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Abstract

This study aims to investigate and promote pre-service English language teachers’ competence in basic elements of spoken communication. In the study a group of 64 non-native pre-service teachers of English in the Oral Communication Skills course in a pre-service English Language Teaching department at the tertiary level in Turkey specifically practised the segmental and prosodic features of English, connected speech, and spoken language conventions through a number of spoken communication activities and tasks. With the purpose of evaluating participants’ English pronunciation prior to the course and also after the course, a student questionnaire was administered and focused on students’ self-assessment in word pronunciation, word stress, sentence stress, accuracy, intonation, word linking, assimilation, elision, and contraction before and after the course as well as the effect of course activities. The data findings indicated poor or average competence in various components of spoken communication prior to the study; whereas, the participants reported significant improvement in all these components as they improved basic components of spoken communication through various interactive course activities.

Keywords

• spoken communication skills, English language teaching, pre-service teachers of English

An Investigation of Prospective English Language Teachers' Spoken Communication Skills: A Case From Turkey

Abstract

Bu çalışma lisans düzeyi İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının İngilizce sözlü iletişimi oluşturan temel unsurlardaki yeterlilik düzeylerini incelemeyi ve geliştirmeyi hedeflemektedir. Çalışmada Sözel İletişim Becerileri dersinde anadili İngilizce olmayan İngiliz Dili Eğitimi bölümü 64 lisans düzeyi İngilizce öğretmen adayı ile sözlü iletişimin temel unsurlarını oluşturan İngilizcenin ses özellikleri, bürünsel unsurları, birleşik konuşma özellikleri ve konuşma dilinin temel özellikleri konularında iletişimsel dil etkinlikleri ile uygulama yapılmıştır. Bu katılımcıların uygulama öncesi ve sonrası sözlü iletişimi oluşturan bu unsurlardaki gelişimleri bir anket yardımıyla ölçülmüştür. Ankette katılımcıların kelime telaffuzu, kelime vurgusu, cümlede vurgu, doğru kullanım, tonlama, kelimede birleştirme, ulama, çıkarma ve kısaltma gibi unsurlarda kendilerini değerlendirmeleri istenmiştir. Çalışma bulguları, katılımcıların bu unsurları uygulama öncesi genelde zayıf ya da orta olarak gösterirken, çalışma sonrası uygulama kapsamında yapılan iletişimsel etkinler ile aynı unsurlarda öğretmen adaylarının belirgin bir gelişme içerisinde olduğunu göstermiştir.

Keywords

• sözlü iletişim becerileri, İngiliz dili eğitimi, İngilizce öğretmen adayları

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