LISTENING TEXTS USED TEACHING TURKISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF TEXT CLASSIFICATION
Cihat Burak KorkmazThe texts used in teaching Turkish as a foreign language are being formed in accordance with the definitions of the target language competencies intended to be fulfilled at the end of the process due to the fact that they are among the most fundamental means of language teaching. Words, word types and word groups belonging to the target language are made use of through texts in particular contexts; in this way, both the whole properties of that language are explicitly handled and the literaryelaborateness, figures of speech and language-culture relationships of the related language are revealed. The application of progressive level system in the teaching of Turkish as a foreign language and the reality that the European Languages Teaching Common Framework of Reference (CEFR) requires the achievement of different qualifications in each level and four basic language competencies lead to the necessity that the texts ought to bear characteristics that differ from one another too. A variety of descriptions and classifications are available with regard to texts as a teaching aid. While texts are classified in many aspects within the studies conducted especially in reference to teaching Turkish as the native language, such classification is out of question in teaching Turkish as a foreign language. The aim of this study is to make a general classification of the listening texts used in teaching Turkish as a foreign language according to their formation style in relation to the textuality criteria, their functions and types, and to analyze the listening texts available in Yedi İklim Turkish Teaching Set (YİTÖS) and İstanbul Turkish Teaching Set for Foreigners (İYTÖS), the most commonly used language teaching sets in the field, in quantitative and proportional sense based on the related titles.
METİN SINIFLANDIRMASI BAĞLAMINDA YABANCI DİL OLARAK TÜRKÇENİN ÖĞRETİMİNDE KULLANILAN DİNLEME METİNLERİ
Cihat Burak KorkmazYabancı dil olarak Türkçenin öğretiminde kullanılan metinler, dil öğretiminin en temel araçlarından olmaları sebebiyle süreç sonunda ulaşılmak istenen hedef dil yeterliklerin tanımlarına göre oluşturulmaktadır. Metinler aracılığıyla hedef dile ait kelimeler, kelime türleri ve kelime grupları belirli bağlamlar içerisinde kullanılarak hem o dilin bütün özellikleri açıkça ele alınmaktadır hem de ilgili dilin edebî incelikleri, söz sanatları ve dil-kültür ilişkileri de ortaya koyulmaktadır. Yabancı dil olarak Türkçenin öğretiminde aşamalı kur sisteminin uygulanması ve Avrupa Dilleri Öğretimi Ortak Çerçeve Metni’nin (ADÖOÇM) her bir seviyede ve dört temel dil becerisinde farklı yeterliklere ulaşma özelliğini işe koşması, metinlerin de farklı farklı özelliklere sahip olması gerekliliğini doğurmaktadır. Öğretim aracı olarak metinler ile ilgili çok çeşitli tanımlamalar ve sınıflandırmalar yapılmaktadır. Özellikle Türkçenin ana dili olarak öğretiminde yapılan çalışmalarda metinlerin birçok yönden sınıflandırması yapılırken yabancı dil olarak Türkçenin öğretiminde böyle bir sınıflandırmaya rastlanmamaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı yabancı dil olarak Türkçenin öğretiminde kullanılan dinleme metinlerinin metinsellik ölçütleri açısından oluşturulma şekline, işlevine, türüne ve çeşidine göre genel bir sınıflandırmasını yapmak; alanda en yaygın kullanılan iki dil öğretim seti, Yedi İklim Türkçe Öğretim Seti (YİTÖS) ve İstanbul Yabancılar İçin Türkçe Öğretim Seti’nde (İYTÖS) yer alan dinleme metinlerinin ilgili başlıklar açısından sayısal ve oransal olarak incelemektedir.
The Aim and Importance of the Study
It is known that the most widely used of all language teaching sets in teaching Turkish as a foreign language are Yedi İklim Turkish Teaching Set (YİTÖS) and İstanbul Turkish Teaching Set for Foreigners (İYTÖS) (Erdil 2018: 94). The listening texts available in the related teaching sets are used in the teaching of listening ability. The aim of this study is to present a classification of listening texts in accordance with the way they are formed as well as their functions and kinds.
Accordingly, the question How are the listening texts found in the course books that are used in teaching Turkish as a foreign language classified according to their formation styles, functions and types? has been identifed as the problem statement of the study. The sub-problems that belong to this problem statement are as follows:
1. How is the text classification in teaching Turkish as a foreign language arranged?
2. How is the classification of listening texts found in YİTÖS course books arranged?
3. How is the classification of listening texts found in İYTÖS course books arranged?
The identification of through what texts the listening ability is improved in teaching Turkish as a foreign language reveals the significance of this study. The formed text classification table is also of importance with regard to the results and recommendations of the study as well as its contribution to the course books’ authors, to those who will prepare programmes and to academicians.
The Model of the Study
In this study, qualitative research method has been used. This method is an approach which foregrounds the research and comprehension of social cases on a context-sensitive base and with a theoretical understanding (Yıldırım & Şimşek 2018: 45). In this study, document analysis which is one of the qualitative research designs is used. Document analysis is one of the qualitative research designs in which written materials (books, journals, newspapers, e-content documents) are examined (Yıldırım & Şimşek 2018: 46).
The Universe and the Sample
As for the study environment, the listening texts available in the course books used in teaching Turkish as a foreign language have been selected and paradigms have been formed with the use of Yedi İklim Turkish Teaching Set (YİTÖS) (A1,A2,B1,B2,C1), as prepared by Yunus Emre Institute (YEE), and İstanbul Turkish Teaching Set for Foreigners (İYTÖS) (A1,A2,B1,B2,C1), as organized by İstanbul University (İÜ).
The Collection and Analysis of the Data
A content analysis has been fulfilled by examining the Turkish teaching sets. The main purpose of content analysis is to reach concepts and relationships that can explain the collected data. The summarized and interpreted data is then exposed to a deep process in content analysis, and the concepts and themes can be discovered as a result of this analysis. The concepts take the researcher to the themes and the cases can be arranged better and be made more understandable thanks to these themes (Yıldırım & Şimşek 2011: 227). The data obtained at the end of the analysis has been analyzed in terms of classification titles, and it has been calculated with regard to both numerical and percentage value.
Findings and Comments
In accordance with the formation style, the fictious texts in both YİTÖS and İYTÖS course books prove abundant in number. This rate is over 70% in both sets. It has been detected that the fictious texts are by 27% more than the original ones in YİTÖS course books while they are by 36% more than the original texts in İYTÖS course books. In fact, when calculated in accordance with the total text number, the rate of fictious texts in İYTÖS course books turns out to be relatively more.
At the end of the analysis of texts in relation to their functions, 59% of the listening texts found in YİTÖS course books are classified as the ones with utility function, 83% of them as literary and 4% as others. As for the texts available in İYTÖS course books, 49% are assessed as having utility function and 41% as literary while no texts are involved in the “others” classification. When viewed from this aspect, the literary texts outnumber the rest of the classifications in YİTÖS course books whereas the number of the texts with utility function dominates the others in İYTÖS course books.
At the end of the text analysis with regard to their types, it is evaluated that the number of literary texts in YİTÖS course books is 66 and they rank first with the rate of 45%, the number of communicative texts is 48 and they rank second with the rate of 33%, the number of instructive texts is 11 and they rank third with the rate of 8%, the number of texts based on expression/demonstration is 9 and they rank fourth with the rate of 6%, the number of poetic texts is 8 and they rank fifth with the rate of 5%, the number of other text types is four and they rank sixth with the rate of 3%, and finally, the formal texts rank seventh. The number of communicative texts in İYTÖS course books is 38 and they rank first with the rate of 42%, the number of literary texts is 26 and they rank second with the rate of 29%, the number of texts based on expression/ demonstration is 12 and they rank third with the rate of 13%, the number of instructive texts is 10 and they rank fourth with the rate of 11%, the number of poetic texts is 3 and they rank fifth with the rate of 3%, the number of formal texts is 1 and it ranks sixth with the rate of 1%, and finally, the “other” text type ranks seventh.
In YİTÖS course books, 146 listening texts are available in total and in 28 different types too. The numerical number and percentage rate of the first five text types among the most commonly used ones are as follows: 1. Dialogue, 12 in number and 16%; 2. Column, 13 in number and 9%; 3. Biography, 12 in number and 8%; 4. News text, 10 in number and 7%; 5. Causerie, 9 in number and 6%. The numerical number and percentage rate of the least commonly used text types are as follows: Letter, schedule, comics, directive description, form, legend, fable, match narration and discourse 1 in number and 1%, and tale 2 in number and 2%. In İYTÖS course books, 90 listening texts are available in total and in 23 different types as well. The numerical number and percentage rate of the first five text types among the most commonly used ones are as follows: 1. Dialogue, 25 in number and 28%; 2. Story, 8 in number and 9%; 3. News text, 7 in number and 8%; 4. Essay, 7 in number and 8%; 5. Autobiography, 6 in number and 7%. The numerical number and percentage rate of the least commonly used text types are as follows: Song, memoir, application form, slogan, critique, weather forecast, guide book 1 in number and 1%.
Conclusions and Recommendations
It has been calculated that the fictious texts in YİTÖS course books are more than the ones in İYTÖS by 49 in number and 6% in rate, and the original texts in YİTÖS course books outnumber the ones in İYTÖS by 7 in number and 6% in rate.
It has been detected that the listening texts available in YİTÖS course books are classified as 83 literary texts by 57%, as 59 texts with utility function by 40%, and as 4 other texts by 3%. Again, it has been identified that the listening texts available in İYTÖS course books are classified as 49 texts with utility function by 54% and as 41 literary texts by 46%. It is seen that no “other texts” classification is available in İYTÖS course books.
It has been ascertained that the listening texts found in YİTÖS course books involve 66 literary texts by 45%, 48 communicative texts by 33%, 11 instructive texts by 8%, 9 texts based on expression/demonstration by 6%, 8 poetic texts by 5%, and 4 other text types by 3%. On the other hand, it has been identified that the listening texts found in İYTÖS course books involve 38 communicative texts by 42%, 26 literary texts by 29%, 12 texts based on expression/demonstration by 14%, 3 poetic texts by 3%, and 1 formal text by 1%. The formal text type is not used in YİTÖS while no “other” text type is used in İYTÖS.
YİTÖS course books contain totally 146 listening texts in 28 different types. The numerical number and percentage rate of the first five text types among the most commonly used ones are as follows: 1.12 dialogues by 16%; 2. 13 columns by 9%; 3. 12 biographies by 8%; 4. 10 news texts by 7%; 5. 9 causeries by 6%. The numerical number and percentage rate of the least commonly used text types are as follows: Letter, schedule, comics, directive description, form, legend, fable, match narration and discourse 1 for each and by 1%, and tale 2 for each and by 2%. İYTÖS course books include totally 90 listening texts in 23 different types. The numerical number and percentage rate of the first five text types among the most commonly used ones are as follows: 1. 25 dialogues by 28%; 2. 8 stories by 9%; 3. 7 news texts by 8%; 4. 7 essays by 8%; 5. 6 autobiographies by 7%. The numerical number and percentage rate of the least commonly used text types are as follows: Song, memoir, application form, slogan, critique, weather forecast and guide book 1 for each and by 1%.
