An Investigation of Turkish Language and Turkish Language and Literature Teacher Candidates’ Critical Reading Self-efficacy (The Case of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University)

Hasan BAĞCI

doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.10n.4p.14

Abstract

The basic purpose of native language teaching is ensuring that students develop their skills in four basic language skills at an adequate level. For this purpose, Turkish Language and Turkish language and literature teachers who work in different teaching levels, especially classroom teachers, have important duties. Reading, which is among basic language skills, is a comprehension ability for individuals to reach new information and improve themselves. The thing that is important in reading is combining new information with previous information, and making sense of new information through previously learned information. A good reader should be able to make evaluations about text in a critical manner, in other words, s/he should be able to read critically. Turkish Language and Turkish Language and Literature teachers, who have the responsibility of giving students reading skills in formal education institutions, must have improved critical reading skills. In this study, the purpose was to determine the critical reading self-efficacy levels of Turkish Language and Turkish Language and Literature teacher candidates through some variables. The study data were collected by using the “Critical Reading Self-Efficacy Scale”. The SPSS 21.00 Program was used to analyze the data. From the analysis of the data, it was found that Turkish Language and Turkish Language and Literature teacher candidates have moderate critical self-efficacy levels. It was also observed that the critical reading self-efficacy perceptions of teacher candidates do not change according to gender; however, the reading self-efficacy perceptions of Turkish Language teacher candidates were found to be higher than that of the Turkish Language and Literature teacher candidates. It was also concluded that the critical reading self-efficacy perceptions of the teacher candidates, who said that they had reading habits, were higher than the teacher candidates, who said that they did not have reading habits.

Highlights

Reading and its ImportanceWith the increasing importance of having knowledge, individuals are directed to seek new and accurate information, and for this reason, it is more preferable to reach original and innovative ideas
Since very few studies were conducted on self-efficacy perception, which is important for critical reading, and since studies in the literature are conducted on self-efficacy of Turkish Language and Turkish Language and Literature teacher candidates, who are responsible for teaching these skills to their students, the purpose of the present study was to determine the critical reading self-efficacy levels of Turkish Language and Turkish Language and Literature teacher candidates
When the critical reading self-efficacy perception scores of the male and female teacher candidates were taken into consideration, it was determined that male candidates (3.61) had higher levels of critical reading self-efficacy than female candidates (3.59)

Summary

Introduction

With the increasing importance of having knowledge, individuals are directed to seek new and accurate information, and for this reason, it is more preferable to reach original and innovative ideas. One of the easiest and definite ways to reach original and new information is reading, which is a comprehension skill that has contributed to the individual and to the social life, and is acquired as of the elementary education level. Tural (1992) emphasized that reading improves the comprehension and thinking aspects of humans, and increases the understanding, analysis and synthesis power, and interpretation and making new judgment capabilities.

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Conclusion