Abstract:

The aim of this study is to determine the needs for the foreign language oriented 5th grade English curriculum, which started piloting in the academic year 2016-2017 and whose English curriculum was prepared in 2017. In the research in which convergent parallel design, one of the mixed research designs, was used quantitative data were gathered with the Questionnaire of Determining the Needs of Learning English from 173 foreign language oriented 5th grade students studying in 3 secondary schools in a district of İstanbul in the academic year of 2016-2017. Qualitative data were collected with a semi-structured interview form from 3 English teachers who were working in the same district. Descriptive statistics were used in the analysis of the quantitative data obtained from the research and descriptive analysis method was used in the analysis of the qualitative data. According to the findings, the problems most frequently encountered by English teachers of the foreign language oriented 5th grades are the crowd of the classes, the lack of a prepared curriculum for 2016-2017 academic year and the lack of a coursebook. According to teachers, students’ readiness and The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages are the most important factors to be considered while preparing the English curriculum for foreign language oriented 5th grade students. In terms of students and teachers, foreign language oriented 5th grade students learn English in order to be successful in school exams and to improve their speaking skills. However, among the four basic skills, students are most inadequate in speaking skill. It has been stated that the use of games in class has a positive effect on teaching and that smart boards are effective teaching tools that must be used in English classes. According to the teachers, it is better to make formative assessment in English language teaching. However, according to the students, it is better to use written exams for measurement and evaluation.

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