This paper attempts to present a review of Facebook group pages as an educational tool for language learning. One of the primary needs of foreign language learners is to gain the opportunity to use the target language outside the classroom practice. Social media communication provides occasions for learners to receive input and produce output while engaging in negotiation of meaning. In line with this point, teachers can instigate class group pages in the social media in an attempt to provide a space for practice and communication free of the traditional pedagogic concerns of a typical classroom. The distinctive discursive behaviour of Facebook group pages helps one to achieve that attempt. In light of these views, the researcher, in this study, formed a group page to understand the dynamics of social media environment as a supporting tool for language classrooms. This paper addresses various features which make social media a unique place to contribute to the sense of class community and collaboration outside the classroom. The face-to face classroom is a controlled communication event, that is, teachers and students are required to be in the classroom at the same time but a teacher's use of Facebook is an attempt to communicate with students outside of that controlled environment where teachers can meet students in their territory. When compared to its disadvantages, the advantages of setting a class group page on the social media outweigh. Students can feel motivated to contribute to an online community if they subsequently receive support or help. It also leads students to feel that they are being supported by a whole portion of their class community and promotes students' desire to maintain a valued relationship with others. Students continue developing and strengthening relationships with others.
Mobile language learning applications have changed how language is learned and have opened new windows for potential learners. At the convenience of our time, place, comfort and pace, we can learn or revise a language through our mobile gadgets. From the reviewed literature, it is evident that more data is needed to understand the users’ views about mobile applications. Instead of focusing on a single mobile application, the researcher attempted to elicit the general perceptions of Turkish adult learners about mobile language learning apps. In line with this thought, a selfadministered questionnaire was sent to potential mobile app users and 231 participants replied to the questionnaire. The aim of this study is to find out what perceptions adult learners in Turkey have and what their suggestions are to enhance future mobile language learning applications. For the close-ended questions, frequencies and percentages were taken, while for the open-ended question, content analysis was done. Easy access was considered as the greatest strength, while internet connection requirements and scarcity of interactivity were considered among the shortcomings. The participants offered some suggestions which can yield new paths for application developers, teachers and practitioners in the field of English language teaching and adult learning.
The quality and qualifications of teachers reflect the quality of education and the success of students accordingly, and particular attention needs to be given to preservice teacher training as it is the primary step towards professionalization. Keeping this point in mind, English language teacher education programs (ELTEPs) seem to be a worthwhile research area. There is an increasing number of studies addressing ELTEPs in Turkey. Yet, comparative data on Turkey's ELTEPs and those of other countries remain relatively limited. Reasoning from the mentioned reasons, the study aims to analyze ELTEPs in Finland and Turkey based on five criteria; student selection, curriculum, practicum hours, graduation prerequisites and recruitment of teachers. Comparative in essence, the data were composed of documents indicating ELTEPs in both countries. For this qualitative research, basically, document analysis and content analysis were applied. As for the findings, one can count student selection, pre-service teaching practice and recruitment of teachers different from each other. More significantly, teachers in Finland are highly respected, trusted and have a high degree of autonomy in their work from the start of their profession. In the light of such comparative studies, Turkey needs to establish its unique model and enhance the quality of teacher education by taking the strengths of ELTEPs in different countries.
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