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 traces the evolution of the field of second language acquisition/development(SLA/SLD). It chronicles the evolution in terms of different disciplines and theories that have been influential, beginning with...This article traces the evolution of the field of second language acquisition/development(SLA/SLD). It chronicles the evolution in terms of different disciplines and theories that have been influential, beginning with the origin of SLA/SLD in linguistic thinking and expanding its scope of inquiry to psycholinguistics. It has developed further with the disciplines of anthropology and sociology holding sway. More recently, newer cognitive theories have been influential. The article discusses the recent call for a transdisciplinary approach. More specifically, the author promotes the adoption of complex dynamic systems theory, in keeping with non-reductionist systems thinking. Not only is this sociocognitive theory an interdisciplinary theory, but it also highlights the dynamic, variable, nonlinear nature of second language development. This it does within an ecological conception of development, which insists on the relevance of context. It also maintains that SLA/SLD is not a matter of input becoming output, but rather that language patterns emerge from the interaction of its users, given the affordances that they perceive. The article concludes with a discussion of several instructional issues.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 traces the evolution of the field of second language acquisition/development(SLA/SLD). It chronicles the evolution in terms of different disciplines and theories that have been influential, beginning with the origin of SLA/SLD in linguistic thinking and expanding its scope of inquiry to psycholinguistics. It has developed further with the disciplines of anthropology and sociology holding sway. More recently, newer cognitive theories have been influential. The article discusses the recent call for a transdisciplinary approach. More specifically, the author promotes the adoption of complex dynamic systems theory, in keeping with non-reductionist systems thinking. Not only is this sociocognitive theory an interdisciplinary theory, but it also highlights the dynamic, variable, nonlinear nature of second language development. This it does within an ecological conception of development, which insists on the relevance of context. It also maintains that SLA/SLD is not a matter of input becoming output, but rather that language patterns emerge from the interaction of its users, given the affordances that they perceive. The article concludes with a discussion of several instructional issues.
