Completed Research Projects
Since the 80’s there has been a growing interest in the processes second language (L2) readers have used for comprehension. Many researchers, employing think-aloud or verbal reports have examined the types of strategies L2 readers use for comprehension. A recent context of interest has been reading on the computer. Electronic texts read on the computer have radically different features than conventional texts printed on paper. Hypertext, for instance, is organized in a nonlinear fashion and is distinguished by the richness and depth of the information it provides through nodes and links. Hypermedia, on the other hand, incorporates multimedia features and presents information in multiple forms of media (e.g. text, pictures, graphics, audio, video and animation). According to Leu & Reinking (1996), the use of strategies may be more important in reading electronic texts than reading static texts because the reader is involved in making more decisions regarding the sources of information they need use. Thus, this project has two main purpose: a) to investigate what type strategies L2 readers use in a hypermedia environment and whether these strategies are essentially different from strategies involved in reading conventional text, b) to explore the variables that contribute L2 reading comprehension in a hypermedia environment for advanced learners of English.
In Turkey, the duration of compulsory education has recently become eight years, moving the official starting point for foreign language instruction from 6th grade (age 11) to 4th grade (age 9). The number of class hours allocated is two hours per week. However, the reform was affected quite rapidly, within just a few months without no work on developing a new kind of curriculum in the primary grades where virtually none had existed before. The curriculum designed by the ministry of education is a grammatical one whose effectiveness is questionable at this level. Thus, a content-/topic-based curriculum was developed by Bayyurt and Alptekin (2001), which paralleled the content of the curriculum required by the Ministry of Education for each grade level. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the new syllabus is effective in promoting English language development of learners at the primary school level. It is hypothesized that the learners who are taught English using the content-based syllabus will show more development in their reading and listening skills than those learners who are taught English using the grammatical syllabus. This quasi-experimental study is significant in being a longitudinal one.
Recent innovations implemented within the scope of Law no 4306 changed the structure and functioning of the institutions offering primary education in Turkey, the most important one being that primary education institutions would offer education for eight years. In regard to innovations concerning foreign language education in Turkey, the new law required the introduction of foreign languages at primary level, with the option of a second foreign language starting at Grade 6. In line with these goals a new curriculum was designed and approved by the National Board of Education. Recent advances in the implementation of the new law have exerted considerable direct influence on both school-aged pupils and the teaching staff and perhaps more importantly on the programs used at education faculties.The aim for this project is to investigate primary foreign language teaching, with special reference to academic training of language teachers. Apart from subjective views that have no scientific basis, one could hardly find any qualitative or quantitative analysis of the way English is taught to young primary school children. The project is, therefore, hoped to contribute a great deal to the specification and implementation of primary foreign language education policy in Turkey.
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