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The purpose of this study is to reveal the opinions of the Sivas Cumhuriyet University students, majoring at English Language Teaching Department in the 2017-2018 academic year, about the autonomous learning process to acquire English speaking proficiency. This study, which aims to reveal the sources that affect the students' autonomous learning activities and speaking skills in English language learning, has been conducted with qualitative study methods and is in descriptive survey model. Interviewing method was chosen as the data collection tool of the study. A semi-structured interview form was prepared and conducted in order to reveal the students' opinions about the language learning process, the activities they do individually in order to improve their English speaking proficiency, the sources affecting their speaking skills, and their recommendations for students who want to improve their speaking skills. Qualitative data were analyzed by descriptive analysis, and the data obtained according to the framework formed were interpreted and supported by direct quotations when necessary. Studies on the effects of autonomous learning activities on development of English speaking competence report that auto autonomous learning activities are: making foreign friends, watching foreign movies and listening to foreign music, playing video games, attending drama courses and situations emerging out of individual and environmental circumstances.

Conducting the lectures with effective approaches and methods is of prime importance for the acquisition of the necessary skills and competencies in the field of English language teaching. This study aims at determining the opinions of the pre-service teachers of English regarding the effects of the use of role playing technique in expression skills course, which is offered in the 2nd year at the Department of Foreign Languages Education, the problems experienced during the application process and the suggestions for the use of the technique. A semi-structured interview was implemented to gather the data. The data of the research were arranged and interpreted within the framework of the themes created for the purpose of the research with the descriptive analysis technique. The data obtained from the study results generally emphasize that role playing technique is an efficient method for students to improve their expression skills. Based on the results of the study, the application of the role-playing technique, may also be beneficial to the professional development of prospective teachers. Using drama in foreign language learning classes can improve the self-confidence of prospective teachers in terms of applying drama activities in their professional lives. However, when we consider this process as a whole, the difficulties students experience in this process should not be ignored. In order to minimize the problems participants made suggestions about the importance of space and equipment for the role-playing technique to reach its goal efficiently.

Pre-class work assumes a central role in flipped learning, which has recently enjoyed immense popularity across various disciplines. This qualitative case study investigates the factors associated with learners' doing/failing to do the pre-class tasks in flipped learning. It also compares teacher-created interactive videos and YouTube videos in terms of how they fit into flipped learning as instructional materials that can be used to motivate learners to do pre-class tasks. The learners in an English language teaching methodology course were asked to take turns each week to watch either teacher-created videos enriched (via PlayPosit) with quizzes and discussion questions or YouTube videos. The qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with six participants recruited using criterion sampling. The participants' reflective journals and the lecturer's diary triangulated the data. The results indicated that the learners found the YouTube videos more enjoyable and teacher-created interactive videos more instructive, due to the embedded interactions they had rather than the teacher's presence. However, the task completion levels in the pre-class work were low in both teacher-created and YouTube videos. Pedagogically considered, effective and enjoyable delivery rather than teacher presence in videos seems more critical for learners. Therefore, using high-quality ready-made videos and enriching them with interactive elements could be a viable option in flipped learning.

The personality trait of openness has been shown to contribute to a person's ability to function effectively. Additionally, scholars have suggested that openness to experience and foreign language experience were related to music preference. Extending from earlier scholarship, this study examined the relationship between openness to experience and the various types of musical and language experiences reported by undergraduate music majors in Turkey and the United States. Participants (N = 380) were surveyed using the Openness to Experience domain of the NEO-PI-R and an author-designed survey with questions about participants' musical backgrounds and interests, foreign language abilities, age, and sex. Results showed that U.S. students rated significantly higher in four of the five dimensions of the Openness domain than their Turkish counterparts (Wilks'[lambda] = 0.57; F(5, 374) = 55.37, p < 0.001). Factor analysis results showed that (a) experiences in foreign languages, (b) listening to Turkish traditional, pop, and folk music, and (c) listening to American (pop and folk) and Western classical music cumulatively explained 68.49% of the variance in openness. Correlation analyses suggested that listening to Western classical, American folk, and American pop music was associated with higher openness scores, and listening to Turkish traditional, folk, and pop music was associated with lower openness scores. Additionally, the number of foreign languages participants studied correlated with four of the dimensions. Results suggest that both groups could benefit from increased, broader, and deeper exposure to different musical genres from diverse cultures.

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Copyright of Cumhuriyet International Journal of Education is the property of Cumhuriyet University, Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)