Arap Öğrencilerin Türkçe Okuma Becerilerinin Gelişiminde Karşılaştıkları Sorunlar: Bağdat Örneği
Problems Faced by Arab Students in The Development of Turkish Reading Skills: The Case Of Baghdad

Summary/Abstract: In the process of foreign language acquisition, numerous challenges arise concerning pronunciation. These challenges stem from various factors, including phonological differences between the native and target languages, differences in grammatical structures, sociocultural influences, individual differences, and the nature of the learning process itself. This study focuses on the reading errors made by 6th-grade primary school students, whose native language is Arabic and who reside in Baghdad, Iraq, while reading Turkish texts, and proposes potential solutions to address these errors. The study aims to identify the reading errors made by students from a different native language background. The research was conducted on a total of 16 students—8 girls and 8 boys—whose native language is Arabic. Data were collected through audio recordings of students reading texts they had studied during the academic year, followed by transcription and analysis of these recordings. The findings reveal that the students experienced significant pronunciation difficulties during oral reading in Turkish. They struggled with accurately producing Turkish-specific phonemes such as “ç,” “ş,” “ğ,” and “ı.” Errors involving vowel length, sound omission, and metathesis were also frequently observed. Male students made more errors, which was associated with their reading habits and levels of attention. The results indicate that low phonetic awareness and native language interference play a significant role in pronunciation errors. The study highlights the importance of enhancing phonetic awareness in language instruction.

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