scholarly journals SPANISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN TERTIARY EDUCATION: THE ACTUAL SITUATION IN LATVIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 27-34
Author(s):  
Agata Babina

The data published by The Instituto Cervantes (2021) prove that Spanish language use in the world is constantly rising. The current number of native speakers is 489 million people, and there are more than 22 million learners worldwide. It is the fourth most spoken language in the EU and the third in the UN. The newest Latvian Educational Standard states that the first and second-level educational institutions should offer a minimum of two foreign language acquisition. Nevertheless, the Latvian Educational Curriculum does not include Spanish as an option; therefore, it lacks institutional support to establish Spanish studies in all educational levels with the proper follow-up. The article presents the current situation in various study programs proposed by several Latvian tertiary education institutions in 2020/2021. The data has been collected by contacting current Spanish lecturers and analyzing the current study programs offering Spanish language acquisition in tertiary education institutions mentioned in the article. The analysis presents the content of the study programs in the bachelor and master study levels and the estimated number of students in each study program. It is a panoramic insight into Latvia's Spanish language teaching situation, which is necessary to understand Latvian-speaking Spanish learners' needs, existing resources for Spanish language teaching, and a further perspective for promoting Spanish studies in Latvia. It proves a lack of institutional cooperation to provide the constant Spanish language acquisition from the first till the tertiary educational level that would improve the general recognition of Spanish and its need in Latvian society as a part of the European Union.

2008 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 19-28
Author(s):  
Philippe Hiligsmann ◽  
Melanie Baelen ◽  
Anne Lore Leloup ◽  
Laurent Rasier

In this contribution we show that foreign language acquisition research does not only provide theoretical insights into the learning process of foreign languages, but also provides useful tips that are directly relevant to language teaching, especially if research is conducted with the 'integrated contrastive model'. We illustrate how the model can be applied in studies of the interlanguage of French-speaking learners of Dutch and Dutch learners of French concentrating on the phonological, morphological and pragmatic components of language. Finally, we explore possible classroom teaching activities and techniques that follow from our study.


Author(s):  
Jennifer Bruen ◽  
Thomas Wagner

CLIL, or ‘Content and Language Integrated Learning’, is a term used to describe the practice of teaching content through a foreign language. It represents an educational approach which can embody a range of different methodologies and has, in recent years, been receiving increased attention in Europe, partially because efforts put into language teaching are not always reflected in the results achieved. This paper begins with a brief overview of developments in the field of foreign language acquisition and how these might relate to the notion of CLIL. It then goes on to describe the design, delivery, and evaluation of a module in German language for intermediate undergraduate students, which incorporates an element of CLIL


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 239-260
Author(s):  
Inga Savickienė ◽  
Laura Raščiauskaitė ◽  
Aušra Jankauskaitė ◽  
Loreta Alešiūnaitė

Summary Integration into the European Union, increasing communication and cooperation between countries have brought an extensive interest in foreign languages and the need for foreign language teaching and learning has been recognized by the developers of Lithuanian education policy as an inseparable component of personal development. Teaching and learning of Romanic languages in Lithuania have been popular, exceptional, though varied. French language teaching has old traditions in both formal and non-formal education; while teaching of other Romanic languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, etc.) has not been legally regulated yet – teaching traditions have not been formed, there are no specific teaching syllabi and programs, a lack of methodology and experts in didactics. However, Spanish language learning in Lithuanian secondary education schools and gymnasiums is becoming more and more popular in the recent years. In Lithuanian secondary education Spanish is taught as the second and third foreign language or as an extra-curriculum activity in non-formal education. The analysis of scientific literature revealed a lack of scientific studies and publications not only about the teaching of Spanish but also comparative studies between Lithuanian and Spanish languages. Research into Spanish language teaching and learning indicates not only the increasing number of learners, but also the increasing awareness with regard to the importance and usefulness of Spanish language competence acquisition for international encounters. However, Spanish language teachers face challenges such as insufficient number of teaching hours in general education institutions, lack of qualified Spanish language teachers, insufficient provision with teaching and learning aids and other support material, no state examinations are organized which could help to determine the learners’ Spanish language competences as well as motivate learners to learn this Romanic language.


Author(s):  
Tatiana Savchenko

The article deals with the theoretical foundations of foreign language acquisition which are related to the integration of poetic texts into foreign language teaching. The article defines poetic text and its role in foreign language teaching and focuses on the selected foreign language acquisition theories and their interconnectedness with using poetic texts in the teaching of foreign languages.


Author(s):  
Pritz Hutabarat

<p>English as a global language is learned worldwide and a plethora of methods and approaches have been developed and practiced in English classrooms by dedicated teachers and students. Understanding the underlying theories of second and foreign language acquisition and learning will help both teachers and students in learning and teaching a target language. There has not been many research conducted in the area, especially within Indonesian context. This research therefore attempts to fill in gaps in a way that it provides sufficient discussion of the theories and practice in English Language Teaching (ELT) in Indonesia in its conjunction with the second and foreign language acquisition theories. Twenty eight students specializing in teacher training participated in the research and two distinguished data collection methods were utilized; survey and interview. The results show that the students are not consistent with their opinions concerning the theories of second or foreign language acquisition and learning in relation to the mastery of English as a foreign language in Indonesia.</p><p> </p><p>Keywords: language learning, language acquisition, ELT</p>


Author(s):  
Jurgita Ginavičienė ◽  
Rolandas Vitkūnas ◽  
József Gál ◽  
István Bíró

The system of higher education in the European Union based on legal instruments valid for all States Member. However, each EU State Member has additional national legislation, which taken into account in the design of the higher education system. The design and implementation of study programs is one of the activities of higher education. Compliance with EU and national legislation are important in design of study programs. It is equally important that the programs are necessary for the national economy, companies and attractive to students. The aim of the article is to determine the need and possibilities of dual teaching in the study program Transport Logistics of Vilnius College of Technology and Design. The structure of curricula of dual education at Szeged University in Hungary is analysed. The indicators of changes in studies and practical training from the point of view of students and companies at Szeged University are present.The article presents a comparative analysis of legislation, study programs and business needs in Lithuania. The analysis showed that business enterprises in Lithuania would be interested in dual training; the application of dual training is not in principle contrary to Lithuanian legislation. 


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