Ahmet Başal

The quality of English language education in universities is vital in preparing individuals for the increasingly globalized world. Assessing the efficacy of English teaching programs is therefore crucial to ensuring such quality. Consequently, this study aims to evaluate the optional English preparatory program of a state university using the CIPP model dimensions: context, input, process, and product. The current study employs a mixed-methods research approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data to address the research questions. The study sample comprised 247 preparatory graduate and 77 preparatory students, as well as 6 lecturers. In the quantitative part, The CIPP scale (Context, Input, Process, and Product), developed by the researchers based on item analysis, second-order exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, criterion validity, and content validity, was used to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the English preparatory program based on responses o...

TEZ6036Tez (Yüksek Lisans) -- Çukurova Üniversitesi, Adana, 2006.Kaynakça (s.30-32) var.viii, 57 s. ; 29 cm.Scientific writing is traditionally thought to be impersonal. Therefore, it is not surprising for academicians to see the encouragement of the use of impersonal constructions in scientific articles by most of style manuals. This study is based on an investigation of the use of first person pronouns in journal articles. In many of such scientific articles, personal pronouns I and we can both be seen as a choice for authors to stand their involvement in their writings. In this study, I have made a comparison of 16 articles published between 2000-2005 in the Social Sciences Journal of Çukurova University (SSJÇ) and English Language Teaching Journal (ELTJ) to determine the frequency of occurrence of first person pronouns I and we. I have also investigated the semantic references of these pronouns as inclusive and exclusive according to the way they are used in these articles. In t...

"E-öğrenme konusunda pek çok araştırmacı ve uygulamacının ciddi desteği ve Okan Üniversitesi’nden Gonca Telli Yamamoto, Anadolu Üniversitesi’nden Uğur Demiray ve Mehmet Kesim’in editörlüğünde hazırlanan “Türkiye’de E-öğrenme: Gelişmeler ve Uygulamalar” kitabı yayınlandı. Kitabın şimdiye kadar olanlardan farklı olarak topluca ve daha geniş kapsamlı bir bakış açısıyla e-öğrenme hakkında değerlendirmeler yapmaktadır. Akademik anlamda Türkiye’de milenyumun başlangıcındaki eöğrenmenin bir resminin çıkartılması düşünülmüştür. Kitap e-öğrenme değerler dizisi (paradigma) değişimleri ve konunun ekonomik boyutunun ele alındığı kısımla başlayan, e-öğrenme tasarımlanması, e-öğrenmede örnekler, e-öğrenme bilgi hizmetleri, eöğrenme açılımları ve e-öğrenmeden mobil öğrenmeye başlıklı altı ana bölümden oluşmaktadır. Kitabın e-öğrenme açılımları bölümünde Yasin ÖZARSLAN “IPTV: Uzaktan Görsel (Tele Visual) Öğrenme ve Türkiye İçin Fırsatlar” başlığı altında IPTV teknolojisini e-öğrenme bağlamında değerlendirmekte ve Türkiye’de eğitim-öğretim için sunabileceği fırsatlardan bahsetmektedir. Çalışma öncelikli olarak televizyonun kısa bir tarihçesine ve eğitim-öğretimdeki yerine değinmiş, Türkiye özelinde yaşanan gelişmelerden bahsetmiştir. Ardından IPTV teknolojisi ve hizmetleri hakkında bilgi verip IPTV’nin Türkiye’deki mevcut durumundan ve eğitim öğretimde Türkiye için sunabileceği fırsatlardan söz etmektedir. "

On behalf of the editorial board, it is our privilege and great pride to announce the launch and the very first issue of our journal 'Focus on ELT' (FELT). Devoted to and focused on solely to the English language teaching and learning, FELT is an open source journal and accepts articles written from a theoretical or applied perspective with the possible applications to the field of English language teaching and learning. To make FELT a high-calibre scientific publication venue, we have the following principles while accepting studies to the journal: FELT publishes fully refereed high-quality original research articles and studies for the benefit of teachers and researchers in the field of English Language Teaching. FELT accepts articles written from a theoretical or applied perspective with the possible applications to the field of English language teaching and learning. FELT follows stringent publication ethics and all submissions are undergone rigorous plagiarism check. If there is an issue with plagiarism in any of the submissions, these papers are withdrawn at any state of the publication process

Scientific writing is traditionally thought to be impersonal. Therefore, it is not surprising for academicians to see the encouragement of the use of impersonal constructions in scientific articles by most of style manuals. This study is based on an investigation of the use of first person pronouns in journal articles. In many of such scientific articles, personal pronouns I and we can both be seen as a choice for authors to stand their involvement in their writings. In this study, a comparison of 16 articles published between 2000-2005 in the Social Sciences Journal of Cukurova University (SSJC) and English Language Teaching Journal (ELTJ) to determine the frequency of occurrence of first person pronouns I and we. Moreover, the semantic references of these pronouns as inclusive and exclusive according to the way they are used in these articles were investigated. In the light of the results, it is clear that writers of ELTJ used first person pronouns more than those of writers of SS...

This study aims to investigate coping strategies that activate pessimism in the context of Covid 19.  To this end, two sub-studies were conducted. In the first study, an exploratory factor analysis of coping with pessimistic events scale was conducted on 209 university students. It was found that students use strategies such as self-control, coping with spirituality, problem solving, optimistic thinking, social support, denial, putting distance and protecting self-value while dealing with events that activate pessimism. In the second study, a limited subjective well-being model with coping with Covid 19 and striving for goals was tested on 201 teachers. Based on the results, it is found that it has been not enough for teachers to strive for goals to increase their subjective well-being, but it has been also necessary to use strategies to cope with Covid-19 that activates pessimism

Gutenberg‟in matbaayı icat etmesinden sonra geçmiĢ 500 yüzyıl içinde doğrusal olarak geliĢen klasik eğitim son yıllardaki teknolojik değiĢimlerle yerini yavaĢ yavaĢ e-öğrenme konusuna bırakmaktadır. Bunlar biçimsel ya da biçimsel olmayan farklı form ve formatlarda değiĢik yöntemlerle ortaya konmaya baĢlamıĢtır. GeçmiĢten günümüze gelen eski uygulamalar ise zaman içinde nostaljik öğelere dönüĢmekteyken farklı uygulamalar farklı geliĢmelere sebebiyet vermektedir. Çünkü öğrenmede gerçekleĢen bu farklılıklar birçok kolaylıklar getirmekte; bazı konularda bireylere yepyeni fırsatlar sunmakta; dünyayı bireylerin dijital ekranlarına, hatta cebine taĢıyabilmektedir. Ama kolaylıklarla beraber çok bilinmeyenlerin oluĢturduğu yeni denklemleri de ortaya çıkarmaktadır. Bu denklemlerin çözümü için yapılan uygulamalar, farklılaĢan görüĢler, kısacası aklın beslenmesi için, yeni tür bir bilgi ihtiyacı doğmaktadır. Günümüzde aklın yeni bilgi ihtiyacı; sakin bir Ģekilde dikkatini odaklayabilen, ancak az az bilginin sunulduğu bir yapıdan, kısa kopuk üst üste olan bir hale evrilmekte ve „daha hızlı daha iyidir‟ Ģekline dönüĢmektedir (Carr, 2011, s.10). Ama Karp‟ın (2008) dediği gibi bizler de oyunumuzu eski kurallar ve yeni kurallara göre oynamaya çalıĢıyoruz. Ama gerçekten bu kurallara tam anlamıyla bağlı kalarak değil. Üstelik bağlı kalmama durumu hem eskisine hem de yenisine. O zaman “bunlar ne olacak, nasıl olacak?” gibi konular devreye giriyor. Buradan yola çıkarak bizler de akademisyen, uygulamacı ve profesyonellerden oluĢan bir ekiple ve giriĢimci bir ruhla bunu ortaya koymaya çalıĢmanın önemli bir konu olduğunu düĢündük. Yamamoto, Demiray ve Kesim‟in editörlüğünü yaptığı “Türkiye’de E-Öğrenme” baĢlıklı kitabımız 2010 yılında ilk çıktığında konuyla ilgili olarak ülkemizde büyük bir ihtiyacın varlığının farkındaydık ancak bu tür kitap çalıĢmalarının ne kadar önemli olduğu ikinci baskıya hemen geçmesiyle ortaya çıktı. Ġlginçtir, yurt dıĢından konuyla ilgili röportaj çalıĢmaları bile oldu. Hatta neden bu kitabı Ġngilizce yazmadınız diye sorular dahi aldık. Kendi dilimizde bu tarz eserlerin olmaması ve gelen talepler yüzünden „Türkiye‟de Eöğrenme‟ baĢlıklı kitap serisinin ikincisini 2010 ġubat‟ında çıkarmaya karar vi verdik. Kitabımızda 2010 yılındaki Türkiye‟de E-Öğrenme kitabında yer alan konular dıĢında  E-Öğrenme‟nin Türk Eğitim Sisteminde Geldiği Nokta  E-Öğrenme‟de Ölçme ve Değerlendirme  E-Öğrenme‟de Yeni Teknikler  E-Öğrenme‟de Farklı Örnekler  E-Öğrenme‟de Dünyaya Göre Neredeyiz? gibi konuların irdelenmesinin önemli olduğu kavrayıĢıyla hareket ettik. E-öğrenme sadece dünyadaki geliĢmiĢ ülkelerde değil Türkiye gibi geliĢmekte olan ülkelerde de son derece önemli bir konu haline dönüĢüyor. Önemli bir öğrenme ortamı olduğunu da kanıtlayan e-öğrenme; özellikle devlet politikaları ve kanunların da desteklemesiyle daha da etkinleĢtirilebilecek hale gelirken, toplumun üyeleri olan bizler de eöğrenmeye olan o küçümser bakıĢ açılarımız ve önyargılarımızdan sıyrılarak, gerçek değerini ve kazançlarımızı daha net bir Ģekilde görmeye ve değerlendirmeye baĢladık. Bu seferki editörlerimiz Demirci, Yamamoto ve Demiray oldular. Kitabımızda 41 yazarın emeği var. Bu kitap çok hızlı bir çalıĢmanın ürünü oldu, yazarlarımız da bu iĢe ciddiyetle sarıldılar. Kendilerine özverili çalıĢmalarından dolayı teĢekkürlerimizi bir borç biliriz. Ayrıca Ģimdiden üçüncü bir kitap için de teklifler almaya baĢladık. Bu da bize doğru bir iĢ yaptığımızı gösteriyor. Keyifli okumalar dileğiyle. Yrd. Doç.Dr. Birim Balcı DEMİRCİ Doç. Dr. Gonca Telli YAMAMOTO Prof. Dr. Uğur DEMİRAY Haziran-2011, İstanbul

Aiming to develop a model seeking to investigate the direct effects of personality types on internet addiction, this study was set and tested on tertiary level students receiving education within two learning modes: face to face and distance education. The participants of the study, selected through maximum variety method within purposive sampling, included 210 students enrolled on face-to-face and distance education programs of computer programming department. In addition to a personal data form aiming to obtain information on demographic features of the participants, a personality inventory and an Internet addiction scale were utilized to gather data. As an analysis model concurrently exerting both the mediation and direct effects, path analysis with observed variables was utilized in the current study to test the developed model. The findings revealed that while the most powerful predictor variable of internet addiction was conscientiousness, openness to experience was found as t...

Language and literature are difficult to separate since they are closely intertwined with strong bonds. Language teachers, we believe, have an important role in the inclusion of literature in language classes. In this context, the perception of language teachers and instructors are utmost importance in using literature in language teaching processes since they carry their beliefs to their language teaching environments. This qualitative study aims to investigate the perceptions of English language teachers and instructors towards the use of literature in language teaching by collecting data with open-ended questions. A total of 101 English teachers and instructors participated in the study and content analysis was applied to analyze the data. Findings revealed that most English teachers were aware of the importance of using and benefiting from literature while teaching English and made remarks regarding the types of literature such as novels, poems and short stories. Moreover, they believe that using literature can contribute to students’ understanding about the target culture and enable them to learn English better. However, specific reference to imagination was so rare among the participants and the relevant literature. This implies the need to raise the need to produce ways of benefiting from the imaginative and creative productions of fiction. The ways to tap into imagination should not be limited to literature conceptualization of which is limited to canonic literature and should include use of English literature, literature in English as well as literature in other languages to the teaching of English language. The study also provides recommendations and implications towards the use of literature in English language teaching.

Due to COVID 19, schools and universities all over the world have gone from full face-to-face lessons to online lessons. This short notice transition has come with many challenges for students including engagement with and affection for the lectures. This study aims to examine whether there is a significant difference between engagement and affection based on instruction types in online virtual class courses. To this end, some Web 2.0 technologies were used in one lecture (GW) and direct transmission in the other lecture (GDT). After5 weeks, a questionnaire was applied to 92 volunteer participants. Based on the results, while the GW method has a high effect in reducing negative emotions and increasing engagement; it has a moderate effect on the increase of positive affection.

Collocations are word combinations essential for achieving fluency in a given language. Considerable emphasis should therefore be placed on teaching collocations as a part of vocabulary instruction in language teaching. However, there is no current consensus on how best to teach collocations, and few studies have addressed the issue. This quasi-experimental study investigated the effectiveness of online tools for learning English adjective-noun collocations compared to learning collocations via traditional activities. A quasi-experimental design with a pretest and immediate and delayed posttests was applied to 53 participants (n = 25 for the control group; n = 28 for the experimental group). The test results reveal that participants in the experimental group who learned collocations with online tools performed significantly better on both immediate and delayed posttests, demonstrating the effectiveness of these tools on learning adjective-noun collocations.

— Distance education has been spreading throughout the world especially with the increase in ICT. Learning Management System (LMS) is one of the most important dimensions of this educational model. LMS is a software application used for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of the course content. This study will introduce the design process of LMS that was developed by Yildiz Technical University. Based on the lessons learned during and after the design of LMS, it is concluded that users are one of the most important assets of LMS for the improvement of these systems.

ABSTRACT: Foreign language education in Turkey has been criticized as being not entirely functional throughout the literature. Implementing effective teaching materials into the foreign language learning environments may serve as a solution to the problem. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of learning objects (LOs), cutting-edge materials, on the achievement of learners in web-based language learning environments. To this end, this study was conducted in English I Course at the Department of Computer Programming at a Turkish medium state university in 2010-2011 Fall Semester. Seventy LOs appropriate for a six-week long lecture program were integrated into the learning management system (LMS) of the institution. Achievement tests were administered as pre and post-test to the study groups consisted of 118 students and results were analysing using SPSS. The findings indicate that web-based language education supported by LOs has a significant effect on students ’ achi...

Learning a foreign language involves more than mastering the language in question linguistically. Since culture and language are inseparable in their essence, any coursebook developed for foreign language teaching should take into consideration the cultural aspects of the language to be taught. The current study aims to investigate two language coursebooks used for teaching Turkish as a foreign language in terms of cultural elements. Descriptive content analysis method was used to determine the cultural elements used in these books and inferences were drawn based on this analysis. The analysis demonstrated that both target and international cultural elements were used all throughout the coursebooks, the former with an overwhelming majority. However, it was concluded that despite the high frequency of cultural elements, they were not presented in depth. Moreover, the coursebooks neglected to present cultural elements with a comparative approach that may have a contributing effect on ...

IntroductionIllustrations are essential elements in any language course book. Olshansky (2008) claimed that "Pictures [Illustrations] provide a universal language. They speak equally to native speakers, to those learning English as a second language... Pictures are our first language. It offers a language we all intuitively understand" (Preface section, para.1). In compliance with the needs of the "visual world" of today, illustrations should be able to "serve as valuable teaching tools, bringing to the eye what otherwise can only be imagined" (Evans, Watson & Willows, 1987, p. 86). Indeed, the fact that illustrations are valuable tools for conveying one's message is not a new idea. Starting from the very old ages, humans have communicated with visual elements (Domin, 2007) irrespective of their artistic quality. Paintings helped storytellers by carrying the role of "adjunct aids" to what they narrated during the ancient times, and similar...

We are truly excited to announce that the first issue in 2021 of Focus on ELT Journal brings together six contributions, five of which report valuable insights into the process of teaching and learning. In this issue, we also publish a book review, featuring one of the recently published books in the field.We are happy that our journal is steadily gaining recognition in the field of ELT since we have started receiving a higher number of submissions from different contexts, which simply makes our editorial tasks more challenging. Yet, not only does this help us understand the significance of our efforts in making our journal one of the resourceful and reliable venues for people of academic interest, but also it makes us much more motivated to pursue our goal to be recognized by the specialists in the field. To do this, we ensure that during the manuscript decision processes, we follow stringent publication ethics and rigorous external and internal reviewing cycles with the help of ou...

A learning management system (LMS) is a software or Web-based technology used to facilitate learning by providing a platform enabling easy access to learning content and resources by the learner.  In recent years, there has been an explosion in the number of LMSs claiming to be the best in the market. However, most of the LMSs, if not all, are designed and developed by taking into account the needs of all institutions and all kinds of courses in a one-size-fits-all approach, ignoring the needs of a specific field of study. In this context, although LMSs offer a wide range of features and tools for accessing to learning content and administration, they do not meet the field-specific needs of courses. One of these specific fields is English language teaching whose needs are mostly ignored in most of the LMSs. This study seeks to offer some recommendations based on the literature review and the experiences of the researcher for practical tools and features that can increase the functionality of LMSs for English language teaching.

A learning management system (LMS) is a software or Web-based technology used to facilitate learning by providing a platform enabling easy access to learning content and resources by the learner.  In recent years, there has been an explosion in the number of LMSs claiming to be the best in the market. However, most of the LMSs, if not all, are designed and developed by taking into account the needs of all institutions and all kinds of courses in a one-size-fits-all approach, ignoring the needs of a specific field of study. In this context, although LMSs offer a wide range of features and tools for accessing to learning content and administration, they do not meet the field-specific needs of courses. One of these specific fields is English language teaching whose needs are mostly ignored in most of the LMSs. This study seeks to offer some recommendations based on the literature review and the experiences of the researcher for practical tools and features that can increase the functionality of LMSs for English language teaching.

Distance education has been spreading throughout the world especially with the increase in ICT. Learning Management System (LMS) is one of the most important dimensions of this educational model. LMS is a software application used for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of the course content. This study will introduce the design process of LMS that was developed by Yildiz Technical University. Based on the lessons learned during and after the design of LMS, it is concluded that users are one of the most important assets of LMS for the improvement of these systems.

Today, rapid advances in ICT have influenced the world of education considerably. As technology becomes readily available for use in or outside the classrooms, it is undoubtedly shaping the way we teach and changing our profession as educators. It can be stated that adoption of technology in language teaching and learning environments has been so quick when we consider the history of language teaching. However, quality training for language teachers is critical for bringing success when they are using ICT in their own teaching environments. Thus, it is increasingly important to equip teachers with the knowledge, skills and expertise, necessary to integrate technology for their students. At this point, the quality of language teacher education programs comes to the fore. However, in their formal training, language teachers are mostly not well informed about the integration of ICT into language teaching and are graduated from their programs without having the necessary knowledge, skills and expertise. This study seeks to gain insights from the literature about the teacher educators' role as a model in educating the prospective language teachers in terms of ICT integration into the language teaching process.