Practical, Technical, and Affective Aspects of Teaching English Online during the Pandemic: Instructors’ Voices

The aim of this study was to investigate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructors’ apperceptions about practical, technical, and affective aspects of online teaching as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our study involved qualitative data collection using an open-ended interview form, including three sections developed by the researchers. EFL instructors (N =18) from randomly selected three state and three private universities of Turkey participated in the study. The results of the content analysis indicated that instructors perceived the distance teaching environment less favorably than the face-to-face environment, although they generally feel competent using the technology. However, the instructors were also found to have negative attitudes towards the psychology of distance teaching by reporting it as boring and an awkward way of teaching. The study concluded that EFL instructors regard distance teaching as inconvenient since teaching and learning foreign languages involve face-to-face interaction and higher learner engagement and motivation.

Why the Optimism Misses? An Analysis on the Gaps and Lags of Teachers’ Perceptions of 21st Century Skills

The present century demands transformative competencies in all spheres of human life and this necessitated the evolution of a new civil right in the modern era. Inevitably, this demands for new sets of skills and competencies in the learners to meet the challenges and competitions of the knowledge economy, labor market and information settings. To build the 21st century skills and competencies in the learners, teachers need to have awareness and knowledge about these skills and apply them in their daily classroom activities. In order to execute the strategies for promoting 21st century skills among learners, a clear perception on the same is highly essential. It is interesting to analyze the perception of the teachers and the missing gaps. This study was conducted to examine the gap between the actual and ideal perception of 21st century skills among secondary school teachers of Kerala. It also examined to what extent their age, teaching experience and subjects have been related to perception level. Data has been collected from secondary school teachers (N=350) through survey method. The result of the study showed that there was gap between actual and ideal perceptions of 21st century skills among the secondary school teachers and also positive correlation between age, teaching experience and the actual perception of 21st century skills.

Fostering Learner Autonomy through Cooperative and Collaborative Learning

Both cooperative and collaborative learning are learner-centered teaching approaches in English Language Teaching (ELT) to support active learning, shared learning, inductive learning, and autonomous learning. However, definitional and conceptual clarity of these two concepts did not receive as much attention as they deserve. As a result, these two terms are often confused, conflated or used interchangeably. This review paper critiqued the two terms by revealing their components, identifying their commonalities as well as variances, and explicating their theoretical bases and exploring their role in fostering learner autonomy. Searching and reviewing published literature were used to achieve the objectives of the study. The study perceived that cooperative learning is the educational technique that uses small groups of students guided by the teacher to benefit their individual and each other’s learning whereas collaborative learning is a philosophy of interaction of a learning group where people take responsibility for their own learning while recognizing their peers’ abilities and contributions. Both the approaches foster autonomous learning behavior where cooperative learning is considered the foundation stage for collaborative learning. This article will benefit current and future ELT practitioners and researchers of this emerging field of pedagogy by providing a clearer analyses of the terms and role in fostering learner autonomy.

Enhancing 6th Grade Students’ Learning in Social Studies through Technology Based Teaching Approach

This quasi experimental study examined the effect of technology based teaching approaches on the 6th grade students’ learning in social studies subject. The participants of the study included two classes of 6th grade students: control group (n=25) and experimental group (n=24) in one of the middle schools in Bhutan. The research instruments consisted of experimental group treatment, survey questionnaire and semi-structured interview questions. The result suggested that there is an affirmative effect of technology based teaching approaches on the 6th grade students’ social studies learning achievement test. It was found that mean test scores of the experimental group were higher than the control group on pretest and post test analysis. Further, the findings from the study established that students had a positive perception of learning through technology based instructions, as learners enjoyed, and were better able to understand, what has been taught. The findings from the study concluded that teaching through technology based approaches enhanced students’ learning in the classroom, so, it is recommended that teachers apply technology based instructions as a tool to maximize student learning. In addition, building of smart classrooms through digitalization could support students with learning difficulties in different subjects.

“Ztudents” on X and Y Lenses in Turkey: Views of X and Y Generation Teachers about Certain Class Properties of Gen Z High-School Students

The purpose of this study is to determine Z generation high-school students’ properties carried into class, and to reveal periodic factors and indicators for class motivations, study habits and class disrupting behaviours, according to X and Y generation teachers’ opinions. The study was in a qualitative phenomenological design. The study group was formed with multistage sampling, including criterion and disproportional quota sampling. Accordingly, 96 high-school teachers participated in the study group. The data was collected with a survey of open-ended questions and a semi-structured focus group interview. Content and descriptive analyses were used for data analysis. As a result, positive perspectives towards Z students’ properties, class motivations, studying habits, and class-disrupting behaviours were limited, whereas negative views were in the majority. Evident negative periodic factors were technology misuse, curriculum discordance, moral degeneration, and the negative indicators were weak time management, unplanned studying, improper studying, attitudinal and behavioural disorder. Z students’ properties are adversely reflected on in-class processes through mutually aggravating relations of periodic factors and behavioural indicators. X teachers had more adverse views pointing to Z students’ mostly inner properties for the negative studentship whereas, Y teachers drew attention to the disharmony between the Z cohort and educational environment.

An Investigation of Parents’ Use of Digital Media

As the use of digital tools and the Internet becomes widespread and easier, the age of use is also decreasing. The decrease in the age of use makes opportunities as well as risks an important factor in digital environments. Children who are not aware of the risks in these environments may be exposed to various risks, especially as the age of Internet usage decreases. Parents are primarily responsible for protecting their children from risks in these environments. Parents can protect their children if they use digital media consciously and safely. In this context, the aim of this study is to investigate the parent’s conscious and safe use of the Internet across Turkey. In accordance with this purpose, the study was designed as a survey study and the data of the study were collected from 9581 parents from 26 provinces with the Conscious and Safe Use of the Internet questionnaire developed by the researchers in the study. Descriptive statistics (%, f, X ̅, SS), t-test for independent samples, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation were used in the analysis of the data. As a result of the analysis of the data, it was determined that the parents’ use of the Internet on weekdays and weekends was similar, but this situation differed in children. It has also been determined that the leading situations that worry parents in digital environments are the harmful and illegal content and excessive time spent in these harmful and illegal environments.

Opinions of Pre-Service Teachers on The Use of Educational Digital Games in Science Lessons

In this study, the opinions of pre-service teachers on the use of educational digital games in science lessons were examined. The research model of the study is qualitative model. The criterion sampling method, which is one of the purposive sampling methods, was used in the selection of the study group. The study group consists of 12 undergraduate 4th grade teacher candidates who study at a state university and choose the elective course called “Science Education with Games”. In the study, 12 pre-service teachers developed educational digital games in an elective undergraduate course for one semester and presented the games they developed to other pre-service teachers. All processes were carried out online. The data in the study were obtained in the 2020-2021 academic year. Semi-structured interview was used as data collection tool. For semi-structured interviews, semi-structured interview form was implemented to pre-service teachers before and after the implementation. In data analysis, qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted. As a result of the study, it was seen that the opinions of the pre-service teachers about the use of educational digital games in the science lesson were positive. In addition, pre-service teachers stated that the use of educational digital games provides learning with fun.

The Effect of Peer Assessment Application on Writing Anxiety and Writing Motivation of 6th Grade Students

This research, aims to investigate whether peer assessment application has an effect on writing anxiety and writing motivation of 6th grade students. It is one of the quantitative research designs. The study group of the research consists of 6th grade students attending a secondary school in Turkey. There are 35 students in the study, 17 are in the experimental group and 18 are in the control group. The data of the study were collected with “Writing Anxiety Scale” and the “Writing Motivation Scale”. For six weeks, a peer assessment application was carried out and the texts written by the students were evaluated by their peers with a peer assessment form. In the analysis of the data, firstly t-test was performed for unrelated groups, and two-way ANOVA was used for complex measures. According to the findings obtained in the research, it was concluded that writing anxiety of the experimental group students, who have lessons with peer assessment method, decreased significantly compared to the control group students who have lessons with the current program. When the students’ writing motivations were examined, it was found that writing motivation scores of the experimental group students were higher than the control group students. In line with these findings, it can be stated that peer assessment application reduces students’ writing anxiety and increases their writing motivation. Based on the results obtained, some recommendations were made.

Analyzing the Correlation Between Ideal L2 Self and Willingness to Communicate in L2 among EFL Learners

This study aimed to investigate the learners’ levels of ideal L2 self and Willingness to Communicate (WTC) not only inside but also outside the EFL classrooms and the correlation between these two constructs. Thus, the research was designed as a qualitative study, and the correlational research design was implemented to seek answers to research questions. The participants were 61 EFL learners who studied at the preparatory school of a state university. The data collected by conducting the ideal L2 self scale and WTC survey for inside and outside the classroom were analyzed through descriptive statistics, and Pearson correlation test after the normality of the data was ensured. The findings showed that the vast majority of learners had moderate levels of ideal L2 self and WTC, and a small minority reported low levels of WTC and ideal L2 self. Besides, the findings pointed out that WTC and ideal L2 self are correlated with a statistically significant relationship in a positive manner. The study first discusses the contradictory and concurrent findings with respect to previous studies conducted in different contexts like Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Iran and Turkey, then concludes with recommendations for teachers and further research.

Teachers’ Narratives as a Lens to Reveal their Professional Identity

This study adopts a narrative approach to revealing how English as a foreign language teachers construct their teacher identities. Kelchterman’s five dimensions of teacher identity; i.e., self-image, self-esteem, task perception, job motivation and future perspectives, were used as the theoretical lens to explore eight participants’ identity construction via the narratives they told in an online written interview form. Participants were eight EFL instructors who worked at higher education institutions around Turkey. Data was collected via an online survey tool and analysed via thematic analysis and open coding. Data revealed that the five dimensions of teacher identity do not develop in isolation from each other but a dynamic interaction among these identity dimensions exists.