A Plurilingual Approach to Language Education at Primary Level: An Example from Ireland

2021 ◽  
pp. 405-423
Author(s):  
David Little ◽  
Déirdre Kirwan
Keyword(s):  
Language Education ◽  
Primary Level

scholarly journals An Analysis of Medium of Instruction Policies in the Education System of Pakistan with Specific Reference to English Medium Education

sjesr ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 370-382
Author(s):  
Sadia Asif ◽  
Imran Afzal ◽  
Rahat Bashir
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Education System ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Education ◽  
School Level ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Primary Level

A critical examination of the trends, issues, and challenges in policy and practice of English language education in Pakistan is the main concern of this paper. This is done first by describing the practice of teaching English in varied instructional situations. Second, the paper historically reviews the language education policies since Pakistan’s independence in 1947. Third, the consequences of using English as the medium of instruction are discussed. A longitudinal large scale study is done to highlight the fact that English as medium of instruction at primary school level can distort the teaching and learning activities for students and teachers in rural areas of Pakistan and student drop-out rate can even get higher in those areas. The data was collected from the interviews of twenty teachers working in government and semi government schools at primary level. Based on the information obtained from the target participants, teaching at the same level but in different schools, the author argues that mother tongue education at the primary level is the most appropriate method to enhance the educational performance of students and a positive approach to bilingual education must be taken to resolve the challenges associated with the medium of instruction policies in the education system of Pakistan. Moreover, the data also shows that adopting English as a medium of instruction in Public schools may lead to low motivation level among students and it can hinder the development of English as a second language among learners. Furthermore, a difference in home language and school language may also hamper development and concepts formation in students at school level. Therefore, it is recommended that before implementing any language as medium of instruction at school level, one must review the history of Pakistani education system and must keep in mind the linguistic differences of the society and unavailability of resources is also a major hindrance in implementation of any language policy.  The results of this study confirm that the pedagogical effectiveness could only be achieved through the mother tongue and provides clear evidence for the usage of native languages as a medium of education in schools.

scholarly journals IN-SERVICE TEACHERS' VIEWS ON DEVELOPING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE AT PRIMARY LEVEL IN THE PROCESS OF TEFL IN SLOVAKIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 279-285
Author(s):  
Klaudia Paulikova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Equal Opportunities ◽  
Primary Level ◽  
Balanced Development

Reaching communicative competence in a foreign language is one of the key objectives of the foreign language education policy of multiple European countries, including Slovakia. The unified concept of communicative competence provides learners with equal opportunities for mastering languages at their best and enables its development from the very beginning of learners' studies. In low proficiency levels (A1) in primary education teachers play a crucial role in developing communicative competence of their learners. Research in the field reveals that although teachers are aware of their great influence and importance in the development of communicative competence, they often do not provide sufficient circumstances for learners to reaching it. A qualitative inquiry conducted with a number of in-practice English teachers working in Slovak primary schools presents the importance of having balanced development in all the components of communicative competence in TEFL, its implementation into the lessons of English, as well as an overall view of teachers’ standpoints towards its development at the primary level.  The results show the tendencies of teachers to concentrate more on certain (especially linguistic) elements of communicative competence, whereas other competences (mainly of pragmatic character) are often neglected.

scholarly journals Second-Language Education Policy in Quebec: A Critical Analysis of the Policy of English as a Compulsory Subject at the Early Primary Level in Quebec

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Fallon ◽  
Natalie Rublik
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Policy Study ◽  
Primary Level ◽  
Language Planning And Policy ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Early Primary ◽  
Policy Direction ◽  
Compulsory Subject ◽  
Critical Policy

This is a critical policy study of language planning and policy in Quebec regarding the new policy direction requiring the compulsory teaching of English at the early primary level (grades 1-2, Cycle 1) in francophone public schools. Based on the analysis of policy documents, archives, and narratives from interviews, the goal of this policy study is to determine how and why language-policy decisions about the compulsory teaching of ESL at the early primary level were made by policymakers in Quebec.

scholarly journals Second-Language Education Policy in Quebec: ESL Teachers’ Perceptions of the Effects of the Policy of English as a Compulsory Subject at the Early Primary Level

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Fallon ◽  
Natalie Rublik
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Policy Study ◽  
Primary Level ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Resource Teachers ◽  
Early Primary ◽  
Primary Cycle ◽  
Compulsory Subject

This qualitative policy study focuses on the implementation and perceived effect of a recent language policy making English a compulsory subject in primary Cycle One (grades 1-2) in Francophone public schools in the province of Quebec. Based on the analysis of narratives from interviews with four teachers, three resource teachers, and two directors of instruction in charge of second-language teaching in public school boards, this policy study explored the perceptions, implementation,and effects of the policy regarding the compulsory teaching of ESL at the early primary level.

scholarly journals COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN ENGLISH AND ITS DEVELOPMENT AT THE PRIMARY LEVEL OF EDUCATION

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-46
Author(s):  
Klaudia Paulikova
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Pragmatic Language ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Primary Level ◽  
The Given

Development of communicative competence has become one of the most important aspects of foreign language education in the modern days. The study portrays the development of communicative competence at the primary level of education in Slovakia. The main aim of the inquiry is to identify and examine the process of developing communicative competence at the given level of proficiency by a qualitative enquiry with the use of content analysis, observation, and interview. The results and findings depict how the components of communicative competence are referred to in real teaching environment. The findings reveal that several linguistic components of communicative competence prevail in the teaching process, whereas sociolinguistic and pragmatic language use is rather neglected.

Role of Teachers in Building the Concept of Sustainable Development: Success or Failure

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayaz Muhammad Khan ◽  
Amber Jamshaid ◽  
Tayyibah Roohi ◽  
Amna Ramzan
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Primary Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Role Of Teachers ◽  
Major Factors

Sustainable Development (SD) is a rich, challenging and thought-provoking construct in social sciences. The main purpose of this paper was to identify and explore the role played by primary school teachers in building up the idea of sustainable development (SD) among students. This paper was intended to identify that how a teacher can successfully execute the concept of SD by influencing students’ minds at the primary level. Quantitative survey technique were utilized for data collection. All the primary school teachers of Lahore division comprised the population of the study. Through multistage sampling technique, 352 primary school teachers were selected as participants of the study. A self-developed SD questionnaire incorporating four major factors (teachers’ awareness, pedagogy, curricular and co-curricular activities) with Cronbach’s alpha value = .93 was used to measure the role of teachers in building the sustainability concept among students at primary level. The results indicated a significant mean score difference among SD scores of teachers, sector wise (private and public). Furthermore, the results also reconnoitered the significant difference (p=.04) between the mean scores of female and male teachers in building up the SD concept in students’ minds.

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