Browsing by Subject "English language Rhetoric Study and teaching."
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Item Open Access The effect of training students on self-assessment of their writing(Bilkent University, 2001) Kaya Yıldırım, İklilThis study aimed to investigate the effect of training students to self-assess their own writing. The study basically sought to find out (1) the effect of training students to self-assess their own writing, on the quality of self-assessment, and (2) the effect of training students to self-assess their own writing, on their writing skills. The study was conducted in the First Year English Program (FYE) at Bilkent University where the students receive content-based instruction courses and practice process writing. The participants of the study were 25 Bilkent University Freshman Engineering and Science students. There were two groups: one treatment and one control. In the treatment group there were 13 students and in the control group there were 12 students. The students in the treatment group were given training on how to self-assess their own writing. The students in the control group self-assessed their writing, without any training, during the course of their usual instruction. After the training, the students in the treatment group were also administered an attitude questionnaire to elicit their thoughts about the effectiveness of training and about the practice of self-assessment. The analysis of the data indicated that the students in the treatment group seemed to have improved their self-assessment skills consistently throughout the training and got closer to the scorings of the external raters while the students in the control group were observed to be less consistent in their ratings. Also, although there was significant improvement in the writing skills of the students in both groups throughout the writing process, no statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups’ in terms of writing improvement. Finally, the analysis of the data collected through the attitude questionnaire showed that most of the students in the treatment group perceived the training as effective and their attitudes toward selfassessment were in general positive. The results indicate that the training had been effective particularly on the quality of self-assessment. Thus, it would appear that the instructors in the First Year English Program, at Bilkent University could benefit from the findings of the current study as it yielded encouraging results for engaging the students in their own learning and assessment process.Item Open Access Teachers' attitudes towards integrated reading and writing instruction at Anadolu University School of Foreign Languages(Bilkent University, 2003) Koral, EylemTraditionally, reading and writing were addressed in English language teaching curricula as two discrete skills. Research has since shown that reading and writing have a reciprocal relationship; therefore, many writing and reading courses have shifted towards integrated skills instruction. Although educators have recognized the need for integrated reading and writing instruction, putting theory into practice is not an easy task. This process requires teachers’ support in terms of understanding and cooperation. Anadolu University’s School of Foreign Languages (AUSFL) still treats reading and writing as separate skills. This study aims at identifying and comparing AUSFL teachers’ and coordinators’ attitudes towards integrated reading and writing instruction and techniques in order to prepare a base for a future curricular change towards integration. The data were collected thorough interviews conducted with reading and writing coordinators and questionnaires administered to reading and writing teachers. Data from the interviews showed contrasting results among the coordinators. While writing coordinators are in favour of integration, the reading coordinators are largely satisfied with the current curricular separation of reading and writing. The results of the questionnaire revealed that the teachers find selected integrated techniques generally beneficial for students and appropriate to be implemented at AUSFL. Although generally positive, teachers note some problems they foresee in integrating the two curricula at AUSFL. This exploration of teachers’ attitudes and understandings about integrated reading and writing instruction may provide a first step in establishing a baseline for a future implementation of integration in the curriculum at AUSFL.