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Need an account? Click here to sign up. Download Free PDF. A short summary of this paper. An unexpected interest in this practice was observed after the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. However, the portal is still in the trial phase. For this reason, although user feedback is vital in order to improve the portal, no academic research on this issue has been conducted yet.
In this context, the researcher aims to evaluate the Distance Turkish Learning Portal as regards students' opinions. For this purpose, a qualitative research model, which is frequently used in educational sciences, was used to collect data, and a subsequent case study was carried out for an in-depth evaluation of their beliefs.
Data was collected through a Google form that was shared with the participants. As a result of the research, it is understood that the participants enjoyed using the portal in that, firstly, it is free; secondly, it provides the opportunity to get to know Turkish culture, and finally, it also supports autonomous and self-learning. On the other hand, the technical infrastructure of the portal is insufficient, and there is no instructional or tutorial support, lack of interactive speaking features, besides the number of videos have been found to be inadequate by the users.
At the end of the study, based on the findings, some suggestions were offered by the researchers to improve the Distance Turkish Learning Portal. They have wanted to learn languages for several purposes such as interacting with people of different nationalities.
Language teaching activities have been carried out in various institutions and organizations to meet the need of people. Language teaching activities are divided into two categories as in-class classroom and out-of-class extracurricular activities. The classroom environment is one of the most basic elements of the learning process.
Learners both participate in learning activities in the classroom and find the opportunity to socialize with their peers who have similar goals. In-class practices at all levels of education, from kindergarten to higher education, lie at the core of all teaching processes. In addition, developments in internet technologies around the world have enabled a new learning-teaching environment to find itself a place in the relevant literature.
Platforms, also called virtual language learning environments, help learners learn languages regardless of time and space. In addition, thanks to such platforms, individual learning environments are offered to learners, and it is now possible to customize one's learning depending on personal traits and learning habits. According to the research carried out by Hazer et al. Based on this result, the researchers predict that more time will be devoted to computer-oriented activities in the future and that individuals will have to develop their computer literacy skills.
Since then, the use of computers and the Internet has increased gradually. However, the Corona Virus COVID epidemic, which broke out on December 1, , in Wuhan, China, and spread all over the world, forced people to spend time in lockdown in their homes, and countries have started to take different measures to prevent the outbreak from getting worse.
One of these measures is to make people stay at home and prevent them from getting out on the streets. This practice is carried out in different ways in different countries. While some countries have prohibited their citizens from leaving their homes at certain times, some countries have declared short or long-term lockdowns or curfews and imposed some sanctions on their citizens. The fact that people stay in their homes also affect habits related to their computer and internet use.
On the other hand, those who have to go to work and those who can work from home continue their work on the Internet. One of the sectors affected by the epidemic is the education sector. Countries in different parts of the world have had to make changes in their education systems. Schools have had to give a break in most countries with insufficient technical infrastructure for long and unresolved periods until schools are reopened in the unforeseeable future.
For this reason, distance education applications provide a significant advantage, especially for individuals who want to learn foreign languages. It is not usually possible for many people to learn the target language in the native country where the language is spoken. It is often costly to study at a language school abroad; therefore, most learners prefer to study in language courses in their own country. In these courses, individuals meet the target language only in the classroom environment and cannot find out-of-class learning environments where they can practice what they have learned.
However, the important thing here is to practice the target language with the native speakers so that learning could be functional and the retention period might last longer. On the other hand, Behjat , p. Nowadays, internet access has become easier worldwide, which also has an impact on language teaching. Indeed, the Internet is at the core of distance education tools. With distance education applications, learners can develop both their vocabulary and other language skills.
The biggest problem is the lack of face-to-face communication with learners' peers and teachers. It is possible to develop, change, and increase the number of course contents, but this requires much additional work.
Upon merging pedagogical approaches and modern technologies, it is possible to carry out a successful foreign language course Trajanovic et al. In synchronous learning environments, both the teacher and the learner could actively participate in teaching simultaneously.
In asynchronous applications, however, a learner can usually start using the educational content pre-prepared for them. For this reason, some applications that allow learning Turkish asynchronously are included in this section.
Examples of these sites are "turkishexplained. The first two websites are offered in both Turkish and English. On the "dilbilimi. A paid membership is not required for all three websites, and they offer supplementary resources for Turkish learners. These sections are named as the basics of Turkish language, adjectives, verbs, modal verbs, speaking, signs and links, respectively. The section called the basics of the language includes the alphabet, sound harmony, sounds and phonemes and grammar sections, and it is also possible to download electronic books from the site for a certain fee.
On the site, grammar rules are explained in English, and then it is aimed to reinforce the subject with sample sentences about that specific grammar rule. There are some grammar rules, reading and listening texts in six units to assist users in learning Turkish. Grammar rules are explained in Turkish, and then examples of the rules, multiple-choice tests and gap-filling exercises are offered to users.
The website also includes grammar reference resources, dictionaries and visual materials sections. The site has 53 sections, including dictionary for rules, a vocabulary section, forum and virtual meeting room to teach Turkish to foreigners. The main language Turkish site could be entered via typing the address "turkce.
While A1 level is presented to the learners as 7 units, the other levels consist of 8 units. Topics prepared using animated characters are presented to users via a video player applet. When users complete the task, they go to the next stage via using the video player, and when the activities for skills are completed, the unit ends. In practice, the students are allowed to write comments and discuss the lessons in the section called "canteen", through which they can also communicate with each other.
Yunus Emre Institute has prepared the Distance Turkish Learning Portal to provide a language learning environment for those who want to learn Turkish, independent of time and location. The portal's home page can be accessed through the addresses of "learnturkish. The portal offers Turkish, English, Russian and Arabic language support.
The site, which aims to teach Turkish from A1 level to C2, does not have any applications for C2 level yet. The portal, the purpose of which is to improve the reading, listening, speaking and writing skills of the users, aims to teach Turkish to users through fun. The more the users progress in the system, the more they gain points, and a ranking [the league of fame] is made among these users. In the "Words" section, users are given the word and image, and the pronunciation of the word is read aloud simultaneously.
There is a dictionary section on the portal, too. The portal, which aims to increase the competitive edge among the learners with the option of adding friends via the portal, is planned to offer "learning coach" support and private lessons to the users in the future. Some of the programs mentioned above have been developed in recent years, yet the number is limited, and also the number of total active users is still quite small.
The reason for these low numbers could be that these applications are still in their trial versions. For this reason, although the user feedback is very important in terms of improving the applications, academic research is not seen to have been made in this field yet. Considering the importance of developing technology and distance education each day experienced in today's world, it is, therefore, crucial to prepare "content- wise quality" distance education applications for teaching Turkish to foreigners as soon as possible.
In this context, the aim of the research is to evaluate the Distance Turkish Learning Portal developed by Yunus Emre Institute to teach Turkish online, in line with the students' opinions.
According to the learners, are the assessment and evaluation practices in the Yunus Emre Institute Distance Turkish Learning Portal useful? Method Research Methodology A qualitative research model, which is frequently used in educational sciences, was used in this study. Accordingly, the case study, which is one of the techniques used in the qualitative research model, was taken as the basis in the study.
In this context, the thoughts of the learners using the portal in question will be studied in depth. User feedback is very important for the correction and improvement of the portal. After determining the learners' expectations of the portal and the problems in the system, the upcoming improvements will make the portal functional leading to a more useful system. In addition, correspondence technique was used to collect data in the research. Correspondence is the technique of collecting data through written communication.
Letters, questionnaires, written tests, etc. In this universe, learners who responded adequately to the correspondence tool constitute the sample of the research. These codes, which are included in the quotations in the findings section of the research, show to which participant the statement belongs. The data on the gender of the participants are as follows: Table 1.
The data on the age groups of the participants are as follows: Table 2. The data on the Turkish levels of the participants are as follows: Table 4.
The data on the usage frequency of the Turkish Teaching Portal by the participants are as follows: Table 6. Learners who could not be reached during the data collection process or who gave incomplete answers to the questionnaires were not included in the study sample in order to obtain reliable data.
Again, the research was limited to the problem statement and finding answers to the sub- problems. Data Collection and Analysis Firstly, a questionnaire development study was carried out by the researchers for the research.
Opinions were received from two field experts to check whether the questionnaire prepared by the researchers served the purpose of the research or not. The questionnaire was finalised with the feedback from the field experts. Since the questionnaire will appeal to users of all levels, it has been translated into English and Arabic by official translators to make it trilingual.
Subsequently, an expert opinion was retaken on whether the questions were consistent and the translations were correct in all three languages. After the positive feedback, the questionnaire was transferred to the electronic media through the application of "Google Form". There are two sections in the questionnaire: Part One, the demographic data and Part Two for the belief section.
Finally, the link of the questionnaire was sent to Yunus Emre Institute, and the form was re-examined by the experts at the Institute and sent to the system users via e-mail. The form, which was kept in the electronic form for one week to be answered, was toggled off at the end of one week. Descriptive analysis technique was used in the analysis of research data. In the descriptive analysis, direct quotations are often included to reflect the striking views of individuals interviewed or observed.
Accordingly, the findings obtained from the learners are mainly dealt with in seven sections. Subsequently, the beliefs of the learners in each section were analysed by the researchers.
The frequency and percentages table regarding the positive aspects of the Distance Turkish Learning Portal prepared based on the participants' responses are as follows: Table 7.
Some of the opinions from the users according to the first theme are as follows: P47 "I can study Turkish without having to leave home. On the other hand, Yunus Emre Institute's portal is one of the first websites in this field since there are few distance education applications prepared in accordance with foreign language teaching principles and methods for learning Turkish.
It responds to a serious need with this aspect. Some of the opinions of the participants, who see the website is offered free of charge see this as an advantage: P42 "The opportunity to choose the time is perfect for me, and free education is also a good thing. I can learn by myself. I saved money for three years to learn English, but I don't have such a problem for Turkish. Another advantage of the website for the users was its provision of personalised language learning opportunities. This has been stated as a positive feature of the portal by Likewise, Listening comprehension and oral production skills are among the most important elements of communication.
In this context, it is noteworthy that the listening and speaking activities in the portal are found useful by the learners. Contrary to the courses held in the physical environment, the portal provides asynchronous and personalised learning opportunities and the vocabulary teaching activities repeatedly bring target words to the learners, which contributes to the retention of learning.
Levelled learning or learning in line with levels is one of the most important features brought by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Accordingly, when a language is taught to the learner, it is necessary to act in a certain system and follow a sequence in the teaching of skills and grammatical structures.
When one logs into the system, they can see that teaching can be carried out up to C1 level, but the level of C2 has not been activated yet. A similar situation exists in the Distance Turkish Learning Portal. As a matter of fact, 6. In terms of improving their reading and writing skills, 4. When the portal is examined, it is seen that reading many texts are included. There are also writing activities through which users can practice their Turkish from the basic level.
When the comments of the users participating in the research are examined, it is seen that participants mentioned the positive aspects of the portal, while 10 participants did not express their opinions in the question item. Based on this result, it can be said that The frequency and percentages table regarding the negative aspects of the Distance Turkish Learning Portal based on the answers of the participants are as follows: Table 8.
Some of the opinions of the participants regarding these complaints are as follows: P9 "It is slow, maybe due to the internet connection.
Speech practice is usually not said here when the headset is well placed on the computer, and I am responding to other speech exercises. There is no response to my e-mails. Indeed, this type of systematic problems is often encountered. This situation is considered to have been caused by too many users simultaneously trying to log into the system. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, face-to-face education was interrupted in many countries around the world, and similarly, face-to-face education was also interrupted at the language centres of Yunus Emre Institute, and distance education was initiated.
Therefore, the portal needs to be updated or strengthened accordingly. The portal is built on the development of four basic language skills. However, the tool used in teaching speaking skill is not functional enough.
This tool may not work properly, based on the principle by which a user speaks Turkish through the microphone and the program analyses the speech, and the user is expected to utter the listed words and sentences with the correct pronunciation. The percentage of users complaining about this situation is Lack of interactive speech option and live tutorial support is also seen as deficiencies in the portal.
Some of the user opinions on these themes are as follows: P37 "It would be better if there was a conversation section among the learners, I think.
Learning alone is good. But learning with others is more useful. Maybe I can add a book, group chat and presentation feature. I also don't like the questions that require us to spell the answer letter by letter. Participant number thirty-six P36 states that when he reaches A2 level, he suddenly faced some subjects with which he could not cope, so his progress is slower when he levels up from A1 to A2. The participant numbered thirty-three P33 states that there is no reply to his e-mails, for example, he has not been informed whether he will be given a certificate when he completes the system.
The same participant also says that he feels worried if the system or the site is to be closed and his efforts wasted. When the responses are examined, it is seen that participants have given negative opinions, and ten participants did not give a negative opinion regarding the use of Turkish Teaching Portal. Demand for distance education has increased, especially during the coronavirus outbreak. The Distance Turkish Learning Portal users complain that they have problems in using the portal and that they experience freezes and hangs on the site from time to time, and as a solution to this, they suggest that the site should be technically improved and upgraded.
While Users need to interact with each other on the portal. Also, there was a demand from the users for the online tutorial support section, which is not available on the portal but yet given a section. Although there are end-of-section tests on the portal, the need to prepare extra exams and activities is expressed by users. Smartphones have become indispensable for human life today.
People can easily perform all their needs on the Internet thanks to smartphones, and even many people learn language through language applications. Among the Distance Turkish Learning Portal, 8. Some of the participants' views are as follows: P22 "You should make a more useful application for the mobile phone. Second, it does not work properly with iPad and phones. Third, most of the learners don't have a Turkish keyboard, so please add a Turkish keyboard to all the writing questions.
When the application is examined, it will be seen that the sections related to grammar learning area are kept short. With the constructivist approach, the significations of many concepts of education from different steps such as the role of the teacher, educational environment, class activities, assessment and evalu- ation progress has been changed.
In the research, document examination technique has been used. The books were assessed by the constructivism method and weaknesses were pointed out with recommendations. Arslan, Karton kapak ve 1. Merhaba a. Gelecek c. Ailem ve Ben a. Adresim b. Ne kadar? Hangi Filme Gi- c. Ne za- delim? Spor Yap, Zinde Kal 4.
Her Yer Tarih b. Ne Olmak İstiyor- c. Hobilerim 6. Yolculuk Nereye? Trafikte b.
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