i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 2020
The axis of task research has shifted from task design to task planning, and rehearsal as a pre-t... more The axis of task research has shifted from task design to task planning, and rehearsal as a pre-task planning has been less touched upon throughout the history of the SLA (Second Language Acquisition); therefore, the current research was set around task rehearsal after PPP (Present-Practise-Product) model instruction in the task-supported language setting. This quasi-experimental study reported in this paper aims to explore EFL learners' task performance in a task-supported language teaching setting across the eight weeks by comparing their productive skills with that of their native counterparts. The study took place in the preparatory school at Kocaeli University. The in-class tasks were a rehearsal of the task assignments and their essentials. In the aim of attaining the goals of the study, EFL learners' linguistic outcomes of task performance were compared with native norms with the use of SPSS. The results of this study imply that task-supported language teaching is partially effective in increasing task performance.
Abstract This article reports a quantitative empirical study that explored the relationship betwe... more Abstract This article reports a quantitative empirical study that explored the relationship between English language proficiency and academic language-related challenges experienced by students when studying through English Medium Instruction (EMI). Questionnaire data using the EMI Challenges Scale and student English language test score data were collected at a public university in Turkey. Two academic subjects were compared: International Relations (a Social Science subject, n = 99) and Electronic Engineering (a Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences subject, n = 99). Results revealed that in both subjects, English language proficiency statistically significantly predicted academic language-related challenges. Furthermore, a gain in English proficiency significantly predicted the challenges in International Relations but not in Electronic Engineering. Finally, Electronic Engineering students experienced significantly different levels of linguistic-related challenges in each language skill when at a lower proficiency (A2) compared to a higher proficiency (B2). In International Relations, a proficiency threshold was more evident; students experienced significantly higher levels of linguistic-related challenges as proficiency decreased. Important pedagogical implications of this established relationship between language proficiency, language gain, and language-related challenges in two academic divisions are discussed.
This article reports a quantitative study that investigated academic achievement in English mediu... more This article reports a quantitative study that investigated academic achievement in English medium instruction (EMI) courses at a public university in Turkey. Student test score data on EMI and Turkish medium instruction (TMI) courses as well as general English proficiency scores were collected in two academic divisions: the mathematical, physical, and life sciences (MPLS, N = 357); and the social sciences (N = 359). Analysis conducted at the macro (academic division), meso (academic department), and micro levels (academic program) showed subtle differences at each level. Overall, results were consistent: English language proficiency was a strong predictor of academic achievement of social science participants, whereas success in TMI courses predicted EMI success of MPLS participants. These results reinforce the notion that more language support should be given to social science students, whereas learning some content through TMI should be prioritized for MPLS students. Implications...
Associating a content word to its rational semantic relations is regarded as a language learning ... more Associating a content word to its rational semantic relations is regarded as a language learning strategy which explicitly contributes to mental lexicon. Semantic mapping herein seems to constitute an efficacious pattern for its practice in language instruction. Conversely, it appears to be among the least frequently used vocabulary learning strategies in language classrooms. This study points at semantic mapping as a practice for EFL learners by suggesting its pros and cons, and thus aims to raise awareness with this respect. The samples for the treatment of the study involve 20 EFL students studying at a state university in Turkey. A second group of the same size was randomly chosen as the control group from the same accessible population. All the participants were subject to a pre-test and a post-test measuring the size of the vocabulary known. The findings indicate a significant increase in the vocabulary size of the treatment group, surpassing the average size of undergraduate ...
This article reports a quantitative empirical study that investigated whether English language pr... more This article reports a quantitative empirical study that investigated whether English language proficiency increases over time when studying academic content through English Medium Instruction (EMI). It was also investigated whether an increase in proficiency predicts EMI academic achievement. Student English language test score data and Grade Point Average (GPA) data were collected from a public university in Turkey. Two academic subjects were compared: Business Administration (a Social Science subject, n = 81) and Mechatronics Engineering (a Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences subject, n = 84). Results showed that in both subjects, English language proficiency statistically significantly improved over a four-year period of studying through English. Furthermore, this improvement predicted EMI academic achievement; meaning that the more proficient students became in English, the higher they achieved in their EMI academic studies. This provides evidence for policymakers, EMI prac...
Oz Derlem dilbilimi, 20. Yuzyilin ikinci yarisi ile birlikte cok onemli bir yontembilim haline ge... more Oz Derlem dilbilimi, 20. Yuzyilin ikinci yarisi ile birlikte cok onemli bir yontembilim haline gelmistir ve ozellikle iki turu Ingiliz Dili Egitimi'nde sikca uygulanmaktadir: (1) belirli bir dil kullanim turunden ziyade genel amaclar icin kullanilabilen genel derlem, (2) ogrencilerden elde edilen verilerle olusturulan ogrenci derlemi (Baker, Hardie, and McEnery, 2006). Bu calismanin ana amaci, yabanci dil olarak Ingilizce ogrenen ogrencilerin sozcuk bilgilerine, kurgusal olmayan yaratici duzyazi yoluyla yazilan metinlerin bir araya getirilmesiyle olusturulan bir ogrenci derleminin, genel derleme nisbeten daha iyi katkida bulunup bulunmadigini incelemektir. Calismanin evreni, dort farkli siniftan orta duzey Ingilizce bilgisine sahip 95 ogrenci olmakla beraber on-test/son-test uygulamasi yapilmistir. Bu siniflardan iki tanesi rasgele sekilde deney gruplari olarak secilmistir: birisine ogrenci derlemi uygulamasi yapilirken digerine genel derlem uygulanmistir. Arda kalan iki grupsa kontrol gruplari tayin edilmislerdir. Bagimsiz Orneklem t-Testi sonuclari, yabanci dil olarak Ingilizce ogrenen ogrencilerin sozcuk bilgilerine, genel derlemle kiyaslandiginda ogrenci derleminin kaydadeger bir katkisinin oldugunu gostermistir. Anahtar kelimeler: Ogrenci derlemi, Genel derlemler, Kurgusal olmayan yaratici duzyazi, Bilgisayar tabanli iletisim, Nitel veri, Nicel veri, Deneysel arastirma
Corpus linguistics has become a crucial methodology in linguistic studies in the last half of the... more Corpus linguistics has become a crucial methodology in linguistic studies in the last half of the 20th century and especially two types of it are frequently applied in ELT: (1) reference corpus which does not serve for a particular language variety, yet it is for general purposes, (2) learner corpus which is the output obtained from learners (Baker, Hardie, and McEnery, 2006). The main objective of this study is to investigate if a learner corpus which accumulates the texts written in creative nonfiction prose (CN) has a relatively better contribution to EFL students‘ vocabulary knowledge when compared with reference corpora. The samples of this research are 95 pre-intermediate level prep students from four different classes who take basic English education at Higher School of Foreign Languages Department of the University of Gaziantep. Two of these classes were randomly selected as experimental groups: one treated with a learner corpus while the other with a reference corpus. The r...
English medium instruction (EMI) in university-level engineering programmes is becoming the norm ... more English medium instruction (EMI) in university-level engineering programmes is becoming the norm globally as well as in Turkey due to the internationalisation and job opportunities in this field. However, research about the job prospects among the engineering graduates who studied in EMI programmes are quite limited compared to the presence and dominance of EMI implementation in these programmes. To address this gap, this study with a causal-comparative research design focused on the predictive power of studying in different EMI engineering subjects in terms of graduates’ job prospects. 139 engineering graduates took part in this study representing three academic subjects and two different EMI models (i.e., full vs. partial). All participants filled out an online survey that inquired into their job prospects. Proportional Odds Logistic Regression (POLR) analysis was used to determine the differences among academic subjects and EMI models. Findings of our study revealed that differen...
i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 2020
The axis of task research has shifted from task design to task planning, and rehearsal as a pre-t... more The axis of task research has shifted from task design to task planning, and rehearsal as a pre-task planning has been less touched upon throughout the history of the SLA (Second Language Acquisition); therefore, the current research was set around task rehearsal after PPP (Present-Practise-Product) model instruction in the task-supported language setting. This quasi-experimental study reported in this paper aims to explore EFL learners' task performance in a task-supported language teaching setting across the eight weeks by comparing their productive skills with that of their native counterparts. The study took place in the preparatory school at Kocaeli University. The in-class tasks were a rehearsal of the task assignments and their essentials. In the aim of attaining the goals of the study, EFL learners' linguistic outcomes of task performance were compared with native norms with the use of SPSS. The results of this study imply that task-supported language teaching is partially effective in increasing task performance.
Abstract This article reports a quantitative empirical study that explored the relationship betwe... more Abstract This article reports a quantitative empirical study that explored the relationship between English language proficiency and academic language-related challenges experienced by students when studying through English Medium Instruction (EMI). Questionnaire data using the EMI Challenges Scale and student English language test score data were collected at a public university in Turkey. Two academic subjects were compared: International Relations (a Social Science subject, n = 99) and Electronic Engineering (a Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences subject, n = 99). Results revealed that in both subjects, English language proficiency statistically significantly predicted academic language-related challenges. Furthermore, a gain in English proficiency significantly predicted the challenges in International Relations but not in Electronic Engineering. Finally, Electronic Engineering students experienced significantly different levels of linguistic-related challenges in each language skill when at a lower proficiency (A2) compared to a higher proficiency (B2). In International Relations, a proficiency threshold was more evident; students experienced significantly higher levels of linguistic-related challenges as proficiency decreased. Important pedagogical implications of this established relationship between language proficiency, language gain, and language-related challenges in two academic divisions are discussed.
This article reports a quantitative study that investigated academic achievement in English mediu... more This article reports a quantitative study that investigated academic achievement in English medium instruction (EMI) courses at a public university in Turkey. Student test score data on EMI and Turkish medium instruction (TMI) courses as well as general English proficiency scores were collected in two academic divisions: the mathematical, physical, and life sciences (MPLS, N = 357); and the social sciences (N = 359). Analysis conducted at the macro (academic division), meso (academic department), and micro levels (academic program) showed subtle differences at each level. Overall, results were consistent: English language proficiency was a strong predictor of academic achievement of social science participants, whereas success in TMI courses predicted EMI success of MPLS participants. These results reinforce the notion that more language support should be given to social science students, whereas learning some content through TMI should be prioritized for MPLS students. Implications...
Associating a content word to its rational semantic relations is regarded as a language learning ... more Associating a content word to its rational semantic relations is regarded as a language learning strategy which explicitly contributes to mental lexicon. Semantic mapping herein seems to constitute an efficacious pattern for its practice in language instruction. Conversely, it appears to be among the least frequently used vocabulary learning strategies in language classrooms. This study points at semantic mapping as a practice for EFL learners by suggesting its pros and cons, and thus aims to raise awareness with this respect. The samples for the treatment of the study involve 20 EFL students studying at a state university in Turkey. A second group of the same size was randomly chosen as the control group from the same accessible population. All the participants were subject to a pre-test and a post-test measuring the size of the vocabulary known. The findings indicate a significant increase in the vocabulary size of the treatment group, surpassing the average size of undergraduate ...
This article reports a quantitative empirical study that investigated whether English language pr... more This article reports a quantitative empirical study that investigated whether English language proficiency increases over time when studying academic content through English Medium Instruction (EMI). It was also investigated whether an increase in proficiency predicts EMI academic achievement. Student English language test score data and Grade Point Average (GPA) data were collected from a public university in Turkey. Two academic subjects were compared: Business Administration (a Social Science subject, n = 81) and Mechatronics Engineering (a Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences subject, n = 84). Results showed that in both subjects, English language proficiency statistically significantly improved over a four-year period of studying through English. Furthermore, this improvement predicted EMI academic achievement; meaning that the more proficient students became in English, the higher they achieved in their EMI academic studies. This provides evidence for policymakers, EMI prac...
Oz Derlem dilbilimi, 20. Yuzyilin ikinci yarisi ile birlikte cok onemli bir yontembilim haline ge... more Oz Derlem dilbilimi, 20. Yuzyilin ikinci yarisi ile birlikte cok onemli bir yontembilim haline gelmistir ve ozellikle iki turu Ingiliz Dili Egitimi'nde sikca uygulanmaktadir: (1) belirli bir dil kullanim turunden ziyade genel amaclar icin kullanilabilen genel derlem, (2) ogrencilerden elde edilen verilerle olusturulan ogrenci derlemi (Baker, Hardie, and McEnery, 2006). Bu calismanin ana amaci, yabanci dil olarak Ingilizce ogrenen ogrencilerin sozcuk bilgilerine, kurgusal olmayan yaratici duzyazi yoluyla yazilan metinlerin bir araya getirilmesiyle olusturulan bir ogrenci derleminin, genel derleme nisbeten daha iyi katkida bulunup bulunmadigini incelemektir. Calismanin evreni, dort farkli siniftan orta duzey Ingilizce bilgisine sahip 95 ogrenci olmakla beraber on-test/son-test uygulamasi yapilmistir. Bu siniflardan iki tanesi rasgele sekilde deney gruplari olarak secilmistir: birisine ogrenci derlemi uygulamasi yapilirken digerine genel derlem uygulanmistir. Arda kalan iki grupsa kontrol gruplari tayin edilmislerdir. Bagimsiz Orneklem t-Testi sonuclari, yabanci dil olarak Ingilizce ogrenen ogrencilerin sozcuk bilgilerine, genel derlemle kiyaslandiginda ogrenci derleminin kaydadeger bir katkisinin oldugunu gostermistir. Anahtar kelimeler: Ogrenci derlemi, Genel derlemler, Kurgusal olmayan yaratici duzyazi, Bilgisayar tabanli iletisim, Nitel veri, Nicel veri, Deneysel arastirma
Corpus linguistics has become a crucial methodology in linguistic studies in the last half of the... more Corpus linguistics has become a crucial methodology in linguistic studies in the last half of the 20th century and especially two types of it are frequently applied in ELT: (1) reference corpus which does not serve for a particular language variety, yet it is for general purposes, (2) learner corpus which is the output obtained from learners (Baker, Hardie, and McEnery, 2006). The main objective of this study is to investigate if a learner corpus which accumulates the texts written in creative nonfiction prose (CN) has a relatively better contribution to EFL students‘ vocabulary knowledge when compared with reference corpora. The samples of this research are 95 pre-intermediate level prep students from four different classes who take basic English education at Higher School of Foreign Languages Department of the University of Gaziantep. Two of these classes were randomly selected as experimental groups: one treated with a learner corpus while the other with a reference corpus. The r...
English medium instruction (EMI) in university-level engineering programmes is becoming the norm ... more English medium instruction (EMI) in university-level engineering programmes is becoming the norm globally as well as in Turkey due to the internationalisation and job opportunities in this field. However, research about the job prospects among the engineering graduates who studied in EMI programmes are quite limited compared to the presence and dominance of EMI implementation in these programmes. To address this gap, this study with a causal-comparative research design focused on the predictive power of studying in different EMI engineering subjects in terms of graduates’ job prospects. 139 engineering graduates took part in this study representing three academic subjects and two different EMI models (i.e., full vs. partial). All participants filled out an online survey that inquired into their job prospects. Proportional Odds Logistic Regression (POLR) analysis was used to determine the differences among academic subjects and EMI models. Findings of our study revealed that differen...
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