This paper reports a small-scale study of needs analysis of leamers of Turkish as a foreign language at University of Florida. Needs analysis is described in the context of foreign language learning as "a systematic ...This paper reports a small-scale study of needs analysis of leamers of Turkish as a foreign language at University of Florida. Needs analysis is described in the context of foreign language learning as "a systematic and ongoing process of gathering information about students' needs and preferences, interpreting the information and then making course decisions in order to meet those needs" (Graves, 2000, p. 74). Because foreign language instruction has become much more learner-centered in recent years, needs analysis is a must for effective learning processes to occur (LONG, 1999, 2005; Kikuchi & Apple, 2006). In this context, the purpose of this pilot study is to gather information about the students' needs in learning Turkish at Center for European Studies, where less commonly taught languages, including Czech, Greek, Hungarian and Polish are offered. Drawing on interview data compiled from a number of studies (Tarone & Yule, 1989; LI & Richards, 1995), the findings indicate that the students' needs may be grouped under four categories including their linguistic needs, their objectives in learning Turkish, learning resources, psychological and sociological factors that may impact their learning experiences. In the light of the interview findings, certain suggestions as to how to teach Turkish effectively are made.展开更多
This article offers an overview of theoretical ideas and recent empirical research by referring to the interactive communication between teachers and learners in a second language classroom.Both the interaction of tea...This article offers an overview of theoretical ideas and recent empirical research by referring to the interactive communication between teachers and learners in a second language classroom.Both the interaction of teacher-centered classroom and learner-centered classroom are reviewed within the context of sociocultural theory.The paper attempts to indicate the better effect of language learning can be achieved by complementing one another in the classroom of teacher-centeredness and learner-centeredness.展开更多
文摘This paper reports a small-scale study of needs analysis of leamers of Turkish as a foreign language at University of Florida. Needs analysis is described in the context of foreign language learning as "a systematic and ongoing process of gathering information about students' needs and preferences, interpreting the information and then making course decisions in order to meet those needs" (Graves, 2000, p. 74). Because foreign language instruction has become much more learner-centered in recent years, needs analysis is a must for effective learning processes to occur (LONG, 1999, 2005; Kikuchi & Apple, 2006). In this context, the purpose of this pilot study is to gather information about the students' needs in learning Turkish at Center for European Studies, where less commonly taught languages, including Czech, Greek, Hungarian and Polish are offered. Drawing on interview data compiled from a number of studies (Tarone & Yule, 1989; LI & Richards, 1995), the findings indicate that the students' needs may be grouped under four categories including their linguistic needs, their objectives in learning Turkish, learning resources, psychological and sociological factors that may impact their learning experiences. In the light of the interview findings, certain suggestions as to how to teach Turkish effectively are made.
文摘This article offers an overview of theoretical ideas and recent empirical research by referring to the interactive communication between teachers and learners in a second language classroom.Both the interaction of teacher-centered classroom and learner-centered classroom are reviewed within the context of sociocultural theory.The paper attempts to indicate the better effect of language learning can be achieved by complementing one another in the classroom of teacher-centeredness and learner-centeredness.