The Evaluation of The Writing Skills of International Students in Terms of Error Analysis

Author : Cihat Burak Korkmaz
Number of pages : 173-193

Abstract

A 960-hour “Turkish Preparatory” programme is being conducted by the Administration for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) under the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism for the international students who receive scholarship education at the universities in our country, in the frame of “Turkish Scholarships”. Within the context of the programme in question, a curriculum regarding A1, A2, B1 and B2 levels (180 hours for each) and a 240-hour education in C1 level are practised. This study has identified the text types (with respect to the free composition method) and the related topics as used by 27 Turkish-scholarship students with a Turkish Certificate in C1 level offered in Turkish and Foreign Languages Application and Research Centre (TÖMER) at Yıldız Technical University (YTU) as well as the grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes they make. The detected errors have been classified in the sense of “Error Analysis Approach”. The data collected by the end of the study is believed to be significant in terms of revealing the writing competency of the students granted with a certificate by completing the “Turkish Preparatory” programme. As the outcome of the use of writing skill can be tangibly observed, the writing ability offers a wider field of study compared to other language skills. During the related research, the students were given 40 minutes, equal to one course hour, and asked to make use of the writing skill through the method of free composition upon the subjects they have determined themselves. The final products brought forth at the end of the study were analysed by two domain experts and the relevant data has been reached.

Keywords

Teaching Turkish as A Foreign Language, Writing Skill, Free Composition, Error Analysis

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