OJER Home

2025 - Volume 9 - Number 1

Evaluation of the English-Speaking Proficiency Learning Domain of Students Engaged in Intensive Foreign Language Education

Aysun Karasu * ORCID: 0000-0001-6193-5924
Balikesir University, Institute of Social Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction, Balikesir, TURKEY

Nihat Uyangör * ORCID: 0000-0002-4814-3866
Balikesir University, Necatibey Faculty of Education, Department of Education Science, Balikesir, TURKEY

Open Journal for Educational Research, 2025, 9(1), 7-24 * https://doi.org/10.32591/coas.ojer.0901.02007k
Received: 5 December 2024 ▪ Revised: 27 April 2025 ▪ Accepted: 1 July 2025

LICENCE: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

ARTICLE (Full Text - PDF)

ABSTRACT:
This study aims to evaluate the speaking skills learning area in the 2019 English Language Curriculum in terms of 6th grade students receiving intensive foreign language education. A holistic single case design, one of the case study designs, was used in the study. The research group was formed by “convenience sampling” and “criterion sampling” methods from purposive sampling methods. The sample of the study consisted of 6th grade students and English teachers of Imam Hatip middle schools providing intensive foreign language teaching affiliated to the General Directorate of Religious Education in Balıkesir province. Within the scope of the study, 15 volunteer students and 10 volunteer teachers were interviewed. A semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher was used as a data collection tool. Descriptive analysis and content analysis methods were preferred to analyze the data obtained. The results show that students do not have enough time to speak English in the lessons, that they experience speaking anxiety, and that they are expected to make the lessons more fun and to switch to a practical and game-oriented teaching process. In addition, it was also observed that English lessons focus more on reading and writing skills than speaking skills in the four basic skills areas.

KEY WORDS: English speaking anxiety, English speaking skills, English language teaching.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR:
Aysun Karasu, Balikesir University, Institute of Social Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction, Balikesir, TURKEY.

REFERENCES:

Aygören, F., & Er, K. O. (2018). Eğitimde program değerlendirme: Sınıflamalar- modeller [Program evaluation in education: Classifications-models]. Pegem Akademi.

Balım, D. (2020). Beşinci sınıf İngilizce ağırlıklı öğretim programının aydınlatıcı değerlendirme modeliyle değerlendirilmesi [Evaluation of the fifth-grade English-language curriculum with the illuminative evaluation model]. (Thesis No: 608331) [Master's thesis, Pamukkale University, Institute of Educational Sciences]. Turkish Council of Higher Education Theses Center.

Bygate, M. (2009). Teaching and testing speaking. The Handbook of Language Teaching, 412-440.

Demirel, Ö. (2015). Eğitimde program geliştirme: Kuramdan uygulamaya [Program    development in education: From theory to practice] (22nd ed.). Pegem Akademi.

Fitzpatrick, J. L., Sanders, J. R., & Worthen, B. R. (2019). Program değerlendirme: Alternatif yaklaşımlar ve        uygulama rehberi [Program evaluation: Alternative approaches and practical guidelines] (M. K. Aydın & B. Bavlı, Trans. Eds.). Pegem Akademi.

Hawkins, R. (1987). Markedness and the acquisition of the English dative alternation by L2 speakers. Interlanguage Studies Bulletin (Utrecht), 3(1), 20-55.

Karagedik, E. (2013). İngilizce okutmanları için hazırlanan konuşma becerisi öğretimi eğitim programına ilişkin eylem araştırması [A speaking skills training program for English lecturers: A case study]. (Thesis No: 339096) [Master’s Thesis, Hacettepe University, Institute of Educational Sciences]. Institute of Educational Sciences]. Turkish Council of Higher Education Theses Center.

Nunan, D., & Carter, R. (Eds.). (2001). The Cambridge guide to teaching English to speakers of other languages. Cambridge University Press.

Özdemir, S. M. (2009). Curriculum evaluation in education and examination of the curriculum evaluation studies in Turkey. Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Journal of Education, 6(2), 126-149.          https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/146317

Sönmez, V., and Alacapınar, F. G. (2015). Örnekleriyle eğitimde program değerlendirme [Program evaluation in education with examples]. Anı.

Stake, R. E. (1973). Program evaluation particularly responsive evaluation. [Paper presentation]. Conference on New Trends in Evaluation, Göteborg, Sweden, October 1973.

Stake, R. (1995). Case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Stake, R. E. (2011). Program evaluation particularly responsive evaluation. Journal of Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation, 7(15), 180-201.

Uşun, S. (2016). Eğitimde program değerlendirme: Süreçler-yaklaşımlar ve modeller [Program evaluation             in education: Processes-approaches and models] (2nd ed.). Anı.

Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2018). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri [Qualitative research methods in social sciences] (11th ed.). Ankara: Seçkin
Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed.). Sage.