The analysis of A1 level speaking exam in terms of syntax: The effect of general competence on syntax in A1 level speaking

This study aims at discovering the relevance of general competence of Turkish and Arab learners who have an A1 level of English proficiency in preparatory school of University of Turkish Aeronautical Association (UTAA) to their speaking skill in terms of syntax by analyzing the recordings of speaking exams in the first semester. One can ask why learners could ever perform a great variety in syntactic structure in spoken performance while the university ensures that all learners get a standardized language education based on the same syllabus and course books to succeed their future academic studies. The answer may seem easy; however, it is difficult to get out thoroughly. Therefore, the paper will try to explain this connection between better performances in terms of syntactic structures in spoken performance comparing to Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) A1 level expectations and these learners’ attitudes, motivation, background of education, and world knowledge. During the process, the information falling within the scope of general competence (declarative knowledge and existential competence) is held by one-to-one interviews with 22 randomly chosen learners. The results mainly showed that the learners who invested in developing general competence have their own independent wordrobe and a higher level and variety of syntactic structures in their speaking whereas the rest and also the majority of the learners who are not as competent regarding declarative knowledge and existential competence (attitude and motivation) show a standard level of syntax (commonly used structures as defined in ALTE) in speaking.

A1 seviyesi konuşma sınavının sözdizimi açısından analizi: Genel yeterliliğin A1 seviyesi konuşmada sözdizimine etkisi

Bu çalışma, Türk Hava Kurumu Üniversitesi’nin (THK) Hazırlık Okulu’nda A1 düzeyinde İngilizce yeterliliğine sahip Türk ve Arap öğrencilerin genel yeterliliklerinin, birinci dönem konuşma sınavlarının kayıtları analiz edilerek, sözdizimi açısından konuşma becerileriyle olan ilgisini incelemeyi hedefler. Üniversitenin, öğrencilerin gelecek akademik çalışmalarında başarılı olmaları için aynı müfredat ve ders kitaplarıyla standart bir dil eğitimi almalarını sağlamasına rağmen, öğrencilerin konuşma performansları neden önemli derecede sözdizimsel çeşitlilik göstersin diye sorulabilir. Cevabı basit görünebilir, fakat detaya girildiğinde işin içinden çıkmak zordur. Bu sebeple bu çalışma, Ortak Avrupa Dil Referans Çerçevesinde A1 seviyesinden beklentilere kıyasla öğrencilerin sözdizim açısından daha iyi konuşma performansları ile onların tutumları, motivasyonları, eğitim geçmişleri ve dünya bilgileri arasındaki bağlantıyı açıklamaya çalışacaktır. Süreç boyunca, genel yeterlilik (bildirimsel bilgi ve varoluşsal yeterlilik) kapsamına giren bilgiler, rastgele seçilen 22 öğrenciyle bire bir görüşmelerle toplanmaktadır. Sonuçlar genel olarak, genel yeterliliğe yatırım yapan öğrencilerin konuşmalarında kendi bağımsız kelime haznesine ve yüksek seviyede ve çeşitlilikte sözdizimine sahip olduğunu, ve çoğunluğu oluşturan ve bildirimsel bilgi ve varoluşsal yeterlilik (tutum ve motivasyon) bakımından ayni derecede yetkin olmayan diğer öğrencilerinse konuşmada standart bir sözdizimi düzeyine sahip olduğunu (ALTE' de tanımlanan yaygın yapı kullanımları) ortaya koyuyor.

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Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies-Cover
  • ISSN: 1305-578X
  • Yayın Aralığı: 4
  • Başlangıç: 2005
  • Yayıncı: http://www.jlls.org