ORTAOKUL 5-8. SINIF TÜRKÇE DİL BİLGİSİ ÖĞRETİMİ ÜZERİNE BİR İNCELEME

Dil pek çok alt sisteminin bir arada mükemmel bir biçimde işlediği bir üst sistem/dizgedir. Dilin işleyişi ile ilgili çalışmalar yapılırken onun sistem olduğu gerçeğinden uzaklaşılmamalıdır. Bir dil sisteminin işleyişini birtakım kurallar çerçevesinde ele alan dil bilgisi çalışmalarında sistemin birbiri ile ilgili olan parçaları tek tek ele alınmakta, bu yaklaşım dil bilgisi öğretimine de yansıtılmaktadır. Dil bilgisi öğretim sürecinde gerçekleştirilen etkinliklerin yapılandırmacı yaklaşıma uygun etkinlikler olduğu düşünülse de bu etkinliklerin dil olgusunu genellikle biçimsel yaklaşımla ele alan etkinlikler olduğu görülmektedir. Bir dil sistemi olarak Türkçenin dil bilgisini kurallar bütünü olarak ele alıp bu kuralları biçime odaklanan etkinliklerle öğretmeye örtüşmemektedir. Bu şekilde bir öğretim öğrencileri birbiriyle ilişkisiz görünen biçimleri ezberlemeye yöneltmekte, yapılandırmacılığın ilkeleri ile çelişen bir durum sergilemektedir. Bu araştırmada ortaokul dil bilgisi öğretimini öğretmen görüşlerinden hareketle değerlendirerek dil bilgisi öğretiminin yapılandırmacı yaklaşımla örtüşmeyen yönlerine dikkat çekmeye çalışılmıştır. Nitel araştırma desenlerinden durum çalışması (case study) deseninin kullanıldığı araştırmanın verileri 17 Türkçe öğretmeni ile gerçekleştirilen açık uçlu anket görüşmesi ile elde edilmiştir. Görüşme kayıtlarının analizinde içerik analizi türlerinden kategorisel analiz yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın bulgularına göre Türkçe öğretmenlerinin çoğu dil bilgisi öğretimini gerekli görmekte, dil bilgisi etkinliklerini uygularken öğrencilere kazanımlarda verilen dil bilgisi konusunu niçin öğrenmeleri gerektiğini açıklamaktadır. 2006 Türkçe Dersi Öğretim Programı ve Kılavuzu'na göre dil bilgisi öğretiminin sarmal olarak gerçekleştirilmesine vurgu yapılırken öğretmenler dil bilgisi etkinliklerini genellikle ayrı bir ders saatinde uygulamakta, ders kitaplarındaki dil bilgisi etkinliklerini dil bilgisi kazanımlarını gerçekleştirmede yeterli bulmamakta, dil bilgisi kazanımlarının aşamalandırıldığını belirtmekte ve öğrencilerin dil bilgisini öğrenmede genellikle isteksiz olduklarını düşünmektedirler

AN INVESTIGATION ON 5-8TH SECONDARY SCHOOL TURKISH GRAMMAR TEACHING

This research has been carried out in accordance with the opinions of Turkish language teachers in order to evaluate the grammar education in the secondary school and to draw attention to the contradictory situations encountered, dwelling on the necessity of the usage of grammar data in grammar education. In accordance with the purpose of the research, the answers to the questions below have been searched. 1. Is grammar education necessary according to the Turkish teachers? Why? 2. Do Turkish teachers explain the students why they should learn the subjects stated in the grammar attainments? Why? 3. Do Turkish teachers use the spiral approach in teaching grammar? Why? 4. Regarding the grammar activities in the Turkish textbooks, a. Do Turkish teachers think that the activities are sufficient to realize grammar attainments? Why? b. Do Turkish teachers carry out the grammar activities? Why? c. Do Turkish teachers think that the grammar subjects are correctly graded according to the grade levels? Why? 5. According to the Turkish teachers, are the students enthusiastic about learning grammar? Why? In this qualitative research, case study from the qualitative research patterns has been used. The data of the research have been collected with the open ended questionnaire method. The semistructured interview form has been applied to the Turkish teachers in order to reveal their opinions about the grammar education of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. The interview form has been prepared by the researcher and the content validity consists of questions provided by two academicians and three Turkish teachers. The study group of the research has been formed according to the maximum variation sampling method among the purposive sampling methods. Revealing various aspects of the problem has been attempted depending on the sample variety in the study. The study group of the research consists of 17 Turkish teachers working in schools with different socioeconomic levels in the central districts of Erzurum, Bursa and Rize during the 2014 – 2015 school year. In the analysis of the research data, “categorical analysis”, a type of content analysis method has been used. In the analysis stage, all data have been read and the general ideas stated by the participants have been viewed. Later on, the research has passed to the data coding stage. In the coding stage, the data have been divided into categories and organized. The frequency and the percentage value of the categorized elements have been determined. In order to validate the research, the coding and the categorization have been checked by an academician specialized in this field. Also, the opinions of the teachers who had participated in this study have been quoted in the text. According to the findings of the study, the majority of the Turkish teachers state that grammar education is necessary. They believe, above all, that the grammar education is essential for the students in order to develop the skill of using the language masterfully in compliance with the rules of the language, to express themselves sufficiently, and to comprehend the structure and functionality of the language. According to the findings regarding the explanation of the reason behind teaching the grammar subjects to the students, it is seen that most of the teachers provide one. The teachers have stated that they explain it to the students in order to “draw the attention and interest of the students”. Other reasons stated by the teachers are the contribution of grammar knowledge in the learning process, the necessity of recognition of the relationship between the grammar subjects, the functionality of language in the communication process, reinforcing the curiosity of the students, the opportunity of getting to know life better by knowing their own language, the necessity of grammar knowledge of their native language, and concretizing the grammar subject. It is seen that the grammar education is not being carried out in a supportive manner to other fields of skill as stated in the program. It is seen that most of the teachers spare a separate hour for the grammar subject in order to teach it better. Although the program emphasizes that the grammar education should be realized using the spiral approach, the lack of such activities in the teacher guidance books and the concern to prepare the 8th grade students to the central exams could be considered as the reason behind the grammar education through separate activities carried out within a separate hour. 29% of the teachers stated that grammar shouldn’t be separated from other fields and the students shouldn’t be overwhelmed, indicating that they practically realize the grammar education within other learning fields as the occasion arises. Meanwhile, 24% of the teachers stated that they both teach grammar within other fields of skill and spare a separate hour for the grammar on the grounds of making sure that the subject of grammar is learned better and preparing the students for the exams. The findings of the study show that 82% of the Turkish teachers believe that the grammar activities are insufficient in realizing grammar attainments. According to the teachers, the textbooks contain a limited number of activities, which are not distributed in a well-balanced way in terms of grade levels, are below the students’ level, are not wary of individual differences, are unable to draw the student’s attention, are aimed at memorizing and searching for rules, are boring and prepared imprecisely. 82% of the Turkish teachers in the study carry out the grammar activities in the textbooks. The teachers have stated that they realize these activities because they reinforce the subject and help the students learn the subject better. The statement of one teacher, expressing that he carries out the activities just for the sake of formality can be classified as a remarkable finding. The findings point out that 18% of the teachers do not carry out the activities in the textbooks because they think that they are not suitable for the students’ levels and are not interesting. 59% of the teachers in the study think that the grammar attainments are correctly graded according to the grade levels. According to the teachers, the subjects are parallel to one other and the attainments are prepared considering the students’ levels and their attention. 41% of the teachers don’t believe that the grammar subjects are incorrectly graded. Because according to their opinion, the subjects are not complementary and the texts are not prepared in conformity with progressivity. According to 59% of the teachers, students are unwilling to learn grammar. The teachers have stated that students are reluctant because of reasons such as the struggle of understanding the necessity and importance of the lesson, the effect of street language and visual media on the used language, insufficient consciousness towards the importance of language, difficulty of grammar according to them, inability to associate the subject with others, rapid omission and questioning why they learn grammar at all. Meanwhile, 29% of the teachers think that the students are willing to learn grammar. Application of different methods and techniques while teaching grammar, students’ perception of grammar activities as games, and the curious and questioning nature of the students are among the reasons behind this will and eagerness towards learning grammar. According to 12% of the teachers, individual difference is the primary reason that determines the will to study grammar. According to the results obtained from the findings of the study, most Turkish teachers think that grammar education is necessary. The most important reason that renders grammar education necessary is developing the skills of using the language properly and masterfully. The students should also learn grammar in order to express themselves sufficiently and comprehend the structure and functionality of the language. Other reasons regarding the necessity of grammar education are improving skills of speaking and writing through grammar education, being able to learn the grammar of a foreign language easily, becoming skillful at analyzing daily events through language, the notion of correct and efficient communication depending on the knowledge of the rules of the language, and the concern towards Turkish being forgotten day by day. Two of the teachers do not consider grammar education necessary, because they believe that education should not be based solely on grammar. Most of the teachers explain their students why they learn grammar subjects in order to draw their interest and attention. It can be said that this is an important result in terms of developing a positive perspective towards learning grammar and providing the student with the opportunity of structuring information easily. They provide explanations because of reasons such as the contribution of grammar knowledge in learning process, the necessity of recognition of the relationship between grammar subjects, the functionality of language in communication, reinforcing the curiosity of the students, the better recognition of life itself through knowledge of their language, the necessity of grammar knowledge of their native language, the daily function and role of language, and concretizing the grammar subject. One of the teachers stated that he doesn’t provide an explanation, associating the students’ interest towards grammar with the number of questions that will come up in the central exams. Most of the teachers spare a separate hour for grammar education in order to teach it better. Also, the teachers carry out grammar education separately from other learning fields since they believe that the activities in the textbooks are insufficient for education, and the students get confused with grammar related concepts. Teachers who state that grammar should not be separated from other fields and students should not be overwhelmed carry out the grammar education practically within other education fields where necessary, while some teachers realize the grammar education both within other education fields and in a separate hour, in order to make sure that the subject of grammar is learned better and to prepare the students for the exams. Most of the Turkish teachers in the study think that grammar activities are incapable of providing grammar attainments. According to the teachers, the activities in the textbooks are insufficient in terms of quantity and quality. There are few activities in terms of quantity, and they are not distributed in balance according to the grade levels, are below the level of students, careless in terms of recognizing individual differences, unable to draw the student’s attention, boring and are not prepared with precision. One teacher’s statement claims that the grammar activities are more likely to be focused on teaching, memorizing and looking for rules. Most of the Turkish teachers apply the grammar activities in the textbooks. According to these teachers, the activities reinforce the subject and contribute to the process of comprehension. Other reasons behind the application of these activities are the concordance of the activities with the curriculum, the lack of use of an alternative source to the textbook, and the presence of similar activities in the central exams. Teachers who believe that the activities are not suitable for the students’ level and are not interesting do not apply the activities. Most of the Turkish teachers think that the grammar attainments are correctly graded according to the grade levels. According to these teachers, the subjects are parallel to each other and the attainments are prepared in compliance with the levels of the students and their interests. 41% of the teachers think that the grammar subjects are not correctly graded because they believe that subjects do not complement each other and the texts are not prepared in a suitable manner in terms of progressivity. According to the teachers, students are reluctant because of reasons such as the struggle of understanding the necessity and importance of the lesson, the effect of street language and visual media on the used language, insufficient consciousness towards the importance of language, difficulty of grammar according to them, inability to associate the subject with others, rapid omission and questioning why they learn grammar at all. The results presented in the first six articles of the research explain why students are unwilling to learn grammar. The inability of students in comprehending the necessity of grammar despite the explanation of the teacher, the lack of proper structure and progressivity of grammar attainments in accordance with the grade levels due to busyness, and the realization of grammar education through textbook activities which highlight the form without implicating the meaning and prevent the students from discovering the general structure of the language by correlating form and meaning brings to the attention why students are unwilling to learn grammar. According to 29% of the teachers, students are enthusiastic about learning grammar. Different methods and techniques applied by teachers, perception of grammar activities as games, and the curious and questioning nature of the students are the reasons that show why students are willing to learn grammar. Also, students with sufficient foreknowledge are enthusiastic about learning grammar.

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