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Proceedings of IFKAD - ISSN 2280-787X
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Foreign language as a necessary precondition for
modern communication
Aleksandra Gojkov-Rajić *
Preschool Teacher Training College, Vršac
Teacher Training Faculty, University of Belgrade
Kraljice Natalije 43, 11000 Belgrade
Jelena Prtljaga
Preschool Teacher Training College, Vršac
Teacher Training Faculty , University of Belgrade
Kraljice Natalije 43, 11000 Belgrade
* Corresponding author
Structured Abstract
Purpose – New “requirement” to know a foreign language has led to greater focusing on
its acquisition; as a consequence, a broad discussion on the subject has brought about a
whole range of “new” methods, as well as an introduction of foreign language learning at
early age; thus foreign language learning starts as early as lower preschool age, i.e. at 4-5
years of age. Accordingly, it can be easily concluded that there has been significant
advancement in the level of final competences of graduated students; however,
unfortunately, such a statement seems difficult to verify. The intention of the authors was
to point to concrete problem issues through consideration of the above question and to try
to offer possible solutions in order to overcome the stated problems and raise final key
competencies in the domain of foreign language to a higher level.
Design/methodology/approach – Having established the hypothesis that the
underachievement in foreign language learning is in direct correlation of insufficient time
and exposure to the language that is being learnt, an explorative research has been
conducted at the purposeful sample of 50 students who have opted for learning a new
language. The students have been divided into two groups, an experimental and a control
one. For the students included in the experimental group a special schedule has been
made within which the existing number of classes has been distributed in such a way that
they were in contact with the foreign language at daily basis. The second group was
involved in teaching according to classical schedule, i.e. twice a week. Their newly
acquired language competences were examined and compared.
Originality/value – This methodology was further used to compare the results achieved
by experimental group with the group of students learning German as a foreign language
for 8 years (in primary and secondary school and continued learning it during studies).
Having compared their language skills and competencies, the authors have reached a
rather interesting conclusion – namely, the students from experimental beginner group
have, according to the level of their listening, reading, writing and speaking skills, turned
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© Institute of Knowledge Asset Management - ISBN 978-88-96687-01-7
Proceedings of IFKAD - ISSN 2280-787X
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out to be rather close to their colleagues who have been learning German language for a
very long time.
Practical implications – The research outcomes have confirmed previously established
finding that the matter of time to start foreign language learning is not crucial, but, on the
other hand, it is rather significant for students to be more frequently and intensely
involved in foreign language teaching and learning. In other words, it seems that the time
dedicated to foreign language learning should be the same as the time pupils spend
learning mother tongue (i.e. at daily basis) if it is to be expected that they should master it
to almost the same degree.
Keywords – foreign language learning, skills, competencies, time and duration of foreign
language learning.
Paper type – Academic Research Paper
1
Introduction
Contemporary currents and developments have led to creation of global society where
the world is seen as a whole and all the people living in it as a general world society.
Necessary precondition for such a society to exist and function is communication between
and among the members of the society, implying understanding requiring knowledge and
use of the same code, i.e. language. Having in mind that there is a great number of
languages in the world, such a functioning of the world as a whole has imposed a new
challenge on modern world population to acquire new, unknown codes, i.e. to learn
foreign languages.
One of the main characteristics of modern society is mutual exchange of information
in various fields, ranging from those simplest in the domain of private life, to
professional, significant for work and functioning of a variety of structures, and to
scientific domain and the fields of politics and management. For such an exchange to be
possible understanding between people is necessary, who, considering their place of
living and their origin, actually speak different languages. And this is one of the basic
incentives of today’s increasing and emphasized need to learn foreign languages.
It is beyond dispute that the creation of neither sustainable values and goods nor the
mentioned intelligent organizations and communities can be imagined without knowledge
of a shared language, as means of communication, and thus means of connection.
Having in mind that the concept of “intelligent growth” has become a key strategic
issue of business organizations and public managing institutions, development is heading
towards intelligent sustainable and comprehensive organizations and communities. This
seems to be decisive for development in 21st century, attracting all the attention in both
European Union and USA. As a consequence, the need for broader communication and
connection has increased, leading to more intensified request for foreign language
competence and more attention paid to the issues related to foreign language learning.
Multilingualism of European Union has imposed the need for the community to deal
with languages more intensely than before. Having in mind that a problem of
communication in such multiethnic and multilingual community should be overcome,
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Proceedings of IFKAD - ISSN 2280-787X
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European Parliament proclaimed in December 2006 foreign language as one of eight key
life-long learning competencies. In order to ensure conditions necessary for reaching this
aim, European commission has made a strategy for multilingualism, according to which
the each citizen should, apart from his/her mother tongue, speak two foreign languages.
Orientation towards the mentioned aim has brought about more intensive dealing with
foreign language teaching and the instruction that school students should be provided
with an opportunity to learn two foreign languages, as well as the request for foreign
language learning to start at as early age as possible.
In such a context a change has occurred in regard to knowledge in foreign language
domain. The most visible one refers to the scope of population expected to acquire
competencies in the field. While these were expected only from certain part of society,
nowadays foreign language competence is expected from all. Another difference refers to
the level of these competences: what once used to be a satisfying degree today is not.
Nowadays the notion of foreign language competencies implies complete mastery of a
given language, which means smooth and competent communication in both written and
spoken register.
Having such expectations and aims in mind, our intention was to consider the existing
practice of foreign language learning in schools, notice possible problems and perhaps
offer some solutions leading to higher quality of foreign language teaching and increased
level of competencies in the field.
2
Current situation in the field of foreign language learning
The mentioned “request” for foreign language knowledge in all the domains, ranging
from those less complicated, like, for example, going on holiday or a short trip, to those
most demanding in the fields of economy, politics and science, has led to greater attention
paid to foreign language learning, elaborated into a broad discussion on the subject. The
discussion has offered numerous “new” methods, promising fast and guaranteed success
in foreign language learning, as well as a variety of learning materials (ranging from
printed and audio to most modern electronic materials). Apart from these consequences,
the discussion has brought about the need for foreign language learning to start as soon as
possible, i.e. at earliest age; thus foreign language is a mandatory subject in Serbia, as
well as in other European countries, learnt since the 1st grade of primary school, and it is
an optional subject even at preschool age. Consequently, it cold be concluded that foreign
language learning starts as early as the age of four to five years.
It is expected that the mentioned shift in foreign language learning and such a variety
of new materials has resulted in higher level of knowledge. Nevertheless, an attempt to
consider language competences of graduated pupils from a neutral perspective has
revealed a different picture. A foreign language teacher in a higher education institution is
in a position of an evaluator, in a position to consider and evaluate the knowledge of
newly enrolled students each year. Having in mind that university students are in
question, i.e. we are talking about a casual selected sample of the most educated layer of
young population, a conclusion can be made that the rest of population, apart from the
students who have chosen to enrol at studies at philological groups, do not have higher
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level of knowledge in the field. The monitoring of mentioned evaluations have for many
years now shown that not only that the announced improvement of competences has not
been achieved, but that we could also in a sense talk about a step back. Such an
observation has made us search for an answer to the question why this is so, i.e. to
establish the cause of the problem.
In this sense, the starting point of the research was the consideration of the factors
influencing foreign language learning (Storch, 2008: 327), generally classified as those in
the general frame domain, individual factors of learner’s personality and situation factors.
The first group refers to political and socio-cultural frame foreign language teaching takes
place in, i.e. social attitudes, prejudices against the nation whose language is being learnt,
as well as attitudes towards the language itself, family climate, etc. The second group of
factors involves long-term and short-term factors of learner’s personality. Long-term
factors refer to experiences, interests and motives and short-term factors imply immediate
intentions and needs. Situation factors are the teacher, material or content that is being
learnt, as well as the approach and teaching methodology used in foreign language
teaching. Other authors (www.fremdsprachenwerkstatt.ch) have elaborated the mentioned
factors in more details, mentioning fifteen factors which could influence foreign language
learning. Concrete factors of importance for foreign language acquisition have been stated
in the source: motivation, i.e. need, interest, age, duration, defined as quantity, intensity,
defined as quality, activation of senses, concentration, identification with the language,
personality, gender, the extent the language is prestigious, learning atmosphere, teacher
and teaching means, timetable and awareness on one’s own learning.
2.1 Duration of foreign language learning as a factor influencing the level of acquired
competencies
Duration is recognized as one of the factors influencing foreign language acquisition
and it seems to be the factor a lot of attention has been paid to recently. When the moment
of beginning to learn a foreign language is in question, we have witnessed a shift, since it
has been positioned in early childhood. This is why the paper first considers the period in
which foreign language is learnt and it has been established that the moment of start is
either when a child is four to five years old or, in the case of children who begin to learn a
foreign language in primary school, seven years old, and it lasts until the end of the
secondary school, when the student is nineteen years old. In other words, this is rather
long period of at least twelve years during which anybody should master a foreign
language, having acquired all the implied competencies. At least this is a logical
expectation.
Since this is not the case, it is significant to determine why, i.e. what are the reasons
explaining why the expected improvement has not occurred in spite of the fact that the
period during which foreign language is learnt was prolonged. In this purpose, a problem
of efficacy of foreign language learning at certain age was considered (Gojkov-Rajic,
2012) and it was established that there are significant differences between foreign
language learning at preschool age, lower primary school age and at the age of puberty. In
other words, it was established that, even though foreign language learning at younger age
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is very important for acquisition of proper diction and intonation, for dealing with fear of
the unknown and other positive effects, it does not provide greater advantage and level of
language knowledge which would significantly facilitate and improve subsequent
learning. In other words, student who started learning a foreign language at preschool age
do not have higher level of knowledge as compared to those who started learning it in the
fifth grade of primary school, having in mind that older students were able to progress
faster and acquire what today’s students learn at younger age in a shorter period of time.
In this sense it has been concluded that the duration of the period of learning a foreign
language is not in itself decisive, having in mind that the shift to starting to learn a foreign
language at earlier age, and thus the prolongation of the period of learning, has not given
significant results
2.2 Intensity as a factor influencing foreign language learning
On the other hand, it has been noticed that even at younger age children can master
foreign language faster and better in certain conditions, like, for example, attending
special types of kindergartens, like English, German, French, etc, i.e. a kindergarten in
which they are surrounded by a given foreign language. It is also generally known and
generally accepted fact that foreign language is learnt best and fastest in the region in
which it is spoken. These observations have led us to a conclusion that this is where the
factor of success should be searched for. In this sense, the research focused on the
circumstances foreign language is learnt in its speaking environment, as well as those in
the mentioned kindergartens, searching for similarities between. As a result a common
feature has been identified characteristic for both successful models of foreign language
learning and it refers to intensified contact and more intense influence of foreign language
on those learning it. In mentioned kindergartens children and everyday exposed to the
language they are learning and they are expected to communicate in the given language.
In some of them, e.g. the German kindergarten in Belgrade, there are children whose
mother tongue is German so that other children actually communicate with them in the
language which is being learnt. It leads to a conclusion that these circumstances are rather
similar to those in which a language is leant in the setting in which it is spoken as a
mother tongue. As a consequence, the research assumption was that greater exposure and
more intense contact with the language which is being learnt should result in progress and
improvement of foreign language competencies.
The same conclusion was reached according to the comparison of the number of
lessons of mother tongue and foreign language. While mother tongue is present in the
lower grades of primary school everyday in teaching, there are only two lessons a week of
foreign language teaching and learning. This imbalance seems to speak for itself and it is
obvious why the present situation in the field of foreign language is as it is. If the
language all students speak every day, surrounding them in their environment has to be
studied every day, how is it possible to master a new and completely unknown language
in much shorter period of time. In other words, the conclusion is that if we want to reach
the aim imposed by the European commission, i.e. that, apart from one’s mother tongue,
an individual has to speak two foreign languages, foreign language teaching and learning
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should be given much more space and time, i.e. if not more, at least as much time
dedicated to mother tongue. Furthermore, certain contents within mother tongue learning
are processed which at first sight are beyond the domain of language, for example,
contents in the field of literature and there seems to be a reason why they are constituent
part of language learning. Namely, dealing with literary texts, students acquire not only
knowledge in the field of literature, but they also develop language skills. Therefore it
would be better if students were again provided with the contact with literary works
written in the language which is being learnt.
Brining what has been observed in connection with the mentioned factors influencing
foreign language learning has led to a conclusion that one of the most significant factors
is intensity. In this sense, proper attention should be paid to it.
3
Methodological framework
Having established the hypothesis that the time and intensity of being exposed to the
language which is being learnt significantly influences the level of language skills and
contents acquisition, the authoresses have undertaken an explorative research in order to
check its validity. Intentional sample of 50 Preschool Teacher Training College “Mihailo
Palov” students were involved in the research, who have decided to start learning another
foreign language (German). The sample was divided in two groups, one experimental,
another control group.
Triangulation of methodological procedures has been used in the research; in other
words, written tests and speaking skills evaluations have been used, supported by the
notes taken by the lecturer. In order to measure the level of newly acquired knowledge
when the course which lasted for two terms, i.e. one academic year was over, knowledge
tests were used covering grammar, vocabulary, understanding of written and spoken
language, speaking skills, supported by interviews assessing ability of students to
participate in interactive two-way communication. Results of the tests were supplemented
by the observations of the teacher in regard to the atmosphere, mood of students, their
advancement, motivation, etc, being a type of protocol or a log describing the work of
both experimental and control work and pointing to the differences between the two.
In order to provide the experimental group with the conditions similar to those when
language is leant in its natural setting, a special timetable has been created for the students
so that the existing number of lessons is distributed in such a way that they are every day
in contact with the language they are learning, along with a special syllabus with
additional tasks brining them in touch with the language when the lessons are over.
Students from this group were given homework every day, requiring them to read
additional text and answer the questions on it, have a look at an Internet site or watch a
TV show in German, to communicate via electronic media (chat-rooms, Skype) in the
language they are learning, to listen to German songs, prepare a role-play or a short play
in German, etc.
Unlike them,, the students in the control group attended lessons according to classical
timetable, i.e. twice a week and all the contents were acquired in a classic way through
teaching and homework, without additional contact with the language.
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4
Results
After the students had attended foreign language classes organized in such a way,
their newly acquired foreign language competencies were measured and compared, and
the obtained results were supplemented by the data form the protocol led during teaching.
As it has been expected, it turned out that there are significant differences in regard to the
competencies acquired by the experimental and control group. While the students in the
control group showed usual results, those in experimental group showed not only higher
level of foreign language knowledge, but also faster pace of knowledge acquisition and
greater certainty and self-confidence when using it. What was also noticed is their relaxed
attitude and greater closeness with the language they were learning. Apart from these
findings, another observation became clear during work with the students in the
experimental group and it refers to the fact that along with the increased level of
knowledge increased intrinsic motivation appeared and a marked strive to go further,
read, listen and reveal; like an avalanche, success resulted in a wish for more new
successes, providing learning with new incentives and drives enabling even faster and
better work. Those who found themselves in the experimental group rushed ahead,
making huge steps day after day. As a consequence, significantly better results were
reached in all four language skills. Unlike the usual results, achieved by the students in
the control work, according to which better results always referred to passive skills, i.e.
listening and reading comprehension skills, the students in experimental group showed
much better results even in those for students always more difficult active skills, i.e.
speaking and writing.
Another interesting finding refers to the comparison between the results of those
beginners, i.e. students in experimental group with the results achieved by the group of
students who continued learning German after primary and secondary school, who
actually built up on their previously acquired competencies. In the end of the academic
year the beginners from the experimental group were to a great extent close in their
German language linguistic competence to their colleagues who had been learning
German for yours. Such a finding is in favour of the above mentioned assumption that,
even though it is important to start learning a foreign language as early as possible in
order to ensure significant time and space for gradual learning, it seems that the intensity
of contact with the foreign language is of much greater importance. Furthermore, the
protocol taken by the teacher during teaching points to the fact that the more intensified
contact with the foreign language can significantly influence numerous other factors
important for learning, like, motivation, interest and identification with the langue, thus
improving the quality of work and leading to better results.
5
Conclusions
The present research has clearly confirmed the research hypothesis that greater and
more frequent exposure to foreign language gives better results in learning, as well as
previously established finding that the moment of starting to learn a foreign language is
not decisive for success. Research results and verified hypothesis have pointed to the need
for more intensive dealing with a foreign language as a subject which is being learnt, i.e.
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the need to make it equal to mother tongue, if the intention is to reach the mentioned aim
of the European commissions, i.e. if students are expected to master two foreign language
to almost the same degree as their mother tongue.
In this sense it is necessary for foreign language teaching to be given at least the same
number of lessons as mother tongue; it is also advisable to gradually and in accordance to
the age and the level of prior knowledge introduce and incorporate both literary texts and
texts from other fields into foreign language teaching and learning, as well as other forms
of language expression. For teaching perceived in such a way modern technology has
offered a whole range of new possibilities with different new forms of information
transfer and communication. In the same time, a student is provided with numerous
opportunities to establish more intense contact with the language, increasing his/her
motivation for foreign language acquisition. Apart from the mentioned everyday contacts
with the language, it would be also good to design real situations in which students would
use the language, or, if real situations are not possible, to simulate them. If longer stay in
the country whose language is being learnt is not possible, excursions are ideal form of
learning a foreign language, or student exchange, as well as language camps, where
students from different parts of the world could learn and speak the same language.
All the above is leading to a conclusion that the contact with the language which is
being learnt and the intensity of learning are decisive factors of success when acquisition
of foreign language competence is in question. Such a statement is supported by the
already mentioned wide spread and generally accepted notion that language is leant in the
best and fastest way in its speaking country since both there the contact with it and its
influence is most intense. In such a setting language is learnt not only in classes, but in all
other situations, while people are not aware of the fact that they are actually learning.
Having in mind that it is all-permeating and present all around, foreign language exercises
its powerful influence on a person just passing by, having a walk, shopping, using public
transport and other situations not experienced as learning but nevertheless leaving a
significant mark.
Reaching the established aim, i.e. to master two more languages apart from one’s own
would greatly facilitate both economy and connecting of organizations and institutions in
most versatile fields, opening up possibilities for better and easier function at all levels in
general.
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Proceedings of IFKAD - ISSN 2280-787X
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