Difficulties in Learning English by EFL Students in Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that contribute to English language learning difficulties. Study participants included 2317 secondary and high school students from the state schools of the Ministry of Education in Ankara. Data was derived through the Foreign Language Learning Difficulties Scale (LLDS) developed (2017) by the researches and semi structured interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed through SPSS, a statistical program for social sciences research, and the qualitative data was analyzed through MaxQda 12, software for qualitative and mixed methods research with 70 students in total. The findings of the foreign language learning difficulties scale showed that both 7th and 11th grade students had high levels of difficulties in the foreign language learning process. When the difficulties between the two grades were compared, results showed that 11th grade students had higher levels of language learning difficulties than 7th grade students. Results of semi-structured interviews showed that the most common difficulties experienced by students were insufficient communicative practice in textbooks, insufficient use of visual and audio instruments in the classrooms, insufficient practices of listening and speaking abilities, lack of language learning teaching strategies, low self-confidence, crowded classrooms and disciplinary problems.

Keywords

• Foreign language learning
• language learning difficulties
• scale developlement
• curriculum and instruction
• mixed method research

Türkiye’de Yabancı Dil Olarak İngilizce Öğrenen Öğrencilere Göre Dil Öğrenmeyi Zorlaştıran Etkenler

Abstract

Bu araştırmada İngilizce öğrenme sürecinde yaşanan zorlukların öğrenciler tarafından belirlenmesi hedeflenmiştir. Türkiye’de dil öğrenme ve öğretme sürecinde yaşanan zorlukların belirlenmesi, bu zorlukların giderilmesi bakımından önemlidir. Bu araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Ankara ilindeki Milli Eğitim Bakanlığına bağlı Anadolu liselerinin 11. sınıf ve devlet ortaokullarının 7. sınıf öğrencileri oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmaya toplam 2,317 öğrenci katılmıştır. Çalışmanın veri toplama araçları, araştırmacılar tarafından geliştirilen Dil Öğrenmeyi Zorlaştıran Faktörler (DÖZF) Ölçeği (2017) ve yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formudur. Verilerin çözümlenmesinde SPSS paket programı MaxQda 12 programından faydalanımıştır. Çalışmanın bulguları hem 7. hem de 11. sınıf öğrencilerin dil öğrenme sürecinde yüksek düzeyde zorluk yaşadığını göstermiştir. Buna ek olarak, 7. Sınıf öğrencilerinin İngilizce öğrenirken yaşadığı zorluklar, lise 11. sınıf öğrencilerinin yaşadığı zorluklara göre daha az düzeydedir. Çalışmanın nitel sonuçlarına göre, öğrencilerin ortak olarak en sık yaşadıkları zorluklar; ders kitaplarının yetersiz oluşu, İngilizce ders kitaplarının öğrencilerin günlük yaşamlarında kullanacakları metinleri içermemesi, derslerde konuşma ve dinleme becerilerinin gelişimine ilişkin etkinlik yetersizlikleri, derslerde dil öğrenme stratejilerine yer verilmemesi, İngilizceye karşı özgüven eksikliği, kalabalık sınıflar ve disiplin sorunlarıdır.

Keywords

• Yabancı dil öğrenme
• program geliştirme ve öğretim
• betimsel araştırma
• ölçek geliştirme çalışması
• yabancı dil öğrenmeyi zorlaştıran etkenler

References

1. Aduwa-Ogiegbaen & S. E., Iyamu, E. O. S. (2006). Factors affecting quality of English language teaching and learning in secondary schools in Nigeria. College Student Journal, 40 (3).
2. Agcam, R. And Babanoglu, M.P. (2018). The solo analysıs of efl teachıng programmes: evıdence from Turkey. Turkish Studies Educational Sciences, 13 (27), 1-18. doi: 10.7827/TurkishStudies.14255
3. Akdoğan, S. (2010). Teachers and instructors’ views about the problems experienced in foreign language teaching in Turkey and foreign language schools as a proposal (Unpublished master’s thesis). Fırat University, Social Sciences Institute, Elazığ.
4. Akkuş, O. (2009). Problems in English learning and teaching in Turkey: Sample of Sivas (Unpublished master’s thesis). Cumhuriyet University, Social Science. Institute, Sivas.
5. Aksoy, E. (2020). Evaluation of the 2017 updated secondary school English curriculum of Turkey by means of theory-practice link. Turkish Journal of Education, 9(1), 1−21. doi: 10.19128/turje.575392
6. Altan, M. Z. (2003). Language learning strategies and foreign language achievement. Education and Science, 28(129), 25-31.
7. Aslantürk, S. (2011). Determination of teachers’ perceptions about the new English curriculum and course books used in Anatolian high schools: The sample of Zonguldak city (Unpublished master’s thesis). Zonguldak Karaelmas University, Social Sciences Institute, Zonguldak.
8. Celik, Ş. N. (2011). Students', teachers' and inspectors' views about secondary school English coursebook Breeze 9 (Unpublished Master’s Thesis). Hacettepe University, Institute of Educational Sciences, Ankara.

9. Chen, S. C. (2010). Multilingualism in Taiwan. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 205,79–104.
10. Cihan, T. and Gürlen, E. (2013). Teachers’ opinions on the English language curriculum of the 5th grade of primary education. Anadolu University Journal of Social Sciences,13(1),131-146.
11. Council of Higher Education. (2007) Türkiye’nin yüksek öğretim stratejisi. [Turkey’s higher education strategy] Retrieved from: https://www.yok.gov.tr/Documents/Yayinlar/Yayinlarimiz/Turkiyenin-yuksekogretim-stratejisi.pdf
12. Dale, P. & Wolf, J.C. (1988). Speech communication for international students. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall.
13. Demir-Ayaz, A., Ozkardas, S. & Ozturan, T. (2019). Challenges with English language teaching in high schools in Turkey and possible suggestions to overcome them. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 5(1), 41-55. doi: 10.32601/ejal.543778
14. Demirpolat, C.B. (2015). Türkiye’nin yabancı dil öğretimi ile imtihanı: Sorunlar ve çözüm önerileri [Turkey's test with foreign language education: problems and suggestions]SETA.Retrieved from: http://file.setav.org/Files/Pdf/20150707131308_131_yabancidil_web.pdf
15. Demirtaş, Z. and Erdem, S. (2015). Teachers' opinions about the renewed fifth grade mathematics curriculum and opinions of teachers. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 5 (2), 55-80.
16. Dincer, A., and Koç, H. K. (2020). The implementation of an intensive English language program in the fifth grade in Turkey: A qualitative evaluation. Kuramsal Eğitimbilim Dergisi [Journal of Theoretical Educational Science], 13(1), 25-43. https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.532955
17. EF EPI. (Education First English Proficiency Index) (2015). The world’s largest ranking of countries by English skills. Retrieved from http://www.ef.co.uk/epi/
18. Er, K.O. (2006). Evaluation of English curricula in 4th and 5th grade primary schools. Ankara University Journal of Faculty of Educational Sciences, 39(2), 1-25.
19. Erdem, S. (2016). The problems encountered in English language teaching according to secondary-high school students and English language teacher (Unpublished Master’s Thesis). Sakarya University, Institute of Educational Sciences, Sakarya.
20. Gulsoy, D. (2011). Opinions of English instructors and preperatory school students on the use and instruction of language learning strategies (Unpublished Master’s Thesis). Hacettepe University, Institute of Social Sciences, Ankara.
21. Gurel, E. and Demirhan Işcan, C. (2020). Reviewing the 9th grade English curriculum with stake’s responsive evaluation model according to teachers’ opinions. Cukurova University Faculty of Educational Journal, 49 (1), 501-554. doi: 10.14812/cufej.623396
22. Karasar, N. (2005). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemi [Scientific Research Method] Ankara: Nobel publications.
23. Lamb, M. (2007). The impact of school on EFL learning motivation: an Indonesian case study. TESOL Quarterly, 41(4), 757-780.
24. MacIntyre, P. D., Noels, K. A., and Clément, R. (1997). Biases in self-ratings of second language proficiency: The role of language anxiety. Language Learning, 47(2), 265-287
25. Masgoret, A. M., and Gardner, R. C. (2003). Attitudes, motivation, and second language Learning: A meta-analysis of studies conducted by Gardner and associates. Language Learning, 53(1), 167-210.
26. McMillan, J.H. (1996). Educational research: fundementals for the consumer. (2nd ed.). New York: HarperCollins College Publishers.
27. Miles, M. B. & Huberman, A. M. (1994). An expanded sourcebook qualitative data analysis. London: SAGE Publications.
28. O’Neill, R. (1982). Why use textbooks? ELT Journal Vol. 36/2.
29. OSYM.(2017). Retrieved from: https://dokuman.osym.gov.tr/pdfdokuman/2017/osys/LYS/SayisalBilgiler11072017.pdf
30. Ozbay and Kayaoğlu (2015). EFL teacher’s reflections towards the use of computerized corpora as a teaching tool in their classrooms. Cukurova University Faculty of Education Journal. 44(1), 85-104 DOI: 10.14812/cufej.2015.005
31. Ozturk, G. and Aydın, B. (2019). English language teacher education in Turkey: why do we fail and what policy reforms are needed? AJESI - Anadolu Journal of Educational Sciences International, 2019; 9(1): 181-213 doi:10.18039/ajesi.520842
32. Paaki, H. (2013). Difficulties in speaking English and perceptions of accents a comparative study of Finnish and Japanese adult learners of English (Unpublished Master’s thesis). University of Eastern Finland, School of Humanities, Finland.
33. Patton, M. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
34. Rubin, J (1975). What the ‘good language learner’ can teach us, TESOL Quarterly, 9, 41-51.
35. Senemoğlu, N. (1987). Bilişsel giriş davranışları ve dönüt-düzeltmenin erişiye etkisi (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Hacettepe University, Institute of Educational Sciences, Ankara.
36. Sevinç, K.Ü. (2006). The analysis of teachers' views regarding the difficulties in teaching of English as a foreign language in Turkish primary schools (Unpublished master’s thesis). Dicle University, Diyarbakır.
37. Soğuksu, A. F. (2013). Reflection of the communicative approach adopted in the secondary curriculum for English in the classroom (Unpublished Master’s Thesis). Ankara University, Institue of Educational Sciences, Ankara.
38. Stronge, J. H. (2002). Qualities of effective teachers. Alexandria VA: Association for supervision and curriculum development.
39. TEPAV and British Council (2013). Retrieved from: https://www.tepav.org.tr/upload/files/13993885191.Turkiyedeki_Devlet_Okullarinda_Ingilizce_Dilinin_Ogrenimine_Iliskin_Ulusal_Ihtiyac_Analizi.pdf
40. Tuan, N. H. & Mai, T. N. (2015). Factors affecting students’ speaking performance at le Thanh Hien high school. Asian Journal of Educational Research. 3 (2). 8-23.
41. Ur, P. (1984). Teaching listening comprehension. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
42. Weinstein, E. C., and Mayer, R. (1986). The teaching of learning strategies. (Wittock, M.C. Eds) Handbook of research on teaching, New York: Maccmillan Company.