scholarly journals Why Can’t We Learn Foreign Languages in Turkey? Some Psychological Reasons Behind It

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ecenaz Yiğit ◽  
Ömer Faruk Keser ◽  
Levent Uzun
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learned Helplessness ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Foreign Language Courses

Foreign language learning is one of the most significant endeavours for people in all countries in the world. Turkey has given importance to foreign language learning for years. Nevertheless, it has been an unresolved problem for Turkish people. The purpose of the present study is to determine why people fail to learn foreign languages in Turkey and the psychological reasons behind it by focussing on perception, foreign language anxiety and learned helplessness. The participants were 100 volunteer students (56 female, 44 male) who were selected randomly from different faculties and departments at Bursa Uludag University. The data were collected from a questionnaire, which consisted of five main sections to identify participants’ background, perception of foreign language learning, level of foreign language anxiety, and level of learned helplessness. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The data were analysed in relation to the research questions that guided the study. The results indicated that the participants’ perceptions of foreign language learning were positive owing to past positive experiences, but their level of foreign language anxiety was high due to lack of practice in language skills in the past; and their level of learned helplessness was low because of the positive perceptions they possessed. In addition, the findings suggested that the four language skills should be taken into consideration when the contents of foreign language lessons at schools and foreign language courses at universities are prepared and determined.

scholarly journals Learning Foreign Languages Through Blended Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (02) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Basori Basori
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Foreign Language Instruction ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Foreign Language Courses

<p align="center"><strong>ABSTRACT</strong>. Blended learning is gaining popularity as an effective method to deliver courses. Foreign language instruction is adopting opportunities to apply blended learning. This paper looks at the essence of blended learning and foreign language instruction by defining those two terms. The literature has clearly unveiled the principles of each learning method that constitutes foreign language delivered via blended learning. It leads to major elements that need to be considered when designing blended foreign language instruction. Sufficient input, adequate interaction, plenty of feedback, and meaningful tasks are major components of building blended foreign language courses. Some recent studies have successfully implemented those principles in designing blended learning foreign language instruction; however, the studies also disclose some challenges. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Blended learning, foreign language learning, foreign language instructions  </p><p> </p><div class="WordSection1"><p align="center"><strong>ABSTRAK</strong></p><p> </p><p><em>Blended learning</em> semakin populer sebagai metode yang efektif dalam kegiatan pengajaran. Metode ini juga diterapkan dalam pengajaran bahasa asing. Artikel ini membahas esensi <em>blended learning</em> dan pengajaran bahasa asing dengan mendefinisikan kedua istilah tersebut. Telah banyak studi literatur yang membahas dan mendiskusikan tentang prinsip-prinsip metode pembelajaran bahasa asing yang disampaikan melalui <em>blended learning</em>. Ini mengarah pada elemen-elemen inti yang perlu dipertimbangkan dalam merancang pengajaran bahasa asing yang disampaikan melalui <em>blended learning</em>. Input yang cukup, interaksi yang memadai, adanya umpan balik yang memadai, dan tugas yang bermakna adalah komponen-komponen utama yang perlu diperhatikan dalam pengajaran bahasa asing yang menerapkan <em>blended learning</em>. Beberapa studi terbaru telah berhasil menerapkan prinsip-prinsip tersebut dalam merancang pembelajaran bahasa asing yang menerapkan <em>blended learning</em>. Di sisi yang lain, artikel ini juga memaparkan beberapa tantangan pengajaran bahasa asing yang menerapkan metode <em>blended learning</em>.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Kata kunci</strong>: <em>blended learning</em>, pembelajaran bahasa asing, pengajaran bahasa asing</p></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>

scholarly journals Developing Bilingualism in Nursing Students: Learning Foreign Languages beyond the Nursing Curriculum

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 326
Author(s):  
Luis M. Dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Nursing Curriculum ◽  
College Leaders ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Foreign Language Courses

Nursing curriculum usually focuses on vocational development to train students to become nursing professionals after graduation. However, due to the packed major schedule and curriculum, many students are not required to take additional foreign language courses for their associate degree. Based on the lens of social cognitive career theory, the researcher sought to understand the motivations and reasons behind the learning behaviours. One research question was guided in this study, which was, what are the motivations and reasons for taking foreign language courses beyond their (i.e., nursing students) major curriculum and coursework plan? A qualitative research method was employed to collect interview data from 60 nursing students. The finding of this study indicated that the interest in career development and personal consideration were two of the most important factors for foreign language learning for these groups of nursing students. The results of this study provided recommendations for college leaders, government agencies, and policymakers to reform and polish foreign language courses and offer directions to contemporary students of the nursing curriculum. Students may also be benefitted as the study outlined the motivations and reasons for foreign language learning. Therefore, all parties may take this study as a blueprint to exercise their future developments.

scholarly journals ESP SPEAKING STRATEGIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY IN HIGHER EDUCATION CLASSROOM

1970 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 181-203
Author(s):  
Милевица Десимир Бојовић
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
High Anxious ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
Anxious Group

The study examines the undergraduate students’ perceived use of foreign language speaking strategies, their levels of foreign language anxiety, and the potential relationships between them. Two instruments were used in the study—Inventory of Speaking Strategies in a Foreign Language, based on the instrument Strategy Inventory in Foreign Language Learning, and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. The results showed that students’ overall perceived use of speaking strategies in English as a foreign language for specific purposes was frequent. The findings also revealed that the students’ foreign language anxiety was at a medium level; individual performance anxieties remained at the same medium levels. A few differences were found between the low-anxious and high-anxious groups on the speaking strategy use: the former uses circumlocutions and synonyms when stuck with a word in English more frequently while the latter is paying attention more often when someone is speaking in English. The results also suggest that the medium-anxious group uses gestures when unable to think of a word during a conversation in English less frequently than the low-anxious group.

scholarly journals Wirklichkeitsnah oder stereotyp? Das Bild von Dänemark und den Dänen in ausgewählten deutschen Lehrbüchern für Dänisch als Fremdsprache

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-104
Author(s):  
Józef Jarosz
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Transfer Of Knowledge ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Communication Situations ◽  
Successful Transfer

Abstract The contemporary teaching of foreign languages assumes the development of the ability to use a foreign language in different communication situations. Apart from language competence, also the cultural competence is developed as it is a necessary component of communication. A successful transfer of knowledge and language skills in the process of foreign language learning is determined by a textbook (in addition to other factors). The goal of this article is to analyze the content and assess three Danish textbooks, which were published in Germany in the years 2008-2010. The textbooks are examined in terms of knowledge about Danish life and institutions, the transfer of intercultural competence and the presence of stereotypes. The textbooks were studied based on the list of criteria and it resulted in stating that the textbooks fulfill the objective of providing the knowledge about the country to a great degree. The intercultural component and the issue of stereotypes are dealt with in a different manner.

scholarly journals The Plight in Foreign Language Learning in Tunisian Context: Classroom Language Assessment v.s Foreign Language Learning Anxiety

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 23-31
Author(s):  
Leila Najeh Bel’Kiry
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Assessment ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Psychological Phenomena ◽  
Classroom Language

The assessment of language proficiency from a psycholinguistics perspective has been a subject of considerable interest. Many literatures are devoted for the explanation of certain psychological phenomena related to first language acquisition and foreign language learning like language disorders/impairments, critical/sensitive period and language anxiety. This paper sheds the light on foreign language anxiety, which is in my conviction the hardest problem that concerns the foreign language learner as well as the teacher. The origin of this conviction is that foreign language anxiety hampers learner performance on one hand, and on the other hand effects, negatively, the classroom language assessment which in turn sharpens learner’s anxiety more and more. There is a significant negative correlation between foreign language anxiety and classroom language assessment. Three issues are to be tackled in this paper: (i) The implication of ‘anxiety’ as a psychological issue in foreign language learning, (ii) classroom language assessment in Tunisian schools and (iii) the relation between foreign language anxiety and classroom language assessment.

scholarly journals The ‘unforgettable’ experience of foreign language anxiety

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-128
Author(s):  
Morana Drakulić
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
First Year University

Foreign language anxiety (FLA) has long been recognized as a factor that hinders the process of foreign language learning at all levels. Among numerous FLA sources identified in the literature, language classroom seems to be of particular interest and significance, especially in the formal language learning context, where the course and the teacher are often the only representatives of language. The main purpose of the study is to determine the presence and potential sources of foreign language anxiety among first year university students and to explore how high anxiety levels shape and affect students’ foreign language learning experience. In the study both the questionnaire and the interviews were used as the data collection methods. Thematic analysis of the interviews and descriptive statistics suggest that most anxiety-provoking situations stem from the language classroom itself.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Learning Anxiety Among Low Intermediate Level EFL Students: A Comparison of the Anxiety Levels of Students Attending Three Different Turkish State Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-48
Author(s):  
Esen SPAHI KOVAÇ
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
School Students ◽  
Preparatory School ◽  
Turkish State ◽  
And Gender

The present study examined the general foreign language classroom anxiety of   preparatory school students according to the type of University and gender. The sample consisted of 282 students from three preparatory schools. The students were from Anadolu Univeristy, Osmangazi University and Dumlupınar University. There were 150 male and 132 female students. One-Way ANOVA showed that there were no significant differences among the level of foreign language anxiety of preparatory school students from different Universities. In addition to considering anxiety in a gender differences t-test showed that female students have been found much more anxious than mail students in foreign language anxiety.

Factors associated with foreign language anxiety

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTHONY J. ONWUEGBUZIE ◽  
PHILLIP BAILEY ◽  
CHRISTINE E. DALEY
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Prior History ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
History Of

Foreign language anxiety is a complex phenomenon that has been found to be a predictor of foreign language achievement. This study of 210 university students examined factors that predict1 foreign language anxiety. A setwise multiple regression analysis revealed that seven variables (i.e., age, academic achievement, prior history of visiting foreign countries, prior high school experience with foreign languages, expected overall average for current language course, perceived scholastic competence, and perceived self-worth) contributed significantly to the prediction of foreign language anxiety. An analysis of variance, which included trend analysis, revealed that freshmen and sophomores reported the lowest levels of foreign language anxiety, and that anxiety levels increased linearly as a function of year of study. The educational implications of these findings for understanding foreign language anxiety and for increasing foreign language learning are discussed, as are suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals JALT2015 Conference Article: On Emotions in Foreign Language Learning and Use

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Marc Dewaele
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Language Classroom

Emotions are at the heart of the foreign language learning process. Without emotion, boredom would reign and very little learning would take place. I report on some recent work that has investigated the role of emotion in the foreign language classroom, both positive (foreign language enjoyment) and negatives ones (foreign language anxiety). It seems that both learners and teachers play a crucial role in managing emotions in the classroom. I also report on the difficulties associated with the communication of emotions in a foreign language and on their relative absence in foreign language course books and during classes. This leaves learners ill-prepared to recognise and express emotions appropriately in a foreign language, which is an essential part of sociopragmatic competence. 外国語学習過程の中心には「感情」がある。感情がなければ飽きるのも早く、学びも限られてしまう。本論では、外国語の授業で感情が果たす肯定的な（例：外国語学習の楽しみ）および否定的な（例：外国語学習不安）役割について報告する。そして最近の研究を基に、いかに学習者と教員双方がクラスでの感情のコントロールに深くかかわっているかを考察する。また、外国語で感情を伝えることの難しさについても触れ、外国語の教科書や授業で感情表現が扱われることの少なさが、社会語用論的能力の主な要素である感情表現の理解不足につながっていることを指摘する。

Language activities as a platform for second/foreign language learning : its relevance and challenges

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Ying Soon Goh ◽  
Nasirin Abdillah ◽  
Noor Aileen Ibrahim ◽  
Raja Mariam Raja Baniamin
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Stratified Sampling ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Preliminary Attempt

This study seeks to identify the relevance and challenges faced in conducting language activities to help foster second/foreign language learning at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Terengganu. This is also aimed at assisting the organization to review practices of having language activities, hoping this may further cultivate and generate enthusiasm among students to learn second/foreign languages. This research also offers some possible ways to improve students' activities so as to help enhance their second/foreign language learning. In other words, this research may serve as a preliminary attempt aiming at providing reflections and insights on how students' participation in language activities conductedmay be usefulfor them in learning second/foreign languages. The research employs quantitative methodology in which random stratified sampling technique is used Samples consist of Bumiputera students taking English (as a second language) and Mandarin, French, and Arabic classes (as foreign languages). Generally, students are ofthe opinion that language activities can become a significant platform to project andshow their language skills and competency during presentations/performances. Nevertheless, as one ofmany recommendations suggested in the findings of this research, wefound that there is still a needfor evaluation andfo//ow-up work after having participated in the language activities.

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