Investigating Speaking Performance in Terms of Cultural Capital

Abstract

This study examines whether or not cultural capital has a predictive role in speaking performance. This is a mixed-methods study. Its data were collected from 263 participants (118 females, 145 males) of different ages and professions. The Cultural Capital Scale and a semi-structured interview form were used to collect the data. The participants' speeches were videotaped and evaluated using the Speaking Performance Rating Scale. The study data were evaluated using correlation analysis (r), simple linear regression and content analysis. This study found a positive, significant relationship between cultural capital and speaking performance (r=0.878, p<0.001). Cultural capital accounted for 77.2% of the variation in speaking performance, thus significantly predicting speaking performance. Of the participants, 87.07% said that cultural capital affects speaking performance, and 94.29% said that there was parallelism between cultural capital competencies and speaking performance. Cultural capital plays a vital role in improving speaking performance. Cultural activities such as mobile movie theaters, sports facilities, libraries, theater performances and more should be made available to children who live in relatively underprivileged environments in order to increase their cultural capital. With long-term strategies and development policies, educational programs should be restructured to consider cultural capital's role in linguistic skills. Online practices such as virtual visits to museums and exhibitions, participation in virtual concerts and e-books should be emphasized more. Courses that prioritize cultural content such as music, movies and novels should be designed. The content of textbooks should be enriched by including biographies of important scientists and artists. Researchers should also investigate whether or not cultural capital affects other fundamental linguistic skills