Impact of Plurilingualism on Learning Quality in Evening (Shift) Schools

Author(s):

Ineta Luka(submitting)Tamara Pigozne(presenting)Elina Maslo Svetlana Surikova

Conference:

ECER 2013

Network:

11. Educational Improvement and Quality Assurance

Format:

Paper

Session Information

11 SES 04 A, Plurilingualism and Language Learning

Paper Session

Time:

2013-09-11

09:00-10:30

Room:

D-312

Chair:

Antonio Medina

Contribution

The recent research is the second stage of the Asia – Europe – Meeting (ASEM) Lifelong Learning study (2011-2013) on identification of good practices that will facilitate adult learning (aged 18-24) engagement in second chance education in evening (shift) schools managed by the State Education Development Agency of Latvia in collaboration with the University of Latvia (ESF project Support for International Educational Research, Activity 1.2.2.3.2.) which aims at elaboration of evidence based recommendations for the MOES of Latvia for 2013-2020 in Asian and European perspective.

In this paper we are dealing with plurilingual learning processes and the impact of people’s plurilingualism on their learning. We propose to (1) identify the differences between learning of monolingual and plurilingual people in formal and informal learning environments, (2) analyze how cognitive, affective and social dimensions interplay in plurilingual people’s learning, (3) describe the impact of plurilingualism on learning quality.

Globalization, rapid development of new information and communication technologies, ongoing increase in knowledge production speed requires the development of new competencies. Understanding and speaking many languages is one of the dimensions in future competencies; plurilingualism has even been claimed to be a “way of life in Europe” (Beacco 2005). But what exactly do we need in order to be able to face challenges of the future?

OECD points out three competencies as key competencies for successful life and well-functioning society: learning (learning-to-learn), self-guidance, and creativity and innovation (DeSeCo 2002). We believe that these competencies can be developed by forcing learning through languages.

Plurilinguals are someone who claims to possess a plural linguistic and cultural repertoire, developed through a variety of experiences which promotes the development of different competencies at various levels (Beacco 2005).

The broad understanding of plurilingual competence (Europe 2001) as a holistic, multiple, dynamic and individual process (Jørgensen 2011) is needed in the modern understanding of learning as competence development (Commission 2001) and development of the ability to learn as a meta-phenomenon of interplay of cognitive, affective and social dimensions of learning (Maslo 2003, Illeris 2010) in formal, non-formal, informal learning settings, and language learning is therefore ranked alongside all other learning in general (Maslo 2011). The focus here is not on the simple addition of various languages, but on the learning processes which occur when people learn new languages and learn in general.

In Latvia we have a tradition for learning more than two languages. According to the Eurobarometer survey in 2006 56% of respondents on avearge said they were able to speak at least one foreign language. The countries with the highest rates of multilingualism were: Luxembourg, with 99% saying they spoke at least one foreign language; Slovakia (97%) and Latvia (95%). The Eurobarometer survey in 2012 - almost all respondents in Luxembourg (98%), Latvia (95%), the Netherlands (94%), Malta (93%), Slovenia (92%), Lithuania (92%), Sweden (91%) admitted being able to speak at least one language in addition to their mother tongue.

We think that the good practice of plurilingualism impact may be interesting in European and world wide learning quality perspective.

Method

The methodology of early school leavers’ learning in working life research was used (Illeris 2004; 2005) applying a combined phenomenological semi-structured and narrative interviews (Kvale, 1996). Learning histories were collected as audio files. We reached 116 people representing all five geographical regions of Latvia. 72 of them were early school leavers (male=25; female=47) and 44 – second chance education teachers (male=3; female=41) which corresponds to the actual feminized situation of teachers in the schools of Latvia. To find out implicants in interplay of cognitive, affective and social dimensions in learning of monolingual early school leavers (aged 18-24) and second chance education teachers’ in formal and informal learning settings and of the plurilingual one’s, the data files were theory based coded applying the coding system developed in the Dutch study (Doornbos, Simons, Denessen 2008) and analysed applying AQUAD 6 software (Huber, Gürtler 2003) in 5 researchers’ groups. Implicit theories of the interplay of cognitive, affective and social dimensions in plurilingual people’s learning were explored, expressions were analyzed, as well as linkages among the categories were created and analyzed. The findings will be statistically validated by applying the latest AQUAD software.

Expected Outcomes

The main findings of the recent investigation: -Plurilinguals and monolinguals differently perceive learning and learning outcomes. -For plurilinguals learning means implicate solution of critical situations, problem-solving, overcoming of obstacles, self-assurance and career development. It is a conscious life activity, communication, self-realization, situation analysis. Learning outcomes impact the creating of new ideas and motivate setting new targets, adequate self-assessment, and selection of optimal learning strategies. -Monolinguals associate learning with knowledge acquisition (I know how to do it), memorizing (learning of lexis), comprehension on further knowledge application. Learning outcomes are associated with assessment (I know during the test, after it – not, examination). -Monolingualism interplays with cognitive and affective dimension of content-oriented learning in formal learning settings: the learning is a difficult cognitive process (examples of expressions: agitate, excite, tense, worry) whose benefits are affective sense (be or feel at ease, breathe easy, interrupt work, take a break, take a breath). Whereas plurilingual ones - with social dimension of learning towards language use (speak fluently on the topic, help others, teach others, explain, tell about their experience) and they benefit from informal learning (use learning opportunities in any context, unintentional learning promotes independence, well-being, flexibility, knowledge transfer in new unknown situations, transcultural communication).

References

1) ASEM – Education and Research Hub for Liefelong Learning – National LLL Strategies (2012) Available on: http://www.dpu.dk/asem/researchnetworks/nationalstrategies/ 2) Beacco, J.C. (2005) Languages and language repertoires: plurilingualism as a way of life in Europe. Reference study. Strasbourg, Council of Europe. 3) Commission, E. (2001) Glossary, Lifelong Learning Communication. 4) DeSeCo (2002) Definition and selection of competences (deseco): theoretical and conceptual foundations. 5) Doornbos, A.J., Simons, R.J., Denessen, E. (2008) Relations between characteristics of workplace practices and types of informal work-related learning: A survey study among Dutch Police. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 19 (2), 129-151, DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.1231 6) Eurobarometer surveys 2006, 2012. Available on: http://ec.europa.eu/languages/languages-of-europe/eurobarometersurvey_en.htm 7) Europe, C. o. (2001) Common European framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. 8) Huber, G.L. & Gürtler, L. (2003) Manual zur Software AQUAD 6 (Erstveröffentlichung). Tübingen: Ingeborg Huber Verlag. 9) Illeris, K. (2004) Learning in working life. Learning Lab Denmark : Roskilde Universitetsforlag. 10) Illeris, K. (2005) Low-skilled workers learn at the workplace. Lifelong Learning in Europe, 10 (3). 11) Illeris, K. (2010) Lernen verstehen : Kognition, Emotion, Interaktion. Bad Heilbrunn : Julius Klinkhardt. 12) Jørgensen, J.N. (Ed.) (2011) A Toolkit for Transnational Communication in Europe. Copenhagen Studies in Bilingualism. Copenhagen: University of Copenhagen. 13) Kvale, S. (1996) Interviews. SAGE. 14) Maslo, E. (2003) Mācīšanās spēju pilnveide. Rīga: RaKa. 15) Maslo, E. (2011) Flersprogethed - det handler om at skabe rum for læring. Sprogforum. Tidsskrift for sprog- og kulturpædagogik, 51, 32-38.

Author Information

Ineta Luka (submitting)

University of Latvia (LU)

The Institute of Pedagogical Science of LU

Riga

Tamara Pigozne (presenting)

University of Latvia

The Institute of Pedagpgical Science

Riga

Elina Maslo

University of Latvia

The Institute of Pedagogical Sciences

Karlslunde

Svetlana Surikova

University of Latvia, Latvia

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