Multilingual literacy is an important competence in today’s society, especially for some professional groups. In the present study, 73 university language majors reported on their reading and writing ...in the mother tongue and target language, within and outside of their studies (quantity, circumstances and motivation), and the data were tested for correlations with their academic success. Results show that the students’ ratio of reading and writing in Slovenian vs. English and the text types are mostly dictated by their studies, but there are big differences in the quantity of these activities and the students’ attitudes. In their free time, students mostly read and write in the electronic media. No correlations were found with the selected measure of academic success. The results of the study can be utilized for planning improvements in literacy development in the Slovenian educational system and for further research into multilingual literacy, which is currently not abundant.Key words: reading, writing, Slovenian, English, university students
Članek podaja osnovni pregled neformalnega učenja tujih jezikov v Sloveniji, saj je do sedaj objavljenih le malo virov s podatki o tej tematiki, čeprav bi bili pri odločanju o tujejezikovnem ...izobraževanju in jezikovni politiki vsekakor koristni. Pregled ločeno obravnava tri starostne skupine: predšolske otroke, šolsko mladino ter odrasle. Obseg in oblike neformalnega učenja tujih jezikov kot tudi nabor najpogostejših jezikov se med temi skupinami nekoliko razlikujejo. Prispevek črpa iz razpoložljivih podatkov, ki niso enako celostni in zanesljivi kot podatki o formalnem učenju tujih jezikov, vendar nakazujejo nekaj razmisleka vrednih trendov, na primer velik porast učenja tujih jezikov v predšolski in osnovnošolski dobi ter rastoče povpraševanje po nekaterih jezikih, ki so v formalnem izobraževanju zelo redko zastopani.
Target language competence of EFL teachers is an important aspect of EFL teaching and teacher expertise, and a case of ESP which is often not acknowledged as such. This paper presents a target ...language needs analysis for EFL teachers, carried out in Slovenia between 2003 and 2005. A survey of the literature shows that such studies are rare, even though there are reports from several countries of EFL teachers’ insufficient target language competence. The study presented used the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages as a model for describing the language needs of EFL teachers in and outside of their classrooms. A series of 11 interviews, 48 classroom observations, 3 case studies and 93 reports from novice teachers yielded a list of language activities and competences that EFL teachers in Slovenia specifically need to develop. The study also sheds light on the question of how target language needs differ according to the level and context of teaching. The results are of value to all those involved in developing and redesigning EFL teacher training programs, particularly their language training component, in the countries where English is taught as a foreign language.
Različni pristopi k poučevanju tujega jezika lahko pomenijo zelo različne pristope k rabi ciljnega jezika s strani učitelja; danes prevladuje mnenje, da naj bi učitelj pri pouku tujega jezika ne ...uporabljal pretežno materinščine temveč, kolikor je to le možno in smiselno, ciljni jezik. To je pomembno kljub temu, da imajo danes učenci neprimerno več možnosti kot še dobrih 10 let nazaj, da so v stiku s ciljnim jezikom tudi izven šole. Učiteljeva raba ciljnega jezika pri pouku je zanje namreč ne samo stik z jezikom in zgled njegove aktivne rabe, temveč tudi sredstvo vzpostavljanja avtoritete in izvajanja vseh aktivnosti v učnem procesu. Da bi učitelj uspešno opravljal vse svoje vedno bolj zahtevne naloge, mora ohranjati in razvijati svoje znanje jezika, in sicer v smislu pravilnosti, zvrstne ustreznosti in prilagajanja sposobnostim in potrebam učencev. Zelo koristno je tudi ozaveščanje različnih funkcij učiteljevih govornih dejanj oziroma razpona možnih formulacij, s katerimi učitelj lahko doseže pri pouku določene vzgojnoizobraževalne učinke.
The European Language Portfolio (ELP) is a unique, pan-European language learning material, aimed at supporting life-long language learning and the development of learner autonomy and intercultural ...competences. The article outlines the ELP's origins, structure and functions, and its impact on foreign language learning and teaching in Europe. Of the Slovenian ELP models, the two intended for primary school have been the most widely-implemented. Their implementation was the subject of a three-year study, in the context of a national piloting project involving over 600 learners and 100 teachers, held in 2008 and 2009. Due to the complexity and scope of the study, this article focuses on the perspective of the teachers, as carriers of pedagogical innovation. The results show that the two versions of ELP validated for Slovenian primary schools are judged by the teachers as being quality materials which are well-adapted to the learners. This pilot period yielded a number of positive effects in both teaching and learning, most notably more communicative and learner-centered instruction formats, and an increase in the learners' motivation and self-assessment skills. The main concern was strained lesson planning, due to the fact that the ELP was not integrated into the curriculum. Overall, the study shows that, of the two parallel functions of the ELP, the documenting of language learning and achievement is more readily embraced, while the self-assessment and self-directedness aspects involve a paradigm shift, which would require further sustained and widely-supported implementation. This would enable the full unfolding of the ELP's great potential for the promotion of language and intercultural competences and lifelong learning in Slovenia and in Europe.
The study explores the interplay of EFL/ESL writers’ composing processes and features of their written products, specifically revising and use of metadiscourse elements. Both are crucial to success ...in writing but have so far not been researched from this perspective. A corpus of 104 essays, draft versions and corresponding final versions written by 52 advanced EFL/ESL writers, was analysed manually and electronically to show the use of metadiscourse elements and the revisions made in the process of writing. The two sets of data were then analysed statistically to uncover potential correlations. While there was variation in the quantities of both metadiscourse elements and text revisions, patterns emerged in both areas. Increased density of metadiscourse correlated positively with the number of major content revisions, but not with the number of minor content revisions and surface revisions. Content analysis found that metadiscourse elements were often integral parts of added chunks of text, but also served to modify or restructure existing text. Results suggest that while metadiscourse depends on genre and topic, it also plays a significant role in the process of text composing. The growth of its density as writers revise texts at the level of content and structure indicates that metadiscourse can function as a reconceptualizing tool in the process of writing.
In most of today’s courses of English as a foreign language, the learners and teacher share the same mother tongue, but English is the language used to carry out all activities as far as the learner ...level allows. This means that the teacher’s level of target language mastery plays a significant role in the quality of language teaching and the resulting learning. The paper looks at the functions of teacher talk as a source of input and model language use as well as a tool for managing classroom processes. Based on that, an argument is made for ‘teacher English’ as a case of English for specific purposes.
Rad prikazuje istraživanje o primjeni Europskog jezičnog portfolia, inovativnog materijala namijenjenog poticanju autonomije učenika i razvoju višejezičnih komunikacijskih kompetencija učenika svih ...dobnih uzrasta. Za praćenje probnog uvođenja EJP-a u osnovne i srednje škole u Sloveniji u razdoblju od nekoliko godina anketirana su 1643 učenika u dobi od 10 do 17 godina. Anketa je analizirana s namjerom prikazivanja često izostavljene perspektive krajnjih korisnika obrazovne inovacije, s naglaskom na način na koji učenikov uzrast utječe na uzorak korištenja novoga materijala, kao i na njihove stavove i njegov doživljaj. Rezultati ukazuju na to da dob učenika svakako ima ulogu u prihvaćanju EJP-a; razine i vrste angažmana s materijalom i učenička percepcija složenosti, uživanje i vrijednost za njihov razvoj kao učenika (jezika) bili su niži kod učenika srednjih škola nego kod učenika osnovnih škola u cijelom uzorku. Dob u tome vjerojatno ima ulogu s pomoću dva povezana čimbenika. Veća kognitivna zrelost, čini se, ne doprinosi boljem prihvaćanju inovacije; slabiji rezultati u osnovnoj školi vjerojatno su odraz uobičajenog smanjenja motivacije za školski rad tijekom tinejdžerskih godina.
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