After Lithuania had gained its independence, there arose the necessity for non-native speakers living in Lithuania to learn the state language. More and more other nationality families become interested in their children learning the state language. In connection with this, in the pre-school institutions as well as schools, the number of schoolchildren grows. Naturally, their education becomes problematic. Aim of the research: to reveal the difficulties bilingual children meet while learning the state language in the pre-school groups and try to forecast learning problems they may encounter in the first class. Moreover, to analyze their prognostic validity and to evidence the possible help. In the research took part 80 children who have bilingual or multilingual problems in the pre-school group and after three months in the first class. There were presented the analyses of the pre-school and the first class teachers. The tasks of the research: • to realize the abilities of bilingual, multilingual children in the state language; • to understand how has changed communication abilities of the same researched children in the primary school in comparison with the pre-school group; • to state the most often learning problems that bilingual and multilingual first class pupils face while learning the state language; • to understand the kind of methodological-practical help that is needed by the learners facing the difficulties... [to full text]

The system for teaching/learning of the Lithuania language as the statė language in the statė school and pre-school education institutions has been rapidly developed; education institutions have been in search for methods of teaching children of different nationalities to act as active citizens of Lithuania, simultaneously fostering and promoting their own ethnical culture. The Lithuanian Education reform emphasises formation of national minorities' civic and national identity, and the Law on Ethnic Minorities provides for all citizens' rights and possibilities to integrate into the cultural and sočiai life of Lithuania. Efforts to ensure teaching of the statė language are manifested in a number of laws, resolutions and programmes: the Law on the State Language, the Programine of Teacher Training for National Minorities Education Institutions, resolutions of the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language, activiry of Lithuanian language teaching centres, etc. The importance of the Lithuanian language learning itself is not questioned. Not knowing the statė language, a person has limited possibilities in the life of socium: to work with clients (in statė or private service), to receive and disseminate relevant information and materialise their abilities in the activity of interest circles and leisure centres. Knowledge of languages leads to tolerance and cooperation manifested through acceptance of ethnic, traditional and cultural practises, strengthening of ethnic... [to full text]