Learning and Teaching Foreign Languages Study

Published on Thursday, 05 July 2012 02:20

The main purpose of the study is to observe how lower secondary school students' skills in using English are changing and to find out what factors positively influence the acquisition of language skills. The study will also help to gain valuable insights into the process and the organization of English language teaching and provide information on the expectations of students concerning schools and teachers, their opinions about the classes, what motivates them to learn and their attitude to the lower secondary school external foreign language examination. The study will also yield information on the conditions for home language study and exposure to the language outside of school - IBE experts hope to find out whether students have opportunities to learn the language informally.

The study will take three years to complete (2011-2014). It will involve six thousand students from 120 lower secondary schools as well as English language teachers and headmasters. The tools used in the study will include
language skills tests and questionnaires for headmasters, teachers and students. A survey of textbooks and curricula as well as lesson observations in 40 selected schools are planned.