Doctor of Philosophy Independent Learning Program Coordinator at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Turkey Address: Ayvali Mh. Gazze Cd. No: 7 Etlik Kecioren Ankara Turkey
RumeliDE Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 2024
This study explores the sound discrimination responses of Turkish speakers of English through a d... more This study explores the sound discrimination responses of Turkish speakers of English through a diagnostic listening test administered in an English as a foreign language (EFL) setting, examining their perceptions of minimal pair (MP) similarities or distinctions. The findings reveal that participants accurately marked a large majority of MPs as the same or different. However, error frequencies varied across items, with some placed in medium to very high error ranges. Errors involving vowels and consonants in these ranges were observed to be evenly distributed, with neither category outweighing the other. It was observed that salient differences among segmentals played a more prominent role in successfully distinguishing MPs in the low error range, while subtle differences, often harder to catch, contributed to higher error rates. Multiple contributing factors including participants' first language (L1) seemed to interact in complex ways and influenced participants' performances of sound discrimination. The study identifies several high functional load (FL) MPs in the medium to very high error ranges, highlighting their crucial role in word differentiation and meaning construction. The results also suggest the need for tailored teaching addressing specific challenges and nuanced distinctions, as well as prioritizing high FL pairs in instruction to enhance learners' communicative competence and intelligibility.
Uluslararası Dil, Edebiyat ve Kültür Araştırmaları Dergisi (UDEKAD), 2024
The acquisition of intelligible pronunciation in a second language (L2) hinges on successfully ma... more The acquisition of intelligible pronunciation in a second language (L2) hinges on successfully managing the perception and production of speech features. In this regard, prosodic speech features, particularly intonation and word stress are of critical importance. This study investigates the diagnostic perception test results of the learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) (N=125) in Turkish higher education context, analyzing their scores on intonation and word stress sections. The results reveal that participants performed better on identifying final intonation patterns compared to word stress items while both areas demonstrated certain challenges. Scores were lower for items with final falling intonation, particularly evident in interrogative wh-/ how questions, suggesting complexities in processing this feature. Additionally, word stress accuracy decreased with increasing syllable count. No significant correlation was observed between intonation and word stress scores. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing intonation and word stress as distinct yet interconnected aspects of pronunciation, calling for effective instructional approaches to address these key components of L2 sound system.
This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the relationship between foreign ac... more This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the relationship between foreign accent, identity, accent discrimination, and second language acquisition (SLA). In this regard, the paper first examines the concepts of interlanguage and transfer, ongoing debates of nativeness and intelligibility principles as sound goals for language learning and teaching environments, and current perspectives on accent reduction, as well as the position of foreign accent in SLA. The next section introduces accent as an identity marker and discusses this concept, followed by an examination of the social dimensions of foreign accent and how it can affect identity formation. This includes discussions of how native and non-native speakers, and their foreign accents, are perceived by others in different contexts, the effects of foreign accents on NNSs' social experiences, sense of belonging, and their attitudes towards NS varieties. Then, accent discrimination and bias, particularly native listeners' perceptions of non-native speech, reported instances from employment situations, legal responsibilities and consequences involved are discussed based on the findings of reports and empirical studies. The paper also emphasizes the necessity of a more nuanced understanding of foreign accent and its role in language learning, as well as the importance of addressing the social dimensions of accent in language pedagogy. The study concludes with pedagogical implications of accent-related queries and ideas for further research.
The global pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to adapt to a new, fully online con... more The global pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to adapt to a new, fully online concept of education and a rapid digitalization to keep providing their services to learners. This paper reports on the digitalization process of the Independent Learning Center (ILC) and the Learning Advisory Program (LAP) unit at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University (AYBU), Turkey. The interrelated digitalization stories of the two units include the provision of learning resources and activities to learners with digital tools and their responses to the new format. Despite the challenges involved, the ILC has offered a considerably higher number of extracurricular activities than in face-to-face education days and reached a higher number of learners in the 2020-2021 academic year. As for the LAP, the participants’ reflections showed how opportunities for offering engaging activities in the LAP created a cascading impact of affordances for both the individual learners and the members of the l...
This study aims to identify common research trends by systematically examining the pronunciation ... more This study aims to identify common research trends by systematically examining the pronunciation studies published in the academic literature of teaching Turkish as a foreign language (TTFL) in terms of method, purpose and findings. In addition, the study also reveals possible research directions in the pronunciation literature of TTFL. Within the scope of this research, which is a qualitative metasynthesis study, a total of 23 studies of different types published in 2012 and onwards were classified in terms of their methodological features, study groups, if any, and the places where they were conducted. The main objectives and findings of the studies were analyzed via content analysis. The results of the study revealed that the pronunciation studies were mostly in the qualitative case study type and were generally carried out in Turkish teaching research and application centers in Turkey with heterogeneous study groups from different nationalities. It was found that most of the studies aimed to reveal common pronunciation errors of Turkish students and identify the sounds they were having difficulty in producing. In addition, studies that offered suggestions for pronunciation teaching and aimed to determine the role and distribution of pronunciation content in self-study or course books were frequently encountered. Analyses into the findings of the studies included in the sample demonstrated that the most commonly reported pronunciation errors were in <ı> /ɪ̈/, <ü> /ʏ/, <ö> /oe/, <ç> /ʧ/ and <ğ> graphemes and sounds. In addition, the selected pronunciation studies mostly focused on segmentals, and studies on suprasegmentals were rather limited. Positive results were reported in all of the studies that used certain materials and models in pronunciation teaching. Findings also revealed that limited space was allocated for pronunciation in coursebooks and self-study books.
Proceedings of the 12th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, 2022
The goal of this teaching tip is to present an introduction to teaching basic final intonation pa... more The goal of this teaching tip is to present an introduction to teaching basic final intonation patterns in statements, interrogative forms, and question tags with a drama method called Glottodrama. With its five-step course of action, Glottodrama is a practical method to integrate drama into the teaching of foreign languages (Nofri, 2009). This paper introduces these steps and offers practical ideas for adaptation to pronunciation teaching. These suggestions include a contextualized presentation of target intonation patterns, imitation of the teacher's text-based oral presentation by learners, discussion of target patterns, and the performance of the students' own drama. The paper also outlines discussions regarding the advantages of using Glottodrama in pronunciation teaching, challenges that can be encountered, possible solutions, and suggestions for online implementation.
Language teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about various aspects of teaching are shaped during teac... more Language teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about various aspects of teaching are shaped during teacher education. Investigating preservice English teachers’ (PrETs) perspectives on certain areas can be useful in better understanding the dynamics of teacher education and taking further actions on teachers’ developmental processes. This study examines PrETs’ beliefs and attitudes towards learning and teaching pronunciation in Turkey. With a descriptive methodology, a 40-item questionnaire based on Sardegna and Kusey (2014) and Seyedabadi et al., (2014) was presented to PrETs (N=150) enrolled in the English Language Teaching (ELT) programs of three state universities in Turkey. The results of the study indicate that PrETs consider pronunciation an essential part of language learning; yet they need further training on how to teach pronunciation in class. PrETs commonly considered native-like pronunciation an ideal goal for themselves, which implies a tendency to associate an English teacher’s pronunciation with perfection. The results also suggest a reconsideration of the content of pronunciation classes in ELT programs.
This study is aimed at investigating the Interlanguage Speech Intelligibility Benefit (ISIB) via ... more This study is aimed at investigating the Interlanguage Speech Intelligibility Benefit (ISIB) via native English and Turkish listeners' transcriptions of Turkish talkers' words with pronunciation errors in English. Speech samples collected from talkers with a Turkish L1 background (N=16) were presented to 33 L1 English and 33 L1 Turkish listeners via an instrument to be filled with the transcriptions of erroneous target words. Results supported matched ISIB for listeners as Turkish talkers were more intelligible to Turkish listeners in a considerably higher number of target words. Similarly, a higher number of target words were more intelligible to Turkish listeners with statistically significant differences. Most of these words had been labelled erroneous due to L1 transfer caused by orthographic interference, mispronunciations of English sounds that do not exist in Turkish, and loanwords found in similar forms in Turkish. Turkish listeners appeared to rely on such cues in Turkish talkers' speech.
Intelligibility is a critically important aspect for effective oral communication. This study exp... more Intelligibility is a critically important aspect for effective oral communication. This study explored salient (important) pronunciation errors and their relative roles in the intelligibility of nonnative speech based on listener judgments. Speech samples, collected from speakers with a Turkish as a native language (L1) background, were presented to listener groups in two consecutive sub-studies. In expert listening sessions, listeners with an academic background in pronunciation research and teaching (N=3) detected salient pronunciation errors via a thinking aloud protocol. During the intelligibility research, native listeners (N=33) transcribed the target words with salient pronunciation errors presented either as individual words isolated from their contexts or in longer utterances. The intelligibility scores were calculated and analyzed to investigate the role of salient pronunciation errors on speakers' intelligibility in English. The findings indicated that mispronunciations of segmentals and incorrect stress placement were the most common error types as detected by expert listeners. Negative transfer was found to be an important factor in such salient errors. According to the results of the intelligibility research, pronunciation errors affected speakers' intelligibility to a certain extent. Segmental errors were the main causes of reduced intelligibility. Moreover, mispronunciations of two sounds that were seen in most error sites, /ə/ and /θ/, seemed to make speech more accented while not seriously affecting intelligibility. Also, errors in strong syllables had a more detrimental effect on intelligibility compared to those in weak syllables. Resumen La inteligibilidad es un aspecto importante para una comunicación oral efectiva. Este estudio exploró los errores de pronunciación destacados (importantes) y sus roles relativos en la inteligibilidad del habla no nativa según los juicios de los oyentes. Las muestras de habla, recopiladas de hablantes con antecedentes de turco como lengua materna (L1), se presentaron a grupos de oyentes en dos subestudios consecutivos. En sesiones de escucha experta, oyentes con formación académica en investigación y enseñanza de la pronunciación (N=3) detectaron errores de pronunciación destacados a través de un protocolo de pensamiento en voz alta. Durante la investigación de inteligibilidad, los oyentes nativos (N=33) transcribieron las palabras objetivo con errores de pronunciación destacados presentados como palabras individuales aisladas de sus contextos o en expresiones más largas. Las puntuaciones de inteligibilidad se calcularon y analizaron para investigar el papel de los errores de pronunciación más destacados en la inteligibilidad de los hablantes en inglés. Los hallazgos indicaron que las pronunciaciones incorrectas de los segmentos y la colocación incorrecta del énfasis fueron los tipos de error más comunes detectados por oyentes expertos. Se encontró que la transferencia negativa era un factor importante en tales errores destacados. Según los resultados de la investigación de inteligibilidad, los errores de pronunciación afectaron hasta cierto punto la inteligibilidad de los hablantes. Los errores segmentarios fueron las principales causas de la reducción de la inteligibilidad. Además, la incorrecta pronunciación de dos sonidos que se observaron en la mayoría de los sitios de error, /ə/ y /θ/, parecían hacer que el habla fuera más acentuada sin afectar seriamente la inteligibilidad. Además, los errores en las sílabas fuertes tuvieron un efecto más perjudicial sobre la inteligibilidad en comparación con los errores en las sílabas débiles.
The international online conference of Self-Directed Learning and Advising in Language Education ... more The international online conference of Self-Directed Learning and Advising in Language Education brought together researchers and teachers from around the world, and several preservice English teachers were among the participants in this international event. This paper aims to present preservice English teacher participants' impressions on attending an international academic conference, their reflections on the organization, the presentations, and their theoretical and practical gains. Preservice English teachers' reflections revealed that they benefitted from attending this international e-conference in terms of their academic and professional development as teachers. The sessions they attended also triggered changes in their perspectives regarding self-directed learning, learner autonomy, and advising in language learning. As first-time participants in such an academic event, they indicated their interest to attend similar conferences in the future.
The global pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to adapt to a new, fully online con... more The global pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to adapt to a new, fully online concept of education and a rapid digitalization to keep providing their services to learners. This paper reports on the digitalization process of the Independent Learning Center (ILC) and the Learning Advisory Program (LAP) unit at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University (AYBU), Turkey. The interrelated digitalization stories of the two units include the provision of learning resources and activities to learners with digital tools and their responses to the new format. Despite the challenges involved, the ILC has offered a considerably higher number of extracurricular activities than in face-to-face education days and reached a higher number of learners in the 2020-2021 academic year. As for the LAP, the participants' reflections showed how opportunities for offering engaging activities in the LAP created a cascading impact of affordances for both the individual learners and the members of the larger community.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the comprehensibility of Turkish native speakers in ... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the comprehensibility of Turkish native speakers in spoken English. To this end, 16 preservice English teachers enrolled in the English Language Teaching (ELT) programs of two state universities provided speech stimuli on three speaker tasks: read aloud, picture description and responding to a real-life situation. The recordings collected were presented to eight listeners with various first language backgrounds via a nine-point likert-type scale in order to find out about their perceived degree of ease or difficulty in understanding. Listeners were also requested to explain what made it easy or difficult to understand each task. The findings of the study revealed that listeners experienced considerable difficulty in understanding Turkish speakers of English. As for the factors that impacted their comprehension of the speech samples, five main themes emerged which were understanding speech, speaking rate and fluency, foreign accent, incorrect pronunciation and specific pronunciation errors. In addition to the main themes, three sub-themes were identified for the theme of pronunciation errors, namely vowel and consonant errors, pause, intonation and stress errors, and mispronounced words. The implications of the study are two-fold. Aimed at an increased level of comprehensibility, it could be helpful to provide learners with additional opportunities for spoken production in EFL/ESL classes. In ELT programs, revisions in pronunciation course descriptors and syllabuses with the inclusion of intelligibility, comprehensibility, and foreign accent are highly recommended.
The goal of this study is to investigate pre-service English teachers’ views, needs and preferenc... more The goal of this study is to investigate pre-service English teachers’ views, needs and preferences about learning and teaching pronunciation. Using mixed-method approach, data have been collected through a questionnaire (N=147) and additional face-to-face interviews (N=5) with prospective English teachers enrolled in an English Language Teaching (ELT) department at a state university in Turkey. A 40-item questionnaire (adapted from Sardegna & Kusey, 2014 and Seyedabadi, Fatemi & Pishgadam, 2014 with additional items prepared by the researchers) was used to provide insights into pre-service English teachers’ views, preferences and goals about learning and teaching pronunciation. In addition, face-to-face interviews were carried out with students who have prior voluntary or semi- professional teaching experience. Findings of the study reveal that pre-service English teachers consider learning pronunciation as a key area in learning a foreign language, however, they are not prepared to teach it with informed techniques in a classroom setting.
In Turkey, in order to become an English teacher one must have a bachelor's degree from a variety... more In Turkey, in order to become an English teacher one must have a bachelor's degree from a variety of language-related departments. Considering that the variety of departments' syllabuses at instruction in such departments is based heavily on specific fields, language proficiency and attitudes of their graduates towards the language turns into a question. This question gets even more significant in terms of their proficiency and attitudes in the two most common varieties of the language, namely, British English (BE) and American English (AE). In this study, it was aimed to find out English Language Teachers' vocabulary and spelling preferences and their attitudes in adopting BE or AE. The data were collected with a four-staged instrument which consisted of word-translation from Turkish to English, sentence translation, standardization of a paragraph and an attitude survey. The results of the study indicated a complexity in terms of vocabulary preferences while BE was found dominant in spelling. Participants defined themselves as BE users in general; however, their preferences in vocabulary items seemed in balance between the two varieties, which was related to a mismatch between the expressed preferences of some participants and the results of the vocabulary analysis carried out. BE was reported to be more popular in grammar, however, the examples provided by the participants were not considered sufficient. Besides, BE was considered more prestigious and the majority of the participants wanted to be perfect in BE. It should also be noted that the participants were of the opinion that both varieties should be taught.
Many institutions have developed their own Self-Access Centres with a broader aim of fostering au... more Many institutions have developed their own Self-Access Centres with a broader aim of fostering autonomous learning (McMurry et al., 2011). They help increase students' opportunities to reach resources of various kinds and assist them on the road to taking responsibility for their own learning (Benson, 2011). Some of these centres offer their students trainings, learning advisory service and various extracurricular activities as well. Yıldırım Beyazıt University School of Foreign Languages (YBUSFL) aims to improve the resources and services currently offered at its Independent Learning Centre (ILC) and develop a customized Learning Advisory Program (LAP) considering its own context-specific features. The LAP, a long-term process under the guidance of the instructors and advisors as well as the active involvement of students, is to be used with the 'repeat' students who are underachieving and unmotivated. The LAP has been started in response to the feedback from the students frequently visiting the ILC at YBUSFL (Uzun, 2014) as well as an initial observation of the requirements of 'repeat' students. As part of the project, a preliminary study was conducted on students' language learning strategies and skills to shed more light on the upcoming steps for the design of the LAP.
Learning Advisory Program (LAP) was launched at Yıldırım Beyazıt University School of
Foreign Lan... more Learning Advisory Program (LAP) was launched at Yıldırım Beyazıt University School of Foreign Languages in the 2015-2016 academic year. The LAP, under the guidance of the instructors and advisors at the Independent Learning Centre (ILC), was planned to be used initially with students of a specific profile, composed of low-achieving, unmotivated students – the so-called ‘repeat’ students. In our case, ‘repeat’ students pose a challenge in that teachers have difficulty identifying their individual needs, and catering for them. To address this, we enrolled these students in a partially online blended learning program. Students were also informed about the possibility of getting individual support from ILC advisors. In order to facilitate the advising sessions, new materials and tools have been devised or adapted. A few months’ experience in advising has given us a better understanding of our students and raised our motivation to turn the LAP into a more functional system.
RumeliDE Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 2024
This study explores the sound discrimination responses of Turkish speakers of English through a d... more This study explores the sound discrimination responses of Turkish speakers of English through a diagnostic listening test administered in an English as a foreign language (EFL) setting, examining their perceptions of minimal pair (MP) similarities or distinctions. The findings reveal that participants accurately marked a large majority of MPs as the same or different. However, error frequencies varied across items, with some placed in medium to very high error ranges. Errors involving vowels and consonants in these ranges were observed to be evenly distributed, with neither category outweighing the other. It was observed that salient differences among segmentals played a more prominent role in successfully distinguishing MPs in the low error range, while subtle differences, often harder to catch, contributed to higher error rates. Multiple contributing factors including participants' first language (L1) seemed to interact in complex ways and influenced participants' performances of sound discrimination. The study identifies several high functional load (FL) MPs in the medium to very high error ranges, highlighting their crucial role in word differentiation and meaning construction. The results also suggest the need for tailored teaching addressing specific challenges and nuanced distinctions, as well as prioritizing high FL pairs in instruction to enhance learners' communicative competence and intelligibility.
Uluslararası Dil, Edebiyat ve Kültür Araştırmaları Dergisi (UDEKAD), 2024
The acquisition of intelligible pronunciation in a second language (L2) hinges on successfully ma... more The acquisition of intelligible pronunciation in a second language (L2) hinges on successfully managing the perception and production of speech features. In this regard, prosodic speech features, particularly intonation and word stress are of critical importance. This study investigates the diagnostic perception test results of the learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) (N=125) in Turkish higher education context, analyzing their scores on intonation and word stress sections. The results reveal that participants performed better on identifying final intonation patterns compared to word stress items while both areas demonstrated certain challenges. Scores were lower for items with final falling intonation, particularly evident in interrogative wh-/ how questions, suggesting complexities in processing this feature. Additionally, word stress accuracy decreased with increasing syllable count. No significant correlation was observed between intonation and word stress scores. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing intonation and word stress as distinct yet interconnected aspects of pronunciation, calling for effective instructional approaches to address these key components of L2 sound system.
This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the relationship between foreign ac... more This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the relationship between foreign accent, identity, accent discrimination, and second language acquisition (SLA). In this regard, the paper first examines the concepts of interlanguage and transfer, ongoing debates of nativeness and intelligibility principles as sound goals for language learning and teaching environments, and current perspectives on accent reduction, as well as the position of foreign accent in SLA. The next section introduces accent as an identity marker and discusses this concept, followed by an examination of the social dimensions of foreign accent and how it can affect identity formation. This includes discussions of how native and non-native speakers, and their foreign accents, are perceived by others in different contexts, the effects of foreign accents on NNSs' social experiences, sense of belonging, and their attitudes towards NS varieties. Then, accent discrimination and bias, particularly native listeners' perceptions of non-native speech, reported instances from employment situations, legal responsibilities and consequences involved are discussed based on the findings of reports and empirical studies. The paper also emphasizes the necessity of a more nuanced understanding of foreign accent and its role in language learning, as well as the importance of addressing the social dimensions of accent in language pedagogy. The study concludes with pedagogical implications of accent-related queries and ideas for further research.
The global pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to adapt to a new, fully online con... more The global pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to adapt to a new, fully online concept of education and a rapid digitalization to keep providing their services to learners. This paper reports on the digitalization process of the Independent Learning Center (ILC) and the Learning Advisory Program (LAP) unit at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University (AYBU), Turkey. The interrelated digitalization stories of the two units include the provision of learning resources and activities to learners with digital tools and their responses to the new format. Despite the challenges involved, the ILC has offered a considerably higher number of extracurricular activities than in face-to-face education days and reached a higher number of learners in the 2020-2021 academic year. As for the LAP, the participants’ reflections showed how opportunities for offering engaging activities in the LAP created a cascading impact of affordances for both the individual learners and the members of the l...
This study aims to identify common research trends by systematically examining the pronunciation ... more This study aims to identify common research trends by systematically examining the pronunciation studies published in the academic literature of teaching Turkish as a foreign language (TTFL) in terms of method, purpose and findings. In addition, the study also reveals possible research directions in the pronunciation literature of TTFL. Within the scope of this research, which is a qualitative metasynthesis study, a total of 23 studies of different types published in 2012 and onwards were classified in terms of their methodological features, study groups, if any, and the places where they were conducted. The main objectives and findings of the studies were analyzed via content analysis. The results of the study revealed that the pronunciation studies were mostly in the qualitative case study type and were generally carried out in Turkish teaching research and application centers in Turkey with heterogeneous study groups from different nationalities. It was found that most of the studies aimed to reveal common pronunciation errors of Turkish students and identify the sounds they were having difficulty in producing. In addition, studies that offered suggestions for pronunciation teaching and aimed to determine the role and distribution of pronunciation content in self-study or course books were frequently encountered. Analyses into the findings of the studies included in the sample demonstrated that the most commonly reported pronunciation errors were in <ı> /ɪ̈/, <ü> /ʏ/, <ö> /oe/, <ç> /ʧ/ and <ğ> graphemes and sounds. In addition, the selected pronunciation studies mostly focused on segmentals, and studies on suprasegmentals were rather limited. Positive results were reported in all of the studies that used certain materials and models in pronunciation teaching. Findings also revealed that limited space was allocated for pronunciation in coursebooks and self-study books.
Proceedings of the 12th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, 2022
The goal of this teaching tip is to present an introduction to teaching basic final intonation pa... more The goal of this teaching tip is to present an introduction to teaching basic final intonation patterns in statements, interrogative forms, and question tags with a drama method called Glottodrama. With its five-step course of action, Glottodrama is a practical method to integrate drama into the teaching of foreign languages (Nofri, 2009). This paper introduces these steps and offers practical ideas for adaptation to pronunciation teaching. These suggestions include a contextualized presentation of target intonation patterns, imitation of the teacher's text-based oral presentation by learners, discussion of target patterns, and the performance of the students' own drama. The paper also outlines discussions regarding the advantages of using Glottodrama in pronunciation teaching, challenges that can be encountered, possible solutions, and suggestions for online implementation.
Language teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about various aspects of teaching are shaped during teac... more Language teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about various aspects of teaching are shaped during teacher education. Investigating preservice English teachers’ (PrETs) perspectives on certain areas can be useful in better understanding the dynamics of teacher education and taking further actions on teachers’ developmental processes. This study examines PrETs’ beliefs and attitudes towards learning and teaching pronunciation in Turkey. With a descriptive methodology, a 40-item questionnaire based on Sardegna and Kusey (2014) and Seyedabadi et al., (2014) was presented to PrETs (N=150) enrolled in the English Language Teaching (ELT) programs of three state universities in Turkey. The results of the study indicate that PrETs consider pronunciation an essential part of language learning; yet they need further training on how to teach pronunciation in class. PrETs commonly considered native-like pronunciation an ideal goal for themselves, which implies a tendency to associate an English teacher’s pronunciation with perfection. The results also suggest a reconsideration of the content of pronunciation classes in ELT programs.
This study is aimed at investigating the Interlanguage Speech Intelligibility Benefit (ISIB) via ... more This study is aimed at investigating the Interlanguage Speech Intelligibility Benefit (ISIB) via native English and Turkish listeners' transcriptions of Turkish talkers' words with pronunciation errors in English. Speech samples collected from talkers with a Turkish L1 background (N=16) were presented to 33 L1 English and 33 L1 Turkish listeners via an instrument to be filled with the transcriptions of erroneous target words. Results supported matched ISIB for listeners as Turkish talkers were more intelligible to Turkish listeners in a considerably higher number of target words. Similarly, a higher number of target words were more intelligible to Turkish listeners with statistically significant differences. Most of these words had been labelled erroneous due to L1 transfer caused by orthographic interference, mispronunciations of English sounds that do not exist in Turkish, and loanwords found in similar forms in Turkish. Turkish listeners appeared to rely on such cues in Turkish talkers' speech.
Intelligibility is a critically important aspect for effective oral communication. This study exp... more Intelligibility is a critically important aspect for effective oral communication. This study explored salient (important) pronunciation errors and their relative roles in the intelligibility of nonnative speech based on listener judgments. Speech samples, collected from speakers with a Turkish as a native language (L1) background, were presented to listener groups in two consecutive sub-studies. In expert listening sessions, listeners with an academic background in pronunciation research and teaching (N=3) detected salient pronunciation errors via a thinking aloud protocol. During the intelligibility research, native listeners (N=33) transcribed the target words with salient pronunciation errors presented either as individual words isolated from their contexts or in longer utterances. The intelligibility scores were calculated and analyzed to investigate the role of salient pronunciation errors on speakers' intelligibility in English. The findings indicated that mispronunciations of segmentals and incorrect stress placement were the most common error types as detected by expert listeners. Negative transfer was found to be an important factor in such salient errors. According to the results of the intelligibility research, pronunciation errors affected speakers' intelligibility to a certain extent. Segmental errors were the main causes of reduced intelligibility. Moreover, mispronunciations of two sounds that were seen in most error sites, /ə/ and /θ/, seemed to make speech more accented while not seriously affecting intelligibility. Also, errors in strong syllables had a more detrimental effect on intelligibility compared to those in weak syllables. Resumen La inteligibilidad es un aspecto importante para una comunicación oral efectiva. Este estudio exploró los errores de pronunciación destacados (importantes) y sus roles relativos en la inteligibilidad del habla no nativa según los juicios de los oyentes. Las muestras de habla, recopiladas de hablantes con antecedentes de turco como lengua materna (L1), se presentaron a grupos de oyentes en dos subestudios consecutivos. En sesiones de escucha experta, oyentes con formación académica en investigación y enseñanza de la pronunciación (N=3) detectaron errores de pronunciación destacados a través de un protocolo de pensamiento en voz alta. Durante la investigación de inteligibilidad, los oyentes nativos (N=33) transcribieron las palabras objetivo con errores de pronunciación destacados presentados como palabras individuales aisladas de sus contextos o en expresiones más largas. Las puntuaciones de inteligibilidad se calcularon y analizaron para investigar el papel de los errores de pronunciación más destacados en la inteligibilidad de los hablantes en inglés. Los hallazgos indicaron que las pronunciaciones incorrectas de los segmentos y la colocación incorrecta del énfasis fueron los tipos de error más comunes detectados por oyentes expertos. Se encontró que la transferencia negativa era un factor importante en tales errores destacados. Según los resultados de la investigación de inteligibilidad, los errores de pronunciación afectaron hasta cierto punto la inteligibilidad de los hablantes. Los errores segmentarios fueron las principales causas de la reducción de la inteligibilidad. Además, la incorrecta pronunciación de dos sonidos que se observaron en la mayoría de los sitios de error, /ə/ y /θ/, parecían hacer que el habla fuera más acentuada sin afectar seriamente la inteligibilidad. Además, los errores en las sílabas fuertes tuvieron un efecto más perjudicial sobre la inteligibilidad en comparación con los errores en las sílabas débiles.
The international online conference of Self-Directed Learning and Advising in Language Education ... more The international online conference of Self-Directed Learning and Advising in Language Education brought together researchers and teachers from around the world, and several preservice English teachers were among the participants in this international event. This paper aims to present preservice English teacher participants' impressions on attending an international academic conference, their reflections on the organization, the presentations, and their theoretical and practical gains. Preservice English teachers' reflections revealed that they benefitted from attending this international e-conference in terms of their academic and professional development as teachers. The sessions they attended also triggered changes in their perspectives regarding self-directed learning, learner autonomy, and advising in language learning. As first-time participants in such an academic event, they indicated their interest to attend similar conferences in the future.
The global pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to adapt to a new, fully online con... more The global pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to adapt to a new, fully online concept of education and a rapid digitalization to keep providing their services to learners. This paper reports on the digitalization process of the Independent Learning Center (ILC) and the Learning Advisory Program (LAP) unit at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University (AYBU), Turkey. The interrelated digitalization stories of the two units include the provision of learning resources and activities to learners with digital tools and their responses to the new format. Despite the challenges involved, the ILC has offered a considerably higher number of extracurricular activities than in face-to-face education days and reached a higher number of learners in the 2020-2021 academic year. As for the LAP, the participants' reflections showed how opportunities for offering engaging activities in the LAP created a cascading impact of affordances for both the individual learners and the members of the larger community.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the comprehensibility of Turkish native speakers in ... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the comprehensibility of Turkish native speakers in spoken English. To this end, 16 preservice English teachers enrolled in the English Language Teaching (ELT) programs of two state universities provided speech stimuli on three speaker tasks: read aloud, picture description and responding to a real-life situation. The recordings collected were presented to eight listeners with various first language backgrounds via a nine-point likert-type scale in order to find out about their perceived degree of ease or difficulty in understanding. Listeners were also requested to explain what made it easy or difficult to understand each task. The findings of the study revealed that listeners experienced considerable difficulty in understanding Turkish speakers of English. As for the factors that impacted their comprehension of the speech samples, five main themes emerged which were understanding speech, speaking rate and fluency, foreign accent, incorrect pronunciation and specific pronunciation errors. In addition to the main themes, three sub-themes were identified for the theme of pronunciation errors, namely vowel and consonant errors, pause, intonation and stress errors, and mispronounced words. The implications of the study are two-fold. Aimed at an increased level of comprehensibility, it could be helpful to provide learners with additional opportunities for spoken production in EFL/ESL classes. In ELT programs, revisions in pronunciation course descriptors and syllabuses with the inclusion of intelligibility, comprehensibility, and foreign accent are highly recommended.
The goal of this study is to investigate pre-service English teachers’ views, needs and preferenc... more The goal of this study is to investigate pre-service English teachers’ views, needs and preferences about learning and teaching pronunciation. Using mixed-method approach, data have been collected through a questionnaire (N=147) and additional face-to-face interviews (N=5) with prospective English teachers enrolled in an English Language Teaching (ELT) department at a state university in Turkey. A 40-item questionnaire (adapted from Sardegna & Kusey, 2014 and Seyedabadi, Fatemi & Pishgadam, 2014 with additional items prepared by the researchers) was used to provide insights into pre-service English teachers’ views, preferences and goals about learning and teaching pronunciation. In addition, face-to-face interviews were carried out with students who have prior voluntary or semi- professional teaching experience. Findings of the study reveal that pre-service English teachers consider learning pronunciation as a key area in learning a foreign language, however, they are not prepared to teach it with informed techniques in a classroom setting.
In Turkey, in order to become an English teacher one must have a bachelor's degree from a variety... more In Turkey, in order to become an English teacher one must have a bachelor's degree from a variety of language-related departments. Considering that the variety of departments' syllabuses at instruction in such departments is based heavily on specific fields, language proficiency and attitudes of their graduates towards the language turns into a question. This question gets even more significant in terms of their proficiency and attitudes in the two most common varieties of the language, namely, British English (BE) and American English (AE). In this study, it was aimed to find out English Language Teachers' vocabulary and spelling preferences and their attitudes in adopting BE or AE. The data were collected with a four-staged instrument which consisted of word-translation from Turkish to English, sentence translation, standardization of a paragraph and an attitude survey. The results of the study indicated a complexity in terms of vocabulary preferences while BE was found dominant in spelling. Participants defined themselves as BE users in general; however, their preferences in vocabulary items seemed in balance between the two varieties, which was related to a mismatch between the expressed preferences of some participants and the results of the vocabulary analysis carried out. BE was reported to be more popular in grammar, however, the examples provided by the participants were not considered sufficient. Besides, BE was considered more prestigious and the majority of the participants wanted to be perfect in BE. It should also be noted that the participants were of the opinion that both varieties should be taught.
Many institutions have developed their own Self-Access Centres with a broader aim of fostering au... more Many institutions have developed their own Self-Access Centres with a broader aim of fostering autonomous learning (McMurry et al., 2011). They help increase students' opportunities to reach resources of various kinds and assist them on the road to taking responsibility for their own learning (Benson, 2011). Some of these centres offer their students trainings, learning advisory service and various extracurricular activities as well. Yıldırım Beyazıt University School of Foreign Languages (YBUSFL) aims to improve the resources and services currently offered at its Independent Learning Centre (ILC) and develop a customized Learning Advisory Program (LAP) considering its own context-specific features. The LAP, a long-term process under the guidance of the instructors and advisors as well as the active involvement of students, is to be used with the 'repeat' students who are underachieving and unmotivated. The LAP has been started in response to the feedback from the students frequently visiting the ILC at YBUSFL (Uzun, 2014) as well as an initial observation of the requirements of 'repeat' students. As part of the project, a preliminary study was conducted on students' language learning strategies and skills to shed more light on the upcoming steps for the design of the LAP.
Learning Advisory Program (LAP) was launched at Yıldırım Beyazıt University School of
Foreign Lan... more Learning Advisory Program (LAP) was launched at Yıldırım Beyazıt University School of Foreign Languages in the 2015-2016 academic year. The LAP, under the guidance of the instructors and advisors at the Independent Learning Centre (ILC), was planned to be used initially with students of a specific profile, composed of low-achieving, unmotivated students – the so-called ‘repeat’ students. In our case, ‘repeat’ students pose a challenge in that teachers have difficulty identifying their individual needs, and catering for them. To address this, we enrolled these students in a partially online blended learning program. Students were also informed about the possibility of getting individual support from ILC advisors. In order to facilitate the advising sessions, new materials and tools have been devised or adapted. A few months’ experience in advising has given us a better understanding of our students and raised our motivation to turn the LAP into a more functional system.
ÖZET
Yabancı dil öğrenme süreçlerinde, öğrenici merkezliliği özünde barındıran, öğrenici özerkliğ... more ÖZET Yabancı dil öğrenme süreçlerinde, öğrenici merkezliliği özünde barındıran, öğrenici özerkliği ve bağımsız öğrenme gibi kavramların uygulamadaki en somut yansımalarından biri, bağımsız öğrenme merkezleridir. Ülkemizde özellikle yükseköğretim kurumlarında oluşturulan bu merkezler temel olarak, hedef kitlesinde yer alan öğrencileri bağımsız birer öğrenici olma yolunda desteklemeyi ve onlara kullanabilecekleri bir çalışma alanı ile yararlanabilecekleri araç gereçler sağlamayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu araştırma kapsamında, Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksekokulu İngilizce hazırlık sınıfı öğrencilerinin, başta okulda bulunan Bağımsız Öğrenme Merkezini kullanım amaçları, merkezde yararlı buldukları araç-gereçler ve merkezin geliştirilmesi noktasındaki önerileri gibi bilgilere Bağımsız Öğrenme Merkezi’ni Değerlendirme Sormacası ile ulaşılmaya çalışılmıştır. Öte yandan, bağımsız öğrenme merkezini düzenli olarak kullanan öğrencilerin bağımsız öğrenici olma eğilimlerinin yüksek olduğu varsayılmış, bu öğrencilerin genel ve özel öğrenme eğilimleri Ehrman ve Leaver (2002)’ye ait Öğrenme Biçemleri Sormacası’nın Türkçeleştirilmiş biçimiyle belirlenmiştir. Bulgular istatistiksel çözümlemeler ile incelenmiştir. Bağımsız Öğrenme Merkezinin yüksekokul öğrencileri tarafından kullanım özellikleri betimlenmiş, E&L Sormacası ile öğrenme biçemleri belirlenen düzenli kullanıcıların yabancı dil öğrenme ve bağımsız öğrenmeye karşı tutumları, yaygın biçem eğilimleri aracılığıyla araştırılmıştır. Araştırmada ayrıca, merkezin geliştirilmesine yönelik önerilerde de bulunulmuştur. Merkezin öğrenciler tarafından hangi sıklıkta ziyaret edildiğine ilişkin bulgular incelendiğinde, merkezin yeterli düzeyde kullanılmadığı görülmüştür. Merkezin kullanım amaçları arasında ödev yapmanın başı çektiği, dinleme kaynaklarının en yararlı bulunan kaynak türü olduğu anlaşılmıştır. Öğrenci gereksinimleri arasında ise “daha fazla dinleme materyali”, “daha fazla çalışma alanı/bilgisayar” ve “daha fazla rehberlik” beklentilerinin yüksekliği öne çıkmaktadır. Öğrenme biçemleri incelemesi sonuçlarına göre, merkezin düzenli kullanıcılarının çoğunun, beklentilerin aksine sinoptik öğreniciler oldukları görülmüştür. Merkezin düzenli kullanıcılarının, yaygın olarak bağlamdan öğrenme eğilimlerinin baskın olduğu görülmüştür. Sinoptik bilemeci öğrenciler ile bütünsel ve tümevarımsal öğrencilerin yoğunluğunun ise öğrencilerin bağımsız öğrenme ve olumlu öğrenme eğilimleri gösterdiklerine ilişkin sonuçlar ortaya koyduğu değerlendirilmektedir. Anahtar Sözcükler: Bağımsız Öğrenme, Bağımsız Öğrenme Merkezi, Öğrenme Biçemleri
ABSTRACT Independent Learning Centres are the most concrete examples of some closely-related concepts in practice, such as learner autonomy and independent learning, which involve learner-centeredness in foreign language learning processes. In our country, these centres, established particularly in higher education, aim to support the students in its target group by turning them into independent learners, and thus provide them with space to study and materials to use. This research has been carried out at The School of Foreign Languages at Yildirim Beyazit University. The aim of the study is to identify various points such as the purposes of the English prep-class students in using this centre, materials they find most useful and their suggestions to improve the services and materials offered in the centre. Independent Learning Centre Evaluation Survey has been developed and used as an instrument to collect data for the above-mentioned purposes. In addition to this, the students who use the centre on a regular basis were assumed to be independent learners in the beginning and their learning tendencies have been investigated through the translated Turkish version of Ehrman and Leaver (2002) Learning Styles Questionnaire. The findings obtained have been analysed statistically. General perspectives as to how the centre is used by the students of the school have also been described. Moreover, attitudes of the regular users towards learning English and independent learning have been researched through common learning styles discovered through the E&L questionnaire. Suggestions to improve the centre are also offered within the study. 100
The data showing how often the centre is visited by the students reveal that the centre isn’t used effectively. It has also been found out that doing homework is the leading reason for using the centre and listening resources are regarded as the most useful materials. “More listening materials”, “more study space/computer” and “more guidance” have been found to be the most common needs of the students in the centre. According to the results of the learning styles analysis, contrary to the expectations, most of the regular users of the centre were synoptic learners. These users have a common tendency to learn from the context. The intensity of synoptic sharpeners as well as synthetic and inductive learners is considered to be a sign of their independent and positive learning tendencies. Keywords: Learner Autonomy, Independent Learning, Independent Learning Centre, Learning Styles
ÖZET
Bu doktora tez çalışması, Türkçe anadili konuşucularının İngilizce sesletim sorunlarını anla... more ÖZET Bu doktora tez çalışması, Türkçe anadili konuşucularının İngilizce sesletim sorunlarını anlaşılabilirlik olgusu çerçevesinde araştırmayı hedeflemiştir. Türkiye’deki iki devlet üniversitesinin İngilizce Öğretmenliği bölümlerinde öğrenim gören Türkçe anadili konuşucularından üç farklı görev eşliğinde ses kayıtları toplanmış, daha sonra bu kayıtlar üç farklı alt araştırma ile dinleyici gruplarına dinletilmiştir. Çalışma, dinleyicilerin konuşucuları anlamak için sarf ettikleri çabayı inceleyen Dinleyici Pilot Uygulaması ile başlamış, ardından uzman dinleyicilerin hata betimlemeleri yaptıkları Uzman Dinleyici Oturumları ile sürmüş ve uzman olmayan dinleyicilerin çevriyazımları üzerinden konuşucuların anlaşılabilirliklerinin ele alındığı Anlaşılabilirlik Araştırması ile tamamlanmıştır.
Çalışmanın bulguları, Türkçe anadili konuşucularının İngilizce sözlü üretimlerinde çeşitli sesletim hataları yaptıklarını ve kimi hatalarından kaynaklı D2 anlaşılabilirlik sorunları yaşadıklarını ortaya koymaktadır. Dinleyici Pilot Uygulamasında ulaşılan anlama çabası puanları dinleyicilerin, Türk konuşucuları anlamakta zorluklar yaşadıklarını ortaya koymuştur. Uzman Dinleyici Oturumları sonucunda ise konuşucuların yaptıkları en yaygın hataların ünlü ve ünsüzlerden kaynaklandığı, bunu sözcük vurgusu hatalarının izlediği belirlenmiştir. Olumsuz aktarım, sesletim hatalarının başlıca nedenleri arasında yer almaktadır.
Anlaşılabilirlik Araştırmasında, Uzman Dinleyici Oturumlarının sonucunda ulaşılan hata dağılımlarının genel olarak korunduğu ve düşük anlaşılabilirlikte ünlü ve ünsüz hataları başta olmak üzere sözcük vurgusu hatalarının belirleyici olduğu görülmüştür. Anlaşılabilirlik Testi sonuçlarına göre, sözcüklerin bağlamdan ayrıştırılarak sunulması durumunda anlaşılabilirliğin daha düşük değerlere indiği belirlenmiştir. Uzman dinleyici yargılarına göre en sorunlu ünlü ve ünsüzler arasında olduğu belirlenen /ə/ ve /θ/’nın anlaşılabilirlik üzerinde oldukça sınırlı etkilerinin bulunduğu görülmüştür. Bu seslerin konuşucuların yabancı aksanlarını güçlendirdiği ancak anlaşılabilirliği ciddi biçimde etkilemediği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.
ABSTRACT The aim of this doctoral research was to investigate Turkish native speakers’ English pronunciation errors with regard to intelligibility and comprehensibility. Speakers enroled in two English Language Teaching Programs in Turkey provided speech samples on three tasks. The recordings were then presented to listener groups in three sub-studies. The research was initiated with Listener Pilot Study aimed at looking into listeners’ effort in understanding the speakers. In Expert Listener Sessions, listeners detected and described errors in each recording. Intelligibility Research, the final phase of the study, was designed to explore the intelligibility of speakers through naive listener transcriptions.
The findings reveal that speakers made a variety of pronunciation errors some of which led to reduced L2 intelligibility. More specifically, comprehensibility ratings in Listener Pilot Study indicate that listeners generally found Turkish speakers hard to understand. According to expert listener judgments, mispronunciations of vowels and consonants along with word stress errors were the biggest sources of pronunciation errors. Negative transfer was found to play a primary role in pronunciation errors.
The error distribution reached in Expert Listener Sessions was, to a large extent, preserved in Intelligibility Research. Mispronunciations of vowels and consonants along with word stress errors were the main causes of reduced intelligibility. Research findings also suggest that speakers received lower intelligibility scores when words were presented out of context. Two of the most problematic segmentals /ə/ and /θ/ seemed to make speech more accented while not seriously affecting intelligibility.
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Papers by Tarik Uzun
Foreign Languages in the 2015-2016 academic year. The LAP, under the guidance of the
instructors and advisors at the Independent Learning Centre (ILC), was planned to be used
initially with students of a specific profile, composed of low-achieving, unmotivated students
– the so-called ‘repeat’ students. In our case, ‘repeat’ students pose a challenge in that
teachers have difficulty identifying their individual needs, and catering for them. To address
this, we enrolled these students in a partially online blended learning program. Students were
also informed about the possibility of getting individual support from ILC advisors. In order
to facilitate the advising sessions, new materials and tools have been devised or adapted. A
few months’ experience in advising has given us a better understanding of our students and
raised our motivation to turn the LAP into a more functional system.
Foreign Languages in the 2015-2016 academic year. The LAP, under the guidance of the
instructors and advisors at the Independent Learning Centre (ILC), was planned to be used
initially with students of a specific profile, composed of low-achieving, unmotivated students
– the so-called ‘repeat’ students. In our case, ‘repeat’ students pose a challenge in that
teachers have difficulty identifying their individual needs, and catering for them. To address
this, we enrolled these students in a partially online blended learning program. Students were
also informed about the possibility of getting individual support from ILC advisors. In order
to facilitate the advising sessions, new materials and tools have been devised or adapted. A
few months’ experience in advising has given us a better understanding of our students and
raised our motivation to turn the LAP into a more functional system.
Yabancı dil öğrenme süreçlerinde, öğrenici merkezliliği özünde barındıran, öğrenici özerkliği ve bağımsız öğrenme gibi kavramların uygulamadaki en somut yansımalarından biri, bağımsız öğrenme merkezleridir. Ülkemizde özellikle yükseköğretim kurumlarında oluşturulan bu merkezler temel olarak, hedef kitlesinde yer alan öğrencileri bağımsız birer öğrenici olma yolunda desteklemeyi ve onlara kullanabilecekleri bir çalışma alanı ile yararlanabilecekleri araç gereçler sağlamayı amaçlamaktadır.
Bu araştırma kapsamında, Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksekokulu İngilizce hazırlık sınıfı öğrencilerinin, başta okulda bulunan Bağımsız Öğrenme Merkezini kullanım amaçları, merkezde yararlı buldukları araç-gereçler ve merkezin geliştirilmesi noktasındaki önerileri gibi bilgilere Bağımsız Öğrenme Merkezi’ni Değerlendirme Sormacası ile ulaşılmaya çalışılmıştır. Öte yandan, bağımsız öğrenme merkezini düzenli olarak kullanan öğrencilerin bağımsız öğrenici olma eğilimlerinin yüksek olduğu varsayılmış, bu öğrencilerin genel ve özel öğrenme eğilimleri Ehrman ve Leaver (2002)’ye ait Öğrenme Biçemleri Sormacası’nın Türkçeleştirilmiş biçimiyle belirlenmiştir.
Bulgular istatistiksel çözümlemeler ile incelenmiştir. Bağımsız Öğrenme Merkezinin yüksekokul öğrencileri tarafından kullanım özellikleri betimlenmiş, E&L Sormacası ile öğrenme biçemleri belirlenen düzenli kullanıcıların yabancı dil öğrenme ve bağımsız öğrenmeye karşı tutumları, yaygın biçem eğilimleri aracılığıyla araştırılmıştır. Araştırmada ayrıca, merkezin geliştirilmesine yönelik önerilerde de bulunulmuştur.
Merkezin öğrenciler tarafından hangi sıklıkta ziyaret edildiğine ilişkin bulgular incelendiğinde, merkezin yeterli düzeyde kullanılmadığı görülmüştür. Merkezin kullanım amaçları arasında ödev yapmanın başı çektiği, dinleme kaynaklarının en yararlı bulunan kaynak türü olduğu anlaşılmıştır. Öğrenci gereksinimleri arasında ise “daha fazla dinleme materyali”, “daha fazla çalışma alanı/bilgisayar” ve “daha fazla rehberlik” beklentilerinin yüksekliği öne çıkmaktadır. Öğrenme biçemleri incelemesi sonuçlarına göre, merkezin düzenli kullanıcılarının çoğunun, beklentilerin aksine sinoptik öğreniciler oldukları görülmüştür. Merkezin düzenli kullanıcılarının, yaygın olarak bağlamdan öğrenme eğilimlerinin baskın olduğu görülmüştür. Sinoptik bilemeci öğrenciler ile bütünsel ve tümevarımsal öğrencilerin yoğunluğunun ise öğrencilerin bağımsız öğrenme ve olumlu öğrenme eğilimleri gösterdiklerine ilişkin sonuçlar ortaya koyduğu değerlendirilmektedir.
Anahtar Sözcükler: Bağımsız Öğrenme, Bağımsız Öğrenme Merkezi, Öğrenme Biçemleri
ABSTRACT
Independent Learning Centres are the most concrete examples of some closely-related concepts in practice, such as learner autonomy and independent learning, which involve learner-centeredness in foreign language learning processes. In our country, these centres, established particularly in higher education, aim to support the students in its target group by turning them into independent learners, and thus provide them with space to study and materials to use.
This research has been carried out at The School of Foreign Languages at Yildirim Beyazit University. The aim of the study is to identify various points such as the purposes of the English prep-class students in using this centre, materials they find most useful and their suggestions to improve the services and materials offered in the centre. Independent Learning Centre Evaluation Survey has been developed and used as an instrument to collect data for the above-mentioned purposes. In addition to this, the students who use the centre on a regular basis were assumed to be independent learners in the beginning and their learning tendencies have been investigated through the translated Turkish version of Ehrman and Leaver (2002) Learning Styles Questionnaire.
The findings obtained have been analysed statistically. General perspectives as to how the centre is used by the students of the school have also been described. Moreover, attitudes of the regular users towards learning English and independent learning have been researched through common learning styles discovered through the E&L questionnaire. Suggestions to improve the centre are also offered within the study.
100
The data showing how often the centre is visited by the students reveal that the centre isn’t used effectively. It has also been found out that doing homework is the leading reason for using the centre and listening resources are regarded as the most useful materials. “More listening materials”, “more study space/computer” and “more guidance” have been found to be the most common needs of the students in the centre. According to the results of the learning styles analysis, contrary to the expectations, most of the regular users of the centre were synoptic learners. These users have a common tendency to learn from the context. The intensity of synoptic sharpeners as well as synthetic and inductive learners is considered to be a sign of their independent and positive learning tendencies.
Keywords: Learner Autonomy, Independent Learning, Independent Learning Centre, Learning Styles
Bu doktora tez çalışması, Türkçe anadili konuşucularının İngilizce sesletim sorunlarını anlaşılabilirlik olgusu çerçevesinde araştırmayı hedeflemiştir. Türkiye’deki iki devlet üniversitesinin İngilizce Öğretmenliği bölümlerinde öğrenim gören Türkçe anadili konuşucularından üç farklı görev eşliğinde ses kayıtları toplanmış, daha sonra bu kayıtlar üç farklı alt araştırma ile dinleyici gruplarına dinletilmiştir. Çalışma, dinleyicilerin konuşucuları anlamak için sarf ettikleri çabayı inceleyen Dinleyici Pilot Uygulaması ile başlamış, ardından uzman dinleyicilerin hata betimlemeleri yaptıkları Uzman Dinleyici Oturumları ile sürmüş ve uzman olmayan dinleyicilerin çevriyazımları üzerinden konuşucuların anlaşılabilirliklerinin ele alındığı Anlaşılabilirlik Araştırması ile tamamlanmıştır.
Çalışmanın bulguları, Türkçe anadili konuşucularının İngilizce sözlü üretimlerinde çeşitli sesletim hataları yaptıklarını ve kimi hatalarından kaynaklı D2 anlaşılabilirlik sorunları yaşadıklarını ortaya koymaktadır. Dinleyici Pilot Uygulamasında ulaşılan anlama çabası puanları dinleyicilerin, Türk konuşucuları anlamakta zorluklar yaşadıklarını ortaya koymuştur. Uzman Dinleyici Oturumları sonucunda ise konuşucuların yaptıkları en yaygın hataların ünlü ve ünsüzlerden kaynaklandığı, bunu sözcük vurgusu hatalarının izlediği belirlenmiştir. Olumsuz aktarım, sesletim hatalarının başlıca nedenleri arasında yer almaktadır.
Anlaşılabilirlik Araştırmasında, Uzman Dinleyici Oturumlarının sonucunda ulaşılan hata dağılımlarının genel olarak korunduğu ve düşük anlaşılabilirlikte ünlü ve ünsüz hataları başta olmak üzere sözcük vurgusu hatalarının belirleyici olduğu görülmüştür. Anlaşılabilirlik Testi sonuçlarına göre, sözcüklerin bağlamdan ayrıştırılarak sunulması durumunda anlaşılabilirliğin daha düşük değerlere indiği belirlenmiştir. Uzman dinleyici yargılarına göre en sorunlu ünlü ve ünsüzler arasında olduğu belirlenen /ə/ ve /θ/’nın anlaşılabilirlik üzerinde oldukça sınırlı etkilerinin bulunduğu görülmüştür. Bu seslerin konuşucuların yabancı aksanlarını güçlendirdiği ancak anlaşılabilirliği ciddi biçimde etkilemediği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this doctoral research was to investigate Turkish native speakers’ English pronunciation errors with regard to intelligibility and comprehensibility. Speakers enroled in two English Language Teaching Programs in Turkey provided speech samples on three tasks. The recordings were then presented to listener groups in three sub-studies. The research was initiated with Listener Pilot Study aimed at looking into listeners’ effort in understanding the speakers. In Expert Listener Sessions, listeners detected and described errors in each recording. Intelligibility Research, the final phase of the study, was designed to explore the intelligibility of speakers through naive listener transcriptions.
The findings reveal that speakers made a variety of pronunciation errors some of which led to reduced L2 intelligibility. More specifically, comprehensibility ratings in Listener Pilot Study indicate that listeners generally found Turkish speakers hard to understand. According to expert listener judgments, mispronunciations of vowels and consonants along with word stress errors were the biggest sources of pronunciation errors. Negative transfer was found to play a primary role in pronunciation errors.
The error distribution reached in Expert Listener Sessions was, to a large extent, preserved in Intelligibility Research. Mispronunciations of vowels and consonants along with word stress errors were the main causes of reduced intelligibility. Research findings also suggest that speakers received lower intelligibility scores when words were presented out of context. Two of the most problematic segmentals /ə/ and /θ/ seemed to make speech more accented while not seriously affecting intelligibility.