This study aims at proposing a 3-stage materials evaluation system and separate checklists for screening and detailed analysis and testing their effectiveness. The checklists were developed at two stages: First they were developed by 113 trainees as the requirement of the materials evaluation training program and evaluated by 43 ELT teachers. Later both the system and the checklists themselves were piloted and tested in real-life by 11 ELT teachers when adopting ELT materials for their students. The data was collected through 5-point Likert scale questionnaires. The results indicated that the system allows for the quick disqualification of the inappropriate ones and saves enough time to focus on the candidate ones in detail. The checklists themselves are found to be both reliable and valid.

Turkey has invested a lot in foreign language education; however, the expected goals are not likely to be acknowledged yet especially in English as a foreign language (EFL) education. This paper aims at uncovering the factors causing inefficiency in the Turkish foreign language education system and then offering suggestions to overcome stated problems. The paper points out that the problems causing inefficiency in foreign language education mainly stem from adopted foreign language education approach, foreign language education planning policy, teacher education/training system, adopted teaching materials, and measurement and evaluation system. The paper concludes with a discussion about how to overcome these problems. It offers a meaning-based foreign language education method trying to expose students to a massive number of comprehensive samples of a target language. Naturally, such a shift in language education method, calls for materials and measurement evaluation compatible with the method. As the teachers are one of the agents of the foreign language education process and any innovation can only be realized with teachers, teacher training needs to be planned systematically as an ongoing event. Finally, all these changes can only be potentially realized by the authorities who determine the foreign language policy by scientifically exploiting data obtained through context and needs analysis. ÖZETBu çalışma, Türk yabancı dil eğitim sisteminde verimsizliğe neden olan faktörleri ortaya çıkarmayı ve daha sonra belirtilen sorunların üstesinden gelmek için önerilerde bulunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma, yabancı dil eğitiminde verimsizliğe neden olan sorunların olarak benimsenen yabancı dil eğitimi yaklaşımı (yabancı dil yapılarını öğretmek = yabancı dil öğretimi) yabancı dil eğitimi planlama politikası, öğretmen eğitim sistemi, kullanılan öğretim materyalleri ve ölçme ve değerlendirme sisteminden kaynaklandığına işaret etmektedir. Bu makalede, bu sorunların nasıl aşılacağı hakkındaki önerilerle sona ermektedir. Yöntem olarak, yabancı dilin bir öğrenme ve iletişim aracı olarak kullanılmasını öngören anlam odaklı yöntem önerilmektedir. Bu yöntem, öğrencilerin bol miktarda ilginç ve anlaşılabilir girdi almalarını öngörür. Doğal olarak, dil eğitimi yönteminde böyle bir değişim, yönteme uygun materyal ve ölçme-değerlendirme gerektirmektedir. Öğretmenler yabancı dil eğitim sürecinin temsilcilerinden biri olduğundan ve her türlü yenilik sadece öğretmenlerle gerçekleştirilebildiğinden, öğretmen eğitiminin sistematik olarak devam eden bir etkinlik olarak planlanması gerekmektedir. Son olarak, tüm bu değişikliklerin, ancak bağlam ve ihtiyaç analizi yoluyla elde edilen verilerin bilimsel olarak işlenmesi ile ortaya konulacak yabancı dil politikası ile gerçekleştirilebileceği vurgulanmıştır.

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Considering the pivotal role of assessment, this study aimed to investigate the attitudes of the students and the teachers towards the assessment component of a customized content and language integrated learning in an English as a foreign language program implemented at the tertiary level in Turkey. It also sought to study its effectiveness as a tool for the integrated assessment of language and content. Data were obtained by a mixed-method research approach from 525 university freshman students and 17 English language teachers via questionnaires and follow-up interviews with the teachers and the students. The results indicated that both the students and the teachers developed positive attitudes towards the assessment component of content and language integrated learning. The assessment component was also found to be an adequate tool for the integrated assessment of content and language.