A Study on the Predictors of Written Expression Level of Turkish Learners as a Foreign Language

Year 2024, Volume: 11 Issue: 4, 184 - 197, 07.07.2024

Yusuf Günaydın

https://doi.org/10.17275/per.24.55.11.4

Abstract

In the context of teaching Turkish to foreigners, this study aimed to assess whether attitudes towards the target language, grammatical knowledge, speaking skills, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and prior writing knowledge could predict success in writing in the target language. To investigate this, a relational survey method and a quantitative research design were employed. The study sample comprised 147 B1 level-foreign learners studying Turkish as a foreign language at the Turkish Language Teaching Center (TÖMER) in Ankara during the 2022-2023 academic year. The study utilized a multiple-choice test to assess reading comprehension, an informative listening text titled “Ay’a Yolculuk (Journey to the Moon)” along with a 20-question short-answer test to evaluate listening comprehension, a rating scale for assessing speaking skills, and a cloze test for measuring Turkish grammar knowledge. Moreover, in this study, a short-answer test was employed to assess the participants’prior knowledge of writing. An attitude scale was used to measure students’attitudes towards learning Turkish, while a 6+1 analytical assessment scale was used to evaluate students’ writing skills. When the predictive impact of the chosen independent variables on writing skills was examined, these variables collectively accounted for 66% of the variation in writing achievement. The ranking of the influence levels of these variables on writing achievement (from most to least influential) was as follows: prior knowledge, grammatical knowledge, reading comprehension, attitude towards the target language, speaking achievement, and listening achievement.

Keywords

teaching Turkish to foreigners;, writing skills, measuring writing skills

Ethical Statement

Herhangi bir kişiye, canlıya zarar verilmemiştir ve bilgiler, görüşmeler katılımcıların rızası dahilinde olmuştur.

References

• Aramak, K. (2016). A research on using level of the cohesion devices in teaching Turkish as a foreign language (Unpublished master’s thesis), Gazi University, Educational Sciences Institution, Ankara.
• Arslan, M., & Klıcıc, E. (2015). Problems in development of writing skills in turkish foreign language education: The case of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Journal of Social Sciences Kırıkkale University, 5(2), 169-182. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/181124
• Aykaç, N. (2015). General history of Turkish education as a foreign language and the methods used in this field. Turkish Studies International Periodical for The Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic, 10(3), 161-174. http://dx.doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.7842
• Aytan, T., & Ayhan, N. H. (2018). Digital environments in teaching Turkish as a foreign language, International Journal of Bilingualism Studies, 1(1), 3-37.
• Azizoğlu, N. İ., Demirtaş Tolaman, T., & İdi Tulumcu, F. (2019). Academic writing skills in teaching turkish as a foreign language: Problems and solutions. International Journal of Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language, 2(1), 7-22. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/608280
• Barın, E. (2004). Yabancılara Türkçe öğretiminde ilkeler (Principles in Turkish education as a foreign language). Journal of Hacettepe University Türkiyat Studies (HÜTAD), (1), 19-30.
• Başaran, M. (2020). Türkçenin yabancı dil olarak öğretiminde ortak metinler. International Journal of Languages’ Education and Teaching, 8(1), 149-160. https://doi.org/10.29228/ijlet.40579
• Boylu, E. (2014). The writing problems of Iranian students in the basic level who learns Turkish as a foreign language. Zeitschrift für die Welt der Türken/Journal of World of Turks, 6(2), 335-349.
• Bruning, R., & Horn, C. (2000). Developing motivation to write. Educational Psychologist, 35(1), 25-37. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3501_4
• Culham, R. (2003). 6 traits of writing: The complete guide grades 3 and up. New York: Scholastic.
• Demirel, Ö., & Şahinel, M. (2006). Türkçe ve sınıf öğretmenleri için Türkçe öğretimi (7. baskı) (Teaching Turkish for Turkish and classroom teachers). Ankara: PegemA.
• Demir, E., & Deniz, K. (2023). Regulation guideline on the procedures and principles to be applied in official correspondence in terms of the achievements of writing skill in turkish lesson curriculums. International Journal of Language Academy, 11(5), 133-157.
• Graham, S., Berninger, V. W., & Fan, W. (2007). The structural relationship between writing attitude and writing achievement in first and third grade students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 32(3), 516-536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2007.01.002
• Gunaydın, Y., & Arıcı, A. F. (2020). The Impact of Interactive Reading on the Ability of Speaking in Terms of Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language. EKEV Academy Journal, (83), 673-696.
• Hamaratlı, E. (2015). The effect of clustering on students’ writing skills and motivation in teaching Turkish to foreigners: Egypt sample, (Unpublished master’s thesis), Bülent Ecevit University Social Sciences Institution, Zonguldak.
• Hammill, D. (2004). What we know about correlates of reading. Exceptional Children, 70(4), 453-468. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290407000405
• Herrick, V. E., & Otto, W. (1961). Pressure on point and barrel of a writing instrument. The Journal of Experimental Education, 30(2), 215-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.1961.11010709
• Islıoğlu, S. (2015). Türkçe’nin yabancı dil olarak öğretiminde yaşanan sorunlar ve çözüm önerileri (Unpublished PhD Dissertation). Dokuz Eylül University Educational Sciences Institution, İzmir.
• Karaca, E. (2006). Öğretimde planlama ve değerlendirme (Planning and evaluation in teaching). Ankara: Nisan Kitabevi.
• Karasar, N. (2011). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri (Scientific research methods). Ankara: Nobel Yayınları.
• Karatay, H., & Kartallıoğlu, N. (2016). The relation between the attitude of learning Turkish as foreing language and acquisition of language skills. Bolu Abant Baysal University Journal of Social Sciences Institution, 16(4), 203-214.
• Kapar Kuvanç, E. B. (2008). The effect of creative writing techniques to students’ attitudes to Turkish course and their successes in Turkish courses. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Dokuz Eylül University Educational Sciences Institution, İzmir.
• Kılınç, A., Tok, M. (2012). Teaching Turkish writing as a foreign language A. Kılınç ve A. Şahin (Ed.), In Teaching Turkish as a foreign language (ss. 256-278). Ankara: Pegem Academy.
• Knudson, R. (1991). Development and use of a writing attitude survey in grades 4 to 8. Psychological Report, 68(3), 807-816. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1991.68.3.807
• Knudson, R. E. (1992). Development and application of a writing attitude survey for grades 1 to 3. Psychological Reports, 70(3), 711-720. https://doi.org/10.2466/PR0.70.3.711-720
• Knudson, R. E. (1993). Effects of ethnicity in attitudes toward writing. Psychological Reports, 72(1), 39-45. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1993.72.1.39
• Knudson, R. E. (1995). Writing experiences, attitudes, and achievement of first to sixth graders. Journal of Educational Research, 89(2), 90-97. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.1995.9941199
• Melanlıoğlu, D., & Demir A. T. (2016). The effect of creative writing activities on the writing self-efficacy of learners of Turkish as a foreign language. Turkish Journal of Social Research, 20(3), 697-721.
• Ozkara, Y. (2007). The affect of 6+1 analytic writing and evaluatine model on enhancing 5th grade students narrative writing skills, (Unpublished PhD Dissertation). Gazi University Educational Sciences Institution, Ankara.
• Paquette, K. R. (2002). Cross-Age tutoring writing program: Investigation of academic achievements and attitudes among elementary students, (Unpublished Ph.D Thesis). College Wilmington.
• Sever, S. (2000). Türkçe öğretimi ve tam öğrenme. (Turkish teaching and mastery learning). Ankara: Anı Yayıncılık.
• Spandel, V. (2005). Creating writers through 6- trait writing assessment and instruction. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
• Şengül, K. (2014). Alphabet issues in teaching Turkish as a foreign language. International Journal of Turkish Literature Culture Education, 3(1), 325-339.
• Tabachnick, B. G., Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Allyn & Bacon/Pearson Education.
• Takıl, N. (2016). Yabancı dil olarak türkçe öğretiminde yazma becerisini geliştirmeye yönelik bir eylem araştırması: Döngüsel yazma etkinliği. (An action research toward improving writing skills in teaching Turkish as a foreign language: Circular writing activity). Turkish Journal of Social Research, 20(1), 299-312. https://doi.org/10.20296/tsad.06624
• Turkish Language Association. (2011). Turkish dictionary. Ankara: TDK.
• Tekin, H. (1997). Eğitimde ölçme ve değerlendirme (Measurement and evaluation in education). Ankara: Mars Matbaası.
• Tiryaki, E. N. (2013). Writing education in teaching Turkish as a foreign language. Journal of mother tongue education, 1(1), 38-44.
• Varışoğlu, B. (2013). The effects of cooperative integrated reading and composition technique to teaching of Turkish as a foreign language, (Unpublished Ph.D Thesis). Atatürk University Educational Sciences Instituation, Erzurum.
• Yağmur Şahin, E. (2013). Affix errors ın written expression of Turkish as a foreign language learners. Journal of History School (JOHS), 6(15), 433-449. http://dx.doi.org/10.14225/Joh283
• Yıldız, N. (2016). The effect of writing attitude and stiffnesss of students learning Turkish as a foreign language on writing success. Turkish Studies-International Periodical For The Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic, 11(9), 979-992. http://dx.doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.9684
• Yüce, S. (2005). İletişim ve dil: Yöntemler, Avrupa dil portföyü Türkçenin yabancı dil olarak öğretimi. (Communication and language: Methods, European language portfolio teaching Turkish as a foreign language), Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 1(1), 81-88.