“Ya Bat ya Çık” Sarmalı: Hazırlık Okullarındaki Başarılı ve Düşük Başarılı Öğrencilerin Düşünce ve Davranış Yapıları

Bu çalışmanın amacı bir devlet üniversitesinin Yabancı Diller Yüksekokulunda başarılı ve düşük başarılı öğrencilerin düşünce yapısını paydaşların bakış açısı üzerinden değerlendirmektir. Çalışmanın verileri 16 katılımcı ile gerçekleştirilen görüşmeler ile toplanmıştır; 16 katılımcı ise dört başarılı öğrenci, dört düşük başarılı öğrenci, dört öğretim görevlisi ve dört yöneticiden oluşmuştur. Yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler aracılığı ile katılımcıların yabancı diller hazırlık programında başarı olgusuna ilişkin görüş ve düşüncelerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular yabancı dil hazırlık programlarında başarı ve düşük başarıya atfedilen özellikler konusunda önemli bulgulara erişmeyi sağlamıştır. Bağımsız çalışma alışkanlığı, motivasyon, düzenli çalışma alışkanlığı, azim ve etkin öğrenci katılımının üç paydaş tarafından da dile getirilen ortak kavramlar olduğu bulunmuştur. Başarıya atfedilen faktörlerin tüm paydaşlar tarafından ortak noktaları olduğu ancak başarısızlığa atfedilen faktörlerin gruplar arasında farklılık gösterdiği tespit edilmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarının Yabancı Diller Yüksekokulu’nda başarı olgusunun anlaşılmasına ve rehberlik çalışmalarının planlanmasına yönelik katkıları olacağı düşünülmektedir.

The ‘Sink or Swim’ Dilemma: Mindsets of Successful and Underachieving EFL Learners at a School of Foreign Languages

The purpose of the present study is to explore the mindset of successful and underachieving EFL learners at a school of foreign languages in a state university through stakeholders’ perceptions. The study adopted a phenomenological design. Data were collected through interviews conducted with 16 participants, comprising four successful students, four underachieving students, four instructors and four administrators. The semi-structured interviews explored the participants’ views and experiences regarding the phenomenon of success in a preparatory year foreign language programme. The findings obtained from the study provide insights into the characteristics attributed to the mindset of successful and underachieving learners in the Turkish context. Self-study habits, motivation, regular study habits, perseverance, and student engagement were the common characteristics shared by teachers, instructors and administrators. Whilst most factors attributed to success were shared by all the stakeholders, factors attributed to underachievement demonstrated differences between the groups. The results are believed to have the potential to contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon of success and the design of guidance practices in an SFL.

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