scholarly journals A Comparative Psycholinguistic Study on the Subjective Feelings of Well-Being Outcomes of Foreign Language Learning in Older Adults From the Czech Republic and Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blanka Klimova ◽  
Marcel Pikhart ◽  
Anna Cierniak-Emerych ◽  
Szymon Dziuba ◽  
Krzysztof Firlej

Positive psychology has recently seen unprecedented rise and has reached vast achievements in the area of quality of life (QoL) improvement. The purpose of this study is to show that there are different aspects of well-being that make healthy older people motivated to learn a foreign language at a later age. The research was conducted in the Czech Republic and Poland in two groups of learners aged 55 years and more. The experimental group consisted of 105 Czech respondents who were targeted with an online questionnaire with the aim to determine the level of FLL outcomes connected to QoL in healthy older adults in their L2 acquisition. The second experimental group (n = 100) was established of Polish seniors who attended similar language courses. The findings of the research clearly show that FLL has an irreplaceable role as one of several non-pharmacological strategies utilized to improve the aging process and reduce drawbacks of aging. The results indicate that seniors' overall satisfaction and subjective feelings of well-being are enormously high when attending foreign language classes at older age. FLL, therefore, creates an environment that can enhance QoL of older adults that can be supplemented by other means such as well-balanced diet, other social activities, sport and physical activity, music, or computer games. All these intervention methods can significantly improve QoL of older adults and the parties engaged and/or responsible for taking care of older generation should take it into serious consideration.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1590
Author(s):  
Blanka Klimova ◽  
Marcel Pikhart ◽  
Szymon Dziuba ◽  
Anna Cierniak-Emerych

Healthy aging is one of the most important aspects of human life as it can significantly improve its quality. Therefore, it is necessary to promote successful aging as a significant and important part of maintaining physical and mental well-being in the elderly. One of the strategies to enhance the elderly’s well-being may be also foreign language learning. The purpose of this study is to compare and discuss what effect foreign language learning (FLL) might have on subjective well-being among healthy older individuals in the Czech Republic and Poland, using factor analysis as the primary statistical method. The research sample consisted of two experimental groups of seniors; one from the Czech Republic (n = 92) and another from Poland (n = 100). The main research methods included a questionnaire survey and factor analysis. The factor analysis revealed the four significant factors and their correlations with demographic variables, whose results showed the effect of FLL on seniors’ subjective well-being. In conclusion, learning a foreign language at an older age seems to be one of the key strategies to maintain a subjective feeling of happiness at a relatively high level in elderly people without necessary pharmacological intervention.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 310
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Kacetl ◽  
Blanka Klímová

Foreign language learning in the third age is one of the popular activities among the elderly. The question remains as to how to teach a foreign language to older adults properly. The first objective of this review was to identify suitable pedagogical approaches, teaching methods, or strategies for teaching foreign languages to third-age learners. The second objective was to determine whether foreign language learning later in life is beneficial. The authors used a method of literature review to achieve these goals. The former objective was not fully achieved as there is no clear outcome, although some generalizations based on other review studies can be made. Namely, foreign language teaching among the older generation should be student-centred and a communicative method should be implemented with a special focus on talking about familiar topics and listening comprehension to facilitate a senior’s foreign language learning. In addition, the teaching methods ought to incorporate real life experiences and provide relevant content. Respect should also be paid to the fact that older adults have intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation to learn a foreign language. The latter objective was attained since older people can benefit from learning a foreign language at a later age in many ways, including areas like travelling, social inclusiveness, improvement of cognitive skills, and overall well-being.


Author(s):  
Marcel Pikhart ◽  
Blanka Klimova ◽  
Anna Cierniak-Emerych ◽  
Szymon Dziuba

AbstractThe paper deals with a possibility of foreign language learning (FLL) intervention in older adults as a psychosocial rehabilitation method to improve the quality of life (QoL) in this age segment, i.e. the people who are over 55 years. FLL has been researched as a successful tool to maintain or even enhance cognitive functions in older age along with other intentional activities, such as engagement in any physical activity. FLL cannot dramatically improve memory and cognitive deterioration of older adults, however, it can improve QoL by increasing subjective happiness that is connected to improved wellbeing. The research was conducted in two groups of seniors who are engaged in FLL, specifically in the Czech Republic and Poland. The major premise of the research was based on the positive psychology concept, i.e., the subjective happiness leads to improved levels of QoL. Both groups consisted of about a hundred respondents whose opinions were researched by an online questionnaire. The major focus of this questionnaire was to evaluate the level of subjective happiness and then compare the results obtained from the respondents from these two geographically different regions. The findings clearly showed that those who had engaged in FLL had reached high levels of subjective happiness, therefore, their subjective wellbeing could be improved. These results might be important for psychosocial rehabilitation practices because they can create a framework for further non-pharmacological intervention to maintain healthy aging. FLL can thus be a very efficient tool for any psychosocial rehabilitation in older healthy adults who do not suffer from any cognitive pathological development but who are just experiencing negative side effects of natural aging process. The research into this topic is very scarce, and therefore, this paper could be an inspiration for further and larger-scale research.


Human Affairs ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda Petrjánošová ◽  
Alicja Leix

AbstractIn this article we present a qualitative analysis of empirical findings from an international project on intergroup attitudes and contact in five Central European countries specifically concerning language use. The project concentrated on the interplay of intergroup contact and perception between the members of national groups in the borderlands between the Czech Republic and Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovakia. The open statements analysed here about the contact situations and the ensuing evaluation of the Others were collected as part of an online questionnaire (N=1959). After a short theoretical introduction we reveal the intertwined nature of construing language use: first in each specific borderland, then in the triads speaking together either in the native language of one of the groups (Czechs with Austrians and Germans) or with each speaking their own native languages (Czechs with Poles and Slovaks). Finally we highlight several effects we have observed as a result of being able to compare the situation in more than one neighbourhood, for instance, the effect of the different statuses of the languages involved, or the connection between the language used in contact and a feeling of proximity.


Author(s):  
А.И. Дубских

Стремительное развитие информационно-коммуникационных технологий, расширение международных связей в области экономики, науки, культуры и образования сделало владение иностранным языком одним из ключевых компонентов профессиональной компетентности специалиста. Иностранный язык в вузе превращается из просто дисциплины в инструмент получения профессиональной информации. Предметно-языковое интегрированное обучение (Content and Language Integrated Learning - CLIL) представляет один из целесообразных способов, позволяющих успешно устанавливать связи между профилирующими дисциплинами, а также осуществлять эффективную подготовку будущего специалиста к ведению профессионального общения с коллегами на иностранном языке, что и определяет актуальность нашей работы. В статье описываются принципы предметно-языкового интегрированного обучения, его преимущества и проблемы использования в учебном процессе. Цель статьи - определить влияние CLIL на улучшение изучения учащимися лексики и выяснить, есть ли разница между прогрессом студентов, применявших CLIL на занятиях, и теми, кто опирался на традиционные методы. Для проведения исследования были отобраны студенты, которые прошли обучение в экспериментальной и контрольной группах. Студенты экспериментальной группы активно использовали методы CLIL. Результаты показали, что студенты экспериментальной группы демонстрируют более высокий уровень квалификации и более высокую коммуникативную компетентность, чем их сверстники. Однако в процессе использования методики CLIL и преподаватели, и учащиеся столкнулись с рядом трудностей. Тем не менее автор приходит к выводу, что у CLIL есть потенциал для лучшего понимания профессионального контента при изучении иностранного языка. Полученными выводами могут воспользоваться преподаватели, методисты, исследователи, разработчики образовательных программ. The rapid development of information and communication technologies, the expansion of international ties in the field of economy, science, culture and education have made foreign language knowledge one of the key components in a specialist’s professional competence. Foreign language in the university is transformed from simply discipline into a tool for obtaining professional information. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is one of the most expedient ways to successfully establish links between majoring disciplines, as well as effectively prepare a future specialist to conduct professional communication with colleagues in a foreign language, which determines the relevance of our work. The article describes the principles of students’ Content and Language Integrated Learning, their advantages and problems of implementation. The purpose of the article is to determine the impact of CLIL on improving students’ study of vocabulary and to find out if there is a difference between the progress in students’ using CLIL in classes and those who have relied on traditional methods. The study selected students who were trained in experimental and control groups. Students in the experimental group actively used CLIL methods. The results showed that students in this experimental group demonstrate higher skill levels and higher communicative competence than their peers. However, in the process of using the CLIL methodology, both teachers and students faced a number of difficulties. The author concludes that CLIL has the potential to better understand professional content through foreign language learning. These results can be used by teachers, methodologists, researchers, and developers of educational programs.


ReCALL ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
OFELIA R. NIKOLOVA

This study compares the attitude toward instruction of two groups of participants: control subjects who used a multimedia instructional module for French created by the researcher, and experimental subjects who created their own module. Quantitative data did not yield statistically significant differences in their attitudes. In the light of additional qualitative data, possible reasons for this result are discussed: high level of satisfaction with the novelty of instruction for both groups; computer problems, lack of adequate orientation, lack of real outlet for the module and difficulty of the texts for the experimental group. Included are conclusions and recommendations for further research.


Author(s):  
Foo Terng Hoe ◽  
◽  
Teck Heng Lim ◽  
Boon Yih Mah ◽  
◽  
...  

Listening skills are important skills that need to be mastered by foreign language learners. Listening skills have, however, often been neglected in the teaching and learning process. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of using WhatsApp messenger as an instructional tool in enhancing listening skills. This experimental research employs the two-group pre-test post-test design. Two groups of 30 students who enrolled in the Introductory Mandarin course in one of the public universities in Malaysia took part in the study. During the study, the experimental group of 30 students underwent listening drills and exercises using WhatsApp messenger as the treatment, while another 30 students in the control group were taught by another lecturer using the conventional method of teaching listening skills. Listening test scores of before and after the treatment were compared and analyzed using Independent Samples t-Test to identify the significant level of the difference between the scores of these two groups. The findings show no significant difference in the listening pre-test scores between both control and experimental groups. However, after the treatment, the listening scores of the experimental group students are significantly better than that of the control group students. These results indicate that WhatsApp messenger is a useful instructional tool to teach listening skills in foreign language. The findings of this study could be used as a reference for further development of WhatsApp messenger as an instructional tool to enhance listening skills, overcome the constraints on teaching time, and improve the pedagogy as well as the instructions of foreign language learning.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 3826-3843
Author(s):  
Arif Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Al-Ahdal ◽  
Addullah H. A. Alfauzan ◽  
Nasser Mohammed Saleh Al-Sa’egh

Objectives: The language proficiency of English as a foreign language (EFL, henceforth) learners at Qassim University is currently below the expected standards. Even with pedagogical innovations taking the place of conventional methods in the classrooms, and feature films being increasingly used as authentic language exposure, the inclusion of feature films for teaching English is not welcomed in Saudi Arabia though English films are quite popular with the EFL learners in other parts of the globe. Pilot studies, before the current research, demonstrated positive outcomes with using feature films in the EFL classrooms, the results of which prompted this study. The current study discusses the implications of using films in language teaching, using questionnaires for collecting data from students and teachers of English at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. The study spanned twelve weeks, during which time, an intervention was administered to the experimental group. At the end of the 12 weeks, the participants in the experimental group reported an increased communicative proficiency and engagement in the lessons when the teacher used films. The analysis of the students’ responses proved that the use of film-based language teaching is an effective and authentic means of language training. With enhanced communicative competence, EFL learners felt naturally confident to speak in English in real-world language situations. The results of the study would be beneficial to the EFL students, EFL teachers, schools, curriculum developers, and governments especially in terms of improved EFL instructions and improved economy, not only in Arabian but any foreign language learning context.


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