Session Information
ERG SES D 14, Education and Teachers' Practice
Paper Session
Contribution
The waves of globalisation and rapid developments in communications and technologies have paved the way for the spread of English in the world. As a result, individuals have had a greater need for learning English as a foreign language, and many countries have introduced English as a subject into primary and secondary curriculum (Truchot, 2002). According to the data published by the Eurydice (2012), English is the most commonly learned foreign langauge in primary and secondary education in 33 European countries.
As is the case in the world, Turkey attaches great importance to teaching English as a foreign language. Since the 1980s, Turkey has followed a language policy which strongly favours teaching English at schools considering the fact that English is crucial to international relations in today's world (König, 1990; Dogancay-Aktuna, 1998; Kırkgöz, 2009). The most noticeable signal of that policy is the introduction of English as a compulsory subject at all levels of education.
In line with the adopted policy, concerted efforts have been made to improve English education at schools. Within this framework, the lenghth of English education was extended to eleven years in 2012. Moreover, primary and secondary national English curricula were revised gradually, and the new curricula were introduced in 2013 and 2011, respectively. The new curricula were developed based on Communicative Approach, and in line with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CoE, 2001).
Despite all the efforts, learner achievement in English at the end of secondary education is still insuficient because students can generally become only a basic user at the end of eleven-year compulsory English education (König, 1990; Kırkgöz, 2009; Paker, 2012). The research that investigated the reasons behind that problem in terms of the new curricula and their implementation revealed that there were inconsistencies between the curricula and their implementation (Karcı, 2012; Tekin-Özel, 2011; Dönmez, 2010; İnam-Çelik, 2009; Kefeli, 2008; Ersen-Yanık, 2007; Er, 2006). This research was focused on primary education, and based on learner and teacher opinions related to the curricula and their implementation. In this respect, it is observed that there exists a need for more detailed classroom research focused on classroom interaction in order to see how the national curricula are reflected in the English classroom, and what are the inconsistencies and the reasons behind.
Against this background, the purpose of this research is to investigate how the Communicative Approach which forms the basis of the new secondary national English curriculum is reflected in the 10th-grade English classrooms.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Allen, J. P., Fröhlich, M., & Spada, N. (1984). The communicative orientation of language teaching: An observation scheme. In J. Handscombe, R. A. Orem, & B. Taylor (Eds.), On TESOL '83 (pp. 231-252). Washington, DC: TESOL. Chaudron, C. (1988). Second language classrooms: Research on teaching and learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CoE. (2001). Common European framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – A guide for users. Strasbourg: Language Policy Division. Doğançay-Aktuna, S. (1998). The spread of English in Turkey and its current sociolinguistic profile. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 19(1) , 24-39. Dönmez, Ö. (2010). Implementation of the new eighth grade English language curriculum from the perspectives of teachers and students (Unpublished master dissertation). Middle East Technical University, Ankara. Er, K. O. (2006). İlköğretim 4. ve 5. sınıf İngilizce öğretim programlarının değerlendirilmesi (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ankara University, Ankara. Ersen-Yanık, A. (2007). A study of English language curriculum implementation in 6th, 7th and 8th grades of public primary schools through teachers' and students' perceptions (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Middle East Technical University, Ankara. Eurydice. (2012). Key data on teaching languages at school in Europe 2012. Brussels: European Commission. İnam-Çelik, G. (2009). İlköğretim okulları 4. sınıf İngilizce dersi öğretim programının değerlendirilmesine ilişkin öğretmen görüşleri (Unpublished master dissertation). Adnan Menderes University, Aydın. Karcı, C. (2012). Ortaöğretim dokuzuncu sınıf İngilizce öğretim programının öğretmen görüşlerine göre değerlendirilmesi (Unpublished master dissertation). Adnan Menderes University, Aydın. Kefeli, H. (2008). Exploring the perceptions of teachers, students and parents about the new 4 Year Anatolian high school English program (Unpublished master dissertation). Middle East Technical University, Ankara. Kırkgöz, Y. (2009). Globalization and English language policy in Turkey. Educational Policy, 23(5) , 663-684. König, G. (1990). The place of English in Turkey. In D. Bozer (Ed.), The birth and growth of a department: Department of English language and literature: 25th anniversary (pp. 157-167). Ankara: Hacettepe University. Paker, T. (2012). Türkiye'de neden yabancı dil (İngilizce) öğretemiyoruz ve neden öğrencilerimiz iletişim kurabilecek düzeyde İngilizce öğrenemiyor? (Why can't we teach foreign languages (English) in Turkey?) Pamukkale University Journal of Education, 32(2), 89-94. Tekin-Özel, R. (2011). İlköğretim İngilizce dersi öğretim programlarının uygulanmasında karşılaşılan güçlüklerin belirlenmesi (Ankara ili örneği) (Unpublished master dissertation). Ankara Üniversitesi, Ankara. Truchot, C. (2002). Key aspects of the use of English in Europe. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
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