EXPLORING TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF USING INTEGRATED SKILLS APPROACH IN EFL CLASSES AT PREPARATORY SCHOOLS IN ISTANBUL

Öz

This study investigates the awareness, implementation, and challenges EFL teachers encounter while teaching integrated English language skills at Altinbas University School of Foreign Languages in Istanbul, Turkey. The researcher initially selected 40 lecturers from the School of Foreign Languages at Altinbas University through a simple random sampling technique to complete a questionnaire. Subsequently, 20 teachers who completed the questionnaire were randomly interviewed. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed for data analysis using a mixed research approach. The quantitative data analysis was conducted using SPSS 25.0, where data were categorized and converted into frequency distributions and percentages. Percentage frequency analysis was used to assess the distribution of participants by age, qualifications, teaching experience, and responses to survey questions. The qualitative data were analyzed thematically and descriptively to complement the quantitative findings from the close-ended questions. The results were presented integrated, with analyses, discussions, summaries, conclusions, and recommendations provided based on the findings. The data revealed that 97.6% of teachers found integrating multiple language skills within a single topic or task valuable and practical, highlighting the benefits of cohesive and interconnected lessons for enhancing comprehensive language learning. All teachers agreed that integrated skills teaching showed high commitment. They implemented various strategies, such as informing students about lesson goals, linking lessons to previous tasks, and using diverse pair work activities to integrate multiple language skills. Additionally, the study identified challenges related to students, teachers, schools, textbooks, and the national exam.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Awareness
• Implementation
• Obstacles
• English Language Integrated Skills Teaching

Kaynakça

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