EDITORIAL WELCOME FOR VOLUME 11 ISSUE 1 (APRIL 2017)
On behalf of the editorial team, I am pleased to welcome our readership to the first issue of the eleventh volume of Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language). In this issue, we have five articles written by authors focusing on varied research topics examining both young and adult learners. With these authors’ contributions, along with our editors and reviewers, Novitas-ROYAL has once again added to the literature on language learning, and I would like to thank all those involved in this accomplishment.
In this issue’s first article, Altay and Saracaloğlu endeavor to fill the gap in research pertaining to the relationship among language learning strategies, critical thinking skills and self-regulation skills of tertiary level English language learners. Using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, they examine the current efficacy of language learning, and how it could be improved through language learning strategies and skills.
In the second article by Uştuk and İnan, a review of research studies conducted on the effects of drama is presented. Within this comprehensive review, the international research and the research in Turkey are brought together by highlighting the similarities and the differences.
In another study focusing on foreign language learning, Altay investigates the effects of semantic mapping as a language learning strategy contributing to the learners’ mental lexicon. In this experimental study, a significant increase in the participants’ vocabulary size is reported.
Learning efficacy is closely linked to motivation in education, and the next research study, by Asmalı, narrows the scope of the research on this by focusing on the representation of young learners’ views and attitudes towards English language learning and instruction.
In the last article of this issue, we shift from young learners to university students in an examination of adverbs, the largest word class, and one which is also consistently problematic for ESL students. Yılmaz and Dikilitaş explore to what extent relatively high proficiency level learners of English use different types of adverbs while writing argumentative essays.
In closing, we hope that you enjoy reading the articles in this issue, and we thank you for your support. In addition, should you have any feedback, or wish to submit an article for publication, we ask that you contact us so that we may continue to grow and improve this journal.
Sezgi Sarac, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
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