Instructors' Problems and Solution Suggestions in the Process of Teaching Turkish Language to Foreign Students

Abstract

This study was designed according to the qualitative research method aiming to determine the problems of instructors faced in the process of teaching Turkish to foreigners and the solutions proposed by them. Seven instructors working at YYU TÖMER have been participated in the study. Some of the instructors have experience of Turkish teaching to foreigners in different institutions and in different countries. The data were collected by interview technique, which is a qualitative data collection tool, analyzed by descriptive analysis and exemplified by the opinions of the participants. When examining the problems of instructors faced in the process of Turkish teaching to foreigners and the sources of these problems, it is confronted that these problems are conduced from students, the mother tongue of target group, the structure of Turkish, materials and learning environments. The most difficult skills that instructors encounter during the teaching Turkish to foreigners are grammar, writing, speaking and reading. Considering the most difficult subjects in teaching, metaphor, idioms and proverbs are in the lead. When the suggestions that the instructors have developed for furthering the success of teaching Turkish to foreigners are examined, these suggestions are directed to centers of teaching Turkish, textbooks, texts, other teaching materials, institutions, academicians, instructors conducting the courses and applied methodologies.

Keywords: Turkish language to foreigners, problems and solutions, suggestions