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Öğe Empowering K-12 Learners for Global Challenges Through STEAM(M): Reflections from a Turkish Context(Çağ Üniversitesi / Sosyal Bilimler, 2022) ŞAHİNKARAKAŞ, Şehnaz; TOKÖZ GÖKTEPE, FatmaSTEM and STEAM practices in K-12 curriculums educate learners to be competent, adaptable, resilient, critical, and globally considerate and conscious individuals who use information from different sources as a necessity of the fast-paced digital and complex world. As an innovative approach, STEAM visibly combines school subjects, whereas media, which interconnects the world in this era, does so invisibly. It is essential to integrate media into STEAM (henceforth STEAM(M)) in K12 education so 21st-century learners can meet emerging global challenges. With this study, we aimed to highlight the need to integrate media into STEAM and stimulate interest among both teachers and students. In doing so, we share our reflections on STEAM practices emphasising the visibility of media in K-12 formal education with its drawbacks and potential benefits. The project followed the framework of a collaborative action research project with two researchers from a university and five K12 teachers and their 7th-grade learners from a secondary school in Turkey participating in the project. The results implicated that K-12 teachers must be provided with practical training on STEAM(M) applications and the resources needed to create appropriate environments for collaboration within the school. We conclude with reflective remarks concerning the integration of media and STEAM practices in the K-12 curriculum in Turkey.Öğe The Relationship Between EFL Teachers’ Professional Identity and Professional Autonomy(2022) AlLTAŞ, BetülThis study aims to identify 250 Turkish EFL teachers’ level of professional identity and professional autonomy. This study also aims to investigate whether the results differ by gender, the school in which they work, education level and work experience. Furthermore, the study aims to identify whether there is a significant relationship between EFL teachers’ professional identity and their professional autonomy. In this survey-based research, the results demonstrate that EFL teachers have a very high level of professional identity and a high level of professional autonomy, and the results differ by EFL teachers’ gender, school type and work experience. Results also reveal that there was a significant, positive and moderate relationship between professional identity and professional autonomy of EFL teachers. This study suggests that the freer EFL teachers feel to make decisions in their teaching and profession, the more they can define their identity in the teaching profession. Keywords: EFL teachers’ professional identity, EFL teachers’ professional autonomy, Professional development, Teacher education.Öğe Investigating How Learners Respect Alien Voices in a Foreign Language Classroom(2022) AlLTAŞ, BetülDifferences in learners’ cultural, religious, linguistic, and social backgrounds are seen as a problem in today’s centralized and hierarchical world system (Apple, 2018). As a consequence of the conservative restoration in the social system, nationalism and ethnocentrism have become pervasive ideologies in social and academic platforms. Thus, respecting different voices in social and academic life is a significant issue in the educational field. However, there is no consensus regarding how learners could respect others’ opinions, ideas, and feelings according to ontological and philosophical accounts of human existence. Based on Bakhtin’s philosophy of language, a mutually responsive understanding is the epitome of dialogue (Lachmann, 2004). Dialogue forms mutual relations between individuals and provides a shared responsibility, which requires being ready to answer to other persons (Gardiner, 1996). In this regard, Bakhtin’s dialogue and responsibility address responsiveness to the other’s word (Lachmann, 2004). Building this type of ethical relationship with other people through dialogue consists of a loving, not a disinterested point of view (Bakhtin, 1990). Therefore, otherness is no longer associated with the foreign or alien, because differences are perceived as a generative opportunity. This case study aims to investigate how learners respect alien voices in a foreign language classroom. Drawing from Bakhtin’s philosophy of dialogue, classroom dialogues, written responses, and personal reflections were conducted with 17 beginner level students at the Preparatory school of a Turkish university. Data results obtained from students demonstrated that learners could respond to others and be open to different perceptions, opinions, and views without stereotyping and judging in language learning and teaching. Keywords: Bakhtin’s notion of dialogue, respecting alien voices, polyphony, foreign language classroomÖğe Perceptions of Turkish Academicians on Media Literacy Assessment in Higher Education in Turkey(2022) AlLTAŞ, BetülThis descriptive study investigates Turkish academicians' perceptions of the media literacy outcomes, assessment, and challenges of media literacy education, and their recommendations to overcome these challenges in higher education. Data were collected from 41 Turkish academicians working at Turkish universities from seven geographic regions. Data were collected via the "Media Literacy Assessment Questionnaire" which was developed by Schilder (2014). Participants were academicians with subject-area specialisation in English Language Teaching, Computer Education and Instructional Technology in the education faculty, and academicians with subject-area specialisation in the departments of communication faculty as these academicians were interested in media and technology and media literacy education. Results of the study reveal that formative assessment was a prominent assessment method; however, most assessment methods that the academicians used were also identified as time-consuming or complex to develop. Results also show that academicians were unsure about how to interpret students' responses to assess their media literacy and identified teachers' insufficient training as a challenge in assessing outcomes. Based on the data results obtained from this study, specifying learning outcomes beforehand shouldn't be accomplished by the force of administration, but should be determined by the consensus among all parties in the field. Results also reveal that critical literacy and pedagogy should be taken into account in media literacy education so that learners can become critically autonomous citizens in this globalised world. Keywords: Media literacy, Media literacy education, Assessment, Critical pedagogy, Higher education.Öğe A critical analysis of second language teaching education practices in Turkey(2015) Toköz Göktepe, FatmaThe world is quickly turning into a global village due to the advancements that have been made in science and technology. It has therefore become necessary for various cultures to learn languages other than their native ones so that they can integrate with others across the globe. With English being spoken across many cultures around the world, the Turkish education system has given it a place of prominence in its national development. This paper analyzes the current English language teacher education practices in Turkey. The history of its development to the current state is initially discussed and then its efficacy concerning strengths and weaknesses are analyzed by providing some constructive recommendations.Öğe An evaluation of two ESP coursebooks using revised Bloom Taxonomy(2015) Toköz Göktepe, FatmaThe choice of teaching materials and a coursebook that will be used in a language classroom is one of the crucial factors that may create significant differences in teaching and learning process. Hence, the teacher should pay thorough attention to determine the most appropriate teaching materials and coursebook for the particular classroom. This paper reports an analysis of two English for Specific Purposes (ESP) coursebooks in terms of language skills and subskills as a cognitive ability to choose the most appropriate coursebook between two for the specific teaching context. The criterion in the evaluation of the coursebooks will be based on four knowledge dimensions (factual, conceptual, procedural and meta-cognitive knowledge) which overlap the cognitive processes (remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating and creating) of the Revised Bloom Taxonomy. The evaluation will be quasi systematic; however, it will also be influenced by nonsystematic qualitative judgments made by the teacher. These are based on the knowledge and understanding of the teacher who knows the requirements of students in this course. The study would provide some implications based on the findings to teachers and/or material designers for effective teaching, material development and production.Öğe Attitudes and Motivation of Turkish Undergraduate EFL Students towards Learning English Language(2014) Toköz Göktepe, FatmaThe purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes and motivation of first-year Turkish undergraduates toward English language learning as a foreign language. The study was carried out with 90 students majoring in business studies at Cag University, Mersin in Turkey by administering a survey designed on a five-point Likert scale with 43 items including demographic questions about the learners’ background information such as gender, age, and how long they have been learning English. The items on the survey were chosen from Dörnyei and Csizér (2006) in a variety of Hungarian researches and from a recently designed questionnaire by Ryan (2005). The domains used for the purpose of the study were: integrativeness, attitudes to L2 community, cultural interest, attitudes to learning English, criterion measures, ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, family influence, instrumentality (promotion and prevention), and fear of assimilation. The data collected were analysed through descriptive statistics in SPSS statistical program. The results revealed that Turkish first-year university students learn English as a foreign language mostly for instrumental reasons, and it also showed that integrative motivation is dominant motivational orientation for the participants in some degree.Öğe Address Forms in Turkish Culture as a Reflection of Social Status(2021) Toköz Göktepe, FatmaThe study concerned itself with forms of communication and address in Turkish culture and seeks to study how they are today regarding how they have been developed historically. Many variables determine how one addresses another and the reasons behind how that forms are chosen. It is known that what is culturally acceptable and deemed polite varies across many different cultures, although some patterns are identical regardless of the culture in which they are exhibited. For the study, a survey was conducted upon several Turkish individuals, and the findings were analysed to extract specific themes and similarities in answers. The analysis was conducted via the Colaizzi method, in which a seven-step process was used to determine themes and recurring branches of themes in subjective interviews. The findings were reported upon and determined to correlate with what has been reported in previous literature on Turkish culture concerning social norms, forms of address and politeness.Öğe The Impact of Formative Assessment on Students’ Assessment Preferences(2021) Karakaş, Şehnaz; Büyükkarcı, KaganResearch in the area of Language Testing and Assessment proves that formative assessment (FA) leads to active involvement of students in assessment practices, and it is a valuable approach in promoting learning. The aim of this study was to gain information about the relationship between hands-on formative assessment practices and students’ assessment preferences. From the analysis of the traditional assessment preferences of the students, it can be concluded that both the experimental and control group students still preferred traditional type of assessment such as multiple-choice tests. On the other hand, the analysis of the formative assessment preferences of the experimental group students indicated that they began to prefer the formative mode of assessment. In other words, they added new types of assessment to their preferences such as self/peer assessment. As a result, they began to prefer taking more active role in their own assessment procedure, and took a step towards becoming autonomous learners.Öğe Bir Yabancı Dil Sınıfında Öğrencilerin Farklı Seslere Nasıl Saygı Gösterdiklerinin Araştırılması(2021) Altaş, BetülDifferences in learners’ cultural, religious, linguistic, and social backgrounds are seen as a problem in today’s centralized and hierarchical world system (Apple, 2018). As a consequence of the conservative restoration in the social system, nationalism and ethnocentrism have become pervasive ideologies in social and academic platforms. Thus, respecting different voices in social and academic life is a significant issue in the educational field. However, there is no consensus regarding how learners could respect others’ opinions, ideas, and feelings according to ontological and philosophical accounts of human existence. Based on Bakhtin’s philosophy of language, a mutually responsive understanding is the epitome of dialogue (Lachmann, 2004). Dialogue forms mutual relations between individuals and provides a shared responsibility, which requires being ready to answer to other persons (Gardiner, 1996). In this regard, Bakhtin’s dialogue and responsibility address responsiveness to the other’s word (Lachmann, 2004). Building this type of ethical relationship with other people through dialogue consists of a loving, not a disinterested point of view (Bakhtin, 1990). Therefore, otherness is no longer associated with the foreign or alien, because differences are perceived as a generative opportunity. This case study aims to investigate how learners respect alien voices in a foreign language classroom. Drawing from Bakhtin’s philosophy of dialogue, classroom dialogues, written responses, and personal reflections were conducted with 17 beginner level students at the Preparatory school of a Turkish university. Data results obtained from students demonstrated that learners could respond to others and be open to different perceptions, opinions, and views without stereotyping and judging in language learning and teaching.Öğe The relationship between foreign language anxiety and decision-making strategies among university students(2021) Zaimoğlu, Senem; Demir, Ayşe NesilA growing number of studies have stressed the significance of foreign language anxiety in foreign language learning. However, these studies have generally demonstrated foreign language anxiety to be associated with foreign language achievement not with 21st century skills particularly decision-making strategies. Based on this, this study aims to identify the relationship between foreign language anxiety (FLA) and decision-making strategies among university students Moreover, university students’ demographic information such as gender, high-school background, and exposure to English was also investigated. The study adopted a survey-based research method. First, a demographic inventory was provided to participants to collect certain personal details for research questions. Then, two scales, Turkish adaptations of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (Şakrak, 2009) and Decision-making Scale developed by Zaimoğlu (2018) were conducted to students respectively. The results indicated that FLA and Decision-making vary in terms of gender, language background, high school background and exposure to English levels separately. Furthermore, for students’ FLA and Decision-making strategies, a considerable negative difference was found. This study provides possible suggestions for future research, and makes implications for foreign language learning.Öğe An Investigation of Turkish EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Professional Identity(2021) Zaimoğlu, Senem; Keskin, AhmetTeacher professional identity molds teachers’ interpretation of their roles, educational reforms, changes in curricula, classroom practices, use of methods and techniques, and their relation to other significants in the educational context. From this point of view, this study aimed to find out Turkish EFL teachers’ perceptions of professional identity in relation to their commitment to ‘student needs’, ‘school issues’, and ‘personal growth and development’. This research also attempted to explore whether there was a significant difference in terms of teachers’ perceptions of professional identity according to various variables. The data were gathered from 200 EFL teachers. In this mixed method research, Teacher Professional Identity Scale and semi-structured interview questions were used to collect data. For quantitative data, descriptive, inferential, and correlational statistics were used while content analysis was carried out for qualitative data. The results unearthed that Turkish EFL teachers had a very strong professional identity and were mostly committed to personal growth and development, student needs, and school issues, respectively. Moreover, it was found that female teachers had a stronger identity and were more committed.Öğe Development of a social-emotional foreign language learning scale (SEFLLS) for young adults(2021) Zaimoğlu, Senem; Karakaş, ŞehnazThe social and emotional challenges of adjusting to university are inherently different from those faced by primary and secondary school students. This article describes the development and evaluation of a new instrument to measure university students’socialemotional foreign language learning needs. A series of cross-sectional questionnaire surveys was conducted with four different samples of 1613 preparatory school students from a university to examine the psychometric properties of the 24-item SocialEmotional Foreign Language Learning Scale (SEFLLS). Results revealed a correlated three-factor structure: Self-regulation, Social Relations, and Decision-Making, with internal consistency values above .80. Scale scores provided evidence of adequate internal consistency and convergent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis attested to the discriminant validity of the scale. SEFLLS appears useful for research purposes with young adults at the university level, particularly those learning a foreign language. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.Öğe Language teacher identity construction in challenging communities of practice: A case study(2021) Toköz Göktepe, FatmaThis study reports on a longitudinal case study scrutinising language teacher identity construction or (re)construction of two newly graduated English as a foreign language teachers. Specifically, this study aimed to explore the trajectory of teacher identity (re)construction from pre-service teacher education to in-service teaching in an English as a foreign language context in Turkey. Data from reflective narratives, practice teaching diary and researcher field notes over 1.5 years indicate teachers’ enthusiasm, willingness and desires for being a teacher might fade when they begin teaching in their challenging community of practices. These communities may have adverse effects on the teachers instead of supporting them in their first year of teaching; even the consequences of these effects can be devastating for the teacher. This study contributes to the growing interest in language teacher identity and highlights that beginning teachers need support through constructive mentoring and induction programmes. Moreover, particular attention needs to be paid by governing bodies to support beginning teachers and hear the teachers' voices experiencing some challenges in the community of practice. The study also calls for beginning teachers to reflect on their teaching practices from a critical lens to understand actual teaching settings.Öğe “I’ll do it in my own class”: novice language teacher identity construction in Turkey(2021) Toköz Göktepe, FatmaThis paper reports a longitudinal case study exploring the identity construction of a novice English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher in Turkey. The study applies sociocultural and post-structural approaches to teacher education and identity formation. It traces the teacher’s experiences of becoming and being a teacher drawing upon her reflective teaching narratives, her teaching diary, semi-structured interviews, and the researchers’ observation notes. The findings suggest that some features of the induction programmes may negatively affect the novice teachers’ construction of a language teacher identity (LTI). Specifically, the negative effect is due to not allowing trainees to experiment or apply their pedagogical perspective in the classroom, or to participate in the classroom on equal levels with their mentor-teachers. The study presents a model that explicates how the LTIs of novice teachers shift from being an imagined to an imposed identity shaped by various constructs: beliefs about teaching and learning, pre-service education, dynamic relations in communities of practice, and contextual factors. The implications for further research are discussed to address LTI construction in EFL contexts.Öğe Obstructions in normative teacher identity development: a case study in Turkey(2021) Toköz Göktepe, FatmaThis paper reports, through a longitudinal case inquiry, on the trajectory of one novice teacher’s professional identity development after completing his pre-service education to become an English teacher in Turkey. He was assigned to a school in the south-east of the country, which has been experiencing worsening civil conflict between regional militants and the national government, characterised by long-lasting curfews and the destruction of buildings and homes. This study provides insights into the formation of a new teacher’s professional identity when working within a conflict region. Written narratives, informal interviews, observation notes, university supervisor observations and a teaching diary were used to examine the developing professional identity. The findings suggest that, in extreme circumstances, individuals may adapt and find ways to mitigate the effects of a challenging community and other disadvantages. Imagined identity can play a powerful role in mediating external difficulties encountered in identity development.Öğe Asynchronous Computer Mediated Communication (Acmc): An Innovative Tool in Teaching Foreign Languages(2020) Köroğlu, Zehra; Tüm, GüldenTraditionally, universities have been immersed in an educational system in which the teacher transmitted information in classrooms wherein students spend most of their time listening to lectures, taking notes, and having final H[DPV *yPH]-Senent et al., 2004: cited in Vera et al., 2006, p. 227). Substantially, the same sistem in teaching practice as the form of direct instruction (OECD, 2015: cited in Heaysman, & Tubin, 2019, p. 343) is still somehow applied abroad and in Turkey even if this system seems unrealistic. It does appear unrealistic as each generation might realize their achievements differently in their social and academic experiences due to debatable changes and challenges they face throughout decades when compared to the previous one(s). In addition, it is unfair to expect several ensuing student-generations would benefit from the same teaching and learning approach and content (Chang et al., 2013, p. 9) because of dramatical changes in technology and curriculum over the decades.Öğe The experience of uncertainty in foreign language learning within dynamic systems framework(2019) Yurdaışık, AysunPeople experience uncertainty in every aspect of life and researchers have investigated the concept in domains of psychology and communication in various contexts such as decision-making, health contexts, business, organizational settings and relational issues. Uncertainty is also a key concept in educational settings as it is unavoidable in life and it is a natural characteristic of learning contexts. Thus, it seems significant to expand our understandings of how students experience uncertainty while language learning. From the complex dynamic systems perspective, language learning is characterized as meaning making and this process of meaning making involves uncertain situations. This study was designed to investigate how language learners experience uncertainty; that is how they appraise uncertainty and how they feel in uncertain situations. As the language classrooms are emergent, selforganizing systems, uncertainty stems from various sources in different forms. In order to find out about language learners’ uncertainty experiences multiple data sources were employed. The results revealed that uncertainty was a pervasive experience for language learners. They experienced uncertainty related to the course, cognitive processes, and social factors and they develop positive and negative appreciations of uncertainty.Öğe University instructors’ views about and approaches to reading instruction and reading strategies(2008) Yurdaışık, Aysun; Cabaroglu, NeşeThe present study investigates university preparatory school teachers’ views about and approaches to reading instruction and reading strategies. Fifty instructors who work at preparatory schools of Cag University, Cukurova University and Mersin University in Turkey participated in the study. To investigate instructors’ views about and approaches to reading instruction a questionnaire was given and interviews were conducted with six of the participants according to the diversity of the answers they gave in the questionnaire. The study also investigated how teachers read in a foreign languguage, how they teach reading, the problems they face in reading lessons and whether they teach reading strategies in their reading lessons. It also focused on how and whether instructors’ use of reading strategies’ in their daily lives is reflected in their reading classes. The data were collected with a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. It is found out that the most important problems instructors face in a reading class is the unknown vocabulary and unfamiliar topic. The results showed that instructors thought an ideal reading instruction should include reading strategies; instructors used more pre-reading strategies than post-reading strategies, and participants who used reading strategies in their daily lives made more use of reading strategies in class.Öğe Visual semiotics and interpretation in the television commercial(2005) Yurdaışık, Aysun; Bulut, TürkayVisual communication does not include language codes; it leaves the visual message and the recipient alone. This paper focuses on the production of meaning from visual messages in advertising from a semiotic analysis perspective which can be examined through viewer responses to identify patterns of meaning construction. For this purpose, we have investigated one specific advertisement (the Coca cola light commercial which ran in Turkey during the second half of the year 2004) and asked a group of viewers to produce the meanings of the images in the commercial. The results yielded that the viewers noted more iconic message elements than symbolic or indexical ones; however, symbolic meaning seems to be more effective than iconic meaning.
