A Thematic and Critical Analysis of YDS (Foreign Language Exam) Reading Passages in Türkiye (2013-2023)

A Thematic and Critical Analysis of YDS (Foreign Language Exam) Reading Passages in Türkiye (2013-2023) | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Thematic and Critical Analysis of YDS (Foreign Language Exam) Reading Passages in Türkiye (2013-2023) Can Küçükali This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724193/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract YDS (Foreign Language Exam) is a standardized written test administered in Turkey to assess the foreign language proficiency of individuals for academic, professional, and governmental purposes. As a centrally conducted examination, the questions are generally designed to evaluate number of competencies. While the exam has faced criticism for failing to assess key language skills, such as listening and speaking, a less frequently addressed issue is the unequal and biased representation of subject matter within the reading comprehension sections. This study aims to analyze the content of paragraph-based questions to identify predominant discourse topics and examine their distribution across individual subjects. A total of 110 reading comprehension passages from YDS exams conducted between 2013 and 2023 were analyzed. The findings reveal a systematic overrepresentation of certain topics and a notable underrepresentation of others. There is also a tendency to present certain discourse topics from a single perspective, even though they are contentious issues. The results of this study can provide valuable insights for test developers and policymakers seeking to ensure a more balanced and equitable distribution of content in future assessments. It also contributes to the understanding of ideological and biased representations that are inherent in the processes of language test production and assessment. YDS Foreign Language Exam content analysis discourse-topics Critical Discourse Analysis Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 INTRODUCTION To understand the necessity of a content-based analysis of exam questions, one must first grasp the role and importance of content-based learning in English language teaching. Content-Based Instruction (CBI) revolves around the idea of teaching a foreign language with a focus on a subject of choice, instead of delving into structure of language in an isolated way. This subject can be history, biology or any popular theme that could attract the interest of the students. During the course of the study, structural elements of a language like grammar are inductively taught in its social context. Like CBI, central examination tests around the world also assess multiple language skills through passages. Sometimes, they want test-takers to fill in the blanks to complete a test, or they require them to rearrange sentences to create a coherent paragraph. In other tasks, main ideas, contradictions, or individual arguments are asked to the candidates. TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge, iTEP, OET and TOEIC can be given examples of such comprehensive evaluation exams for testing English language skills. Overall, the test-taker is expected to read, understand, analyze and sometimes infer meanings from the given texts under time pressure. YDS (Foreign Language Exam) in Turkey is not an exception. The exam aims at testing different aspects of language proficiency with tailor-made 80 questions, which are mostly embedded in the context-dependent texts. Whether those texts are explanatory, argumentative, or instructive, they focus on individual topics that can be identified and classified based on their repetitive occurrences. If the topics are determined and their value-laden character is exposed, one can understand the current trends and tendencies which are inherent in English language teaching and evaluation. The capacity of YDS to gauge language skills was critically assessed before. For instance, Demir ( 2019 ) showed the imbalance between difficulty levels of the questions with the help Coleman-Liau technique. He emphasized that the inconsistency of difficulty levels can negatively affect the credibility of the exam. Another fair criticism came from Polat ( 2020 ), which is based on the qualitative research conducted with 43 academics working in three state universities in Eskişehir, Turkey. The outcome of the study underlines that multiple choice questions in YDS and YOKDİL have negative washback effects on language learners’ habits, methods, and attitudes directly or indirectly. Likewise, Ayar ( 2021 ) discussed one of the problems with the Written Discourse Completion Tasks (WDCT) in YDS, which is their limited capacity to assess pragmatic competence of the test-takers. She claims that L2 tests often fail to measure a learner’s real ability to use language naturally in real-life situations, since their structure is incapable of grasping many pragmatic aspects of the target language (p. 51). In this study, another issue within the YDS exam is put into question, which is the imbalance between topics discussed in the reading comprehension questions. Popular and unpopular subjects, and their representation in discourse are the main objectives of the analysis. To achieve these aims, this paper partly benefits from Content Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to identify and specify the characteristics of topics in the YDS during last ten years. At the end of the analysis, it will be possible to see that certain topics and fields are overrepresented from a particular perspective whereas some others are mostly neglected or underrepresented in the passage questions. These tendencies are discussed in the final section of the paper alongside with some recommendations to contribute to more equal representation and diversity in the preparation of YDS exams (and probably in other international language testing exams) in the coming years. APPROACH Critical Discourse Analysis is an interdisciplinary approach to studying language which problematizes discourses and their implementation in all strands of social life. CDA examines texts, spoken language, and other communicative forms to reveal underlying ideologies, social inequalities, and power structures. (Fairclough, 1995 ). It considers language as both socially shaped and socially shaping, emphasizing the role of discourse in reinforcing or resisting dominance (Van Dijk, 2001 ). There are also several strands of approaches and methods within CDA. For instance, Reisigl and Wodak highlight the importance of analyzing discourses in their broader sociopolitical and historical contexts. (2016). They also identify discourses in a way, which directly affects the analysis. According to them, discourse is: 1) a context dependent semiotic practices in different fields of social action, 2) socially constituted and socially constitutive, 3) related to a macro-topic, 4) linked to argumentation about validity claims (p. 27). After this conceptualization they assign three constitutive features to discourse which are a) macro-topic relatedness b) pluri-perspectivity and c) argumentativity. These conceptualization and attribution add some depth to the concept. This means, discourses are not just basic linguistic elements, but they have dynamism, direction and a purpose. All these features signify that a discourse is also about determining and delimiting the topic and its content (p. 27). This issue of deliberately choosing, discussing, and presenting certain aspects of a topic is further problematized by Küçükali ( 2015 ) in his analyses of political discourses. There, he conceptualized discourse-topics as the central themes in the texts, around which discourses are organized in a particular way to defend or refuse an argument, or to take the issue at hand from a particular perspective. For instance, if the general theme in a text is identified as environment, a topic within that theme could be the factors which have an impact on environment. However, if the text makes arguments about how the production and consumption of leather pollutes the air and tries to prove this argument by some means, then the discourse-topic of this text is no more ‘the factors that have an impact on environment’, but ‘the negative impacts of leather production and consumption on environmental pollution.’ Alternatively, another discourse-topic could be ‘the necessity of limiting leather production to save the environment’, if there are supporting arguments justifying the proposed action. This is because the author no more maintains a neutral stance on the topic. He/she takes a negative stance on leather production and consumption. Moreover, he/she attempts to prove a point to defend a position, which could eventually evolve into a policy preference. This means, the discourse topic becomes the constituent of a wider discursive strategy to legitimize/delegitimize a position/preference, and potentially a precursor of a forthcoming political action to limit leather production by some means. What one can derive from this analysis is that the topics in texts are mostly value-laden, and beyond proving or disproving a point, they may try to impose, manipulate, attack, mask or simply promote a position and consequently an action. In that sense, topics and discourse-topics are two different concepts and the content/discourse analyst should be aware of this fact. As a result, the analysts should always ask themselves about the position a text takes and thus expose discourse-topics even if they don’t analyze the specific strategies implemented in the text. In this study, the topics and contents discussed in the examination texts are also evaluated from such a critical perspective to understand the main arguments and positions about the trending issues. Because the main objective is to determine and classify the discourse-topics according to their subject matter and to identify the overrepresented and underrepresented topics, numerous other tools and methods proposed by the prominent CDA scholars (Fairclough, 1995 , 2012; Van Dijk, 2008 ; Wodak and Meyer, 2016) are not included in the analysis. As a result, this study does not delve into the specifics of discursive strategies and their implementation in a particular passage. The goal is limited to identification of prepossessed discourse-topics, their categorization into subject areas, and the determination of the overrepresented as well as the underrepresented areas. Still, the representation of a few contentious topics is explained to help readers understand how certain issues are framed in particular ways within discourse. One other point that is also beyond the scope of this analysis is the producers of these passages. Although the main gatekeeper of the process of the exam production and assessment is the Assessment, Measuring and Placement Center in Türkiye (ÖSYM), the real workforce behind the generation of those questions is a group of academics, educators and public servants, who work on test development at the request of this institution. The members of this commission are periodically updated by removing underqualified members from the pool and adding new ones (Karagöz, 2022). The identities and credentials of those members as well as the periods of change are unknown to public though. METHODOLOGY AND DATA In this study, the passages from the Foreign Language Exam (YDS) in English, administrated between 2013 and 2023, were first categorized by their discourse-topics, and accompanied by their Turkish translations. The numbers next to the years indicate whether the exam was held in the spring (1), fall (2), or in another term (3). In the years 2018, 2019, and 2020, there were exceptions when the exam was held only once or three times. A total of 110 passages were examined across 22 exams. At the end of the analysis, the discourse topics were grouped based on their subjects and frequency, and popular and unpopular themes were identified were discussed. The Discourse-Topics of the Passages Used in the YDS between 2013 and 2023: 2013-1 The ideological aspects of history textbooks ( Tarih kitaplarının ideolojik yönleri) The misuse of antibiotics in farming and the importance of measures for preventing diseases ( Tarımda yanlış antibiyotik kullanımı ve önlemlerin hastalıkları önlemedeki önemi) Learning from failures and achievements of economic policies implemented in the past ( Geçmişte uygulanan ekonomik politikaların başarısızlıklarından ve edinimlerinden öğrenmek) The importance of sustainable economic development ( Sürdürülebilir kalkınmanın önemi) The usability of mind power to boost sports performance ( Zihin gücünün sportif performansı artırmada kullanılabilirliği) 2013-2 The pros/cons of globalization and the nationalist thinking as a reaction to it. (Küreselleşmenin avantajları/dezavantajları ve bir reaksiyon olarak milliyetçi düşünce) Vacational responsibilities and impressions of an event planner ( Bir etkinlik planlayıcısının mesleki sorumluluk ve izlenimleri) The need for re-evaluating the ethics of work based on Bertrand Russell’s In Praise of Idleness (Bertrand Russell’ın Aylaklığa Övgü kitabı temelinde iş etiğini yeniden değerlendirmenin gerekliliği) The difficulty of determining symptoms and diagnosing ADHD (Dikkat dağınıklığı ve hiperaktivite bozukluğunun belirtilerini tespit ve teşhisin zorluğu) The positive impact of controlled temper in business life ( Kontrollü gerginliğin iş hayatına pozitif etkisi) 2014-1 Advancements in internal body imaging devices (Vücut içi görüntüleme sistemlerindeki gelişmeler) Parties involved in sustaining the balance of nature and the practical challenges they face (Doğanın dengesini sürdürmede rol oynayan taraflar ve karşılaştıkları pratik zorluklar) Africa’s young population problem and the notion of demographic dividend ( Afrika’nın genç nüfus sorunu ve demografik pay kavramı) Gandhi’s inclusionary nationalism and opposition against Western modernization as a model (Gandhi’nin kapsayıcı milliyetçiliği ve bir model olarak Batı Modernleşmesine olan karşıtlığı) Advancements and opportunities in the field of regeneration derived from research on fingernails (Tırnak araştırmalarından elde edilen sonuçların yenilenme alanına sunduğu gelişmeler ve fırsatlar) 2014-2 Harsh and insecure working conditions of garment factory workers in Bangladesh (Bangladeş’teki tekstil fabrikası çalışanlarının zor ve insani olmayan çalışma koşulları) The positive relation between personality shifts and life satisfaction ( Kişilik değişimi ve yaşam memnuniyeti arasındaki pozitif ilişki) Importance of bathing in Roman society ( Roma toplumunda banyonun önemi) The superiority of experiences over material goods ( Deneyimlerin metalara göre üstünlüğü) Polygraph’s counter-productive effects as a result of being open to manipulation. ( Poligraf’ın manipülasyona açık olması sebebiyle yarattığı istenmeyen sonuçlar) 2015-1 The beauty and the affordability of growing orchids ( Orkid büyütmenin güzelliği ve uygun maliyeti) The history of kites and their versatile uses ( Uçurtmaların tarihi ve çok yönlü kullanımları) The development of the robotic keyhole surgery system ‘da Vinci’ and the opportunities it provides for remote operations (Da Vinci adlı robotik laparoskopi sisteminin gelişimi ve uzaktan operasyonlar için sağladığı olanaklar) The importance of ownership rights of intellectual property ( Fikri mülkiyet haklarının önemi) The positive impact of cloning Dolly on future developments in human genetic research ( Dolly’nin klonlanmasının insan genetiği çalışmalarının geleceğine olumlu etkisi) 2015-2 The correlation between lack of self-esteem and the purchase of luxury goods ( Özgüven eksikliği ve lüks tüketim arasındaki pozitif ilişki) The destruction of rainforests in Indonesia due to palm oil production ( Endonezya’da Palmiye yağı üretiminden kaynaklı yağmur ormanları tahribatı) Japan’s unethical and unlawful whale hunting practice ( Japonya’nın etik olmayan ve yasadışı balina avı pratiği) The complex definition of vegetarianism and the challenge of identifying vegetarians ( Vejetaryanizmin karmaşık tanımı ve vejetaryenleri belirleme zorluğu) The Pharaohs and their significant roles in Egyptian society ( Firavunlar ve Mısır toplumundaki önemli roller) 2016-1 New archaeological findings shedding light on the physical foundations of Buddhism (Budizm’in fiziksel temellerine ışık tutan yeni arkeolojik bulgular) Floods in Europe as a result of climate change ( İklim değişiminin bir sonucu olarak Avrupa’daki seller) The misunderstood and leaked telegrams as an unexpected effect of miscommunication on the history of diplomacy (Teknolojinin diplomasi tarihine beklenmedik etkilerinden biri olarak yanlış anlaşılan ve sızdırılan telgraflar) The paleo diet and its supposed efficacy on life expectancy of humans ( Paleo diyeti ve insanların ortalama yaşam süresine iddia edilen etkisi) The negative impact of hunger on consumption behaviour ( Açlığın harcama davranışına negatif etkisi) 2016-2 The uniqueness and greatness of the genius of Einstein ( Einstein’ın dehasının eşsizliği ve büyüklüğü) Level of education as a reason of inequality and the necessity of growing state intervention (Eşitsizliğin bir nedeni olarak eğitim seviyesi ve artan devlet müdahalesinin gerekliliği) Drought as a result of climate change in Australia and the USA ( Avustralya ve ABD’de iklim değişimine bağlı kuraklık) The melt of glaciers in Greenland and the threat of rising sea levels ( Grönland’daki buzulların erimesi ve deniz seviyelerinin yükselme tehlikesi) The development and the necessity of Foldscope in education, a paper shaped microscope ( Kağıt şeklinde bir mikroskop olan Foldscope’un gelişimi ve eğitim için gerekliliği) 2017-1 The history of airbags and their complementary role in driving safety ( Hava yastıklarının tarihi ve sürüş güvenliğinde oynadıkları tamamlayıcı rol) The role of socialization in animals’ language learning ability aligning with that of humans ( Hayvanların dil öğrenme yetisinde sosyalleşmenin rolünün insanlarınkiyle örtüşmesi) The importance of compressed air for the historical development of fire extinguishers ( Basınçlı havanın yangın söndürücülerin tarihsel gelişimindeki önemi) The positive effects of young blood transfer on mind ( Genç kan transferinin zihin üzerindeki olumlu etkileri) The disputed history of expedition attempts to the North Pole ( Kuzey Kutbu’na yapılmaya çalışılan seferlerin tartışmalı tarihçesi) 2017-2 Near-infrared spectrometers and their effective use in food inspection ( Yakın kızılötesi spektrometreler ve gıda denetimindeki etkili kullanımları) Problems in volunteer recruitment for pharmaceutical tests ( İlaç kullanımına yönelik testler için gönüllü alımında yaşanan sorunlar) The social and class background of Socrates as well as his adamant character leading to his execution ( Sokrates’in sosyal ve sınıfsal arka planı ile infazına yol açan dik başlı karakteri) The obsession with body image ( Vücut imajı takıntısı) The synchronicity of the development of Botany in the Chinese and Western history and the recent uses of it ( Botaniğin gelişiminin Batı ve Çin tarihindeki eşzamanlılığı ve şu anki kullanımları) 2018-1 Medication residues in water and their potential danger for human health ( Sudaki ilaç kalıntıları ve bunların insan sağlığı için potansiyel tehlikeleri ) Texas horned lizard’s defense mechanism and its failure to prevent human intervention (Teksas boynuzlu kertenkelesi’nin defans mekanizması ve bu mekanizmanın insan müdahalesini engelleyememesi) The myths and the realities about white sharks ( Beyaz köpek balıkları hakkındaki mitler ve gerçekler) The dramatic and historical background of the tale Hansel and Gretel (Hansel ve Gretel öyküsünün dramatik ve tarihsel arka planı) Bertrand Piccard’s innovative family and clean energy ( Bertrand Piccard’ın girişimci ailesi ve temiz enerji) 2018-2 The net positive effect of video games on human brain ( Bilgisayar oyunlarının insan beyni üzerindeki pozitif etkileri) The inevitability and the success of the policies like Clean Power Plan for decreasing pollutants and increasing crop yields (Çevre kirliliği yaratan maddelerin azaltılması ve mahsul verimliliğinin artması için Temiz Enerji Planı gibi politikaların vazgeçilmezliği ve başarısı) The research on the positive effects on fasting on human brain. ( Orucun beyin üzerindeki pozitif etkileri üzerine yapılan araştırma) The long-lasting effect of negative first impressions and the difficulty of changing them ( Negatif ilk izlenimlerin uzun süreli etkisi ve bu izlenimleri değiştirmenin güçlüğü) The significance of the map of Piri Reis and the sources used to draw the map ( Piri Reis’in haritasının önemi ve haritanın çizimi için kullanılan kaynaklar) 2018-3 The long and the universal history of aromatheraphy ( Aromaterapinin uzun ve evrensel tarihi) The conditions of water formation on Mars and the planet’s inability to preserve it ( Mars’ta suyun bulunma koşulları ve gezegenin suyu tutamaması) The fascinating features of Galapagos islands ( Galapagos adaları’nın büyüleyici özellikleri) The determinative capacity of childhood daydreaming for the psychological well-being on adults ( Çocukluk dönemi gündüz düşünün yetişkinlerin psikolojik refahını belirleme kapasitesi) The verbal and relational skills giving humans an advantage over animals in avoiding danger ( Tehlikeden kaçınma konusunda insanlara hayvanlara oranla avantaj sağlayan sözsel ve ilişkisel beceriler) 2 019-1 The scientific background of first impression and its unreliability (İlk izlenimin bilimsel arka planı ve güvenilmezliği) The dominance of desires over reason in shaping consumer behaviour ( Tüketici davranışının şekillenmesinde arzuların akla üstünlüğü) The high adaptation skills of plants to survive without light (Bitkilerin ışıksız hayatta kalma konusundaki yüksek adaptasyon becerileri) Pierce’s disease in plants, its spread to Europe and the extensive harm it causes ( Bitkilerde görülen Pierce Hastalığı, Avrupa’ya yayılması ve neden olduğu geniş kapsamlı zarar) The lack of the effect of the age factor on running ( Yaş faktörünün koşma üzerinde etkisi) olmaması 2019-2 The glasses’ accidental discovery ( Gözlüğün şans eseri bulunması) The need for collective action to tackle Arctic melting and the overuse of antibiotics ( Arktik erime ve aşırı antibiyotik kullanımını önlemek için ortak hareketin gerekliliği) The connection between ending child labor exploitation and American industrialists’ need for an educated workforce. (Çocuk işçi sömürüsünün Amerika’da bitirilmesinin sanayicilerin eğitimli iş gücüne olan ihtiyaçları ile bağlantılı olması) The possibility of different elements of life in Cosmos ( Kozmozda farklı yaşam unsurlarının olma olasılığı) The impossibility of implementing merit-based pay rise in all occupations ( Liyakat bazlı maaş artışını her meslek için uygulamanın imkansızlığı) 2020-2 Unknown roots, indicators and some of the remedies of shyness ( Utangaçlığın bilinmeyen kökleri, belirtileri ve bazı çareleri) The abolition of slavery in the Americas not leading to social welfare for working classes ( Amerika kıtasında köleliğin kalkmasının çalışan sınıflar için sosyal refaha sebep olmaması ) The importance of food preservation with pasteurisation being its pinnacle ( Yiyecek muhafazasının önemi ve pasterizasyonun bunun zirvesi olması) The working principle of lie detector and its reliability ( Yalan makinesinin çalışma prensibi ve güvenilirliği) The necessity of reading for writing ( Okumanın yazma açısından gerekliliği) 2021-1 Refutation of human exceptionalism regarding language learning, and animals’ sophisticated communicative behaviour ( Dil öğrenme konusunda insan müstesnalığının reddi ve hayvanların karmaşık iletişimsel davranışları) The importance of balanced management of risk for the companies ( Şirketler için dengeli risk yönetiminin önemi) Neanderthals’ s remarkable ability to perform skillful tasks ( Neandertallerin beceri gerektiren görevleri yerine getirme konusunda dikkat çekici yeteneği) The safety of air travel and the extensive security measures taken to ensure it ( Havayolu seyahatinin güvenliği ve bunu sağlamak için alınan kapsamlı güvenlik önlemleri) The strengthening and lasting of initial memories through the triggering of new experiences ( İlk anıların yeni deneyimlerin tetiklemesiyle güçlenmeleri ve kalıcılaşmaları) 2021-2 Azerbaijan’s effort to diversify its energy sources away from hydrocarbons (Azerbaycan’ın enerji kaynaklarını hidrokarbonlardan uzaklaştırarak çeşitlendirme çabası) Jacques Derrida and the immense impact of deconstructivism on humanities and social sciences ( Jacques Derrida ve yapıbozumculuğun beşeri ve sosyal bilimler üzerindeki muazzam etkisi) A lesser-known yet critical effect of greenhouse gas emissions: The raising ocean acidity ( Artan sera gazı salınımlarının daha az bilinen ama ciddi bir etkisi: Okyanus asiditesinin artması) The cognitive benefits of language learning ( Dil öğrenmenin bilişsel faydaları) The negative effects of medical contaminants on animals and plants (Tıbbi atıkların hayvanlar ve bitkiler üzerindeki olumsuz etkileri) 2022-1 The importance of minimizing the negative impacts of recreational activities ( Rekreasyonal faaliyetlerin negatif etkilerini küçültmenin önemi) Svante August Arrhenius’ prodigy to calculate the changes in Earth’s carbon balance caused by coal burning despite limited information (Svante August Arrhenius’un sınırlı bilgiye rağmen kömür yakımı sonucu yeryüzündeki karbon dengesinin değişimini ölçmedeki dehası) The outpacing of research costs over profit margins despite nanotechnology’s increasing contribution to industrial goods production (Nanoteknolojinin endüstri ürünlerinin üretimine artan katkısına rağmen kar maliyetlerinin hala araştırma maliyetlerinin gerisinde kalması) The difficulty of yoga poses for some people and the need for guidance ( Yoga pozisyonlarının bazı insanlar için zorluğu ve rehberliğin gerekliliği) The sophisticated training given to define the texture, odor and taste of food products that meet the consumer needs (Tüketicilerin ihtiyaçlarına uygun gıda ürünlerinin doku, koku ve lezzetini tanımlamak için verilen sofistike eğitim) 2022-2 The importance of addressing environmental and financial concerns in a balanced way while planning the management of commercial forests ( Ticari ormanların yönetim planlaması yapılırken çevresel ve ticari kaygıları dengeli ele almanın önemi) The origination of alphabetic systems from Syria and their development by Greeks, which influenced Latin and Cyrillic alphabets later. ( Alfabetik sistemlerin kökünün Suriye’ye dayanması ve Yunanlılar tarafından geliştirilerek daha sonrasında Latin ve Kiril alfabelerini etkilemesi) The accessibility of medicines and its close relation to economic development ( İlaçlara erişim ve bunun ekonomik kalkınma ile yakın ilişkisi) The significance and the great role of the Chinese poetry tradition ( Çin şiiri geleneğinin büyük rolü ve önemi) Definition, types, and scope of obsessions that can be confused with legitimate concerns ( Makul endişelerle karıştırılabilen takıntıların tanım, tip ve kapsamı) 2023-1 The measurement of Ancient Rome’s waterflow rates, which are below the capacity estimates ( Antik Roma’da ortalama kapasite tahminlerinlerinin altındaki su akış oranlarının ölçülmesi) Increasing effect of an argument over time and the diminishing importance of source (Bir argümanın etkisinin zaman içinde artması ve kaynağın öneminin azalması) Rich cultural heritage of the territory of modern Germany as a result of its varied migrant background ( Modern Almanya topraklarının zengin kültürel mirasının çeşitli göçmen geçmişinin bir sonucu olması) The Stanislavski Method and its significant contribution to star acting ( Stanislavski Yöntemi ve yıldız oyunculuğuna olan belirgin katkısı) The shortcomings of the AI technology ( Yapay zeka teknolojisinin eksiklikleri) 2023-2 The need for a comprehensive evaluation of ADHD and ways to do it ( DEHB’nin kapsamlı bir değerlendirilmesine duyulan ihtiyaç ve bunu yapma yolları) The interspecies spillover of Clamydia and the insufficient knowledge to address it (Klamidya’nın türler arası geçişi ve bununla mücadele için yeterli bilginin olmaması) The exaggerated potential of plants to filter out chemical substances in closed spaces (Bitkilerin kapalı alanlardaki kimyasal maddeleri filtreleme konusundaki abartılan potansiyelleri) Different approaches to save hay during Middle Ages, which was a valuable commodity (Orta Çağlar’da değerli bir meta olan samanın saklanması konusunda farklı yaklaşımlar) Norm definition for Aphasia and its impact on scope ( Afazi için norm tanımlama biçiminin kapsama etki etmesi) ANALYSIS: When it comes to clustering of discourse topics into larger categories of subjects, the etic and emic distinction is taken into consideration (Headland, Pike and Harris, 1990 ). The general understanding is that etic categories are related to scientific knowledge, and they are pre-determined prior to analysis, whereas emic categories contain subjective knowledge and experience, and they are determined after or during the analysis. According to Neuendorf ( 2002 ) etic approach is more consistent with the methods of content analysis, and therefore it is also used in this study. She also states that one can benefit from both approaches while unitizing data. Although determining discourse topics can be considered a part of emic categories, the wider categories in which those discourse-topics fit, should be pre-determined and fixed ones that are easy to detect and use for the purpose of this study. As a result, 110 discourse topics derived from 110 paragraphs were clustered into nine pre-determined subject categories. These categories are not interpretative, but rather objective and fixed, because they tell the scientific area in which the discussion mostly belongs to. For instance, if a paragraph discusses the shortcomings of AI technology, it belongs to the fixed category of stem science & technology; however, ‘discussing the shortcomings of AI technology’ is itself a discursive construction since it a) presupposes that AI technology has significant problems and b) these problems should be emphasized for some reason. Another paragraph providing information about the less-known effects of greenhouse gas emissions belongs to the subject of environment. But less-known effects of greenhouse gas emissions are a discourse-topic because it assumes, implies or states that a) there are less-known effects of those emissions, b) they should be problematized and exposed by the author, and c) something should be done to eliminate those effects. That’s why subject categories, topics, and discourse topics are not the one and the same. Taking this distinction into account, nine overarching subjects and along with the total and the individual numbers of corresponding discourse-topics are listed below: The overall number of discourse-topics clustered around subjects are more (131) than the individual number of discourse-topics for each paragraph (110). The reason is that some (21) discourse-topics belong to more than one subject area. For example, the discourse topic ‘ideological aspects of history books’ belongs to both history and politics & sociology, so it was counted twice. In the following chart, one can find the discourse-topics that belong to multiple subject categories: When these two figures are analyzed, it is possible to see a clear skew towards scientific and technological categories, exception being history. However, even history is mixed with other scientific and technical subject areas most of the time. The categories of health & medicine, environment, and psychology & neurology would have been less frequent subjects if they had been discussed in the passages individually, but their frequencies increase because of their co-existence with the overarching category of science & technology. This category can be considered the main one, around which other discourse-topics and even other subjects are clustered. If we group all the subject areas according to two categories as a) heavily represented (18–24 discourse-topics) and b) underrepresented (less than 18 discourse-topics), the first five subject areas constitute the 77.1% of all 131 discourse topics, whereas the remaining four categories account for only 22.9%. One should also underline that there is also a significant difference between the representation of economy & business (13 times), and the other categories of politics & sociology (9 times), art & culture (5 times), and philosophy & ethics (3 times), which share the same group of underrepresented subject areas. In addition to the imbalance in categorization, another main issue is the one-sided perspective presented in these passages, often based on limited or contested information. All discourse-topics do not necessarily pose a problem to equal or at least to a balanced representation of an issue. However, when contentious topics are discussed from a single perspective without acknowledging alternative narratives and arguments, they risk becoming propaganda or, at the very least, misinformation. For instance, the discourse-topic ‘the inevitability and the success of the policies like Clean Power Plan for decreasing pollutants and increasing crop yields’ (57) defends the view that Clean Power Plan is a must policy, and it is doomed to success. Despite of this one-sided positive depiction, this policy has faced many criticisms in many respects including economic, legal, efficiency. For instance, Loris (2015) from the Heritage Foundation claims that CPP would impose many significant economic costs with minimal environmental benefits. He also discussed the potential economic drawbacks of this plan and advocates for its repeal. However, one cannot see this point of view in the passage. Likewise, the discourse-topic ‘the importance of addressing environmental and financial concerns in a balanced way while planning the management of commercial forests’ (96) takes a positive stance of private ownership of a common good, namely the forests. Although the text mentions the notion of addressing environmental and financial concerns in a balanced way, what it does is to equate environment and financial gain in terms of importance and thus opening more space for commercial use of forests. Nevertheless, there are other ways of dealing with the issue. For example, Gooden and Sas-Rolfes ( 2020 ) rightfully emphasize that private ownership may prioritize individual interests that can conflict with the public good. They also point out that such private preservation initiatives may fail to protect the environment due to lack of supervision and transparency. However, such an alternative perspective was not considered in the given passage. Another topic which is quite contentious but positively represented in an indirect way is ‘the net positive effect of video games on human brain’ (56). In this passage, the general attitude towards video games is positive although the issue was presented as a contentious one. Some negative functions were indicated such as addiction or violence with reference to a study, but they were followed by positive aspects such as cognitive training and the improvement of brain functions as a result. Although the passage does not seemingly take a stance on the issue, the equal distribution of positive and negative factors and finishing the paragraph with positive aspects without indication of a final assessment subtly directs the reader to perceive that video games have at least as many positive effects as negative ones. Although this is not an inaccurate assumption prima facie, the indicated positive effects can only be weighed equally under certain conditions of appropriate content and appropriate gaming time which are themselves a big problem especially for children (Zhou et al., 2023 ). Other studies also indicate that although mobile games improve some motor/intellectual skills, they also pose risks for children (Göksu, Aslan and Turgut, 2020 ). However, these aspects were not discussed or mentioned in the text. These three examples clearly show the potential of discourse-topics to frame the topic and discuss it from a single perspective while excluding others, although most of the issues discussed in the passages are contentious and have many conflicting perspectives. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results suggest that humanities and social sciences were rarely discussed in the passages of the Foreign Language Exam (YDS) throughout the last decade. Especially philosophy, art, politics and sociology have been particularly underrepresented and have faded away in time, while scientific discoveries, their relation to innovation, as well as the environmental, medical and technological challenges play a significant role in the heavily represented topics. The subject of history is also often instrumentalized to understand the roots or development of an innovation such as telegram, airbags, aqueducts or compressed air among others. Although there are exceptions where the issues of Western modernization, child labor, abolition of slavery and its current forms are problematized in the form of discourse-topics, their number is extremely low as compared to science (stem and life) and technology subjects. This kind of uneven representation is troubled from multiple perspectives. Some of which are as follows: Scientific and technological advancements as well as innovation are taken as ideology-free, and their content is cleared from all the humanistic concerns they may generate. That way, the discussion is solely constituted on a technical basis without considering the wider socio-political impacts. For example, the discursive topic ‘positive effects of young blood transplantation’ (44) takes the issue solely from a technical perspective and illustrates the positive effects it has demonstrated on mice. Although the passage states that it is still unknown whether young blood transplantation is effective in humans, it does not mention the substantial ethical and social aspects of this issue that need to be considered (Lavazza and Garasic, 2020 ). This choice of representation naturally denies the wide range of issues and perspectives social sciences and humanities could offer in the process of language learning and testing and deprive students of English of speculation and criticism, which are very important aspects of language comprehension. Let’s suppose that young blood transplantation turns out to be effective in humans. This possibility raises other crucial questions: Who will have access to such treatments? Can children legally consent to their blood being used, given that they are underage? What kind of sociological consequences might emerge on regarding class divisions and power dynamics within society? These are profound questions that cannot be addressed without the insights and contributions of the social sciences and humanities. For example, Oakley ( 2018 ) discusses some of these aspects within the scope of cultural materialism and develops a critique of biomedical innovations in the era of medical neoliberalism. By doing that, she aims at disrupting the principal narrative that holds science to be the dominant discursive authority (p.5). Such studies should be taken into consideration when producing texts of a contentious nature. The on-going testing mechanism instinctively punishes students who are good at understanding and analyzing sociopolitical and economic issues, whereas students from a stem science background become more advantageous. In the end, not only students with fine English skills, but also those with a compatible approach and scope were rewarded. (For another critical analysis on the gatekeeping functions of language tests and inequalities they create, see Shohamy, 2001 ) Problems of capitalism are represented as problems of humanity, and these issues are discussed in the passages as if every entity or individual is equally responsible for them or equally capable of solving them. As a result, the real agents who are capable and accountable of both creating and solving those problems are masked thanks to the ‘responsibility sharing discourse’ in the topics (Küçükali, 2017 , p. 53). To ensure relative variety and pluri-perspectivity in reading passages that assess students’ comprehension skills, a more balanced distribution of subjects should be prioritized. Moreover, underrepresented categories should either be expanded or alternative viewpoints should be integrated into existing categories to offer multi-faceted and neutral perspectives on the issues at hand. In the absence of such measures, biased and unilateral texts not only serve as instruments for legitimizing contentious policy and technological preferences but also reward or penalize students based on their alignment with these views. Therefore, the processes of test production including the gatekeepers, authorities, and materials should be conducted with more transparency and diligence. Abbreviations ST Stem Science and Technology H History HM Health and Medicine EN Environment PN Psychology and Neurology EB Economics and Business PS Politics and Sociology AC Art and Culture PE Philosophy and Ethics CDA Critical Discourse Analysis CBI Content-Based Instruction YDS Yabancı Dil Sınavı (Foreign Language Exam in Turkish) Declarations Clinical trial number Not applicable. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Author Contribution Dr. Can Küçükali is the sole contributor. References Ayar, Z. (2021). Written discourse completion tasks in the foreign language examination (YDS). Novitas- ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language) , 15 (1), 38–56. Demir, C. (2019). YDS as a Benchmark in Turkey: The Difficulty Levels of Reading Comprehension Questions. EKEV Akademi Dergisi , 80 , 95–112. Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language . Longman. Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and Power . Longman. Gooden, J., & Sas-Rolfes, M. (2020). A review of critical perspectives on private land conservation in academic literature. Ambio , 49 , 1019–1034. Göksu, İ., Aslan, A., & Turgut, Y. E. (2020). Evaluation of mobile games in the context of content: What do children face when playing mobile games? E-Learning and Digital Media , 17 (5), 388–407. Karagöz, A. (2022, August 3). ÖSYM’nin Soru Hazırlama Komisyonu kimlerden oluşuyor, sorular nasıl hazırlanıyor, nasıl korunuyor? Mediascope . Retrieved from. https://medyascope.tv/2022/08/03/osymnin-soru-hazirlama-komisyonu-kimlerden-olusuyor-sorular-nasil-hazirlaniyor-nasil-korunuyor/ Küçükali, C. (2015). Discursive Strategies and Political Hegemony: The Turkish Case . John Benjamins Publishing Company. Küçükali, C. (2017). Discursive Political Analysis . Glasstree Academic Publishing. Lavazza, A., & Garasic, M. (2020). Vampires 2.0? The ethical quandaries of young blood infusion in the quest for eternal life. Medicine Health Care and Philosophy , 23 (3), 421–432. Oakley, C. (2018). Towards cultural materialism in the medical humanities: The case of blood rejuvenation. Medical Humanities , 44 (1), 5–14. Polat, M. (2020). YDS ve YÖKDİL Sınavlarının Yabancı Dil Eğitimi Üzerine Etkileri. Kastamonu Education Journal, 18(3), 2188–2202. Reisigl, M., & Wodak, R. (2016). The Discourse-Historical Approach. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of Critical Discourse Studies (3rd Ed. , pp. 23–61) London: SAGE. Van Dijk, T. A. (2001). Critical Discourse Analysis. In D. Schiffrin, D. Tannen, & H. E. Hamilton (Eds.), The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (pp. 352–371). Blackwell. Van Dijk, T. A. (2008). Discourse and Context: A Sociocognitive Approach . Cambridge University Press. Headland, T. N., Pike, K. L., & Harris, M. (Eds.). (1990). Emics and etics: The insider/outsider debate . Sage. Neuendorf, A. K. (2002). The Content Analysis: Guide Book . Sage. Shohamy, E. (2001). The power of tests: A critical perspective on the uses of language tests . Longman. Zhou, Y., Zhao, Z., Li, S., Liang, Y., Yang, X., & Zhou, R. (2023). Effects of excessive online gaming on cognitive function and emotion recognition among children and adolescents. Frontiers in Psychiatry , 14 , 1175684. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6724193","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":468312862,"identity":"20d87fce-3db0-4db1-ab61-dfad2a0c8026","order_by":0,"name":"Can Küçükali","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABCElEQVRIie2RsWrDMBCGTwiaRY1XQWmfwaVLIDR9kC4xHrLYHT0rFOzFkFUm0Gdo9kIlbk3dtWO1dMrgMUuhp5LRcTN20Dcc3KGP/zgBBAL/FKaoSODKdL4d+f7sJIUpq33LD4o4ReG/r7gvA0pUvRnWlLOkqewSb1/wPuJcQVcg3F2YXkVuH+ZsU6bJWiQKsy/Mm0emmG4RxHjeq8SQxcyVJnkCrxjMn5E2PC9JObJZHO0OSuQUTkh59cr3kCIpZUPKWlIK+BS6GGcDivzYxVa36U2jnbK1WeSaUmzdLoTYHrnYKrt2dTG71O8pdnszzVdV5T73xfRqVPcrHtM7GfrJQCAQCPzBDye1ZCLkfopZAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"TC İstanbul Rumeli Üniversitesi","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Can","middleName":"","lastName":"Küçükali","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-22 10:53:17","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724193/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724193/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":84496473,"identity":"eafc2461-88d0-4b54-b8b1-0be7262fde33","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-12 15:39:40","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":188210,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDiscourse Topics and their distribution: The numbers represent the discourse topic topics and their corresponding subject.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6724193/v1/f5944d9bc888adc5695f8124.jpg"},{"id":84496476,"identity":"1f165e22-8be8-49d8-a312-1a35a34dde53","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-12 15:39:40","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":248791,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDiscourse-topics belonging to multiple subject categories.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6724193/v1/449fb186460cbfda2d081e03.jpg"},{"id":84496475,"identity":"afc35434-12f4-4782-ae93-769c2d91452d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-12 15:39:40","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":55593,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSubject categories, their frequency and percentages.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6724193/v1/892eda84833843fe00076e32.jpg"},{"id":90050587,"identity":"026d6baa-602d-4560-8806-ea2be7974fce","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-27 20:23:26","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1071691,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6724193/v1/d0552b2d-8b1c-49d6-b660-fb1b55ee0bdb.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"A Thematic and Critical Analysis of YDS (Foreign Language Exam) Reading Passages in Türkiye (2013-2023)","fulltext":[{"header":"INTRODUCTION","content":"\u003cp\u003eTo understand the necessity of a content-based analysis of exam questions, one must first grasp the role and importance of content-based learning in English language teaching. Content-Based Instruction (CBI) revolves around the idea of teaching a foreign language with a focus on a subject of choice, instead of delving into structure of language in an isolated way. This subject can be history, biology or any popular theme that could attract the interest of the students. During the course of the study, structural elements of a language like grammar are inductively taught in its social context.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLike CBI, central examination tests around the world also assess multiple language skills through passages. Sometimes, they want test-takers to fill in the blanks to complete a test, or they require them to rearrange sentences to create a coherent paragraph. In other tasks, main ideas, contradictions, or individual arguments are asked to the candidates. TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge, iTEP, OET and TOEIC can be given examples of such comprehensive evaluation exams for testing English language skills. Overall, the test-taker is expected to read, understand, analyze and sometimes infer meanings from the given texts under time pressure.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eYDS (Foreign Language Exam) in Turkey is not an exception. The exam aims at testing different aspects of language proficiency with tailor-made 80 questions, which are mostly embedded in the context-dependent texts. Whether those texts are explanatory, argumentative, or instructive, they focus on individual topics that can be identified and classified based on their repetitive occurrences. If the topics are determined and their value-laden character is exposed, one can understand the current trends and tendencies which are inherent in English language teaching and evaluation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe capacity of YDS to gauge language skills was critically assessed before. For instance, Demir (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) showed the imbalance between difficulty levels of the questions with the help Coleman-Liau technique. He emphasized that the inconsistency of difficulty levels can negatively affect the credibility of the exam. Another fair criticism came from Polat (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), which is based on the qualitative research conducted with 43 academics working in three state universities in Eskişehir, Turkey. The outcome of the study underlines that multiple choice questions in YDS and YOKDİL have negative washback effects on language learners\u0026rsquo; habits, methods, and attitudes directly or indirectly. Likewise, Ayar (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) discussed one of the problems with the Written Discourse Completion Tasks (WDCT) in YDS, which is their limited capacity to assess pragmatic competence of the test-takers. She claims that L2 tests often fail to measure a learner\u0026rsquo;s real ability to use language naturally in real-life situations, since their structure is incapable of grasping many pragmatic aspects of the target language (p. 51).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, another issue within the YDS exam is put into question, which is the imbalance between topics discussed in the reading comprehension questions. Popular and unpopular subjects, and their representation in discourse are the main objectives of the analysis. To achieve these aims, this paper partly benefits from Content Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to identify and specify the characteristics of topics in the YDS during last ten years. At the end of the analysis, it will be possible to see that certain topics and fields are overrepresented from a particular perspective whereas some others are mostly neglected or underrepresented in the passage questions. These tendencies are discussed in the final section of the paper alongside with some recommendations to contribute to more equal representation and diversity in the preparation of YDS exams (and probably in other international language testing exams) in the coming years.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAPPROACH\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCritical Discourse Analysis is an interdisciplinary approach to studying language which problematizes discourses and their implementation in all strands of social life. CDA examines texts, spoken language, and other communicative forms to reveal underlying ideologies, social inequalities, and power structures. (Fairclough, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e). It considers language as both socially shaped and socially shaping, emphasizing the role of discourse in reinforcing or resisting dominance (Van Dijk, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). There are also several strands of approaches and methods within CDA. For instance, Reisigl and Wodak highlight the importance of analyzing discourses in their broader sociopolitical and historical contexts. (2016). They also identify discourses in a way, which directly affects the analysis. According to them, discourse is:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e1) a context dependent semiotic practices in different fields of social action,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2) socially constituted and socially constitutive,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3) related to a macro-topic,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4) linked to argumentation about validity claims (p. 27).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter this conceptualization they assign three constitutive features to discourse which are a) macro-topic relatedness b) pluri-perspectivity and c) argumentativity. These conceptualization and attribution add some depth to the concept. This means, discourses are not just basic linguistic elements, but they have dynamism, direction and a purpose. All these features signify that a discourse is also about determining and delimiting the topic and its content (p. 27). This issue of deliberately choosing, discussing, and presenting certain aspects of a topic is further problematized by K\u0026uuml;\u0026ccedil;\u0026uuml;kali (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) in his analyses of political discourses. There, he conceptualized discourse-topics as the central themes in the texts, around which discourses are organized in a particular way to defend or refuse an argument, or to take the issue at hand from a particular perspective.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor instance, if the general theme in a text is identified as environment, a topic within that theme could be the factors which have an impact on environment. However, if the text makes arguments about how the production and consumption of leather pollutes the air and tries to prove this argument by some means, then the discourse-topic of this text is no more \u0026lsquo;the factors that have an impact on environment\u0026rsquo;, but \u0026lsquo;the negative impacts of leather production and consumption on environmental pollution.\u0026rsquo; Alternatively, another discourse-topic could be \u0026lsquo;the necessity of limiting leather production to save the environment\u0026rsquo;, if there are supporting arguments justifying the proposed action. This is because the author no more maintains a neutral stance on the topic. He/she takes a negative stance on leather production and consumption. Moreover, he/she attempts to prove a point to defend a position, which could eventually evolve into a policy preference. This means, the discourse topic becomes the constituent of a wider discursive strategy to legitimize/delegitimize a position/preference, and potentially a precursor of a forthcoming political action to limit leather production by some means.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat one can derive from this analysis is that the topics in texts are mostly value-laden, and beyond proving or disproving a point, they may try to impose, manipulate, attack, mask or simply promote a position and consequently an action. In that sense, topics and discourse-topics are two different concepts and the content/discourse analyst should be aware of this fact. As a result, the analysts should always ask themselves about the position a text takes and thus expose discourse-topics even if they don\u0026rsquo;t analyze the specific strategies implemented in the text.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, the topics and contents discussed in the examination texts are also evaluated from such a critical perspective to understand the main arguments and positions about the trending issues. Because the main objective is to determine and classify the discourse-topics according to their subject matter and to identify the overrepresented and underrepresented topics, numerous other tools and methods proposed by the prominent CDA scholars (Fairclough, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e, 2012; Van Dijk, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; Wodak and Meyer, 2016) are not included in the analysis. As a result, this study does not delve into the specifics of discursive strategies and their implementation in a particular passage. The goal is limited to identification of prepossessed discourse-topics, their categorization into subject areas, and the determination of the overrepresented as well as the underrepresented areas. Still, the representation of a few contentious topics is explained to help readers understand how certain issues are framed in particular ways within discourse.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne other point that is also beyond the scope of this analysis is the producers of these passages. Although the main gatekeeper of the process of the exam production and assessment is the Assessment, Measuring and Placement Center in T\u0026uuml;rkiye (\u0026Ouml;SYM), the real workforce behind the generation of those questions is a group of academics, educators and public servants, who work on test development at the request of this institution. The members of this commission are periodically updated by removing underqualified members from the pool and adding new ones (Karag\u0026ouml;z, 2022). The identities and credentials of those members as well as the periods of change are unknown to public though.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"METHODOLOGY AND DATA","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study, the passages from the Foreign Language Exam (YDS) in English, administrated between 2013 and 2023, were first categorized by their discourse-topics, and accompanied by their Turkish translations. The numbers next to the years indicate whether the exam was held in the spring (1), fall (2), or in another term (3). In the years 2018, 2019, and 2020, there were exceptions when the exam was held only once or three times. A total of 110 passages were examined across 22 exams. At the end of the analysis, the discourse topics were grouped based on their subjects and frequency, and popular and unpopular themes were identified were discussed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Discourse-Topics of the Passages Used in the YDS between 2013 and 2023:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"BoldUnderline\"\u003e2013-1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ideological aspects of history textbooks (\u003cem\u003eTarih kitaplarının ideolojik y\u0026ouml;nleri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe misuse of antibiotics in farming and the importance of measures for preventing diseases (\u003cem\u003eTarımda yanlış antibiyotik kullanımı ve \u0026ouml;nlemlerin hastalıkları \u0026ouml;nlemedeki \u0026ouml;nemi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLearning from failures and achievements of economic policies implemented in the past (\u003cem\u003eGe\u0026ccedil;mişte uygulanan ekonomik politikaların başarısızlıklarından ve edinimlerinden \u0026ouml;ğrenmek)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe importance of sustainable economic development (\u003cem\u003eS\u0026uuml;rd\u0026uuml;r\u0026uuml;lebilir kalkınmanın \u0026ouml;nemi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe usability of mind power to boost sports performance (\u003cem\u003eZihin g\u0026uuml;c\u0026uuml;n\u0026uuml;n sportif performansı artırmada kullanılabilirliği)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e2013-2\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pros/cons of globalization and the nationalist thinking as a reaction to it. \u003cem\u003e(K\u0026uuml;reselleşmenin avantajları/dezavantajları ve bir reaksiyon olarak milliyet\u0026ccedil;i d\u0026uuml;ş\u0026uuml;nce)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVacational responsibilities and impressions of an event planner (\u003cem\u003eBir etkinlik planlayıcısının mesleki sorumluluk ve izlenimleri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe need for re-evaluating the ethics of work based on Bertrand Russell\u0026rsquo;s \u003cem\u003eIn Praise of Idleness (Bertrand Russell\u0026rsquo;ın Aylaklığa \u0026Ouml;vg\u0026uuml; kitabı temelinde iş etiğini yeniden değerlendirmenin gerekliliği)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe difficulty of determining symptoms and diagnosing ADHD \u003cem\u003e(Dikkat dağınıklığı ve hiperaktivite bozukluğunun belirtilerini tespit ve teşhisin zorluğu)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe positive impact of controlled temper in business life (\u003cem\u003eKontroll\u0026uuml; gerginliğin iş hayatına pozitif etkisi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e2014-1\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdvancements in internal body imaging devices (V\u0026uuml;cut i\u0026ccedil;i g\u0026ouml;r\u0026uuml;nt\u0026uuml;leme sistemlerindeki gelişmeler)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParties involved in sustaining the balance of nature and the practical challenges they face \u003cem\u003e(Doğanın dengesini s\u0026uuml;rd\u0026uuml;rmede rol oynayan taraflar ve karşılaştıkları pratik zorluklar)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfrica\u0026rsquo;s young population problem and the notion of demographic dividend (\u003cem\u003eAfrika\u0026rsquo;nın gen\u0026ccedil; n\u0026uuml;fus sorunu ve demografik pay kavramı)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGandhi\u0026rsquo;s inclusionary nationalism and opposition against Western modernization as a model \u003cem\u003e(Gandhi\u0026rsquo;nin kapsayıcı milliyet\u0026ccedil;iliği ve bir model olarak Batı Modernleşmesine olan karşıtlığı)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdvancements and opportunities in the field of regeneration derived from research on fingernails \u003cem\u003e(Tırnak araştırmalarından elde edilen sonu\u0026ccedil;ların yenilenme alanına sunduğu gelişmeler ve fırsatlar)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e2014-2\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHarsh and insecure working conditions of garment factory workers in Bangladesh \u003cem\u003e(Bangladeş\u0026rsquo;teki tekstil fabrikası \u0026ccedil;alışanlarının zor ve insani olmayan \u0026ccedil;alışma koşulları)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe positive relation between personality shifts and life satisfaction (\u003cem\u003eKişilik değişimi ve yaşam memnuniyeti arasındaki pozitif ilişki)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImportance of bathing in Roman society (\u003cem\u003eRoma toplumunda banyonun \u0026ouml;nemi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe superiority of experiences over material goods (\u003cem\u003eDeneyimlerin metalara g\u0026ouml;re \u0026uuml;st\u0026uuml;nl\u0026uuml;ğ\u0026uuml;)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePolygraph\u0026rsquo;s counter-productive effects as a result of being open to manipulation. (\u003cem\u003ePoligraf\u0026rsquo;ın manip\u0026uuml;lasyona a\u0026ccedil;ık olması sebebiyle yarattığı istenmeyen sonu\u0026ccedil;lar)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2015-1\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe beauty and the affordability of growing orchids (\u003cem\u003eOrkid b\u0026uuml;y\u0026uuml;tmenin g\u0026uuml;zelliği ve uygun maliyeti)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe history of kites and their versatile uses (\u003cem\u003eU\u0026ccedil;urtmaların tarihi ve \u0026ccedil;ok y\u0026ouml;nl\u0026uuml; kullanımları)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe development of the robotic keyhole surgery system \u0026lsquo;da Vinci\u0026rsquo; and the opportunities it provides for remote operations \u003cem\u003e(Da Vinci adlı robotik laparoskopi sisteminin gelişimi ve uzaktan operasyonlar i\u0026ccedil;in sağladığı olanaklar)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe importance of ownership rights of intellectual property (\u003cem\u003eFikri m\u0026uuml;lkiyet haklarının \u0026ouml;nemi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe positive impact of cloning Dolly on future developments in human genetic research (\u003cem\u003eDolly\u0026rsquo;nin klonlanmasının insan genetiği \u0026ccedil;alışmalarının geleceğine olumlu etkisi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e2015-2\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe correlation between lack of self-esteem and the purchase of luxury goods (\u003cem\u003e\u0026Ouml;zg\u0026uuml;ven eksikliği ve l\u0026uuml;ks t\u0026uuml;ketim arasındaki pozitif ilişki)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe destruction of rainforests in Indonesia due to palm oil production (\u003cem\u003eEndonezya\u0026rsquo;da Palmiye yağı \u0026uuml;retiminden kaynaklı yağmur ormanları tahribatı)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJapan\u0026rsquo;s unethical and unlawful whale hunting practice (\u003cem\u003eJaponya\u0026rsquo;nın etik olmayan ve yasadışı balina avı pratiği)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe complex definition of vegetarianism and the challenge of identifying vegetarians (\u003cem\u003eVejetaryanizmin karmaşık tanımı ve vejetaryenleri belirleme zorluğu)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Pharaohs and their significant roles in Egyptian society (\u003cem\u003eFiravunlar ve Mısır toplumundaki \u0026ouml;nemli roller)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e2016-1\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNew archaeological findings shedding light on the physical foundations of Buddhism (Budizm\u0026rsquo;in fiziksel temellerine ışık tutan yeni arkeolojik bulgular)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFloods in Europe as a result of climate change (\u003cem\u003eİklim değişiminin bir sonucu olarak Avrupa\u0026rsquo;daki seller)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe misunderstood and leaked telegrams as an unexpected effect of miscommunication on the history of diplomacy \u003cem\u003e(Teknolojinin diplomasi tarihine beklenmedik etkilerinden biri olarak yanlış anlaşılan ve sızdırılan telgraflar)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe paleo diet and its supposed efficacy on life expectancy of humans (\u003cem\u003ePaleo diyeti ve insanların ortalama yaşam s\u0026uuml;resine iddia edilen etkisi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe negative impact of hunger on consumption behaviour (\u003cem\u003eA\u0026ccedil;lığın harcama davranışına negatif etkisi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2016-2\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe uniqueness and greatness of the genius of Einstein (\u003cem\u003eEinstein\u0026rsquo;ın dehasının eşsizliği ve b\u0026uuml;y\u0026uuml;kl\u0026uuml;ğ\u0026uuml;)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLevel of education as a reason of inequality and the necessity of growing state intervention (Eşitsizliğin bir nedeni olarak eğitim seviyesi ve artan devlet m\u0026uuml;dahalesinin gerekliliği)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrought as a result of climate change in Australia and the USA (\u003cem\u003eAvustralya ve ABD\u0026rsquo;de iklim değişimine bağlı kuraklık)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe melt of glaciers in Greenland and the threat of rising sea levels (\u003cem\u003eGr\u0026ouml;nland\u0026rsquo;daki buzulların erimesi ve deniz seviyelerinin y\u0026uuml;kselme tehlikesi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe development and the necessity of Foldscope in education, a paper shaped microscope (\u003cem\u003eKağıt şeklinde bir mikroskop olan Foldscope\u0026rsquo;un gelişimi ve eğitim i\u0026ccedil;in gerekliliği)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2017-1\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe history of airbags and their complementary role in driving safety (\u003cem\u003eHava yastıklarının tarihi ve s\u0026uuml;r\u0026uuml;ş g\u0026uuml;venliğinde oynadıkları tamamlayıcı rol)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe role of socialization in animals\u0026rsquo; language learning ability aligning with that of humans (\u003cem\u003eHayvanların dil \u0026ouml;ğrenme yetisinde sosyalleşmenin rol\u0026uuml;n\u0026uuml;n insanlarınkiyle \u0026ouml;rt\u0026uuml;şmesi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe importance of compressed air for the historical development of fire extinguishers (\u003cem\u003eBasın\u0026ccedil;lı havanın yangın s\u0026ouml;nd\u0026uuml;r\u0026uuml;c\u0026uuml;lerin tarihsel gelişimindeki \u0026ouml;nemi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe positive effects of young blood transfer on mind (\u003cem\u003eGen\u0026ccedil; kan transferinin zihin \u0026uuml;zerindeki olumlu etkileri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe disputed history of expedition attempts to the North Pole (\u003cem\u003eKuzey Kutbu\u0026rsquo;na yapılmaya \u0026ccedil;alışılan seferlerin tartışmalı tarih\u0026ccedil;esi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2017-2\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNear-infrared spectrometers and their effective use in food inspection (\u003cem\u003eYakın kızıl\u0026ouml;tesi spektrometreler ve gıda denetimindeki etkili kullanımları)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProblems in volunteer recruitment for pharmaceutical tests (\u003cem\u003eİla\u0026ccedil; kullanımına y\u0026ouml;nelik testler i\u0026ccedil;in g\u0026ouml;n\u0026uuml;ll\u0026uuml; alımında yaşanan sorunlar)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe social and class background of Socrates as well as his adamant character leading to his execution (\u003cem\u003eSokrates\u0026rsquo;in sosyal ve sınıfsal arka planı ile infazına yol a\u0026ccedil;an dik başlı karakteri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe obsession with body image (\u003cem\u003eV\u0026uuml;cut imajı takıntısı)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe synchronicity of the development of Botany in the Chinese and Western history and the recent uses of it (\u003cem\u003eBotaniğin gelişiminin Batı ve \u0026Ccedil;in tarihindeki eşzamanlılığı ve şu anki kullanımları)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2018-1\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMedication residues in water and their potential danger for human health (\u003cem\u003eSudaki ila\u0026ccedil; kalıntıları ve bunların insan sağlığı i\u0026ccedil;in potansiyel tehlikeleri\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTexas horned lizard\u0026rsquo;s defense mechanism and its failure to prevent human intervention \u003cem\u003e(Teksas boynuzlu kertenkelesi\u0026rsquo;nin defans mekanizması ve bu mekanizmanın insan m\u0026uuml;dahalesini engelleyememesi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe myths and the realities about white sharks (\u003cem\u003eBeyaz k\u0026ouml;pek balıkları hakkındaki mitler ve ger\u0026ccedil;ekler)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dramatic and historical background of the tale Hansel and Gretel \u003cem\u003e(Hansel ve Gretel \u0026ouml;yk\u0026uuml;s\u0026uuml;n\u0026uuml;n dramatik ve tarihsel arka planı)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBertrand Piccard\u0026rsquo;s innovative family and clean energy (\u003cem\u003eBertrand Piccard\u0026rsquo;ın girişimci ailesi ve temiz enerji)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2018-2\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe net positive effect of video games on human brain (\u003cem\u003eBilgisayar oyunlarının insan beyni \u0026uuml;zerindeki pozitif etkileri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe inevitability and the success of the policies like Clean Power Plan for decreasing pollutants and increasing crop yields \u003cem\u003e(\u0026Ccedil;evre kirliliği yaratan maddelerin azaltılması ve mahsul verimliliğinin artması i\u0026ccedil;in Temiz Enerji Planı gibi politikaların vazge\u0026ccedil;ilmezliği ve başarısı)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe research on the positive effects on fasting on human brain. (\u003cem\u003eOrucun beyin \u0026uuml;zerindeki pozitif etkileri \u0026uuml;zerine yapılan araştırma)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe long-lasting effect of negative first impressions and the difficulty of changing them (\u003cem\u003eNegatif ilk izlenimlerin uzun s\u0026uuml;reli etkisi ve bu izlenimleri değiştirmenin g\u0026uuml;\u0026ccedil;l\u0026uuml;ğ\u0026uuml;)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe significance of the map of Piri Reis and the sources used to draw the map (\u003cem\u003ePiri Reis\u0026rsquo;in haritasının \u0026ouml;nemi ve haritanın \u0026ccedil;izimi i\u0026ccedil;in kullanılan kaynaklar)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2018-3\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe long and the universal history of aromatheraphy (\u003cem\u003eAromaterapinin uzun ve evrensel tarihi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe conditions of water formation on Mars and the planet\u0026rsquo;s inability to preserve it (\u003cem\u003eMars\u0026rsquo;ta suyun bulunma koşulları ve gezegenin suyu tutamaması)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fascinating features of Galapagos islands (\u003cem\u003eGalapagos adaları\u0026rsquo;nın b\u0026uuml;y\u0026uuml;leyici \u0026ouml;zellikleri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe determinative capacity of childhood daydreaming for the psychological well-being on adults (\u003cem\u003e\u0026Ccedil;ocukluk d\u0026ouml;nemi g\u0026uuml;nd\u0026uuml;z d\u0026uuml;ş\u0026uuml;n\u0026uuml;n yetişkinlerin psikolojik refahını belirleme kapasitesi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe verbal and relational skills giving humans an advantage over animals in avoiding danger (\u003cem\u003eTehlikeden ka\u0026ccedil;ınma konusunda insanlara hayvanlara oranla avantaj sağlayan s\u0026ouml;zsel ve ilişkisel beceriler)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BoldUnderline\"\u003e019-1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scientific background of first impression and its unreliability \u003cem\u003e(İlk izlenimin bilimsel arka planı ve g\u0026uuml;venilmezliği)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dominance of desires over reason in shaping consumer behaviour (\u003cem\u003eT\u0026uuml;ketici davranışının şekillenmesinde arzuların akla \u0026uuml;st\u0026uuml;nl\u0026uuml;ğ\u0026uuml;)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe high adaptation skills of plants to survive without light (Bitkilerin ışıksız hayatta kalma konusundaki y\u0026uuml;ksek adaptasyon becerileri)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePierce\u0026rsquo;s disease in plants, its spread to Europe and the extensive harm it causes (\u003cem\u003eBitkilerde g\u0026ouml;r\u0026uuml;len Pierce Hastalığı, Avrupa\u0026rsquo;ya yayılması ve neden olduğu geniş kapsamlı zarar)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lack of the effect of the age factor on running (\u003cem\u003eYaş fakt\u0026ouml;r\u0026uuml;n\u0026uuml;n koşma \u0026uuml;zerinde etkisi) olmaması\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2019-2\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe glasses\u0026rsquo; accidental discovery (\u003cem\u003eG\u0026ouml;zl\u0026uuml;ğ\u0026uuml;n şans eseri bulunması)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe need for collective action to tackle Arctic melting and the overuse of antibiotics (\u003cem\u003eArktik erime ve aşırı antibiyotik kullanımını \u0026ouml;nlemek i\u0026ccedil;in ortak hareketin gerekliliği)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe connection between ending child labor exploitation and American industrialists\u0026rsquo; need for an educated workforce. \u003cem\u003e(\u0026Ccedil;ocuk iş\u0026ccedil;i s\u0026ouml;m\u0026uuml;r\u0026uuml;s\u0026uuml;n\u0026uuml;n Amerika\u0026rsquo;da bitirilmesinin sanayicilerin eğitimli iş g\u0026uuml;c\u0026uuml;ne olan ihtiya\u0026ccedil;ları ile bağlantılı olması)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe possibility of different elements of life in Cosmos (\u003cem\u003eKozmozda farklı yaşam unsurlarının olma olasılığı)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe impossibility of implementing merit-based pay rise in all occupations (\u003cem\u003eLiyakat bazlı maaş artışını her meslek i\u0026ccedil;in uygulamanın imkansızlığı)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2020-2\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnknown roots, indicators and some of the remedies of shyness (\u003cem\u003eUtanga\u0026ccedil;lığın bilinmeyen k\u0026ouml;kleri, belirtileri ve bazı \u0026ccedil;areleri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe abolition of slavery in the Americas not leading to social welfare for working classes (\u003cem\u003eAmerika kıtasında k\u0026ouml;leliğin kalkmasının \u0026ccedil;alışan sınıflar i\u0026ccedil;in sosyal refaha sebep olmaması\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe importance of food preservation with pasteurisation being its pinnacle (\u003cem\u003eYiyecek muhafazasının \u0026ouml;nemi ve pasterizasyonun bunun zirvesi olması)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe working principle of lie detector and its reliability (\u003cem\u003eYalan makinesinin \u0026ccedil;alışma prensibi ve g\u0026uuml;venilirliği)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe necessity of reading for writing (\u003cem\u003eOkumanın yazma a\u0026ccedil;ısından gerekliliği)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2021-1\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRefutation of human exceptionalism regarding language learning, and animals\u0026rsquo; sophisticated communicative behaviour (\u003cem\u003eDil \u0026ouml;ğrenme konusunda insan m\u0026uuml;stesnalığının reddi ve hayvanların karmaşık iletişimsel davranışları)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe importance of balanced management of risk for the companies (\u003cem\u003eŞirketler i\u0026ccedil;in dengeli risk y\u0026ouml;netiminin \u0026ouml;nemi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeanderthals\u0026rsquo; s remarkable ability to perform skillful tasks (\u003cem\u003eNeandertallerin beceri gerektiren g\u0026ouml;revleri yerine getirme konusunda dikkat \u0026ccedil;ekici yeteneği)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe safety of air travel and the extensive security measures taken to ensure it (\u003cem\u003eHavayolu seyahatinin g\u0026uuml;venliği ve bunu sağlamak i\u0026ccedil;in alınan kapsamlı g\u0026uuml;venlik \u0026ouml;nlemleri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe strengthening and lasting of initial memories through the triggering of new experiences (\u003cem\u003eİlk anıların yeni deneyimlerin tetiklemesiyle g\u0026uuml;\u0026ccedil;lenmeleri ve kalıcılaşmaları)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2021-2\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAzerbaijan\u0026rsquo;s effort to diversify its energy sources away from hydrocarbons \u003cem\u003e(Azerbaycan\u0026rsquo;ın enerji kaynaklarını hidrokarbonlardan uzaklaştırarak \u0026ccedil;eşitlendirme \u0026ccedil;abası)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJacques Derrida and the immense impact of deconstructivism on humanities and social sciences (\u003cem\u003eJacques Derrida ve yapıbozumculuğun beşeri ve sosyal bilimler \u0026uuml;zerindeki muazzam etkisi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA lesser-known yet critical effect of greenhouse gas emissions: The raising ocean acidity (\u003cem\u003eArtan sera gazı salınımlarının daha az bilinen ama ciddi bir etkisi: Okyanus asiditesinin artması)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cognitive benefits of language learning (\u003cem\u003eDil \u0026ouml;ğrenmenin bilişsel faydaları)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe negative effects of medical contaminants on animals and plants \u003cem\u003e(Tıbbi atıkların hayvanlar ve bitkiler \u0026uuml;zerindeki olumsuz etkileri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2022-1\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe importance of minimizing the negative impacts of recreational activities (\u003cem\u003eRekreasyonal faaliyetlerin negatif etkilerini k\u0026uuml;\u0026ccedil;\u0026uuml;ltmenin \u0026ouml;nemi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSvante August Arrhenius\u0026rsquo; prodigy to calculate the changes in Earth\u0026rsquo;s carbon balance caused by coal burning despite limited information \u003cem\u003e(Svante August Arrhenius\u0026rsquo;un sınırlı bilgiye rağmen k\u0026ouml;m\u0026uuml;r yakımı sonucu yery\u0026uuml;z\u0026uuml;ndeki karbon dengesinin değişimini \u0026ouml;l\u0026ccedil;medeki dehası)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe outpacing of research costs over profit margins despite nanotechnology\u0026rsquo;s increasing contribution to industrial goods production \u003cem\u003e(Nanoteknolojinin end\u0026uuml;stri \u0026uuml;r\u0026uuml;nlerinin \u0026uuml;retimine artan katkısına rağmen kar maliyetlerinin hala araştırma maliyetlerinin gerisinde kalması)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe difficulty of yoga poses for some people and the need for guidance (\u003cem\u003eYoga pozisyonlarının bazı insanlar i\u0026ccedil;in zorluğu ve rehberliğin gerekliliği)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sophisticated training given to define the texture, odor and taste of food products that meet the consumer needs \u003cem\u003e(T\u0026uuml;keticilerin ihtiya\u0026ccedil;larına uygun gıda \u0026uuml;r\u0026uuml;nlerinin doku, koku ve lezzetini tanımlamak i\u0026ccedil;in verilen sofistike eğitim)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec22\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2022-2\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe importance of addressing environmental and financial concerns in a balanced way while planning the management of commercial forests (\u003cem\u003eTicari ormanların y\u0026ouml;netim planlaması yapılırken \u0026ccedil;evresel ve ticari kaygıları dengeli ele almanın \u0026ouml;nemi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe origination of alphabetic systems from Syria and their development by Greeks, which influenced Latin and Cyrillic alphabets later. (\u003cem\u003eAlfabetik sistemlerin k\u0026ouml;k\u0026uuml;n\u0026uuml;n Suriye\u0026rsquo;ye dayanması ve Yunanlılar tarafından geliştirilerek daha sonrasında Latin ve Kiril alfabelerini etkilemesi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe accessibility of medicines and its close relation to economic development (\u003cem\u003eİla\u0026ccedil;lara erişim ve bunun ekonomik kalkınma ile yakın ilişkisi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe significance and the great role of the Chinese poetry tradition (\u003cem\u003e\u0026Ccedil;in şiiri geleneğinin b\u0026uuml;y\u0026uuml;k rol\u0026uuml; ve \u0026ouml;nemi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDefinition, types, and scope of obsessions that can be confused with legitimate concerns (\u003cem\u003eMakul endişelerle karıştırılabilen takıntıların tanım, tip ve kapsamı)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec23\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2023-1\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe measurement of Ancient Rome\u0026rsquo;s waterflow rates, which are below the capacity estimates (\u003cem\u003eAntik Roma\u0026rsquo;da ortalama kapasite tahminlerinlerinin altındaki su akış oranlarının \u0026ouml;l\u0026ccedil;\u0026uuml;lmesi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIncreasing effect of an argument over time and the diminishing importance of source \u003cem\u003e(Bir arg\u0026uuml;manın etkisinin zaman i\u0026ccedil;inde artması ve kaynağın \u0026ouml;neminin azalması)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRich cultural heritage of the territory of modern Germany as a result of its varied migrant background (\u003cem\u003eModern Almanya topraklarının zengin k\u0026uuml;lt\u0026uuml;rel mirasının \u0026ccedil;eşitli g\u0026ouml;\u0026ccedil;men ge\u0026ccedil;mişinin bir sonucu olması)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Stanislavski Method and its significant contribution to star acting (\u003cem\u003eStanislavski Y\u0026ouml;ntemi ve yıldız oyunculuğuna olan belirgin katkısı)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe shortcomings of the AI technology (\u003cem\u003eYapay zeka teknolojisinin eksiklikleri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec24\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2023-2\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe need for a comprehensive evaluation of ADHD and ways to do it (\u003cem\u003eDEHB\u0026rsquo;nin kapsamlı bir değerlendirilmesine duyulan ihtiya\u0026ccedil; ve bunu yapma yolları)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe interspecies spillover of Clamydia and the insufficient knowledge to address it \u003cem\u003e(Klamidya\u0026rsquo;nın t\u0026uuml;rler arası ge\u0026ccedil;işi ve bununla m\u0026uuml;cadele i\u0026ccedil;in yeterli bilginin olmaması)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe exaggerated potential of plants to filter out chemical substances in closed spaces \u003cem\u003e(Bitkilerin kapalı alanlardaki kimyasal maddeleri filtreleme konusundaki abartılan potansiyelleri)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDifferent approaches to save hay during Middle Ages, which was a valuable commodity \u003cem\u003e(Orta \u0026Ccedil;ağlar\u0026rsquo;da değerli bir meta olan samanın saklanması konusunda farklı yaklaşımlar)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNorm definition for Aphasia and its impact on scope (\u003cem\u003eAfazi i\u0026ccedil;in norm tanımlama bi\u0026ccedil;iminin kapsama etki etmesi)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec25\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eANALYSIS:\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen it comes to clustering of discourse topics into larger categories of subjects, the etic and emic distinction is taken into consideration (Headland, Pike and Harris, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1990\u003c/span\u003e). The general understanding is that etic categories are related to scientific knowledge, and they are pre-determined prior to analysis, whereas emic categories contain subjective knowledge and experience, and they are determined after or during the analysis. According to Neuendorf (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e) etic approach is more consistent with the methods of content analysis, and therefore it is also used in this study. She also states that one can benefit from both approaches while unitizing data. Although determining discourse topics can be considered a part of emic categories, the wider categories in which those discourse-topics fit, should be pre-determined and fixed ones that are easy to detect and use for the purpose of this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a result, 110 discourse topics derived from 110 paragraphs were clustered into nine pre-determined subject categories. These categories are not interpretative, but rather objective and fixed, because they tell the scientific area in which the discussion mostly belongs to. For instance, if a paragraph discusses the shortcomings of AI technology, it belongs to the fixed category of stem science \u0026amp; technology; however, \u0026lsquo;discussing the shortcomings of AI technology\u0026rsquo; is itself a discursive construction since it a) presupposes that AI technology has significant problems and b) these problems should be emphasized for some reason. Another paragraph providing information about the less-known effects of greenhouse gas emissions belongs to the subject of environment. But less-known effects of greenhouse gas emissions are a discourse-topic because it assumes, implies or states that a) there are less-known effects of those emissions, b) they should be problematized and exposed by the author, and c) something should be done to eliminate those effects. That\u0026rsquo;s why subject categories, topics, and discourse topics are not the one and the same.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaking this distinction into account, nine overarching subjects and along with the total and the individual numbers of corresponding discourse-topics are listed below:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec26\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe overall number of discourse-topics clustered around subjects are more (131) than the individual number of discourse-topics for each paragraph (110). The reason is that some (21) discourse-topics belong to more than one subject area. For example, the discourse topic \u0026lsquo;ideological aspects of history books\u0026rsquo; belongs to both history and politics \u0026amp; sociology, so it was counted twice. In the following chart, one can find the discourse-topics that belong to multiple subject categories:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen these two figures are analyzed, it is possible to see a clear skew towards scientific and technological categories, exception being history. However, even history is mixed with other scientific and technical subject areas most of the time. The categories of health \u0026amp; medicine, environment, and psychology \u0026amp; neurology would have been less frequent subjects if they had been discussed in the passages individually, but their frequencies increase because of their co-existence with the overarching category of science \u0026amp; technology. This category can be considered the main one, around which other discourse-topics and even other subjects are clustered.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec32\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec34\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf we group all the subject areas according to two categories as a) heavily represented (18\u0026ndash;24 discourse-topics) and b) underrepresented (less than 18 discourse-topics), the first five subject areas constitute the 77.1% of all 131 discourse topics, whereas the remaining four categories account for only 22.9%. One should also underline that there is also a significant difference between the representation of economy \u0026amp; business (13 times), and the other categories of politics \u0026amp; sociology (9 times), art \u0026amp; culture (5 times), and philosophy \u0026amp; ethics (3 times), which share the same group of underrepresented subject areas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"colspec\" align=\"left\"\u003eIn addition to the imbalance in categorization, another main issue is the one-sided perspective presented in these passages, often based on limited or contested information. All discourse-topics do not necessarily pose a problem to equal or at least to a balanced representation of an issue. However, when contentious topics are discussed from a single perspective without acknowledging alternative narratives and arguments, they risk becoming propaganda or, at the very least, misinformation.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor instance, the discourse-topic \u0026lsquo;the inevitability and the success of the policies like Clean Power Plan for decreasing pollutants and increasing crop yields\u0026rsquo; (57) defends the view that Clean Power Plan is a must policy, and it is doomed to success. Despite of this one-sided positive depiction, this policy has faced many criticisms in many respects including economic, legal, efficiency. For instance, Loris (2015) from the Heritage Foundation claims that CPP would impose many significant economic costs with minimal environmental benefits. He also discussed the potential economic drawbacks of this plan and advocates for its repeal. However, one cannot see this point of view in the passage.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLikewise, the discourse-topic \u0026lsquo;the importance of addressing environmental and financial concerns in a balanced way while planning the management of commercial forests\u0026rsquo; (96) takes a positive stance of private ownership of a common good, namely the forests. Although the text mentions the notion of addressing environmental and financial concerns in a balanced way, what it does is to equate environment and financial gain in terms of importance and thus opening more space for commercial use of forests. Nevertheless, there are other ways of dealing with the issue. For example, Gooden and Sas-Rolfes (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) rightfully emphasize that private ownership may prioritize individual interests that can conflict with the public good. They also point out that such private preservation initiatives may fail to protect the environment due to lack of supervision and transparency. However, such an alternative perspective was not considered in the given passage.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother topic which is quite contentious but positively represented in an indirect way is \u0026lsquo;the net positive effect of video games on human brain\u0026rsquo; (56). In this passage, the general attitude towards video games is positive although the issue was presented as a contentious one. Some negative functions were indicated such as addiction or violence with reference to a study, but they were followed by positive aspects such as cognitive training and the improvement of brain functions as a result. Although the passage does not seemingly take a stance on the issue, the equal distribution of positive and negative factors and finishing the paragraph with positive aspects without indication of a final assessment subtly directs the reader to perceive that video games have at least as many positive effects as negative ones. Although this is not an inaccurate assumption prima facie, the indicated positive effects can only be weighed equally under certain conditions of appropriate content and appropriate gaming time which are themselves a big problem especially for children (Zhou et al., \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Other studies also indicate that although mobile games improve some motor/intellectual skills, they also pose risks for children (G\u0026ouml;ksu, Aslan and Turgut, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). However, these aspects were not discussed or mentioned in the text.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese three examples clearly show the potential of discourse-topics to frame the topic and discuss it from a single perspective while excluding others, although most of the issues discussed in the passages are contentious and have many conflicting perspectives.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"RESULTS AND DISCUSSION","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe results suggest that humanities and social sciences were rarely discussed in the passages of the Foreign Language Exam (YDS) throughout the last decade. Especially philosophy, art, politics and sociology have been particularly underrepresented and have faded away in time, while scientific discoveries, their relation to innovation, as well as the environmental, medical and technological challenges play a significant role in the heavily represented topics. The subject of history is also often instrumentalized to understand the roots or development of an innovation such as telegram, airbags, aqueducts or compressed air among others. Although there are exceptions where the issues of Western modernization, child labor, abolition of slavery and its current forms are problematized in the form of discourse-topics, their number is extremely low as compared to science (stem and life) and technology subjects. This kind of uneven representation is troubled from multiple perspectives. Some of which are as follows:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003col\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eScientific and technological advancements as well as innovation are taken as ideology-free, and their content is cleared from all the humanistic concerns they may generate. That way, the discussion is solely constituted on a technical basis without considering the wider socio-political impacts. For example, the discursive topic \u0026lsquo;positive effects of young blood transplantation\u0026rsquo; (44) takes the issue solely from a technical perspective and illustrates the positive effects it has demonstrated on mice. Although the passage states that it is still unknown whether young blood transplantation is effective in humans, it does not mention the substantial ethical and social aspects of this issue that need to be considered (Lavazza and Garasic, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis choice of representation naturally denies the wide range of issues and perspectives social sciences and humanities could offer in the process of language learning and testing and deprive students of English of speculation and criticism, which are very important aspects of language comprehension. Let\u0026rsquo;s suppose that young blood transplantation turns out to be effective in humans. This possibility raises other crucial questions: Who will have access to such treatments? Can children legally consent to their blood being used, given that they are underage? What kind of sociological consequences might emerge on regarding class divisions and power dynamics within society? These are profound questions that cannot be addressed without the insights and contributions of the social sciences and humanities. For example, Oakley (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) discusses some of these aspects within the scope of cultural materialism and develops a critique of biomedical innovations in the era of medical neoliberalism. By doing that, she aims at disrupting the principal narrative that holds science to be the dominant discursive authority (p.5). Such studies should be taken into consideration when producing texts of a contentious nature.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe on-going testing mechanism instinctively punishes students who are good at understanding and analyzing sociopolitical and economic issues, whereas students from a stem science background become more advantageous. In the end, not only students with fine English skills, but also those with a compatible approach and scope were rewarded. (For another critical analysis on the gatekeeping functions of language tests and inequalities they create, see Shohamy, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eProblems of capitalism are represented as problems of humanity, and these issues are discussed in the passages as if every entity or individual is equally responsible for them or equally capable of solving them. As a result, the real agents who are capable and accountable of both creating and solving those problems are masked thanks to the \u0026lsquo;responsibility sharing discourse\u0026rsquo; in the topics (K\u0026uuml;\u0026ccedil;\u0026uuml;kali, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e, p. 53).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/ol\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo ensure relative variety and pluri-perspectivity in reading passages that assess students\u0026rsquo; comprehension skills, a more balanced distribution of subjects should be prioritized. Moreover, underrepresented categories should either be expanded or alternative viewpoints should be integrated into existing categories to offer multi-faceted and neutral perspectives on the issues at hand. In the absence of such measures, biased and unilateral texts not only serve as instruments for legitimizing contentious policy and technological preferences but also reward or penalize students based on their alignment with these views. Therefore, the processes of test production including the gatekeepers, authorities, and materials should be conducted with more transparency and diligence.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionList\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eST\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStem Science and Technology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eH\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHistory\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHM\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealth and Medicine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eEN\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnvironment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePN\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePsychology and Neurology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eEB\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEconomics and Business\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePS\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePolitics and Sociology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAC\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArt and Culture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePE\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhilosophy and Ethics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCDA\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCritical Discourse Analysis\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCBI\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eContent-Based Instruction\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eYDS\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYabancı Dil Sınavı (Foreign Language Exam in Turkish)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003ch2\u003eClinical trial number\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate:\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eDr. Can K\u0026uuml;\u0026ccedil;\u0026uuml;kali is the sole contributor.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAyar, Z. (2021). Written discourse completion tasks in the foreign language examination (YDS). \u003cem\u003eNovitas- ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language)\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e15\u003c/em\u003e(1), 38\u0026ndash;56.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDemir, C. (2019). YDS as a Benchmark in Turkey: The Difficulty Levels of Reading Comprehension Questions. \u003cem\u003eEKEV Akademi Dergisi\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e80\u003c/em\u003e, 95\u0026ndash;112.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFairclough, N. (1995). \u003cem\u003eCritical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language\u003c/em\u003e. Longman.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFairclough, N. (1989). \u003cem\u003eLanguage and Power\u003c/em\u003e. Longman.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGooden, J., \u0026amp; Sas-Rolfes, M. (2020). A review of critical perspectives on private land conservation in academic literature. \u003cem\u003eAmbio\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e49\u003c/em\u003e, 1019\u0026ndash;1034.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eG\u0026ouml;ksu, İ., Aslan, A., \u0026amp; Turgut, Y. E. (2020). Evaluation of mobile games in the context of content: What do children face when playing mobile games? \u003cem\u003eE-Learning and Digital Media\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e17\u003c/em\u003e(5), 388\u0026ndash;407.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKarag\u0026ouml;z, A. (2022, August 3). \u003cem\u003e\u0026Ouml;SYM\u0026rsquo;nin Soru Hazırlama Komisyonu kimlerden oluşuyor, sorular nasıl hazırlanıyor, nasıl korunuyor? Mediascope\u003c/em\u003e. Retrieved from. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://medyascope.tv/2022/08/03/osymnin-soru-hazirlama-komisyonu-kimlerden-olusuyor-sorular-nasil-hazirlaniyor-nasil-korunuyor/\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://medyascope.tv/2022/08/03/osymnin-soru-hazirlama-komisyonu-kimlerden-olusuyor-sorular-nasil-hazirlaniyor-nasil-korunuyor/\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eK\u0026uuml;\u0026ccedil;\u0026uuml;kali, C. (2015). \u003cem\u003eDiscursive Strategies and Political Hegemony: The Turkish Case\u003c/em\u003e. John Benjamins Publishing Company.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eK\u0026uuml;\u0026ccedil;\u0026uuml;kali, C. (2017). \u003cem\u003eDiscursive Political Analysis\u003c/em\u003e. Glasstree Academic Publishing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLavazza, A., \u0026amp; Garasic, M. (2020). Vampires 2.0? The ethical quandaries of young blood infusion in the quest for eternal life. \u003cem\u003eMedicine Health Care and Philosophy\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e23\u003c/em\u003e(3), 421\u0026ndash;432.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOakley, C. (2018). Towards cultural materialism in the medical humanities: The case of blood rejuvenation. \u003cem\u003eMedical Humanities\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e44\u003c/em\u003e(1), 5\u0026ndash;14.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePolat, M. (2020). YDS ve Y\u0026Ouml;KDİL Sınavlarının Yabancı Dil Eğitimi \u0026Uuml;zerine Etkileri. \u003cem\u003eKastamonu Education Journal, 18(3), 2188\u0026ndash;2202.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReisigl, M., \u0026amp; Wodak, R. (2016). The Discourse-Historical Approach. In R. Wodak \u0026amp; M. Meyer (Eds.), \u003cem\u003eMethods of Critical Discourse Studies (3rd Ed.\u003c/em\u003e, pp. 23\u0026ndash;61) London: SAGE.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVan Dijk, T. A. (2001). Critical Discourse Analysis. In D. Schiffrin, D. Tannen, \u0026amp; H. E. Hamilton (Eds.), \u003cem\u003eThe Handbook of Discourse Analysis\u003c/em\u003e (pp. 352\u0026ndash;371). Blackwell.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVan Dijk, T. A. (2008). \u003cem\u003eDiscourse and Context: A Sociocognitive Approach\u003c/em\u003e. Cambridge University Press.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHeadland, T. N., Pike, K. L., \u0026amp; Harris, M. (Eds.). (1990). \u003cem\u003eEmics and etics: The insider/outsider debate\u003c/em\u003e. Sage.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNeuendorf, A. K. (2002). \u003cem\u003eThe Content Analysis: Guide Book\u003c/em\u003e. Sage.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShohamy, E. (2001). \u003cem\u003eThe power of tests: A critical perspective on the uses of language tests\u003c/em\u003e. Longman.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZhou, Y., Zhao, Z., Li, S., Liang, Y., Yang, X., \u0026amp; Zhou, R. (2023). Effects of excessive online gaming on cognitive function and emotion recognition among children and adolescents. \u003cem\u003eFrontiers in Psychiatry\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e14\u003c/em\u003e, 1175684.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"YDS, Foreign Language Exam, content analysis, discourse-topics, Critical Discourse Analysis","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724193/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724193/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eYDS (Foreign Language Exam) is a standardized written test administered in Turkey to assess the foreign language proficiency of individuals for academic, professional, and governmental purposes. As a centrally conducted examination, the questions are generally designed to evaluate number of competencies. While the exam has faced criticism for failing to assess key language skills, such as listening and speaking, a less frequently addressed issue is the unequal and biased representation of subject matter within the reading comprehension sections. This study aims to analyze the content of paragraph-based questions to identify predominant discourse topics and examine their distribution across individual subjects. A total of 110 reading comprehension passages from YDS exams conducted between 2013 and 2023 were analyzed. The findings reveal a systematic overrepresentation of certain topics and a notable underrepresentation of others. There is also a tendency to present certain discourse topics from a single perspective, even though they are contentious issues. The results of this study can provide valuable insights for test developers and policymakers seeking to ensure a more balanced and equitable distribution of content in future assessments. It also contributes to the understanding of ideological and biased representations that are inherent in the processes of language test production and assessment.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"A Thematic and Critical Analysis of YDS (Foreign Language Exam) Reading Passages in Türkiye (2013-2023)","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-06-12 15:39:36","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724193/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ad6eb149-1110-4a8d-a2d5-ed5edbbe4424","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 12th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-08-27T20:23:08+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-06-12 15:39:36","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6724193","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6724193","identity":"rs-6724193","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}