New technologies including digital game-based language learning have increasingly received attention. However, their implementation is far from expected and desired levels due to technical, instructional, financial and sociological barriers. Previous studies suggest that there is a strong need to establish courses in order to support adaptation of gamebased learning pedagogy through helping teachers experience digital games themselves before they are expected to use them in teaching. This study was conducted to investigate educational digital games in foreign language teaching, to identify the determining reasons behind the pittfalls in applications and to explore the contribution of a serious game to the development of professional language skills of pre-service teachers. Pre-and post-tests were applied to measure the contribution of the game to the development of their language skills. In addition, a game diary and semi-structured interviews were used to elicit information about the problems pre-service teachers had and their perceptions on the whole process. The analysis of the data illustrated that there was great improvement in pre-service teachers' professional language skills and attitudes towards using these games while teaching in the future. This is important in foreign language teacher education in terms of enhancing digital game-based language learning pedagogy for teachers.

The interest in Digital Game-Based Language Learning (DGBLL) has increased considerably in recent years although being a relatively new approach. Despite the interest that DGBLL took, the studies in the context of German as a Foreign Language (FL) are quite limited. Moreover, DGBLL in the Turkish context is not prevalent. Due to this gap in the literature, a research project was launched at a big state university in Turkey in 2014 to explore the potentials and limitations of DGBLL. The study focuses specifically on serious games for FL teaching and learning. The aim of the project, in addition to the promotion of linguistic skills of the learners, is to contribute to the development of professional qualifications of the future FL teachers. The present research aims to report on the pilot study of the project. A one group pre-test post-test research design was used in the study. Quantitative data was collected via two opinion questionnaires implemented at the beginning and at the end of the process as well as a receptive vocabulary test. Qualitative data was collected via semi-structuted interviews and game diaries that participants kept. Two serious games for German was selected and used with traditional dictation, transcription and reading comprehension activities. The results of an 11-week gaming activity indicated significant differences between pre-and post-tests in vocabulary. Additionaly, age was found to be an important factor that affects participants' attitudes towards serious games. The results indicate that the participants found game activities useful for the development of other language skills.

This study examines the environmental attitudes of Turkish pre-service teachers of German as a foreign language using the German version of The Revised New Ecological Paradigm Scale (RNEP) and aims to compare New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) level of participants before and after a larger research project that uses documentary movies as a language teaching material. The comparisons were made according to demographic variables such as gender, age, education and language level when determining the NEP levels. A total of 170 pre-service German teachers (147 females, 23 males; age 17-32) contributed to the study. The findings from the present study indicate that environmental education is the most consistent factor in its relationship to levels of environmental concern, which was supported by the previous literature. The results suggest that trans-disciplinary environmental education is prior and necessary for individuals to increase their awareness and to develop abilities to reflect on their environmental responsibilities. The results of the present study also evidence that the use of environmental documentary movies have an important potential to foster environmental awareness of pre-service teachers.

Bu çalışmada, eğitsel amaçlı bir sanal gerçeklik uygulaması geliştirme projesi öncesinde öğrenci ve öğreticilerin yabancı dil öğrenimi için sanal gerçeklik uygulamalarına ilişkin tutum ve görüşleri ele alınmıştır. Eğitimde sanal gerçeklik uygulamalarına ilişkin kuramsal ve uygulamalı alanyazın incelenerek kuramsal çerçeve ortaya konmuş ve sonuçlar rapor edilmiştir. Farklı üniversitelerden 231 öğrenci 43 öğretim elemanından oluşan katılımcıların sanal gerçeklik ön bilgilerini, deneyimlerini ve görüşlerini belirlemeye yönelik anketten katılımcıların düşük seviyede sanal gerçeklik deneyimine sahip olduğunu ancak bu teknolojinin yabancı dil eğitimi sürecine dâhil edilmesi konusunda olumlu tutum sergiledikleri sonucu elde edilmiştir.

This study investigates whether environmental documentaries have an effect on the attitudes of pre-service teachers, who are in an important position to shape coming generations. A total of 76 pre-service teachers at two state universities in Turkey participated in the study and worked on the activities designed about the documentary 'Home'. The RNEP Scale (Dunlap et al., 2000) was used to measure and define the attitudes of pre-service teachers toward environment before and after the activities. The findings of the study showed that working on the environmental documentary had a positive influence since there was a significant difference in the attitude levels of pre-service teachers before and after watching the environmental documentary.The age and gender features of the pre-service teachers did not affect their attitude averages before or after the activity. Nevertheless, significant differences were observed at the sub-dimensions of the scale and at the language proficiency level of the participants. The difference between universities also disappeared after the activities. The difference in the attitudes was progressively significant as the language proficiency level of the participants increased. It is evident that the participants were more anthropocentric than ecocentric although they developed more positive behaviours toward environment after the activities.