EDITORIAL WELCOME FOR VOLUME 12 ISSUE 2 (OCTOBER 2018)
Welcome to the new issue of Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language) and the beginning of its 12th year in publication. Since the inaugural issue, published in 2007, more than twenty indexing agencies have found Novitas-ROYAL to be worthy of inclusion in their indices, including ULAKBIM and ERIC. Novitas-ROYAL has also published studies submitted by researchers across twenty different countries and welcomed readers from at least twice as many countries. We thank our readers, editors and authors for making these achievements possible, and we hope that our readership enjoys this issue which examines matters pertaining to language students, teachers and materials.
In the first and second articles, the authors examine elements which impact a learner’s success. The first article, by Çelik Korkmaz and Karatepe, explores the effects of multisensory language teaching on 4th graders’ achievement in English reading skills. Çelik Korkmaz and Karatepe conclude that learning through multi-sensory materials have made a long lasting impact on 4th graders’ overall learning experience. The second article, by Yurtseven and Akpur, aims to analyze the predictive level of perfectionism, anxiety, and procrastination on academic achievement by identifying the interdependence among a select set of variables. Interestingly, their results suggest that perfectionism, anxiety and procrastination behaviors are significant predictors of academic achievement.
The third study, by Han and Mahzoun, shifts the focus to the teachers in a study on factors affecting motivation in primary and secondary school EFL teachers utilizing four different data collection instruments. Their findings show that the main causes of demotivation are parents, administrative bodies, students, and working conditions.
With the fourth and fifth studies, the authors examine curricula and examinations in language learning. In their cross-cultural study, Fişne and her peers explore the conditions in which the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is implemented in primary school English language classrooms in Turkey and Portugal. Their results point to the differences in structures and expectations that shape the use of the CEFR in these countries. The fifth article by Şekercioğlu and Koğar problematizes the implementation and scoring of the PISA exams by comparing the results in eight different languages. These researchers conclude that because language differences and cultural invariance affect the results, translation and adaptation processes of the texts and questions on the tests should be seriously reconsidered.
Finally, the last two studies look at teacher practices both outside and inside the classroom. As regards out of class teacher activities, Tuncer and Özkan present the findings of a case study on prospective teachers’ use of reflective journals throughout a 10-week practicum programme. These researchers conclude that participants highlight the contribution of journals in enhancing their critical reflection. Lastly, Yağız investigates English language teachers’ L2 pronunciation cognitions and their classroom practices with a sample of 164 English teachers and academics through a mixed method research design. His results point to the importance of participants’ personal views as well as their classroom teaching practices, which can be seen in how they employ the suprasegmental features of the target language.
Before I conclude, I would like to express my gratitude to our editorial board and especially to the external reviewers of this issue whose hard work has increased the quality of the articles we published.
Sezgi Saraç, PhD
Editor-in-Chief