THE ROLE OF CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS IN TEACHING TURKISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF POST-METHOD PEDAGOGY

Abstract

Language learning is becoming increasingly important in the current field of Intercultural communication. As a result, educators and experts face challenges in deciding which teaching methods to use when teaching a second foreign language. To address this issue, it is crucial to conduct new researches from theory to practice or from practice to theory, based on the fundamental principles of the post-method pedagogy, the learning environment, learners’ needs, and teacher’s professional competencies. Contrastive analysis is a method that provides instruction based on the nature of the language while also addressing the needs of students in solving problems encountered by Kazakh learners when studying Turkish as a foreign language. At this stage, the aim of this study is to determine the significance of contrastive analysis within the post-method framework. The research is based on a qualitative research design. Additionally, a semi-structured interview form was used to achieve the study’s objective. The interviews involved 15 students learning Turkish as a foreign language at the Faculty of Philology, Abai KazNPU. Data analysis was conducted using content analysis based on the “code-category-theme” approach with the MaxQDA 24.4.0 program. The findings revealed that the method supports post-method strategies such as minimizing perceptual mismatches, enhancing language awareness, activating intuitive heuristics, integrating language skills, supporting learner autonomy, and raising cultural awareness, thereby making the learning process effective, simple, and suited to learners’ needs. These results are expected to be valuable for both theorists and practitioners in foreign language education during curriculum development.