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ATTITUDES OF BIOENGINEERING AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING STUDENTS TOWARDS ENGLISH : A CASE OF KAFKAS UNIVERSITY

Year 2015, Volume: 3 , 139 - 144, 01.09.2015

Abstract

English language
teaching and learning has been among one of the most heated issues in Turkish
educational system, the intended level hasn’t been reached, though. In
literature it is generally accepted that positive attitudes are important
factors in language learning. In this respect, the aim of this study is to
determine the attitudes of  
Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering students towards English. In
order to carry out the study an attitude scale prepared by Ambarlı-Kırkız
(2010) was administered to 65 Mechanical engineering and 36 Bioengineering
students studying at Kafkas University, Kars.  
For the data analysis, SPSS 20 program was used and for the assessment
of the results independent Sample t-test and descriptive statistics were used.
According to the result of the study, the majority of  the participants  had negative attitudes towards English. The
results of the study showed that there was no significant difference between
the attitudes of male students and female ones t(247)=2,45, p>0,05 and that
there was no significant difference between the attitudes of  Mechanical Engineering students and Bioengineering
students in relation to their departments t (99) =0,264, p> 0, 05.

References

  • Abidin, M. J. Z., Pour-Mohammadi, M. &Alzwari, H. (2012).EFL Students' Attitudes towards Learning English Language: The Case of Libyan Secondary School Students. Asian Social Science, 8(2), 119-126 Alkaff , A. A.(2013). Students’ Attitudes and Perceptions towards Learning English.AWEJ, 4 (2), 106-121. Ambarlı-Kırkız, Y. (2010). Öğrencilerin İngilizce dersine aitTutumları ileakademik başarıları Arasındaki ilişki. TrakyaÜniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, yayımlanmamış yükseklisans tezi. Edirne: Trakya Üniversitesi. Aydemir, Ö. (2007). İlköğretim II. Kademe öğrencilerinin İngilizce dersinde kullandıkları öğrenme stratejileri ve başarı başarısızlık yüklemeleri. Yayımlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi, Trakya Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Edirne. Brown H. Douglas (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Crystal, D. (1997). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics (4th ed.), UK: Blackwell. Csizér, K. and Dörnyei, Z.(2005).‘The internal structure of language learning motivation and its relationship with language choice and learning effort’, The Modern Language Journal, 89, pp. 19-36. Drabad, A.M. (2013).Attitude towards Foreign Language, Corrective Feedback, and Oral Accuracy, Macro Think,International Journal of Linguistics, 5(2), pp.116-134. Elkılıç, G., Akalın, A. & Salman, R.M. (2010). Attitudes of Education Faculty Students towards Compulsory English Courses: The Case of Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University. ISSD'10 Second International Symposium on Sustainable Development, June 8-9, Sarajevo, Bosnia &Herzegovina, 181-187. Eveyik, E. (1999). Development of an Attitude Scale to Investigate Turkish Teachers’ Attitudes.Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü. Yayımlanmamış YüksekLisansTezi. İstanbul. Fakeye, D. (2010). Students' Personal Variables as Correlates of Academic Achievement in English as a second Language in in Nigeria. Journal of Social Sciences, 22(3), 205-211. Garner, R. and Smythe, P. (1975). Motivation and second language acquisition. TheCanadian Modern language Review, 31, 218-230. Gardner, R. (1980). On the validity of affective variables in second language acquisition: conceptual, contextual and statistical consideration. Language Learning, 30, 255–270. Gardner, R. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning. The role of attitudes and motivation. London: Edward Arnold İnal, S., Evin, İ.& Saracaloğlu, A. S. (2003, October).The Relation between Students‟ Attitudes Toward Foreign Language and Foreign Language Achievement. Paper presented at Approaches to the Study of Language and Literature, First International Conference DokuzEylül University Buca Faculty of Education, İzmir, Turkey. Retrieved from http://dergiler.ankara.edu.tr/dergiler/27/754/9618.pdf Kara, A. (2009). The effect of a ‘learning theories’ unit on students’ attitudes towards learning. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 34(3), 100–113. Karahan, F. (2007). Language attitudes of Turkish students towards the English language and its use in Turkish context .Çankaya Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi, Journal of Arts and Sciences 7, 73-87. Kiptui, D. K., &Mbugua, Z. K. (2009). Factors that contribute to poor academic achievementin English in Kerio Valley schools. Kenya Journal of Educational Management, 1, 1–155. Kraemer, R., &Zisenwine, D. (1989). Changes in attitude toward learning Hebrew in a South African setting. Language Learning, 39, 1–14. Lafaye, B. E. and Tsudo, S.(2002). Attitudes towards English Language Learning in Higher Education in Japan and the Place of English in Japanese Society. Intercultural Communication Studies. 11(3), 145-161.
 Maclntyre, P. D., &Charos, C. (1996). Personality, attitudes, and affect as predicators of second language communication. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 15(1), 3-26. Noels, K. A., Pelletier, L. G., &Vallerand, R. J. (2000). Why are you learning a second language? Motivational orientation and self-determination theory.LanguageLearning,50, 57-85. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0023-8333.00111
  • Shoaib A, and Dornyei Z. (2005). Affect in lifelong learning: exploring L2 motivation as a dynamic process. From "Learners' stories: difference and diversity in language learning". Ed. Benson, P. & Nunan, D. Cambridge University Press. Pages 22-41. Soleimani, H. and Hanifi, S. (2013). Iranian Medical Students’ Attitudes towards English Language Learning.International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences,4(12), 3816-3823 Soku, D., Simpeh, K. N. &Osafo-Adu, M. (2011).Students‟ Attitudes Towards the Study of English and French in a Private University Setting in Ghana. Journal of Education and Practice, 2(9), 19–30. Retrieved from www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JEP/article/download/.../677 Starks, D. and Paltridge, B. (1996).‘A note on using sociolinguistic methods to study non-native attitudes towards English’, World Englishes, 15 (2), pp. 217-224.
Year 2015, Volume: 3 , 139 - 144, 01.09.2015

Abstract

References

  • Abidin, M. J. Z., Pour-Mohammadi, M. &Alzwari, H. (2012).EFL Students' Attitudes towards Learning English Language: The Case of Libyan Secondary School Students. Asian Social Science, 8(2), 119-126 Alkaff , A. A.(2013). Students’ Attitudes and Perceptions towards Learning English.AWEJ, 4 (2), 106-121. Ambarlı-Kırkız, Y. (2010). Öğrencilerin İngilizce dersine aitTutumları ileakademik başarıları Arasındaki ilişki. TrakyaÜniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, yayımlanmamış yükseklisans tezi. Edirne: Trakya Üniversitesi. Aydemir, Ö. (2007). İlköğretim II. Kademe öğrencilerinin İngilizce dersinde kullandıkları öğrenme stratejileri ve başarı başarısızlık yüklemeleri. Yayımlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi, Trakya Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Edirne. Brown H. Douglas (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Crystal, D. (1997). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics (4th ed.), UK: Blackwell. Csizér, K. and Dörnyei, Z.(2005).‘The internal structure of language learning motivation and its relationship with language choice and learning effort’, The Modern Language Journal, 89, pp. 19-36. Drabad, A.M. (2013).Attitude towards Foreign Language, Corrective Feedback, and Oral Accuracy, Macro Think,International Journal of Linguistics, 5(2), pp.116-134. Elkılıç, G., Akalın, A. & Salman, R.M. (2010). Attitudes of Education Faculty Students towards Compulsory English Courses: The Case of Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University. ISSD'10 Second International Symposium on Sustainable Development, June 8-9, Sarajevo, Bosnia &Herzegovina, 181-187. Eveyik, E. (1999). Development of an Attitude Scale to Investigate Turkish Teachers’ Attitudes.Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü. Yayımlanmamış YüksekLisansTezi. İstanbul. Fakeye, D. (2010). Students' Personal Variables as Correlates of Academic Achievement in English as a second Language in in Nigeria. Journal of Social Sciences, 22(3), 205-211. Garner, R. and Smythe, P. (1975). Motivation and second language acquisition. TheCanadian Modern language Review, 31, 218-230. Gardner, R. (1980). On the validity of affective variables in second language acquisition: conceptual, contextual and statistical consideration. Language Learning, 30, 255–270. Gardner, R. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning. The role of attitudes and motivation. London: Edward Arnold İnal, S., Evin, İ.& Saracaloğlu, A. S. (2003, October).The Relation between Students‟ Attitudes Toward Foreign Language and Foreign Language Achievement. Paper presented at Approaches to the Study of Language and Literature, First International Conference DokuzEylül University Buca Faculty of Education, İzmir, Turkey. Retrieved from http://dergiler.ankara.edu.tr/dergiler/27/754/9618.pdf Kara, A. (2009). The effect of a ‘learning theories’ unit on students’ attitudes towards learning. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 34(3), 100–113. Karahan, F. (2007). Language attitudes of Turkish students towards the English language and its use in Turkish context .Çankaya Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi, Journal of Arts and Sciences 7, 73-87. Kiptui, D. K., &Mbugua, Z. K. (2009). Factors that contribute to poor academic achievementin English in Kerio Valley schools. Kenya Journal of Educational Management, 1, 1–155. Kraemer, R., &Zisenwine, D. (1989). Changes in attitude toward learning Hebrew in a South African setting. Language Learning, 39, 1–14. Lafaye, B. E. and Tsudo, S.(2002). Attitudes towards English Language Learning in Higher Education in Japan and the Place of English in Japanese Society. Intercultural Communication Studies. 11(3), 145-161.
 Maclntyre, P. D., &Charos, C. (1996). Personality, attitudes, and affect as predicators of second language communication. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 15(1), 3-26. Noels, K. A., Pelletier, L. G., &Vallerand, R. J. (2000). Why are you learning a second language? Motivational orientation and self-determination theory.LanguageLearning,50, 57-85. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0023-8333.00111
  • Shoaib A, and Dornyei Z. (2005). Affect in lifelong learning: exploring L2 motivation as a dynamic process. From "Learners' stories: difference and diversity in language learning". Ed. Benson, P. & Nunan, D. Cambridge University Press. Pages 22-41. Soleimani, H. and Hanifi, S. (2013). Iranian Medical Students’ Attitudes towards English Language Learning.International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences,4(12), 3816-3823 Soku, D., Simpeh, K. N. &Osafo-Adu, M. (2011).Students‟ Attitudes Towards the Study of English and French in a Private University Setting in Ghana. Journal of Education and Practice, 2(9), 19–30. Retrieved from www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JEP/article/download/.../677 Starks, D. and Paltridge, B. (1996).‘A note on using sociolinguistic methods to study non-native attitudes towards English’, World Englishes, 15 (2), pp. 217-224.
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Journal Section Articles
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Gencer Elkılıç This is me

Publication Date September 1, 2015
Published in Issue Year 2015 Volume: 3

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APA Elkılıç, G. (2015). ATTITUDES OF BIOENGINEERING AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING STUDENTS TOWARDS ENGLISH : A CASE OF KAFKAS UNIVERSITY. The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational and Social Sciences, 3, 139-144.