Strategic Competence in Virtual Classrooms: An Exploration of Compensation Strategies of Non-native Adult Speakers of English

Year 2023, Volume: 3 Issue: 3, 64 - 77, 30.06.2023

Cemil Gökhan Karacan , Tuğçe Kılıç Melisa İnce

Abstract

Compensation strategies, a crucial aspect of strategic competence, are playing a decisive role in effective communication and, used in communication by interlocutors to compensate for their deficiency in the target language. The use of compensation strategies is anticipated to vary depending on the context, due to their context-specific nature. Thus, this descriptive study aims to explore the types and frequencies of compensation strategy use by an international group of graduate students. The data were collected through observation of video-recorded class sessions from nine graduate students studying at a foundation university in Turkey. The results showed that the strategies of “keeping the floor,” “self-rephrasing,” and “appeal to authority” were most frequently utilized. Conversely, strategies like word coinage and non-verbal signs were not employed at all. This research offers insight into the compensation strategies used in online settings, where communication dynamics are notably distinct.

Keywords

Language learning strategies, compensation strategies, compensatory strategy use

Sanal Sınıflarda Stratejik Yeterlilik: Ana Dili İngilizce Olmayan Yetişkin Konuşmacıların Telafi Stratejilerinin Araştırılması

Abstract

Stratejik yeterliliğin önemli bir yönü olan telafi stratejileri, etkili iletişimde belirleyici bir rol oynar ve iletişimde muhataplar tarafından hedef dildeki eksikliklerini telafi etmek için kullanılır. Telafi stratejilerinin kullanımının, bağlama özgü doğası nedeniyle bağlama bağlı olarak değişiklik göstermesi beklenmektedir. Bu nedenle, bu betimsel çalışma, uluslararası bir grup yüksek lisans öğrencisi tarafından telafi stratejisi kullanım türlerini ve sıklıklarını keşfetmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Veriler, Türkiye’deki bir vakıf üniversitesinde öğrenim gören dokuz yüksek lisans öğrencisinin video kaydı yapılan sınıf oturumlarının gözlemlenmesi yoluyla toplanmıştır. Sonuçlar, “sözü tutma”, “kendini yeniden ifade etme” ve “otoriteye başvurma” stratejilerinin en sık kullanılan stratejiler olduğunu göstermiştir. Buna karşılık, kelime uydurma ve sözel olmayan işaretler gibi stratejiler hiç kullanılmamıştır. Bu araştırma, iletişim dinamiklerinin oldukça farklı olduğu çevrimiçi ortamlarda kullanılan telafi stratejileri hakkında fikir vermektedir.

Keywords

Dil öğrenme stratejileri, telafi stratejileri, telafi edici strateji kullanımı

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