A Dialogic Approach to Teacher and Learner Beliefs about Language Learning: A Metaphor Analysis

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 13 Sayı: 2, 518 - 540, 31.12.2024

Vildan İnci Kavak , Duygu Evis

https://doi.org/10.54282/inijoss.1523466

Öz

This study aims to investigate beliefs about language learning by comparing the teacher, learner and language learning metaphors produced by language lecturers and language major students at a Turkish state university. Metaphor serves as a crucial asset in understanding conceptualisations of students’ and teachers’ beliefs. 9 language instructors and 45 freshman students of the Translation and Interpreting programme in the 2023-2024 academic year participated voluntarily in the study. An open-ended metaphor elicitation form that had questions like “A teacher should be like... because …” “A language learner is like…because…” “Learning a language is like … because…”, and a follow-up individual interview was used. The reasons were analysed meticulously as different parties used the identical metaphor, but the justification they provided was different, so they were classified by the rationale behind not only the source metaphor. The results revealed matches and mismatches between the learners’ and lecturers’ interpretations of teacher/learner roles and language learning. The elicited metaphors provided insightful results about learner/teacher beliefs and the gaps in between. Having a dialogic approach to learner/teacher beliefs will help resolve the conflicts between the two groups and lead to a better understanding of student expectations; thus, educators and practitioners can revise their teaching practices accordingly and be open to improving them. This study can be considered as an attempt to bridge the gap between different parties and provides implications for language teaching and learning practices as well as for language educators, curriculum designers and policymakers at the tertiary level.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Metaphor Analysis, Student’s Perceptions, Translation Department, Language Learning

Öğretmen ve Öğrencilerin Dil Öğrenimine İlişkin İnançlarına Diyalojik Bir Yaklaşım: Bir Metafor Analizi

Öz

Bu çalışma, bir Türk devlet üniversitesindeki dil öğretim elemanları ve dil bölümü öğrencileri tarafından üretilen öğretmen, öğrenci ve dil öğrenme metaforlarını karşılaştırarak dil öğrenmeye ilişkin inançları araştırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Metafor, öğrencilerin ve öğretmenlerin inançlarına ilişkin kavramsallaştırmaların anlaşılmasında önemli bir araç olarak hizmet eder. Araştırmaya 2023-2024 eğitim-öğretim yılında Mütercim-Tercümanlık programında okuyan 45 öğrenci ve 9 öğretim elemanı gönüllü olarak katılmıştır. Bu çalışmada veri toplama aracı olarak, “Öğretmen ... benzer çünkü…”, “Dil öğrenen kişi… benzer çünkü…”, “Dil öğrenmek … benzer çünkü…” gibi açık uçlu soruların yer aldığı metafor formu ve röportaj kullanıldı. Aynı metaforun farklı taraflarca kullanılması, ancak sundukları gerekçelerin farklı olması nedeniyle gerekçeler titizlikle analiz edilmiş ve sadece kaynak metaforun arkasındaki gerekçeye göre değil sundukları gerekçe göre sınıflandırma yapılmıştır. Sonuçlar, öğrencilerin ve öğretim elemanlarının öğretmen/öğrenci rolleri ve dil öğrenimine ilişkin yorumları arasındaki eşleşmeleri ve uyumsuzlukları ortaya çıkardı. Ortaya çıkan metaforlar, öğrenci/öğretmen inançları ve aradaki boşluklar hakkında aydınlatıcı sonuçlar sağladı. Öğrenci/öğretmen inançlarına diyalojik bir yaklaşıma sahip olmak, iki grup arasındaki çatışmaların çözülmesine yardımcı olacak ve öğrenci beklentilerinin daha iyi anlaşılmasına yol açacak ve böylece eğitimciler ve uygulayıcılar öğretim uygulamalarını buna göre revize edebilecek ve geliştirmeye açık olabilecektir. Bu çalışma, farklı taraflar arasındaki boşluğu doldurma girişimi olarak değerlendirilebilir ve dil öğretme ve öğrenme uygulamalarının yanı sıra yükseköğretim düzeyindeki dil eğitimcileri, müfredat tasarımcıları ve politika yapıcılar için de çıkarımlar sağlar.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Metafor Analizi, Öğrenci Algıları, Çeviri Bölümü, Dil Öğrenimi

Kaynakça

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