A Comparison between ELT and ELL Graduates with regard to Their Perceptions of Effective Teacher Behaviours

It is mostly agreed that learning is a life-long process and teachers are mostly required to be equipped with sufficient and recent knowledge in their own fields (Torf and Sessions, 2008; Atay, 2006). In Turkey there are two departments graduating teachers of English. One of them is English Language and Literature (ELL) department, in which student teachers are exposed to all professional development (PD) courses during the last one and a half year and they have no chance to digest and practice these courses. The other department is English Language Teaching Department (ELT), in which all PD courses were spread to all four years of education, during which student teachers have the chance to digest and practice them. The purpose   of this study is to investigate whether there is a significant difference between English Language Teaching department pre-service teachers’ and English Language and Literature department pre-service teachers’ perceptions of effective teacher behaviours. For data collection, a questionnaire prepared by Brown (2009) was used. It was administered to 22 ELL and 22 ELT pre-service teachers. Firstly data were analyzed quantitatively in order to see whether there is a significant difference between two groups of teachers. Later, an interview, consisting of significant items, was made with 4 participants from each group in order to confirm the findings gathered from quantitative analysis. It is considered that the findings may present some significant differences between two groups of teachers. It is considered that the results of the study may indicate there is a significant difference between these two groups of teachers’ attitudes about PD. Key words: teachers’ perceptions, effective teache

Learner autonomy in language learning: Syrian refugee EFL learners’ perceptions and readiness

This study examined Syrian refugee English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ perceptions regarding learner autonomy as well as their readiness for autonomy in English language learning. It also investigated the effects of grade and gender on learners’ perceptions. A mixed-method research design was utilized, and findings indicated that neither grade nor gender had caused statistically significant differences in terms of Syrian refugees’ perceptions of learner autonomy in language learning; nevertheless, both had caused statistically significant differences in terms of sub-scales. While the 8th graders in this study perceived themselves as being more autonomous in terms of experience in language learning, the female students seemed more autonomous in terms of their perceptions of the role of teachers and feedback. Additionally, although the learners’ perceptions regarding autonomy were slightly lower than their readiness for autonomy, there was a statistically significant relationship between their perceptions of learner autonomy and their readiness for autonomy in language learning. When their perceptions about learner autonomy increased, their readiness for autonomy also increased.Este estudio examinó las percepciones de refugiados de Siria que estudian el inglés como Lengua Extranjera (EFL, por sus siglas en inglés) respecto de la autonomía del alumno, así como su disposición para ser autónomo en el aprendizaje del idioma inglés, y los efectos del grado y el género sobre las percepciones de los estudiantes. Se utilizó el método mixto, y los resultados indicaron que ni el grado ni el género causan diferencias estadísticamente significativas en términos de las percepciones de refugiados sirios sobre la autonomía del alumno al aprender idiomas; sin embargo, ambos causaron drásticas diferencias estadísticas en términos de sub escalas. Los estudiantes de 8º grado se percibieron como más autónomos en términos de experiencia en el aprendizaje de idiomas, mientras las estudiantes parecían más autónomas en términos de la percepción que tenían sobre el papel de los maestros y la retroalimentación. Las percepciones de autonomía fueron ligeramente menores que la disposición para la autonomía, pero hubo una relación estadísticamente significativa entre percepciones de autonomía y su disposición de autonomía en el aprendizaje del idioma. El aumento de las percepciones de autonomía aumentó la disposición de los aprendices para autonomía

Learner Autonomy in Language Learning: Syrian Refugee EFL Learners’ Perceptions and Readiness

This study examined Syrian refugee English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ perceptions regarding learner autonomy as well as their readiness for autonomy in English language learning. It also investigated the effects of grade and gender on learners’ perceptions. A mixed-method research design was utilized, and findings indicated that neither grade nor gender had caused statistically significant differences in terms of Syrian refugees’ perceptions of learner autonomy in language learning; nevertheless, both had caused statistically significant differences in terms of sub-scales. While the 8th graders in this study perceived themselves as being more autonomous in terms of experience in language learning, the female students seemed more autonomous in terms of their perceptions of the role of teachers and feedback. Additionally, although the learners’ perceptions regarding autonomy were slightly lower than their readiness for autonomy, there was a statistically significant relationship between their perceptions of learner autonomy and their readiness for autonomy in language learning. When their perceptions about learner autonomy increased, their readiness for autonomy also increased

THE EFFECT OF FLIPPED CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION IN WRITING: A CASE STUDY WITH IRAQI EFL LEARNERS

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Flipped Classroom Instruction (FCI) on Iraqi EFL learners’ writing skills. Participants included 66 students in the College of Languages English Department at Salahaddin University. The study employed a mixed method of data collection, utilizing pre-and post-writing tests as well as a questionnaire for both groups and interviews conducted with the experimental group. Findings indicated that a statistically significant difference existed between the control and experimental groups and, more specifically, the students of the experimental group performed better on the writing tests than the students of the control group. The majority of the learners’ attitudes towards FCI were positive

Feedback preferences of EFL learners with respect to their learning styles

This study investigates the preferences of EFL learners for oral corrective feedback in relation to their learning styles in order to determine whether there exists a relationship between the two. The sample consisted of 348 preparatory class students studying English as a Foreign Language at a state university in Turkey. A questionnaire was administered to explore learners’ oral corrective feedback preferences, and a learning style inventory was utilized to classify participants’ learning styles. To analyse the obtained data, the frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation values were calculated, and a Chi-square test was employed to determine whether there existed a relationship between student feedback preferences and their learning styles. Most participants were classified as divergent learners, and they seemed to expect their teachers to provide frequent feedback. Moreover, they believed that frequent and serious errors should be addressed more often than occasional and minor ones. Explicit feedback, clarification and elicitation were the most preferred types of feedback, with teachers being the most favored source. These results suggest that learning styles do not account for students’ feedback preferences and provide an explanation in terms of learners’ varied preferences. Therefore, it has been concluded that the concept of learning styles is irrelevant for understanding learner feedback preference