Learning and teaching foreign languages study starts in schools
- Published on Thursday, 29 March 2012 22:54
“Study of learning and teaching foreign languages in lower secondary schools" starts on 5 March, in 120 selected schools in Poland. During the conference on 27 February, headmasters and representatives of the schools participating in the study had an opportunity to learn more about its assumptions and purpose as well as find out how schools will benefit from the project.
The meeting was primarily organizational in nature: IBE experts and representatives of Millward Brown SMG/KRC, which conducts the study on behalf of the Institute, presented its schedule and organization and responded to questions. 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 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 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 voice of students is often ignored, and yet they are the primary recipients of the curriculum content, which is why it is so important to us, said Magdalena Szpotowicz, Ph.D, from IBE.
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. In March, the students will take their language skills tests. Also in March, headmasters, teachers and students will complete questionnaires (headmasters and teachers will use an online version) and a survey of textbooks and curricula will take place.
Individual interviews with headmasters, teachers and students will be conducted in April and May. During the two months lesson observations in 40 selected schools will be held.
Piotr Jakubowski from Millward Brown SMG/KRC discussed the organization of the study: deadlines for individual parts of the study, the need to obtain parental consent for children's participation in the interviews and tests. He also presented tangible benefits for the schools and students.
Michał Sitek, Ph.D, Deputy Director for Research at IBE, reassured teachers that the objective of the study was not an assessment of a particular school or teacher, but – while maintaining full anonymity – a diagnosis of foreign language teaching in schools throughout the country. He also emphasized that the study would be conducted so as to minimally interfere with school.
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