Sketching English Language Teaching practices in primary school across four countries

Projektdetails

Hochschule
Private Pädagogische Hochschule Linz
Sprache
Projektleitung gesamt
Schurz, Alexandra Itha; Mag. Dr.
Projektleitung intern
Schurz, Alexandra Itha; Mag. Dr.
Interne Projektmitarbeiter/innen
Externe Projektmitarbeiter/innen
Coumel, Marion; Dr.
Kooperationspartner
University of York
Laufzeit
2021 – 2024
Beschreibung
European countries are increasingly implementing foreign language instruction in early primary education. However, the extent to which an early start is beneficial in the long run depends on the amount, quality, and type of input learners receive (e.g., Unsworth et al., 2015; Tragant et al., 2016). To examine the nature of instruction provided across different European countries, we developed a survey targeting (1) the time primary school teachers from Austria, Finland, France and Sweden (N = 480) dedicate to different activities, (2) the extent to which they use authentic vs. pedagogic material, and (3) the degree to which they employ certain motivational practices. According to teacher reports, instruction is geared primarily towards oracy skills, but Finnish and Swedish teachers implement more reading and writing activities than Austrian and French teachers. Moreover, Swedish teachers resort to authentic material more often than others, and motivational practices feature most frequently in the Finnish and Swedish samples. These findings may reflect cross-country differences in teacher education, teacher and student proficiency, and language exposure in everyday life.
Beschreibung (engl.)
Bericht