkish EFL learners’ conceptual socialization by analyzing the similarities and differences between native speakers of English and Turkish learners of English in their request speech acts realization. The data were collected from Turkish learners of English (focal group) and native speakers of English (baseline group) through role-plays and a written discourse completion task on requests both in Turkish and English. Participants’ responses were rated in terms of the level of formality, politeness, directness and appropriateness. The results indicated that although the Turkish EFL learners were higher level learners, they could not produce the required level of politeness, formality and appropriateness in their speech acts as much as the native speakers did. This study reveals that in EFL contexts, where there is lack of authentic social interaction and engagement with a community of practice, language learners’ conceptual socialization process is bound to their experiences of classroom instruction and L1 socialization.
Open Access
Digital storytelling in the elt classroom: making use of digital narratives to promote the productive skill of speaking
(2019-06) Esen, Metin
This quasi experimental study, done with 124 prep school students at a state university, aimed at examining if digital storytelling activities could boost these learners’ competency in spoken English, and if digital storytelling had any effects on the learner attitude towards speaking. The study also evaluated the participant students and the teachers’ attitude towards digital storytelling as a technique to practice speaking. The findings in the study revealed that digital storytelling actually contributed to learners’ spoken performances, and students seemed to have a more positive attitude towards speaking skill with the intervention. Also, the learners regarded digital storytelling as an effective technique to practice speaking, and the teachers perceived digital storytelling tasks as successful learning material.
Open Access
Language learning strategies of first-year students in an English medium higher education context
(2024-01) Oruç, İremnur
The purpose of this study is to investigate the language learning strategies of first-year students at a foundation university in Türkiye where the medium of instruction is English. More specifically, the study aimed to explain what direct and indirect strategies, and accompanying strategy sets, were used by the students. It also examined any potential differences in the strategy used based on gender. This study used a single-case design, shifting attention to a particular and less-explored context, incorporating cross-sectional survey, and causal-comparative designs. The researcher collected the data through a survey within the framework of Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL, Version 7.0) tool and 82 first-year students voluntarily participated in the study. The findings indicated that the direct strategies were preferred more than the indirect strategies. More specifically, within Direct strategies, Compensatory strategies are highly favored; in contrast, Metacognitive strategies are moderately favored across Indirect strategies. As for the least used strategies, Memory strategies as one of the groups in the Direct strategies, and Affective strategies within the Indirect strategies are favored the least. Additionally, female first-year students preferred to use direct strategies more than male first-year students although the observed difference is not statistically significant. More specifically, when Direct strategies are considered, Compensatory strategies are highly favored by both female and male first-year students, but female students use them more frequently. Similarly, among Indirect strategies, male participants highly favor Social strategies, while female participants moderately favor Metacognitive strategies the most. Finally, in relation to two strategies under the Cognitive strategies, statistically significant results favoring female students were observed.
Open Access
Predicting international students' academic success... may not always be enough: assessing Turkey's Foreign Study Scholarship Program
(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2007) Mathews, J.
In 1993, Turkey's Higher Education Council (YOK) launched a program to sponsor thousands of students for graduate study abroad, in the hopes of building up a base of highly qualified, foreign educated faculty for 24 newly established universities nationwide. With an incoming new YOK administration in 1995, dramatic changes were made in the program's selection procedures. One of the key elements of these changes was the inclusion of a high foreign language proficiency requirement, which served both to meet certain ideological goals of the new administration as well as presuming to reduce the high degree of student failure abroad. In addition to assessing the overall success of the scholarship program in light of the changes made, this study provides another look at the connection between language proficiency and academic success, with both qualitative and quantitative data collected from 23 'YOK scholars'. Although finding a positive relation between language proficiency and academic success, the study suggests that rather than having solved the scholarship program's problems by imposing high language proficiency requirements, the new YOK administration actually reduced even further the program's ability to successfully supply faculty to the new universities. Recommendations are made for the Turkish and similar foreign study programs.
Open Access
Tertiary level EFL students’ perceptions regarding the use of Edmodo, Quizlet, and Canva within technology acceptance model (Tam)
(2020-06) Çeçen, Gözem
The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine tertiary level EFL learners’ perceptions on the use of the Web 2.0 tools (i.e. Edmodo, Quizlet, Canva). This study was conducted with 90 participants at an English language preparatory school of a state university in Turkey. The results indicated that lower level students reported more positive opinions pertaining the use of the tools individually or altogether when compared to higher level students. The participants significantly differed from one another in terms of their perceptions of the awareness and actual system usage of the tools. It was also found that the perceptions of the awareness could slightly and the perceptions of the actual system usage of the Web 2.0 tools could moderately predict the perceptions of the perceived usefulness of the tools. The implications of this study indicate that these already repeatedly used tools as a curricular task could be substituted or replaced with other tools to alleviate the oversaturation and reluctance of the use of the Web 2.0 tools by learners. Also, their opinions could also be taken into consideration when choosing which Web 2.0 tools to be implemented into language laboratory lessons so that their perceptions on the perceived usefulness, awareness and actual system usage of the tools could be positively shaped. Further research is required in the literature to give more support to generalize the results.
Open Access
The use of L1 and L2 in prewriting discussions in EFL writing and students' attitudes towards L1 and L2 use in prewriting discussions
(2010) Karim, Hemn Adil
This study investigated the effectiveness of the use of L1 and L2 in prewriting discussion on EFL students‘ writing quality. The study also examined students‘ attitudes towards prewriting discussions in general, and having prewriting discussions in L1 and L2 in particular. Data were collected in three phases with 30 sophomore Kurdish native speaker students in the English Language Department at Koya University in the north of Iraq. In the first phase, the students wrote four essays after prewriting discussions in either their native language (Kurdish) or their second language (English). In the study, the students wrote two essays in the first and fourth week after L1 discussions and they also wrote two essays in the second and third weeks after having L2 discussions. In the second step, data were collected through a questionnaire which focused on the students‘ attitudes towards prewriting discussion in general and the use of L1 and L2 in particular. Then, according to their writing test scores, four participants were chosen (two with the highest and two with the lowest scores) and interviewed in order to know their in-depth feelings and attitudes towards prewriting discussions and using L1 and L2 in prewriting discussions in EFL writing classes. The findings showed that the participants wrote better essays after the L2 prewriting discussions than after the L1 discussions. The findings also showed that the students generally responded positively to prewriting discussions as an effective technique in EFL writing classes; however they had mixed feelings about some points relating to the language choice in prewriting discussions. In other words, some of the participants believed that L2 use was more useful for English major students as they need to learn English, while other participants believed that the language choice in prewriting discussions should be determined according to students‘ level of second language proficiency. In brief, the results indicated that English language students should use the second language in all speaking class activities in all levels in order to help them learn English better, but lower level students should be allowed to use their native language when they cannot fully express their ideas in English. Finally, this study presents some pedagogical recommendations such as using prewriting discussions together with other techniques in the second language writing process. It also recommends that the use of L1 alongside L2 in prewriting discussions should be allowed among EFL students, especially lower level students, in order to help them participate in class activities and make them feel less anxious while expressing their ideas, and also to help them to better understand the topics and improve their writing performance.