Expectations eclipsed in foreign language education: learners and educators on an ongoing journey
[book]
Hülya Görür Atabaş, Sharon Turner
2011
As for the writing skills covered on the course, students get explicit instruction on effective writing. The focus of these training sessions comprises of a clear thesis statement, a well developed argument, effective examples, transition between ideas, transition within/between paragraphs, unity between ideas, in-text citation and references, and use of language. A highly similar, focused instruction is given in Turkish Language and Literature (TLL) courses as well. Students are also expected
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... o write an analytic paper of almost 2000 words as a requirement of this course in Turkish. Another course where they are required to write analytic papers is the History of Civilizations (SPS) course. However, over the years, it has been observed that, although students receive focused instruction on writing skills both in English and in Turkish, they do not produce well organized, effective papers for this course. The Study The aim of this study was to find out possible reasons for such a gap between courses. The Freshman ENG instructors and SPS instructors gathered to identify the problems and find solutions. ENG and TLL instructors had already Expectations Eclipsed in Foreign Language Education: Learners and educators on an ongoing journey Expectations Eclipsed in Foreign Language Education: Learners and educators on an ongoing journey 6 7 given in the previous semester and two papers that received an A and a Cgrade respectively. Then we discussed the current task and brainstormed how they could go about writing a thesis statement. We also produced a mind-map on a potential introduction and how students could develop each of the ideas into paragraphs. At the time of writing this paper, the marking of the SPS papers had not been completed. Once they are complete, the next step will be to compare students' ENG and SPS papers and the grades they received in each course. This will hopefully give us some idea on whether the focused instruction for the SPS paper has been helpful. Implications The missing voice in this study is the teaching assistants (TAs). Involving them will not only satisfy triangulation purposes, but also give insights into how TAs guide students in the process of writing papers and how they mark papers. This may also lead to TA training in these areas. . Relations of children's motivation for reading to the amount and breadth of their reading. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89 (3), 420-432. Yamashita, J. (2007). The relationship of reading attitudes between L1 and L2: An investigation of adult EFL learners in Japan. TESOL Quarterly, 41 (1), 81-105. Another result that calls for implementation in class is the use of technology in reading lessons. The current study revealed that students' interaction with online texts have a statistically significant effect on their reading grades. Considering this, some laboratory hours could be organized in which the students have the opportunity to read online, search on the Internet and report what they have learned in written or spoken form. Similarly, the study revealed that the more time the students spend reading, the better grades they get. In line with Taylor et al. (1990), more time should be spared for the students so that they are exposed to the language under the supervision of the teacher. Kurtoglu-Hooton, N. 2010. 'Post-observation as an instigator of teacher learning and change: Exploring the effect of feedback through student teachers' self-reports'. PhD
doi:10.5900/su_sl_eb.2011.18634
fatcat:swod4o7usvdjfinfjj7rbrjyqq