A Content Analysis of Doctoral Dissertations on L2 Pronunciation by Turkish Authors

İbrahim Halil Topal

doi:10.35207/later.1867354

A Content Analysis of Doctoral Dissertations on L2 Pronunciation by Turkish Authors

Abstract

This study analysed the doctoral dissertations on L2 pronunciation by Turkish authors. Using content analysis, the study aimed to identify the bibliometric characteristics, methodological properties, research topics, and main findings. The results indicated that Turkish thesis writers minimally addressed L2 pronunciation features, accompanied by limited and unbalanced gender, institutional, and geographic representation. Correspondingly, they employed conventional research methods, leaving further gaps in the use of more up-to-date designs, tools, and analysis techniques, and in the inclusion of more diverse samples. Additionally, insufficient concentration on specific research topics (e.g., technology and intelligibility) warrants more inquiry into various areas of pronunciation. The analysed dissertations concluded that explicit and targeted pronunciation instruction consistently leads to measurable improvements in Turkish EFL learners' pronunciation, comprehensibility, and intelligibility, even though certain segmental and suprasegmental errors tend to persist. Altogether, this study discusses the findings and implications for different stakeholders and recommends directions for prospective researchers.

Keywords

References

*Akarslan, K. (2024). The effects of explicit instruction of contractions as a connected speech feature on Turkish EFL learners' read speech (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Çukurova University, Türkiye.
*Aksakallı, C. (2018). The EFL pre-service teachers’ phonological processing, evaluation of their phonetic awareness and pedagogical needs (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Atatürk University, Türkiye.
*Bakla, A. (2012). The effectiveness of instruction through Moodle and accent reduction software on the pronunciation of EFL teacher trainees. (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation). Hacettepe University, Türkiye.
*Çerçi, A. (2013). Konuşma eğitiminin telaffuz vurgu ve tonlama konularının dinleme destekli öğretimi (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation). Necmettin Erbakan University, Türkiye.
*Deveci, C. (2023). Orthography effect on the pronunciation of Turkish EFL learners (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Anadolu University, Türkiye.
*Gokgoz-Kurt, B. (2016). Attention control and the effects of online training in improving connected speech perception by learners of English as a second language (Unpublished doctoral dissertation) University of South Carolina, USA.
*Kitapci, K. (2016). Speech intelligibility in multilingual spaces (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, UK.
*Malkoç, E. (2011). Konuşmanın kişiye özgü değişmezleri: Ünlüler üzerine sesbilgisel bir çalışma [Speaker specific invariants in speech: A phonetic study on vowels] (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ankara University, Türkiye.

*Topal, İ.H. (2023). A critical evaluation of pronunciation teaching in an ELT department in Turkey (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Hacettepe University, Türkiye.
*Uzun, T. (2019). Pronunciation and intelligibility of Turkish native speakers learning English. (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Ankara University, Türkiye.
*Yerli-Usul, S. (2023). Investigating the linguistic and contextual parameters of the construct of comprehensibility (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Yeditepe University, Türkiye.
Abdelhalim, S. M., & Alsehibany, R. A. (2025). Integrating AI-powered tools in EFL pronunciation instruction: effects on accuracy and L2 motivation. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2025.2534015
Akyel, A. (2012). Preservice English language teacher education in Turkey. In Y. Bayyurt, & Y. B. Cetinkaya (Eds.), Research perspectives on teaching and learning English in Turkey: Policies and practices (pp. 25-37). Peter Lang.
Almusharraf, A. (2022). EFL learners’ confidence, attitudes, and practice towards learning pronunciation. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 32(1), 126-141. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12408
Almusharraf, A. (2024). Pronunciation instruction in the context of world English: exploring university EFL instructors’ perceptions and practices. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03365-y
Amrate, M., & Tsai, P. H. (2024). Computer-assisted pronunciation training: A systematic review. ReCALL, 37(1), 22-42. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344024000181
Arslan, K., & Benzer, E. (2022). A synthesis study of national and ınternational graduate theses on writing for learning in science education. Education and Scıence, 47(210), 89-114. http://doi.org/10.15390/eb.2022.10943
Aslan, A., & Açıkgöz, Ö. (2022). Bibliometric analysis of the Turkish doctoral dissertations: A case study of economy, law, psychology, political science, and international relations disciplines. Yükseköğretim Dergisi, 12(2), 363-372. https://doi.org/10.2399/yod.21.820951
Aslan, A., Açıkgöz, Ö., Günay, A., & Koçak, K. (2020). Examination of the curriculum and instructional PhD dissertations in the field of educational sciences concerning theoretical framework, method and contributions of research dimensions. Turkish Journal of Education, 9(4), 273-289. https://doi.org/10.19128/turje.737423
Ayar, Z. (2021). Written discourse completion tasks in the foreign language examination (YDS). Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 15(1), 38-56.
Badenhorst, C., & Guerin, C. (Eds.). (2015). Research literacies and writing pedagogies for masters and doctoral writers (Vol. 31). Brill.
Bang, H. J., Setoguchi, E., Mackey, A., & Fujii, A. (2024). L2 learning outcomes of a research-based digital app for Japanese children. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 46(2), 504-534. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263124000147
Basturkmen, H., East, M., & Bitchener, J. (2014). Supervisors' on-script feedback comments on drafts of dissertations: Socialising students into the academic discourse community. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(4), 432-445. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2012.752728
Blair, L. (2016). Writing a graduate thesis or dissertation. Sense Publishers.
Çimen, Ş. S., & Gezegin, B. B. (2021). An analysis of theses written on teaching English to young learners in Turkey. Journal of Language Education and Research, 7(2), 356-370. https://doi.org/10.31464/jlere.958734
Couper, G. (2021). Teacher cognition of pronunciation teaching: The techniques teachers use and why. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 7(2), 212-239. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.20004.cou
Darcy, I., Rocca, B., & Hancock, Z. (2021). A window into the classroom: How teachers integrate pronunciation instruction. RELC Journal, 52(1), 110-127. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220964269
Demir, C. (2019). YDS as a Benchmark in Turkey: The Difficulty Levels of Reading Comprehension Questions. EKEV Akademi Dergisi, (80), 95-112. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2592293
Demir, Y., & Kartal, G. (2022). Mapping research on L2 pronunciation: A bibliometric analysis. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 44(5), 1211-1239. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263121000966
Demirezen, M. (2016). Assimilation as a co-articulation producer in words and pronunciation problems for Turkish English teachers. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 16(2), 477-509. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2016.2.0235
Demirezen, M. (2020). The place of pronunciation spelling in teacher training. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 7(1), 313-325.
Demirezen, M. (2022). The/ð/phoneme: A fossilized pronunciation problem of Turkish and Indonesian English majors: Application 2. FIRE: Futuristic Implementations of Research in Education, 3(2), 89-109.
Demirezen, M. (2024). The functions of English fricative sounds to speech intelligibility in the education of English majors and the students of Aeronautical English. FIRE: Futuristic Implementations of Research in Education, 5(1), 60-74.
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2015). Pronunciation fundamentals: Evidence-based perspectives for L2 teaching and research. John Benjamins.
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2022). Pronunciation learning and teaching. In T. M. Derwing, M. J. Munro, & R. I. Thomson (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and speaking (pp. 147–159). Routledge.
Doğan, M., Çelik, S., & Tomris, G. (2022). Analysis of mixed methods graduate thesis studies in special education programs in Turkey. Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, (29), 1-32. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2247443
Dolmacı, A., & Kılıç, A. (2021). Teaching English pronunciation to prep-class students: A needs analysis study. Kastamonu Education Journal, 29(3), 550-558. https://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.763949
Drysdale, J. S., Graham, C. R., Spring, K. J., & Halverson, L. R. (2013). An analysis of research trends in dissertations and theses studying blended learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 17, 90-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2012.11.003
Foote, J. A. & Trofimovich, P. (2018) Second language pronunciation learning: An overview of theoretical perspectives. In Kang, O., Thomson, R. I. & Murphy, J. M. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of contemporary English pronunciation (pp. 75–90) Routledge.
Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N., & Hyun, H. (2012). Descriptive statistics. In How to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Companies.
Galante, A., & Piccardo, E. (2022). Teaching pronunciation: toward intelligibility and comprehensibility. ELT Journal, 76(3), 375-386. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccab060
Goksu, I., Ozkaya, E., & Gunduz, A. (2022). The content analysis and bibliometric mapping of CALL journal. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(8), 2018-2048. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1857409
Gordon, J., & Darcy, I. (2022). Teaching segmentals and suprasegmentals: Effects of explicit pronunciation instruction on comprehensibility, fluency, and accentedness. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 8(2), 168-195. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.21042.gor
Guba, E.G. (1981). Criteria for assessing trustworthiness of naturalistic enquiries. Educational Communication and Technology Journal, 29, 75–91. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02766777
Güdekli, İ. A., Çelik, H. C., & Oduncu, P. (2022). A study of the graduate theses on online distance education in Turkey submitted between 2011 and 2020. Yükseköğretim Dergisi, 12(1), 74-88. https://doi.org/10.2399/yod.21.808250
Gursoy, E., & Ozcan, E. N. (2021). Finding and minding the gaps for language education in Turkey: A content analysis on doctoral dissertations in ELT programs from 2010-2020. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17(S2), 830-847.
Hansen Edwards, J., Chan, K. L. R., Lam, T., & Wang, Q. (2021). Social factors and the teaching of pronunciation: What the research tells us. RELC Journal, 52(1), 35-47. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220960897
Inal, D., Özdemir, E., Kıray, G., & Oral, Y. (2016). Review of doctoral research in English language teaching and learning in Turkey (2009–2013). Language Teaching, 49(3), 390-410. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444816000057
Kamler, B. (2008). Rethinking doctoral publication practices: Writing from and beyond the thesis. Studies in Higher Education, 33(3), 283-294. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802049236
Kandal, R., & Baş, F. (2022). The descriptive content analysis of theses with the topic of metacognition published in Turkey on mathematics education. Journal of Education and Future, (21), 83-97. https://doi.org/10.30786/jef.835078
Keshavarz, M. H., & Keshavarz, A. (2022). The effect of L2 input on young learners' pronunciation performance in English. MEXTESOL Journal, 46(3). https://doi.org/10.61871/mj.v46n3-4
Kesim, E. (2020). A study of the graduate theses on distance learning administration in Turkey from 1999 to 2019. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 21(2), 17-36. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.727972
Koçyiğit, M., & Erdem, C. (2018). A content analysis of graduate research on English preparatory programs at universities. Journal of Human Sciences, 15(3), 1466-1480. https://doi.org/10.14687/jhs.v15i3.5414
Levis, J. (2006). Pronunciation and the assessment of spoken language. In R. Hughes (Ed.), Spoken English, applied linguistics and TESOL: Challenges for theory and practice (pp. 245–270). Palgrave Macmillan.
Levis, J. (2020). Changes in L2 pronunciation: 25 years of intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 6(3), 277-282. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.20054.lev Levis, J. M. (2018). Intelligibility, oral communication, and the teaching of pronunciation. Cambridge University Press. Levis, J. M. (2019). Pronunciation research in recent dissertations. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 5(2), 181-194. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.19008.edi
Levis, J. M., & Grant, L. (2003). Integrating pronunciation into ESL/EFL classrooms. TESOL Journal, 12(2), 13-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1949-3533.2003.tb00125.x
Lipińska, D. (2017). Teaching pronunciation to primary school learners and its influence on L2 speech production. Studia Anglica, 226(7), 77-90.
Low, E. L. (2021). EIL pronunciation research and practice: Issues, challenges, and future directions. RELC Journal, 52(1), 22-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220987318
McGregor, A., & Reed, M. (2018). Integrating pronunciation into the English language curriculum: A framework for teachers. The CATESOL Journal, 30(1), 69-94. https://doi.org/10.5070/B5.35965
Nagle, C. L. (2021). Assessing the state of the art in longitudinal L2 pronunciation research: Trends and future directions. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 7(2), 154-182. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.20059.nag
Naycı, O. (2021). Content analysis on the graduate theses done about flipped classroom model in Turkey. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 22(2), 206-222. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.906864
Ngo, T. T. N., Chen, H. H. J., & Lai, K. K. W. (2024). The effectiveness of automatic speech recognition in ESL/EFL pronunciation: A meta-analysis. ReCALL, 36(1), 4-21. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344023000113
Odena, O., & Burgess, H. (2017). How doctoral students and graduates describe facilitating experiences and strategies for their thesis writing learning process: A qualitative approach. Studies in Higher Education, 42(3), 572-590. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1063598
Ozmen, K. S., P. T. Cephe & B. Kınık (2016). Trends in doctoral research on English language teaching ¨ in Turkey. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 16(5), 1737–1759. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2016.5.0069
Pennington, M. C. (2021). Teaching pronunciation: The state of the art 2021. RELC Journal, 52(1), 3-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882211002283
Pennington, M. C., & Rogerson-Revell, P. (2018). English pronunciation teaching and research: Contemporary perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan.
Remenyi, D., & Bannister, F. (2022). Writing up your research for a dissertation or thesis. UJ Press. Rogerson-Revell, P. M. (2021). Computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT): Current issues and future directions. RELC Journal, 52(1), 189-205. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220977406
Saldıraner, G., & Cinkara, E. (2021). Using songs in teaching pronunciation to young EFL learners. Pasaa, 62(1), 119-141. https://doi.org/10.58837/CHULA.PASAA.62.1.5
Sarıkaş, G., & Demir, S. B. (2020). Psychometric characteristics of written response instruments used in postgraduate theses completed in special education. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, 7(2), 280-304. https://doi.org/10.21449/ijate.674720
Schreier, M. (2018). Sampling and generalization. In U. Flick (Ed.), The Sage handbook of qualitative data collection (pp. 84–97). Sage.
Seçer, B. (2021). Akademisyen olmayanlar açısından doktora eğitimi. İzmir İktisat Dergisi, 36(2), 295-313. https://doi.org/10.24988/ije.202136204
Şener, S., & Erol, İ. K. (2017). Motivational orientations and self-efficacy beliefs of Turkish students towards EFL learning. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 16(67), 67, 251-267.
Şensöz, M. Z., & Erdemir, N. (2022). A systematic review of graduate studies on flipped classrooms in English language teaching in Turkey. ELT Research Journal, 11(1), 1-15.
Şeref, İ., & Karagöz, B. (2020). Citation analysis of graduate theses on teaching of Turkish as a foreign language (1988-2019). Cukurova University Faculty of Education Journal, 49(2), 1145-1183. https://doi.org/10.14812/cuefd.740826
Shafiee Rad, H., & Roohani, A. (2024). Fostering L2 learners’ pronunciation and motivation via affordances of artificial intelligence. Computers in the Schools, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2024.2330427
Sincer, S., Özek, B. Y., & Selçuk, E. (2024). Türkiye’s educational journey: Evaluating the skills of mathematics, science, reading, and foreign language in the light of international competition. Participatory Educational Research, 11(2), 135-157. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.24.23.11.2
Solmaz, O. (2021). Educational technology research trends in Turkey: Investigating graduate theses in English language teaching. Journal of Computer and Education Research, 9(17), 102-124. https://doi.org/10.18009/jcer.839738
Tagami, Y., Kojima, T., & Yamaguchi, S. (2024, July). Computer-assisted English presentation learning system based on word stress in pronunciation. In 2024 IEEE 48th Annual Computers, Software, and Applications Conference (COMPSAC) (pp. 1721-1725). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/COMPSAC61105.2024.00271
Teddlie, C., & Tashakkori, A. (2009). Foundations of mixed methods research: Integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches in the social and behavioral sciences. Sage.
Topal, I. H. (2022). Pronunciation in EFL textbooks published by Turkish ministry of national education. MEXTESOL Journal, 46(2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.61871/mj.v46n2-17
Topal, I. H. (2024). Turkish EFL learners’ knowledge, perception, and production of suprafixes as part of lexical competence. Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7(3), 1530-1530. https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v7n3.1530
Topal, İ. H., & Altay, I. F. (2022). Revisiting the problematic English sounds for prospective Turkish EFL teachers. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 9(4), 1794-1816. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1353592.pdf
Topal, I. H., & Altay, I. F. (2024). An examination of Turkish EFL teacher trainees’ pronunciation knowledge, perception, and production. Moderna Språk, 118(3), 110-130. https://doi.org/10.58221/mosp.v118i3.23554
Tseng, W. T., Chen, S., Wang, S. P., Cheng, H. F., Yang, P. S., & Gao, X. A. (2022). The effects of MALL on L2 pronunciation learning: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 60(5), 1220-1252. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331211058662
Uzun, T. (2022). The salient pronunciation errors and intelligibility of Turkish speakers in English. MEXTESOL Journal, 46(1). https://doi.org/10.61871/mj.v46n1-9
Yağan, S., & Çubukçu, Z. (2021). The content analysis of doctoral dissertations completed in the field of curriculum and instruction (2006-2017) Eğitim programları ve öğretim alanında tamamlanmış doktora tezlerinin içerik analizi (2006-2017). Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 36(1), 157-176. http://doi.org/10.16986/huje.2019056622
Yaman, İ. (2023). Tracing 'technology' in the recent ELT master's theses and PhD dissertations in Türkiye. International Journal of Computers in Education, 6(2), 69-78. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10445585
Yildirim, T. (2020). Trends in PhD theses in Turkish chemistry education (1999-2019). Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 89, 201-240. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2020.89.10
Yu, S., Zhang, Y., Zheng, Y., Yuan, K., & Zhang, L. (2019). Understanding student engagement with peer feedback on master’s theses: A Macau study. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(1), 50-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1467879

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

English As A Second Language

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

İbrahim Halil Topal ^*
0000-0003-4220-3706
Türkiye

Publication Date

April 23, 2026

Submission Date

January 19, 2026

Acceptance Date

April 7, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 9 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.35207/later.1867354

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA66ZL93FT

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Topal, İ. H. (2026). A Content Analysis of Doctoral Dissertations on L2 Pronunciation by Turkish Authors. Language Teaching and Educational Research, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.35207/later.1867354