The ability
of a person to establish sound relationships with other people and to establish
successful communication depends on the ability to use the language
effectively. The way to use the language effectively is to have a rich
vocabulary. Idioms are one of the important vocabulary elements used in both
oral and written expression in daily life. Idioms are very important in terms
of reflecting the culture, history and common language taste of a society.
Turkish is a very rich language in terms of idioms. The multitude of idioms gives
Turkish a distinct beauty and expression power. Idioms are so embedded in both
our writing and speaking that we cannot express our feelings and thoughts in an
effective and short way without them.
The idioms
which show the expression power of Turkish and which are thought to be the
cross-section of the culture of the society should be transferred to the
students with appropriate methods and techniques in the teaching of the mother
tongue. One aim of teaching Turkish is to enable the students to learn the
words in our language with their meanings, correct spelling and pronunciation,
and to enrich their vocabulary. In this study in which Turkish course and
student workbooks are examined in terms of idiom existence and teaching, the
findings will be discussed and discussed in the light of the literature.
It is
possible for a person to express his/her feelings and thoughts in full by
having a rich vocabulary. From this point of view, it is necessary for the
children/students to meet publications containing and reflecting the vocabulary
items, the wealth and the expression power of our mother tongue as of their
youth. It is important that the texts to be selected for textbooks reflect the
vocabulary of our mother tongue in education and training. The aim of this
study is to examine primary school 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Turkish
textbooks in terms of presence, frequency and teaching of idioms. The study was
based on Document Analysis of the Qualitative Data Collection Methods. The
universe of the study consisted of the books accepted as the coursebooks for
the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades of the primary schools in 2017-2018 by the
Ministry of Education, Board of Education; and the sampling of the study
consisted of the Turkish textbooks used in teaching in Ankara and prepared and
published by the MEB and EZDE publishing houses. The universe of the study was
limited to written documents. While reading texts were included in the scope of
the study, the listening and free reading texts were excluded. The texts in the
textbooks were examined in terms of the presence of idioms; and the frequencies
of the idioms were determined according to the text types and themes. The data
collected in this study were classified using frequency calculations in terms
of the aims of the study. In addition, the methods and techniques used in the
teaching of idioms were examined. The findings from the books were presented in
tables and figures; and the findings were interpreted. Based on the findings
obtained in the study, it may not be said that the texts of the Turkish
textbooks are rich in terms of the existence of idioms. Similarly, we saw that
there was not much use of methods and techniques in the teaching of idioms. At
the end of the study, sample activities related to teaching idioms were
included. It is considered important to select rich texts in terms of
vocabulary based on the principle of “child relativeness” in the selection of
textbooks. The creation of context-based activities in the teaching of idioms,
active learning, making use of collaborative methods and techniques, and the
inclusion of creative drama applications will make learning more permanent and
enjoyable.
Following
the study, the following suggestions can be presented to Turkish textbook
authors and teachers. When selecting texts in Turkish textbooks, rich texts
should be selected (considering the age and level of the child). In the
teaching of idiom, attention should be paid to the use of active learning
(brainstorming, concept network, mental mapping, mutual teaching, educational
games, etc.) and cooperative methods and techniques and to increase the number.
Context-based activity studies should be given importance in idiom teaching. In
the teaching of words and words of unknown meaning, the student should not be
directed directly to the dictionary; If the meaning cannot be made with the
support of the teacher, the dictionary should be used. Students enjoy playing
games. In idiom teaching, idiom teaching can be realized with animations and
creative drama studies. Visual materials such as caricatures can be used in the
teaching of idioms. Activities can also be prepared based on the stories of
idioms. In the listening texts, the student can complete the sentences left
unfinished from the student with appropriate idioms. Students' expression
skills can be improved by using the expressions in their oral and written
expressions.
