EDITORIAL WELCOME FOR VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1 (APRIL 2020)
With this issue, we have ended our fourteenth volume. In this issue, the articles explore distance learning, novice English teachers’ challenges, corpus analysis, effects of recasts on learning, comparison of most frequently used assessment tools, students’ experiences of learning English and development and validation of the digital writing scale. We hope that you enjoy reading the articles in this issue.
The first article by Güneş and Alagözlü investigates the relationship between learner autonomy, motivation and academic success in asynchronous distance learning and blended learning environments, employing an experimental research design. The findings of the study indicate a positive relationship between blended-learning students’ academic success and motivation. Additionally, the study also shows that the more motivated students get, the more autonomous they will be.
The second article by Akçor and Savaçı focuses on novice EFL teachers’ challenges in the Turkish context. Findings show that novice teachers are mostly having problems in professional and social adaptation. Accordingly, the study suggests that pre-service teacher education programs should focus on amalgamating theory with practice and raising awareness of possible challenges that teacher candidates will encounter in their professional careers. When it comes to in-service teaching education, the study suggests that novice teachers should be provided with professional guidance so as for their professional development.
In the next article, Özbay carries out a corpus analysis of support verb constructions in British English in regard to a set of sociolinguistic variables. The study reveals rich and valuable findings related to the roles of registers, gender, and age in the usage of support verb constructions in corpus data and the present usage patterns. One of the crucial findings shows that a limited number of support verb constructions patterns are used in both spoken and written parts of the British National Corpus. Accordingly, this study suggests coursebook authors should also consider such corpus studies while designing EFL course materials.
In the fourth article, Şükür and Demircan employ a quasi-experimental research method to investigate the effects of intensive and extensive recasts on learning the English simple present singular –s. Findings reveal that the effects of written recasts on learning the simple present –s are too limited. Authors suggest that English language learners should be provided with more intensive recasts than the extensive ones since intensive recasts can help learners notice the target structure more efficiently and focus on how and where that structure should be used.
In the next article, Polat compares English language learners’ performances on multiple-choice questions (MCQ) and open-ended questions (OEQ) in terms of their psychometric properties. Findings indicate a significant difference between MCQ and OEQ tests in terms of item difficulty and item discrimination levels. In both grammar and reading assessments, MCQ tests were found to be more comfortable than OEQ tests.
The penultimate article by Çelik and Bayraktar Çepni focuses on Turkish university students’ experiences of learning English, employing qualitative research methods. Authors group their findings as external and internal factors. Accordingly, the external factors that students underline dissatisfaction with their achievement and their teachers’ quality, whereas foreign language anxiety and low motivation are among the internal factors that impede proficiency in English.
The last article by Atabek aims to develop and validate a digital writing scale to provide researchers with a new tool that can be used for investigating perspectives of pre-service teachers on digital writing. Data were gathered from 615 pre-service teachers, and a series of meticulous statistical analyses ended with a reliable and valid digital writing scale involving two factors.
To conclude, we thank all our reviewers and readership for their continued support. If you wish to share your ideas or feedback about Novitas-ROYAL, please contact us so that that we may continue to grow and improve this journal.
Mehmet Galip ZORBA, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief