Facilitating and Complicating Factors in Distance Language Teaching: Instructors’ Views

Abstract

The present paper employed instructors’ views to address the facilitating and complicating factors in distance teaching of Turkish. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview form consisting of five questions. The questions were designed by the author and reviewed by two Turkish language teaching specialists. The data were collected through one-on-one online interviews with the participants over Microsoft Teams. To increase the reliability, the participants’ responses, deciphered by the author one Turkish language teaching specialist were explored for interrater consistency. According to the formula proposed by Miles and Huberman, the consistency was found to be 0.94. Accordingly, the difficulties in distance teaching of Turkish were addressed within two themes: technical and teaching-oriented problems. Yet, the participants brought positive remarks on personal, technological, and financial aspects of distance Turkish teaching. Besides, the emerging views regarding educational materials were grouped under distance education platforms and digital tools. The measurement and evaluation problems were also discussed under the reliability of exams and types of language skills assessment. Finally, the recommendations brought by the instructors for distance Turkish teaching were themed under three headings: recommendations for technology, materials, and practice. Overall, future comparative research may employ a larger sample of instructors working in other Turkish language centers and compare the findings. Moreover, further research may seek the attitudes of larger groups of instructors within a quantitative design to suggest more generalizable results. Or, the subject may be addressed by mixed-design research to bring a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon.

Using an Online Teaching Platform to Improve Corrective Feedback Practices in EFL Writing Lessons

“…Teachers faced difficulties with learning online tools and using the provided materials, which they referred to as inadequate, to carry out their teaching (Tas et al, 2021). They also experienced problems during online lessons due to technical problems, low attendance, and low motivation (Güven, 2023). Furthermore, the absence of face-to-face interaction and real-time monitoring of student activities made it hard for teachers to assess learning and provide feedback, most of whom found their assessment and evaluation during online lessons inadequate (Tas et al, 2021).…”

“…Combined with the previously mentioned problems of low motivation and attendance (Güven, 2023;Mikušková & Verešová, 2020), the reduced interaction problem in writing classes might be further enhanced in online lessons.…”

“…The devastating earthquakes that impacted millions of people in Turkey led universities to switch to distance education in the 2022-2023 academic year. Such abrupt transition posed great challenges for both instructors and students alike; during the distance education period in the pandemic, students were less motivated to participate or even to turn on their cameras (Güven, 2023), the interaction between the teacher and students decreased, and monitoring student work became much more difficult (Tas et al, 2021). These problems have become more prominent in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing classes, which already require significant individual effort and self-management in face-to-face lessons.…”