RESEARCH IN THE PROCESS OF LEARNING & ACQUISITION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Main researcher
: PREBEG-VILKE, MIRJANA (38603) Assistants
ŠTOKIĆ, LIDVINA (191636)
VRHOVAC, YVONNE (117480)
SIRONIĆ-BONEFAČIĆ, NIVES (92322)
DUBRAVČIĆ, MAJA (10681)
BARTOLOVIĆ, BOŽICA (2320)
MIHALJEVIĆ-DJIGUNOVIĆ, JELENA (128805)
SKENDER, INJA (900592)
Type of research: applied Duration from: 01/01/91. to 12/15/95. Papers on project (total): 65
Institution name: Filozofski fakultet - Humanističke znanosti, Zagreb (130) Department/Institute: Interdepartmental project of the faculty of Phylosophy (departmants of English, French and Italian) Address: Salajeva 3 City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia
Communication
Phone: 385 (0) 41 620-056
Fax: 385 (0) 41 513-834
Summary: After a period of intensive preparations the project
started in the autumn of 1991. The autmn and winter of 1991 were hard times
for Croatia, but it was exactly then that 350 first graders aged 6-7
started to learn a foreign language as a part of their regular school
curriculum. 12 Zagreb primary schools were included in the project. Each
ordinary school grade is split into two groups of 12-15 children who have
five periods of foreign language weekly, one per day. In the autumn of 1991
English, French and German were introduced. In the year 1992/3
second-graders continued their foreign language course on the same
organizational basis and additional schools joined the project. Italian was
then also added to the list of languages. At the beginning of the work
maturity tests were administered. They measured understanding oral
instructions, graphomotoric skills, reasoning and understanding of amounts.
Attitudes and motivation of pupils, teachers and parents towards the
particular foreign language and its culture have been examined by
interviews and questionnaires. A systematic observation of the classes has
been carried out since the beginning of the work, and at the end of the
school year achievement tests have been administered. Ministry of Education
is responsible for the organisational side of the work in schools. They
have enlarged the number of schools starting in the first grade to embrace
some children of the third generation (starting in 1993) and also some
schools in Osijek, Pula, Rijeka and Split. Research team working on the
project offers to these schools all the necessary help - programmes,
materials, etc, but the children are not submitted to intensive observation
techniques, as it is technically impossible.
Research goals: It is expected that research will provide a
verification of the results of early language learning at this age obtained
both in Croatia and elsewhere combined with new insights into the process
of learning. For this reason affective, cognitive and neurological factors
are being examined as well as the nature of language input to which the
child has been exposed. The hypothesis yet to be proved is that children
starting a language at the age of 6-7 can learn it as successfully as those
starting at 10 - if certain conditions are met, and that at that earlier
age they have the unique advantage of being able to master the phonological
system of foreign language with near-native accuracy. If this hypothesis
proves correct (the results obtained so far seem to be very promising) it
will be a convincing reason for persuading the educational authorities to
introduce foreign languages into the school system in the first grade. This
would give children ample time to handle the foreign idiom by the time
language learning blocks start and when strategies of teaching and learning
foreign language need to be altered.
COOPERATION - PROJECTS
Name of project
: Language lerning for European citizenship Name of institution: Council of Europe City: Strasbourg, Francuska
COOPERATION - INSTITUTIONS
Name of institution
: Pedagogisches Institut des Bundes Type of institution: Economical/Production City: Beč, Austrija
Name of institution
: University of Sterling Type of institution: Economical/Production City: Sterling, Velika Britanija