The attitudes of EFL teachers and students towards the use of plays and play-based language activities in three Turkish universities

Abstract

This study investigated the attitudes of Turkish EFL teachers and students towards the use of plays and play-based language activities at university level. Data for the research were gathered in three Turkish university preparatory classes at elementary level, namely Hacettepe University, the Middle East Technical University, and Bilkent University. This study attempted to answer the following research questions: 1 Do teachers and students use plays in their language classes? 2 What are possible reasons teachers use plays? 3 What are possible reasons teachers do not use plays? 4 What do teachers and students think about using plays in language teaching and learning? 5 What do teachers and students think about using play-based language activities? 6 Which play-based language activities would teachers and students like to use most in their language classes? 7 How often would students like to use plays in their language learning? 8 Would teachers not using plays like to use plays provided that problems concerning the use of plays were resolved? The data were collected through questionnaires. Two separate questionnaires were prepared, one for teachers and one for students. The teachers' questionnaire consisted of yes/no questions, multiple choice questions, and Likert scales. The students' questionnaire consisted of multiple choice questions and Likert scales. The data were analyzed by means and percentages. The results of the study show that plays are seldom used in Turkish universities. However, responses of the subjects imply that teachers and students recognize the benefits of plays and play-based language activities and would like to make more use of plays in language teaching and learning.