The difficultiesposed by teaching chemistry in English language: With special reference to health sciences students in Turkish Universities

Abstract

Most students learn in different ways and have different strengths and challenges. Turkish students suffer from some kinds of difficulty in learning chemistry taught in English, whether in school or university.The language of instruction can affect aspects of a student’s ability to learn. In this study, the difficulties that Turkish students face in studying chemistry in English are evaluated through a survey of students’ opinions at the Department of Nutrition in the University of Gelisim. The results showed that a 52.6% of students suffer from learning difficulties in the English language, which was reflected in their participation in discussions during the lecture, so a large percentage of them (48.6%) resorted to taking notes during the lecture in Turkish and a large proportion of them (45.6%) also believed that the situation would be better if English terms were used alongside Turkish in textbooks. The study claims there is a possibilityof improving students’ level in the English language thus improving students’ abilities to comprehend chemistry through the applicability of various teaching methods. The study draws heavily on both the Communicative and Natural Approach to deal with communication difficulties in chemistry classes.