When revising the curriculum for the Swedish upper secondary school in 2011, language-learning strategies were added to the description of the subject of English. It was also added to the core content and to the grading criteria, which in its turn has added a new dimension to teaching and assessing L2. By problematizing the teachers’ subjective views on assessment of these new criteria, the hypothesis, according to which teachers find assessing language learning strategies, in English 5, difficult, is discussed. Skolverket’s policy documents, the Common European Framework of Reference scale (CEFR scale) and researchers’ findings are compared to the teachers’ views. In order to provide an image of how teachers interpret the new assessment guidelines, and how teachers interpret problems related to assessment, six teachers from different upper secondary schools have been interviewed on their opinions about language-learning strategies. The interviews indicate that even though teachers are positive to the inclusion of language-learning strategies in the course description, the strategies are difficult to detect. One consequence is that the results of strategy use are assessed rather than actual strategy use.

Cette thèse repose sur une analyse critique et une vérification de la compatibilité de deux éléments du domaine d’apprentissage d’une langue étrangère. Le point de départ de notre recherche est un problème constaté lors de la mise en application du CECR et de l’ALAO. Le premier a pour but d’harmoniser l’apprentissage linguistique tout en présentant un cadre de référence avec une échelle d’évaluation allant d’un niveau A1 à un niveau C2. Le deuxième (ALAO) représente une approche d’apprentissage linguistique qui se trouve parfois réduite à ces avantages techniques sans pour autant avoir été considéré pour ses avantages pédagogiques/didactiques. Le but de notre recherche est de vérifier la compatibilité d’un « système d’évaluation » (CECR) et d’un « système d’apprentissage » (ALAO). Ce travail est possible du fait que le « système d’évaluation » du CECR prétend provenir d’une approche d’apprentissage linguistique. En effet, nous avons analysé et comparé cette approche linguistique du CECR avec celle de l’ALAO. Le but était de voir si les deux sont compatibles et de chercher l’origine des problèmes de leur application. Le projet de notre recherche est de démontrer la nécessité d’améliorer l’éventuelle compatibilité des deux éléments. Nous avons appliqué dans notre analyse trois étapes. Dans un premier temps, la base scientifique a été analysée et comparée. Ensuite, les applications didactiques du CECR et de l’ALAO sont abordées ; enfin, nous avons choisi de regarder de plus près l’approche adoptée par le CECR et l’ALAO en ce qui concerne l’apprentissage d’une langue. / The objective of this PhD dissertation is to provide an analysis of the compatibility of two systems of foreign language learning, i.e. the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) and Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). CEFR aims to harmonize language learning through a framework of reference with a descriptor scale ranging from level A1 to C2 whereas CALL represents an approach to language learning which is sometimes reduced to its technical advantages instead of being accounted for its didactical and pedagogical advantages. Since the CEFR claims to arise from a linguistic approach to language learning, the objective of the study is to compare the linguistic approach of the CEFR “evaluation system” and the CALL “learning system” in order to verify their compatibility and to determine the origin of the problems associated with their application. The approach is threefold. First, the scientific basis of CEFR and CALL is analysed. Second, the didactic application of both systems is reviewed. Third, the approach to language learning of both systems is examined. The study demonstrates the necessity to improve the compatibility of CEFR and CALL.

Au cours de ces dernières années, l’éducation et la formation connaissent des phénomènes d’industrialisation accrus notamment sous l’effet du développement des TIC. Le domaine de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage de langues vivantes étrangères (LVE) est également confronté à des transformations dues à l’internationalisation des normes de certification et au développement d’une offre de formation privée à caractère marchand. Le champ des LVE au Vietnam n’échappe pas à ces évolutions qui entraînent inévitablement des changements relatifs au processus de professionnalisation du corps enseignant. Notre recherche vise à mettre en lumière la façon dont les enseignants de LVE, dans les secteurs public et privé, se représentent leur professionnalité dans ce nouveau contexte et les priorités qu’ils estiment importantes en termes de développement professionnel. Pour ce faire, nous avons mené une enquête empirique en deux temps : une pré-enquête par entretiens auprès des enseignants de Dalat et une enquête complémentaire par questionnaire en ligne. L’analyse des entretiens semi-directifs (N 14) nous a aidé à construire le questionnaire, destiné à un public d’enseignants plus large dans le pays. L’étude des réponses (N 364) nous permet de dessiner une typologie d’enseignants qui se positionnent différemment vis-à-vis des évolutions de l’enseignement des LVE. La discussion des déterminants des trois profils identifiés nous amène à mieux cerner la dynamique du développement professionnel des enseignants de LVE vietnamiens. / During recent years, education and training have experienced greater phenomena of industrialization in particular under the influence of the development of technologies. The field of foreign language teaching and learning (FLT) has also undergone changes due to the internationalization of certification standards and the growth of private training sector. The foreign language teaching field in Vietnam is not immune to these developments that inevitably lead to significant changes in the process of professionalization of the teaching staff. Our research aims at highlighting the way foreign language teachers in both public and private sectors represent their professionalism in this new context and the priorities they consider important in terms of professionalization. To do this, we conducted our empirical research in two stages: a pre-survey by interviews with colleagues in Dalat and a supplementary survey by an online questionnaire. The analysis of the 14 semi-structured interviews of the first phase helped us to build the questionnaire that was intended for a wider audience of teachers in the country. Our questionnaire survey (N 364) allowed us to draw three different profiles which are differently positioned in terms of the evolution of FLT. The discussion of the determinants of each profile provides a better understanding of the professional development dynamics of Vietnamese foreign language teachers.

The CEFR French profiles have been widely used to teach and evaluate language instruction over the past decade. The profiles were specifications of vocabulary that have been largely untested from a corpus-based, empirical perspective. The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate the CEFR profiles by comparing their content with two sizable contemporary corpora. This study quantified and described the vocabulary overlap and uniqueness across all three of these resources. Four areas of overlap and three areas of uniqueness were analyzed and identified. Slightly over 40% of the lexical content was common to the three resources studied. Additionally, 16.3% was unique to the CEFR. The remaining CEFR content overlapped with one or the other of the two corpora used for the evaluation. The findings led to the general recommendation of keeping about 60% of the current CEFR content and adding a little over 19,000 vocabulary items to the overhauled CEFR profiles.

La religion musulmane est une religion universelle, elle ne se limite pas à un espace défini, ni à une époque. Elle peut s’étendre à tous les lieux. Le passé a témoigné et démontré sa capacité à être une religion conciliable et adaptable à toutes cultures et civilisations. Dès lors, il est tout à fait possible d’affirmer qu'elle est une religion flexible selon l'environnement. Le flux migratoire en Europe des personnes en provenance de pays musulmans a engendré l’enracinement progressif de l’Islam, dans un environnement non musulman et sécularisé. C’est dans ce contexte sans précédent, qu’une réflexion innovatrice a émergé, tenant compte des différents aspects sociétaux. Elle consiste à réfléchir aux nouvelles perspectives visant à structurer un modèle cohérent pour les musulmans d’Europe, en phase avec la société occidentale. Ce renouveau dépend essentiellement de la double capacité à conjuguer raison et respect du patrimoine des fondements de la jurisprudence musulmane. Mais, il doit également intégrer une lecture critique de ce patrimoine par le biais de nouveaux outils de compréhension, répondant aux finalités de la loi musulmane.L’objet de cette recherche porte sur le concept de fatwa, qui permet justement l’adaptation, en apportant des solutions adéquates aux Musulmans vivant en Europe. Cette recherche englobe aussi bien la structuration du CEFR et sa méthodologie d’expertise que les catégories de lois sujettes à la flexibilité. Les fatwa(s) émises par le conseil déterminent ainsi les mécanismes employés pour la résolution des cas spécifiques au contexte européen où les communautés musulmanes sont minoritaires. Ceci permet d’évaluer, par conséquent, la pertinence et la recevabilité de ce nouvel habillage du fiqh, qui vise à offrir de nouveaux horizons, sans pour autant se détacher complètement du patrimoine juridique existant. / Islam is a universal religion. It may not be hemmed in any limited boundaries, neither in a specific era. It has ability to extend to all the places. In the past this religion has proven its adaptability and compatibility to all the cultures and civilizations. Consequently, we can assure with certainty that Islam is completely flexible and adaptable to a given environment. The migratory flow to Europe from Muslim countries has established its roots gradually in a non-Muslim and secular environment. In this unprecedented context an innovative reflection has emerged englobing all the societal aspects. It consists in thinking out new viewpoints on creating models that are coherent for Muslims in Europe and are in accordance with the western society. This renewal depends essentially on the double capacity of combining reason and respect of the patrimony of the basis of Islamic jurisprudence. Yet, it also has to incorporate the analytical interpretations of this patrimony through the new tools of comprehension, meeting with the aims of Islamic laws.The aim of this research is about the concept of a Fatwa that allows adaptation bringing suitable solutions for the Muslims living in Europe. This research includes structuring of CEFR, its methodology of assessment as well as the categories of laws that are subjected to flexibility. The Fatwas issued by the Council consequently determine the mechanisms used to solve cases specific to European context where the Muslim communities are a minority. This allows us to evaluate the pertinence and the admissibility of embellishing of Fiqh which is meant to open new horizons, all the same without being totally detached from the existing legal patrimony.

The aim of this study originated with my role as a teacher wanting to research the impact of the European Language Portfolio, ELP, (2001) on a small group of minority language students, in Brussels’ Flemish region. In this exploratory case study, the European Language Portfolio (Spanish model) was administered to a small group of forty-five primary school students from the Bicultural Foyer Project in Brussels. In spite of the students’ positive attitudes towards this portfolio, the results suggest that the ELP has no validity for them because the Brussels’ Flemish educational community does not offer the appropriate conditions for a possible broader use of this portfolio. Belgium’s language policy environment, including its language policies, is the fundamental reason for the non-implementation of the European Language Portfolio.

There has been increasing interest in research on creating word lists in the past decade with more than 60 separate lists being published along with Nation’s (2016) timely Making and Using Word Lists for Language Learning and Testing. However, this focus on word lists has primarily been on creating them and has not necessarily extended to looking at how they are actually used. In order to help answer the question of how these lists are utilized in practice, this exploratory, interpretive study based on interviews with teachers and assessment/curriculum developers looks at how word lists are used at five tertiary English foundation programs in the United Arab Emirates. The main findings include the following. Insufficient vocabulary knowledge was deemed one of the most significant problems that students faced. Additionally, word lists played a role in all five of the institutions represented in the study, and the Common European Framework (CEFR) was used in conjunction with vocabulary frequency lists to help set expected vocabulary learning in some programs. Furthermore, teacher intuition was used to modify lists in three of the five programs and online applications were used in all five programs. The thesis explores a number of areas in depth including: how vocabulary lists are being used in the programs, the use of the AWL in this context and potential problems related to this, the role of teacher intuition in the customization of lists, the role of CEFR related frameworks in these programs, the use of computer applications to assist with list vocabulary acquisition, what the selected vocabulary acquisition activities tell us about beliefs about vocabulary teaching and learning, and some final comments about utilizing a list. One of the key findings was the development of a novel framework for categorizing the use of word lists into four general areas: course planning, teaching and learning, assessment and materials development with sub-categories for each. This framework and the related examples could be utilized to evaluate the suitability of specific lists and to help set developmental targets for the process of adopting a new list and transforming it into something that could be used to direct and support vocabulary teaching and learning. It could also be developed further as more examples of practice emerge in different contexts and hopefully set the stage for more development about how vocabulary lists are used.

The recent political and economic changes in Ukraine aroused interest in studying foreign languages. Though Czech is a language with a relatively small number of speakers, it has a substantial audience of learners in Ukraine. Among the reasons, one can surely mention close cultural and political relations between both countries and traditionally attractive image of the Czech republic as a target country for the Ukrainian migrants. The doctoral thesis meets the learning needs of a target group, which is currently being short of relevant learning materials of Czech. Beforehand it concerns adult learners studying Czech as a foreign language for strictly practical reasons (not as a subject of a high school curriculum), with a great deal of autonomy in their studying. The profile of the target group specifies the main parameters of the language textbook outlined in the doctoral thesis. Beside the general and particular theory of designing language textbooks, the following problems are also discussed: studying of close relative languages, differences between studying a foreign language and the second language, a foreign language on the early stages of learning/aquisition, self-study of foreign language and so on. The practical part of the doctoral thesis presents a digest of methodical approaches applied...

This independent degree project investigates possible differences and similarities between vocational and non-vocational language learning textbooks in terms of topics covered, use of Swedish, and vocabulary levels. The textbooks analyzed in this study are Viewpoints 1, Viewpoints vocational, Blueprint A version 2.0 and Blueprint vocational, and they are aimed at the course English 5 in Swedish senior high school. In order to compare and analyze the differences between the textbooks, the Swedish words were counted in order to compare the proportion of Swedish words of each textbook. The texts and tasks from each textbook were made into a corpus. The corpus was analyzed with the tool Text Inspector, and connected to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference and the Academic Word List. The results show that vocational textbooks have a larger focus in the topic of social and working life than the non-vocational textbooks. However, the results also suggest that the textbooks are quite similar in terms of academic words and the CEFR levels. The results also suggest that an investigation of a larger number of textbooks from several publishers could present a different result. The pedagogical implications that can be drawn from the results are that teachers need to know that differences may occur and that textbooks might need additional material.

The ability to write in a second language is one of the major skills required in academic settings. However, research about the effectiveness of academic programs on second language writing in long term perspective is rather scarce and the findings are mixed (e.g. Archibald, 2001; Elder & O’Loughlin, 2003; Hu, 2007; Knoch et al., 2014, 2015; Storch 2007). The present study aimed to contribute further empirical evidence about the effectiveness of academic training on the development of the writing skills of Vietnamese second language learners enrolled in an undergraduate English program. The investigation was designed in view of the L2 writing standards set by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and in reference to the specificities of the Vietnamese English language educational system. The sample involved a total of 90 participants, 30 from each of the following CEFR English language proficiency levels: B1, B2, and C1. The instrument was modeled after the IELTS Academic Module Writing Task 2 which requires test-takers to write a minimum of 250-word essay on a given prompt. The participants’ essays were scored by two independent raters following the IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Descriptors. The data was analyzed through 5 one-way ANOVAs, which aimed to compare the three levels of proficiency, B1, B2, and C1, on their overall writing scores, and on each of the two macro (Task Response and Cohesion and Coherence) and micro sills (Lexical Resources and Grammatical Range and Accuracy) The results revealed two main trends. First, it was found that the writing skills of Vietnamese L2 learners of English have shown a significant improvement in the course of their study, across proficiency levels. Second, the development was of a bigger magnitude between levels B1 and B2 and on a smaller scale between levels B2 and C1. The latter trend appears more meaningful when juxtaposed with the expected IELTS writing band score ranges for each of the three CEFR levels investigated in the present study. Specifically, the obtained scores matched the CEFR standards at level B2, but were above the expected minimum score for level B1 and below the minimum expected score for level C1. These findings carry valuable implications for the specific Vietnamese educational context, highlighting both the strengths and lacks of the English language writing curriculum. They pinpoint issues related to the placement of students in CEFR levels without specific empirical data as well as raise questions about the time, effort, and teaching practices necessary to secure learners’ progress from lower to higher proficiency, particularly after level B1. Another contribution of the study is that it examined developments in L2 academic writing both on the macro and micro level, and has, thus, offered a more comprehensive picture of the different components of the writing skill and their development through a course of study. In contrast, existing research has either looked at the writing skill in a holistic way or focused on one or some of its elements, but has rarely approached writing as a balanced composite of macro and micro skills.