THE EVALUATION of TWO CONSECUTIVE ENGLISH CURRICULA for SOCIAL SCIENCES HIGH SCHOOLS

Abstract

After 2005’s education reform, the Social Sciences High School has become one of the few school types that can provide intensive foreign language education; yet, there are still students at this type of school who cannot communicate in English well. This study aims to compare two consecutive preparatory class English curricula in that type of school regarding the development of communicative skills. For this mixed method study conducted in the second term of the 2017-2018 academic year at a Social Sciences High School in Turkiye, English exam scores of students and interviews with stakeholders were utilized. The findings revealed that there was a significant difference in the English achievement scores of the students between the two preparatory classes in the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 academic years in favour of the latter. Furthermore, the qualitative data obtained from the stakeholders of the two curricula showed that they had positive opinions regarding the curriculum change.