What are Teachers’ and Students’ Views of the Learning-teaching Process? A Study on Turkish Language and Literature

This study aims to examine teachers’ and students’ views of learning-teaching on Turkish Language and Literature course. Also, this study aims to determine the prior learningteaching strategies of teachers and students. It was designed by qualitative research approach, phenomenology design. In the study, there are two participant groups; teachers and students. In sampling for both teachers and students, convenient sampling of purposive sampling type was used. Semi-structured interview questions were used as a data collection tool. Accordingly, content analysis was deemed proper to analyze the data. As a result, teachers’ and students’ views on learning and teaching are compatible with each other in a general framework such as selfstudy, students’ involvement, active lesson process, teaching the lesson as art and especially the importance of reading habit. However; in the learning-teaching process, teachers’ most strong emphasis was on individual differences, different/active methods implementations during the lesson and; whereas students’ emphasis was on learning strategies such as memorizing, coding, doing research, observing and teachers’ interest in them. It can be seen in the findings that teachers tend to teach the course by enabling learners to participate and students would like to have an active lesson process. Teachers and students share a similar idea on the fact that the Turkish Language and Literature course is an art; so, the learning-teaching process should be formed accordingly. According to the findings teachers’ and students check the understanding by productivity and test results. Conclusively, teachers and students are keen on an active teaching environment; reading habit is one of the most important skill as the course’s attainment, however exam pressure can limit their actions.


INTRODUCTION
The term of learning has always been on the spot of different views and discussions throughout history. It has been discussed by many educators and scientists. Learning is a very complex and multidimensional process. Many educators and psychologists defined learning from many different perspectives (Schunk, 2012). For Behaviorists, learning is the change in the behavior that leads the learner to show in their experiences. For cognitivists, learning occurs within the mind of the individual and it is the process of making what's around meaningful. Learning takes place with the work of the brain. For constructivists, learning is a learner-centered process. Learners can construct the newly learned knowledge into the previous one, and they can provide themselves with meaningful and controlled learning (Hebb, 1964;Schunk, 2012;Senemoğlu, 2018;Slavin, 2006).
If we are to examine the nature of all these learning approaches and theories in detail, we can see that as they have differences, they also have similarities at some point and they in some ways complete each other. Starting with behaviorist theories; classical conditioning, operant readiness (Schunk, 2012;Senemoğlu, 2018;Slavin, 2006;Staats, 1996).
In cognitive theories, social cognitive theory, information processing theory, Gestalt theory and neuropsychological theory can be examined. In social cognitive theory, Bandura emphasizes the importance of learning through observation and vicarious learning. He has proven his theory via the bobo doll experiment in vicarious learning and the difference between learning and performance. He expresses that an individual can learn without experiencing but observing around them. According to his view of theory; reciprocal determinism, symbolizing capacity, foresight capacity, vicarious learning capacity, self-judgment and self-regulation capacity are the main principles. Also, he stresses that vicarious reinforcement, vicarious punishment, vicarious experience and vicarious motivation are as effective as direct ones. One of the most important points of his theory is the fact that he described the individual as a decision-maker of own and he takes self-efficacy and self-regulation into consideration in learning (Altun, 2004;Altun & Çolak, 2011;Bandura, 1976;Bandura, 1995;Bandura, 2016;İlbeği, 2020). As for information processing theory, it mainly focuses on the internal processes of learning. Information processing theorists do not reject associations but they reject the notion of these associations' happening with only external effects. It examines individuals' minds and memory in learning. This theory suggests that there are two important issues in learning and they are memories that the knowledge is stored and cognitive processes that allow knowledge to be carried out and remembered. It explains the learning process as; input enters sensory memory; it moves on with working memory. Repetitions and coding take place for information to be stored in long-term memory. If the knowledge cannot be stored in long-term memory forgetting occurs. However, if it is preserved in long-term memory, it is retrieved when necessary. Also, in this theory, attention has a key role since it is not easy to preserve the knowledge if the individual's attention is not driven. It emphasizes the importance of executive functioning which means having the control of monitoring, selecting and information processing. Besides these notions, individual differences are very prominent in information processing and preserving the knowledge in longterm memory (Altun & Çolak, 2011;Schunk, 2012;Slavin, 2006). Gestalt theory is based on the Gestalt movement started by a few psychologists at the beginning of the 20 th century. It basically suggests that learning is finding holistic meaning. According to their point of view, the whole is more important than the parts. That is why learning should take place in a holistic and meaningful way that learners can easily understand with the help of frameworks and concept maps. In this theory; there are basic principles that constitute the basic mentality of learning which are similarity, continuation, closure, proximity, figure/ground, and symmetry & order. This theory emphasizes the importance of perception and insight learning. In short, it suggests that learning is a meaningful problem solving and perceiving what is around you process as a whole (Altun & Çolak, 2011;Schunk, 2012;Senemoğlu, 2018). For neuropsychology theory put forward by D. Hebb; Learning is a biochemical and physiological process. Our physiological needs are important factors that can affect the learning process. The brain has a very complex structure that enables us to do very complex tasks at the same time. In the brain, there are millions of cells that %15 of which are neurons. Thinking and learning processes occur in neurons. The brain has four lobes; the frontal lobe controls planning, problem-solving and other issues related to the memory; parietal lobe is in charge of functioning senses; the temporal lobe deals with hearing functions and the occipital lobe is in charge of recognizing objects. Brain lobes work as a whole and multi-functionally. Also, this theory suggests that learning is not hereditary but it can occur when a child encounters many different and meaningful stimuli, and it is simply combining as many cell assemblies as one can. It has an information processing way of learning and it stresses that learning needs to be meaningful, learning includes both cognitive and affective processes and patterning supports learning permanently. Another important point of view of this theory is that it suggests brain processes whole and the parts at the same time and it can execute very complex matters (Altun & Çolak, 2011;Caine & Caine, 1991;Hebb, 1964;Schunk, 2012).
As for constructivism, defining constructivism has many aspects because it is a philosophy that sets the nature of learning rather than a theory. Basically, it deals with the individual's differences in learning. It suggests that each individual is different and they have different ways of learning since they are different in readiness, intelligence, background and way of thinking. It emphasizes the importance of learners' constructing their learning. Learning needs to take place in an active environment for learners and enhance higher-order thinking skills. Constructivism accepts the exogenous and endogenous perspectives of learning and does not oppose the cognitive process of individuals. There are two schools of thought in constructivism: cognitive constructivism and social constructivism. Cognitive constructivism' pioneer J. Piaget emphasizes the importance of constructing knowledge in cognition. It explains this process in terms of assimilation, accommodation and equilibration. According to his point of view, the individual finds ways to equilibrate their knowledge by schemes and reconstructing. As for social constructivism pioneered by L. Vygotsky; it pays more attention to the interaction and internalization in constructing the knowledge. He also stresses the importance of the interaction with the terms of zone of proximal development. Besides, he suggests that self-regulation has an important role in constructing knowledge. Apart from these pioneers, Dewey and Bruner also can be mentioned as constructivists with their experiential and discovery learning views respectively (Altun & Çolak, 2011;Schunk, 2012;Slavin, 2006;Woolfolk, 2016).

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
As the theories explained above; the criticism brought to behaviorism was the way they consider learning as a oneway process and ignore most of the cognitive and affective processes. The common thought on cognitive and constructivist theories is that learning is complicated and learners have very different ways of improving themselves which include improvement of metacognitive skills, creative skills, self-regulation and preferences (Erden & Altun, 2006). The emphasis on improving these skills, which are also mentioned as 21 st -century skills (Pellegrino & Hilton, 2012), is related to the fact that knowledge is not enough on itself anymore (Judge et al,, 2009). An individual being successful in life is attached to their meta-cognitive skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, reflective thinking; being creative, innovative and self-regulated (Pellegrino & Hilton, 2012). Literature is one of the courses that help learners improving their meta-cognitive skills and creativity (Brookhart, 2010). According to the Ministry of National Education (2018), the Turkish Language and Literature course is a very significant course to equip the learners with critical thinking, reflective thinking, problem-solving skills and creativity. Although the Ministry of National Education emphasizes the importance of improving these 21 st -century skills; according to the studies, the course cannot meet the needs of improving learners' meta-cognitive skills (Erdem, 2017;Eskimen, 2018;Sarıtaş, 2019). Teachers believe that, instead of a mechanic and chronological way of presenting the course, it should be enriched by discussions, interpretations and creative thinking activities (Göçer, 2016). Also, studies suggest that to raise students' reading habits, which has a great role in improving metacognitive skills, the key course is Turkish Language and Literature course (Aytaç & Kaygısız, 2019;Bağcı, 2019). According to OECD data (2018), the reading performance of Turkish students is not among the top countries, on the contrary, it is in one of the lowest rate countries. When the skills gained by the Turkish Language and Literature course are taken into consideration, it is important to dive deeply into the way it is learned and taught. Especially, it is paramount to examine the process from the point of teachers and students which are the two basic items in the teaching-learning process. It is important to reveal which learning-teaching theories are prioritized by teachers and learners and find out whether teachers' and students' view of learning-teaching is similar or not. Starting this point of view, teachers' and students' view of learning-teaching is a spot that needs to be examined. In the light of all these studies and explanations. This study aims to examine teachers' and students' views of learning-teaching on Turkish Language and Literature course. Also, this study aims to determine the prior learning-teaching strategies of teachers and students; if they share a common view or not. By this aim, answers were sought to the questions below: 1. What are the teachers' and students' views on the learning process of the Turkish Language and Literature course?
2. What are the teachers' and students' views on the teaching process of the Turkish Language and Literature course? 3. What are the teachers' and students' views on the checking-understanding process of the Turkish Language and Literature course?

Design of the Study
This study was designed by qualitative research approach, phenomenology design. In qualitative studies, it is enabled to dig deep down in situations that we cannot reach by numbers (Creswell,2009). Qualitative studies are strong by detailed descriptions not by the numbers (Maxwell, 1996). Phenomenology design aims to go deeper in cases that we are not able to pay attention to at first sight. In this perspective, phenomenology design is decided to be most suitable with the purpose of this study which is to examine teachers' and students' views of learning and teaching on Turkish Language and Literature course.

Context of the study
In this study, the aim is to examine teachers' and students' views of learning-teaching on Turkish Language and Literature course. This chosen lesson is a compulsory lesson for all high school students from grade 9 to grade 12 for 5 hours a week (MoNe, 2018). However, all the students do not have to take the related exam which includes Turkish Language and Literature because they may have a different field such as Science or Language (Student Selection and Placement Centre, 2020).

Participants
In this study, there are two participant groups; teachers and students. In sampling for both teachers and students purposive sampling was used. Purposive sampling is used in cases that require a target audience (Neuman, 2017). In this study, teachers and students are both from public high-schools. Teacher and student participants are explained in detail below.

Teachers
For teachers, convenient sampling of purposive sampling type was used. Convenient sampling, on the other hand, is a way to collect the data from the reachable sources (Büyüköztürk et al., 2017). This study consisted of 11 Turkish Language and Literature teachers who work in high school. The demographic information of each participant is given below. All the participant teachers in the study agreed on the view that the Turkish Language and Literature course should be seen as an art rather than a course.

Students
As for students, again convenience sampling of purposive sampling was used. But students were diversified according to their gender, grade, high school entrance and school report scores. This study consisted of 9 high school students. The demographic information of each participant is given below in detail. Students in this study find Turkish Language and Literature course necessary and valuable. And this participant group consists of students who find themselves either successful or mostly successful in this lesson.

Data Collection Tool
In this study, interview questions were used as a data collection tool. Semi-structured interview questions were prepared by the opinion of an expert. The question changed a couple of times with the decision of the expert to attain validity and reliability of the interview form. In the interview form, required information related to the study and demographic information questions for the participants are included along with the semi-structured interview questions. Interview questions were seen as proper since the purpose of the study is to examine the teachers' and students' views of learning, and interview enables the researcher to gain more and deeper information on the subject (Berg & Lune, 2015). Teachers' and students' interview questions were given below.

Data collection process
This study took place in the 2020-2021 academic year/fall term. In line with the purpose of the study, the interview was decided as a data collection tool. First, the interview questions were discussed and decided in accordance with the purpose of the study. After that, the participants were reached by their volunteering. Since this study took place in the period of the global pandemic, participants were asked if they could have a video conference meeting or they could answer the questions in writing form. According to the choice of the participants, they were interviewed via an online platform or they sent the interview form with a detailed description. For those who chose video conference, the interview form was sent beforehand to have equal terms. During the data collection process, the planned questions were asked, there were no other alternative questions since there was no requirement for them.

Data Analysis
As mentioned above, the data collection tool was semi-structured interview questions and participants were asked to answer the questions sincerely and in detail. In accordance with this aim, content analysis was deemed proper to analyze the data since the participants expressed their opinions in a very detailed way and the questions were compatible with each other. In content analysis, the themes can be determined in line with the data itself. It enables the researcher to detect the elements that cannot be only one question of an answer but as a harmonical whole (Merriam, 2009). In the analysis of the content, manual analysis was preferred as suggested by Saldaña (2009).

Data analysis process
After the data were collected by the participants, the video forms were turned into scripts and all the scripts were read altogether. First, the teachers' data were analyzed; then, students' data were analyzed and the findings were compared to each other. After certain themes were reached for both teachers' and students' answers, the categories were found in line with the codes. Theme, category and code tables were formed. The data were read again and the theme, category and code tables were revised. Accordingly, the data were described in detail with the participants' quotes. The data and data analysis tables were checked by both of the researchers.

Validity and reliability of the study
In qualitative studies, the terms of credibility, transferability, consistency and confirmability are used respectively instead of internal validity, external validity, internal reliability and external reliability (Lincoln & Guba, 1985;Creswell, 2009).
The ways used in this study to ensure validity and reliability are defined below: Credibility: Member checking was used to increase credibility. After the online interview, the participants were given summarized information of the things they said; as for the participants who responded in writing, they were contacted via phone and discussed to check.
Transferability: To increase transferability, purposive sampling was used as a sampling method. Also, every step and participants of the study were narrated in detail.
Consistency: In this study, two participants were involved. Consistency review took place by revising the previous steps and findings in the study.
Confirmability: The method of the study was explained broadly; Also, a confirmation review was done by both researchers.
Role of the Researchers: In this study, there are two researchers. The first one is a Ph.D. student in Curriculum and Instruction department and has several articles in Curriculum and Instruction field. The second researcher is an Assoc. Prof. in Curriculum and Instruction field and has many nationally and internationally published articles along with the books and projects.

RESULTS
Results are shown in three categories; teachers' and students' views of effective learning, teachers' and students' views of effective teaching and teachers' and students' views of checking-understanding. In the first theme, students are the ones that control the process since they are the learners whereas in the second theme teachers are the ones who take action. Therefore, these two themes are explained respectively to reveal teachers' and students' views in company.
Under the theme of teachers' and students' views of effective learning, teachers' and students' opinions on effective learning are explained.
In the first theme, the main categories are teachers' views of effective learning and students' views of effective learning. As it can be seen in the Venn diagram Figure 1 below, teachers and students have some common views.   As it can be seen by the quotes of teachers and students, they agree on the importance of self-study and student involvement to learn effectively. Also, it can be seen that the impact of central exams results in the idea that repetition and memorization are necessary for students. Especially students emphasized that they prefer self-study by doing repetition and memorization because they are expected to do well in central exams; whereas teachers expressed their concerns by stressing this situation may not help learners' interest and creativity in the lesson.
In the second theme, teachers' and students' views of effective teaching are explained followed by their opinions on effective learning to examine whether they are compatible or not and teachers' actions to ensure effective learning. In the second theme, the main categories are teachers' and students' views of effective teaching. Also, in this categories teachers and students have some common views as it is shown in Figure 2.
Relevant quotes related to the teachers' and students' views of effective teaching are given below.
" "I approach the learner with a humor that is suitable for their personality. I take a short break from the lesson when needed and let them rest." (Teacher 1 -Code Letting them relax when needed) "The fact that the resource I use to learn or the teacher who teaches the lesson is in favor of an entertaining and intriguing narrative rather than a compelling, boring narration. Also, would be more pleased if teacher suggests good books on the topics we cover" (Student 1 -Code When the lesson is interesting) "When the teacher asks us to do some research on the subject that will be covered allows us to play an active role in the course. I believe it will be more memorable this way." (Student 2 -Code Engaging students in the process) "When the teacher is interested in us, I am motivated to learn so it is a better way to teach." (Student 6 -Code Teacher's interest in students) "Turkish Language and Literature course offers us the opportunity to get to know the old times of our nation and to live in those times. We understand the cultural structure and social life of the old times in terms of both the subject and the rules emphasized with the works." (Student 9 -Code Teaching the lesson as an art/The real-life relation) As it can be seen in the quotes, teachers and students share a view on active lessons and student engagement in the process.
In the third theme, the main categories are teachers' and students' views of checking-understanding. Teachers and students have some similar views as it can be seen in the Table 6. In this theme, the Venn diagram wasn't made because students' views were the same as the common views; and they had no other answers.
Relevant quotes related to the teachers' and students' views are given below.
"Feedback and questions from students during and after the lesson create an impression of whether the lesson has achieved its goal. The frequency of the feedback shows the success of the lesson. This is how I understand" (Teacher 4 -The questions they ask) "I understand what they learned or could not learn from the answers they gave to the questions I asked and from the questions they asked me." (

CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
In this study, the aim is to examine teachers' and students' views of learning and teaching on the Turkish Language and Literature course. Also, this study aims to determine the prior learning-teaching strategies of teachers and students. Results were displayed in three themes which are teachers' and students' view of learning, teachers' and students' view of teaching, teachers' and students' view of checking-understanding. When teachers' and students' views on learning and teaching are compared, it can be seen that they are compatible with each other in general framework such as self-study, students' involvement, active lesson process, teaching the lesson as art and especially the importance of reading habit. However; in the learning-teaching process, teachers' different emphasis was on individual differences, different/active methods implementations during the lesson and; whereas students' emphasis was on learning strategies such as memorizing, coding, doing research, observing and teachers' interest in them. Besides, although teachers' and students' being eager to approach the learning-teaching process with active participation and intellectual aspect, they could not deny the importance of a result-oriented approach. These similarities and differences are presented and discussed below.
According to the first theme of the results, it was concluded that teachers prioritize eliminating exam pressure and bias against the lesson, repetition, improvement of reading habit, students' being successful in self-regulation, ensuring active student participation, letting students discovering themselves, arousing curiosity and addressing learner differences such as learning styles, readiness, talent. As for students, they prioritize memorizing, improving reading habits, repetition, building a rational relation, coding, organizing, reaching the whole by parts, using the internet, doing research, being curious, learning through observation and asking friends to teach to learn. As a result, it was found that teachers' and students' views of learning are mostly compatible with each other in a general framework since both groups emphasized the importance of self-study and students' involvement. For instance, teachers and students agreed on the significance of reading habit, repetition and curiosity. However, teachers 'different emphasis was on learners' differences, self-regulation and self-discovery; while students emphasized learning strategies such as memorizing, coding organizing, doing research and peer-teaching. When we examine the details, teachers expressed their ideas about students learning, students expressed what they do to learn. Accordingly, it can be seen that teachers' and students' approaches to learning associate with the influence of constructivist and cognitivist theories. Most of the teachers and students explained effective learning with the elements of constructivist and cognitive theories since they believe in the effect of active participation, reading habit, self-discovery and curiosity (Altun & Çolak, 2011, Schunk, 2012Woolfolk, 2016). As it was mentioned in the introduction of the study, Turkish Language and Literature is the key course to let the students gain reading habit (Aytaç & Kaygısız, 2019; Bağcı, 2019); and the teachers and students who par-ticipated in this study also mentioned that strongly. Another stress that teachers made was on students' differences. The importance of the student differences in the learning process is a known fact which emphasizes the importance of every individual's own characteristics and habits (Erden & Altun, 2006;Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006). Also, as teachers in the current study expressed the importance of self-regulation in accomplishing effective learning is seen in other studies as well. Studies show that self-regulation and success have a strong connection (Altun, 2004;Lawson et al., 2019, Zimmerman, 1990. As teachers directly expressed and students mentioned in their quotes, the effect of central exams and the pressure comes with it have a negative effect on learning process. Studies support that exam pressure keeps learners from enjoying the course and learn because they are interested; and it keeps teacher from forming their lesson according to their teaching beliefs and as students centered as well (Çetin & Ünsal, 2019;Özdaş, 2017;Sarı, et al., 2018;Yıldırım, 2007).
In the second theme, as teachers expressed what they do to teach, students expressed their ideas of teaching process. It was concluded that teachers prioritize engaging student in the process, improving students' metacognitive skills, using different methods and techniques, teaching the lesson as an art, understanding them, making the real-life relation, making them feel respected, considering their individual differences, letting them relax when needed. As for students, they consider the teaching effective when the lesson is interesting when it is taught as art when they are engaged in the process, understand the real-life relation and by the teachers' interest in students. Similarly, in the second theme, teachers and students agreed on the idea of effective teaching in student engagement, the real-life relation and that the lesson is an art. Apart from common views, teachers expressed effective teaching as student engagement in the process, improving metacognitive skills, using different teaching activities and teaching the course as an art. Some teachers stated that they let the learners experience the literary period to use their metacognitive skills and they prefer to do activities such as drama, group work, discussion and problem-solving. Studies support the fact that using different teaching activities and improving metacognitive skills increase students' accomplishment and motivation (Aljaser, 2019;Biçer, 2017;Dezhbankhan et al, 2020;Göçer, 2016); and Literature is one of the courses that help the improvement of meta-cognitive and creative skills (Brookhart, 2010). One of the important results from teachers' view is that teachers' strong stress on the fact that Literature is an intellectual course and an art. Thus, it needs to be taught as an art, not as an obligation. It can be seen that teachers teach the way they believe effective learning takes place, because their definitions for both learning and teaching are compatible with each other. In students' preferences of teaching process, it is pretty clear that they would like to be involved in the process actively in relation to the studies in literature (Fernando & Marikar, 2017). Also, as students expressed in this study, studies show that teachers positive attitude leads students to have a positive opinion on the lesson (Veyis, 2020).
Apart from teachers and students sharing similar opinions in the second theme, teachers strongly emphasized the importance of motivating learners. Teachers expressed that they mostly take affective needs into consideration in order to motivate students. They said that understanding them, making them feel respected, showing them real life relations are key points in motivation. Also, they suggested that individual differences and physical needs play an important role in motivation. In motivating students, taking affective factors and individual differences into consideration is high likely to be a success (Schunk, 2012;Tomlinson, et al, 2008). Teachers' answers to motivate students also show similarity to their understanding of learning and teaching. Especially, since the teachers see this lesson as an art, they emphasized getting motivated internally. One of the most eye-catching opinions was that teachers' motivating learners by real-life examples in literature which actually serves the main purpose of the course (MoNe, 2018).
The last theme was teachers' and students' view of checking understanding. It was found that teacher check understanding by students' performance and productivity during the lesson and test results. For students, they also expressed they decide that they have understood it by their results and productivity. The tendency of teachers' and students of checking understanding by product and test results seem to be the conclusion of education system. It is known that because of the central exams, students prefer only studying lessons that are in the scope of these exams (Yılmaz & Bülbül, 2017). Thus, this condition can make learners to be result-oriented which can be interpreted as high exam pressure make students learn by memorizing and repeating. Terzi (2011) explains that even if the teachers and students are eager to be active and constructivist, the system needs to allow all these processes. It can be can understood that rush for finishing the curriculum and examinations may have force learners to choose short ways such as memorization just for some time. Basically; the results can be interpreted as teachers and students are keen on constructivist teaching environment, however, exams can limit their actions. And for conclusion; as teachers mentioned strongly, Turkish language and Literature course is actually an art, and reading is one of the main components of this course.
Depending on the findings of the study; respectively, recommendations were made for policymakers and researchers. It is recommended that Turkish Language and Literature course should be taught as an art, which is also the main opinion of teachers. Teachers should be supported in activities such as discussion, reading, drama, storytelling and other implementations similarly. Students should be supported in terms of having reading habits and improving themselves in art. The pressure of central exams needs to be decreased for students to be stress-free in an art lesson. For future researches, it is recommended that the number of students and teachers can be increased and observation can be added to the study. Also, similar studies can be done for other courses and they can be compared if the view of learning and teaching changes drastically according to different courses.

Disclosure Statement
There is no conflict of interest between the authors in any matter regarding this research.