The aim of this thesis is to analyze, from general didactic perspective, specifics of French language teaching of adolescent as well as adult students at the beginner level. More specifically, socalled FLE teaching within informal educational environment of a particular language school in Prague is examined. In order to do so, this thesis is divided into two sections. In the first theoretical section, the compilation method is employed, resulting in detailed analysis of selected didactic themes related to the defined aim of the thesis. The second, supporting section consists of specially compiled survey analysis, which focuses on themes covered at the first theoretical part. It is worth noting that perspectives of students are captured as a result of the survey analysis. The major contribution of this thesis is a comprehensive theoretical and practical view on not yet separately compiled methodology of teaching of French language of beginning, predominantly adult students, in the context of Czech informal educational environment.

Es una tesis analítico-descriptiva, con finalidad diagnóstica, en la que se describe el enfoque didáctico que debe aplicarse en la enseñanza de la lengua inglesa, según las directrices curriculares: el enfoque comunicativo. Se describe la metodología empleada para la investigación: observación en el aula. Por otro lado, se describe y analiza un corpus de actividades recopilado a partir de la observación de clases de inglés, presentando los datos en tablas en aras de mayor objetividad y para facilitar su sistematización, y también en formato descriptivo. Finalmente, tras la descripción y el análisis de los datos, se presentan las conclusiones, en las cuales se comprueba que la metodología empleada no es la comunicativa. Además, se ponen de manifiesto aspectos de la realidad del aula que contribuyen a explicar por qué no se aplica esa metodología y por qué el aprendizaje de la lengua extranjera no es tan fructífero como cabría esperar. / This is an analytico-descriptive thesis, written for diagnosis purposes, which investigates the relationship between the curricular guidelines for the teaching of English at the secondary level in the Spanish education system (communicative approach) and the actual application of those guidelines in real language classrooms. The methodology used for the the investigation is the so-called classroom observation. Also, a corpus of 1º Bachillerato English language lessons is described and analyzed, in two main formats: in tables (for the sake of objectivity and to facilitate data systematization) and in written analysis (descriptions). Next, conclusions are drawn where it clearly shows that the methodology employed in those lessons is not communicative. Finally, aspects of the day-to-day in language classrooms come out that contribute to explain why the communicative methodology is not used in the lessons observed and why foreign language learning in our country is not as fruitful as it would be desirable.

The phenomenon of the decline in numbers in traditionally Afrikaans “sister churches” - in the midst of the complex South African society of the first decade of the 21st century - was researched in the light of the command that Jesus himself gave to his church (Math 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8). The Great Commission directed the aim of the research to evaluate this phenomenon hermeneutically and empirically in order to develop a reformed strategy in a practical theological way. The grounding of the investigation was the communicative action theory, which simultaneously integrates with a basic theoretical model developed from a combination of basic theoretical models as suggested by Dingemans, Heitink en Zerfass. To reinforce the exegetical/hermeneutical perspective of the basic theory, a historical study was conducted regarding the growth and decline of power basises since the Jesus movement until now. The interaction between perspectives was subsequently extended by metatheoretical perspectives, based on the research regarding the influence of schools of thought, as well as the influence of circumstances in the country, which determine the “sister church” praxis of the 21st century. The traditionally Afrikaans “sister churches” as a problematic ecclesiastical community of practice was further examined as part of the empirical perspective. On this basis an attempt was made to gauge the thinking of the “sister churches” in the intricate and problematic ecclesiastical praxis. The gauging was executed by means of a random test in one of the “sister churches”, namely the Reformed Church of South Africa (GKSA). It was found that this problematic church praxis is directed by strong institutional thinking. An adjusted practice theory, as well as a supporting practical theoretical model, were formulated in order to realise a reformed strategy for church growth as opposed to the decline in numbers. Considering the above mentioned interactive perspectives, the conclusion was reached that the praxis in the “sister churches” at the beginning of the 21st century, functions in an ecclesiastically imbalanced way. The imbalance lies in the fact that Christ-centred thinking, and thus also Christ-centred ecclesiology (as balancing thinking and balancing ecclesiology), does not manifest in “sister church” thinking. The unbalanced thinking as an all-encompassing factor in the church praxis, confirms and promotes the tendency of the decline in numbers. The proposed strategic perspective as the adjusted practice theory is thus a contribution to formulating an obedient, covenant-centred and reformed answer to declining numbers. This adjusted strategy can bring about the wonder of revival and growth in the “sister churches” by means of the basic theoretical truth elements, which were pointed out in this research. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The phenomenon of the decline in numbers in traditionally Afrikaans “sister churches” - in the midst of the complex South African society of the first decade of the 21st century - was researched in the light of the command that Jesus himself gave to his church (Math 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8). The Great Commission directed the aim of the research to evaluate this phenomenon hermeneutically and empirically in order to develop a reformed strategy in a practical theological way. The grounding of the investigation was the communicative action theory, which simultaneously integrates with a basic theoretical model developed from a combination of basic theoretical models as suggested by Dingemans, Heitink en Zerfass. To reinforce the exegetical/hermeneutical perspective of the basic theory, a historical study was conducted regarding the growth and decline of power basises since the Jesus movement until now. The interaction between perspectives was subsequently extended by metatheoretical perspectives, based on the research regarding the influence of schools of thought, as well as the influence of circumstances in the country, which determine the “sister church” praxis of the 21st century. The traditionally Afrikaans “sister churches” as a problematic ecclesiastical community of practice was further examined as part of the empirical perspective. On this basis an attempt was made to gauge the thinking of the “sister churches” in the intricate and problematic ecclesiastical praxis. The gauging was executed by means of a random test in one of the “sister churches”, namely the Reformed Church of South Africa (GKSA). It was found that this problematic church praxis is directed by strong institutional thinking. An adjusted practice theory, as well as a supporting practical theoretical model, were formulated in order to realise a reformed strategy for church growth as opposed to the decline in numbers. Considering the above mentioned interactive perspectives, the conclusion was reached that the praxis in the “sister churches” at the beginning of the 21st century, functions in an ecclesiastically imbalanced way. The imbalance lies in the fact that Christ-centred thinking, and thus also Christ-centred ecclesiology (as balancing thinking and balancing ecclesiology), does not manifest in “sister church” thinking. The unbalanced thinking as an all-encompassing factor in the church praxis, confirms and promotes the tendency of the decline in numbers. The proposed strategic perspective as the adjusted practice theory is thus a contribution to formulating an obedient, covenant-centred and reformed answer to declining numbers. This adjusted strategy can bring about the wonder of revival and growth in the “sister churches” by means of the basic theoretical truth elements, which were pointed out in this research. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

This study is an attempt to determine the impact of teachers' attitudes on their classroom behaviour and therefore on their implementation of the Communicative Approach. A descriptive case study was conducted at six secondary schools in Harare, Zimbabwe (as ESL environment) to determine the effect of 38 O-level English teachers' attitudes on their classroom practice. Quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection, including a questionnaire, an observation instrument and a semistructured interview were used to gauge teachers' attitudes, assessing the extent to which attitudes are reflected in their classroom behaviour, and eliciting teachers' verbalisation of how they conceive of their professional task. The findings show that the effective implementation of the Communicative Approach was critically dependent on teachers' positive attitudes towards this approach in the five categories covered by this study. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Applied Linguistics)

The study of a foreign language can never be seen in isolation, but forms part of the social and cultural setting in which it functions. Therefore, teaching English to multicultural groups of adults in Qatar, cannot be done effectively and efficiently, without taking the influence of cultural diversities and values, as well as the requirements of the adult learner, into account. This research deals with how native English speaking lecturers at one specific language centre in Qatar acknowledge these cultural diversities and values and how they accommodate adult learners in the multicultural classroom environment, by means of a literature study and an empirical investigation. Qualitative data collection was done by open-ended questionnaires to lecturers and learners, focus group interviews with lecturers and learners, individual interviews with lecturers, classroom observations and keeping of field notes. Findings revealed that lecturers are aware of the cultural diversities and values of learners who come into the classroom from different nationalities, and accommodated these learners without bias. These differences however, did not necessarily influence their teaching styles and lecturers remained focussed on teaching English as effectively as possible. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

Lorsque nous enseignons une langue étrangère et dans le cas de ce travail, le français, dans une classe, il faut prendre en considération les différents aspects comme l’écriture, la lecture et la compétence communicative sur laquelle ce travail met l’accent. Cette compétence peut être plus abstraite que les autres car il s’agit des dialogues et des discours qui ne peuvent pas être écrits sur un document.  Dans cette étude, nous cherchons à trouver de bonnes méthodes utilisées pour enseigner et promouvoir la compétence communicative des élèves par des professeurs dans un lycée en Suède. Le travail cherche également à trouver comment les professeurs évaluent cette compétence par rapport au plan directif et dans quelle mesure le plan directif est utilisé comme un outil dans l’enseignement. La méthode utilisée est une étude phénoménologique avec une enquête composée de questions qualitatives pour recevoir des réponses plus approfondies. Quatre professeurs d’un lycée ont été interviewés et les données ont été évaluées avec la théorie choisie. La théorie utilisée dans ce travail est un mélange de quelques approches pour enseigner une langue étrangère dans les écoles. Nous avons choisi les approches comme l’alternance codique, l’approche actionnelle, l’approche communicative et une méthodologie de base pour planifier et évaluer les activités et la compétence. Enfin, nous avons regardé les commentaires du plan directif pour les langues vivantes au niveau 3 par Skolverket (2011a) pour plus facilement interpréter les critères de notations du plan directif. Bref, les résultats ont montré que c’est mieux de créer des petits groupes en enseignant la compétence communicative et que les meilleures tâches à utiliser peuvent être des images à décrire et des questions ouvertes et adéquates qui touchent à la vie de l’apprenant. Cela peut inciter l’élève à parler et exprimer ses pensées plus facilement que des activités en grands groupes et avec des questions fermées. / When we teach a foreign language or in this case, French, in a class, we have to be aware of the different skills like communication, writing and reading whereas this study puts emphasis on the communicative skill. This skill can be more abstract than the rest of the skills since it consists of dialogues and discourses which don’t necessarily need to be written on a document. In this study we will try to reveal some applicable methods used by teachers to teach and improve students’ communicative skills at an upper secondary school in Sweden. The study also tries to find out how these teachers evaluate and grade this particular skill according to the syllabus and in what frequency the syllabus is used by the teachers as a tool in their teaching. The method used is a phenomenological study with a questionnaire consisting of qualitative questions in order to receive more accurate answers. Four teachers at an upper secondary school have been interviewed and the empirical data collected have been evaluated together with the theory chosen. The theory used in this study is a mixture of approaches for teaching a foreign language in schools. We have chosen approaches like code-switching, task-based learning, the communicative approach and a basic methodology of how to plan and evaluate the activities chosen. Lastly, we have been looking at the commentary section on the syllabus for foreign languages on stage 3 made by Skolverket (2011) in order to easier interpret the grading criteria in the syllabus. Briefly, the results showed that it is better to create smaller groups when teaching the communicative skill and that the advantageous tasks can consist of images to describe and genuine and adequate questions which concern the student’s personal life. This can generate that the students talk and express their thoughts more freely than with activities in larger groups and with display questions.

El objetivo que se persigue con esta tesina es mostrar un panorama didáctico efectivo del uso de diversas redes sociales y el correo electrónico para la adquisición del español como lengua extranjera. Se han realizado investigaciones teóricas en diversas fuentes literarias y un estudio empírico que ha arrojado datos interesantes. En este trabajo se exponen diversas aportaciones lingüísticas que dan soporte a nuestras cuatro propuestas didáctias que proponen actividades en las que se pretende la inmersión del alumno en la lengua meta de una manera auténtica y motivadora. A través de este trabajo podemos concluir que el involucrar las redes sociales en las lecciones de ELE con un uso responsable y enfocado, contribuiría a construir un entorno multicultural entre los alumnos que supere las barreras geográficas y culturales del idioma, donde podría fácilmente darse un aprendizaje mucho más efectivo. / The objective pursued with this essay is to show an efficient didactic way of how to use various social networks and e-mail in the acquisition of Spanish as a foreign language. Theoretical investigations have been conducted in various literary sources and an empirical study have been conducted that yielded interesting data. In this essay we describe various linguistic contributions that give support to our four didactic proposals in which we seek the student’s immersion in the target language in anauthentic and motivating way. With this investigation we can conclude that the responsible and focused use of the social networks in the Spanish as a foreign language lessons, contributes to building a multicultural environment among students that overcome the geographic and cultural barriers of language, which could easily make learning more efficient.

Using Film Material in Teaching Czech as a Foreign Language to Present Czech Culture Abstract The aim of this thesis is to offer teachers of Czech as a second language information about the use of films to present Czech culture in B2 level. The theoretical part focuses on the definition of Czech culture by different authors, and the explanation of sociocultural and intercultural competence. Also, the approach of Weimann and Hosch towards teaching culture is defined, and the main components of communicative approach are introduced. Further, the use of films in language teaching is explored together with the specification of the reasons why films should be used in language teaching, advantages and disadvantages connected to it, and the methods of the film presentation are introduced. The practical part consists of two main parts. In the first part the available materials containing the use of films in teaching Czech as a second language are analysed, and the second part introduces an educational material based on the information found in the theoretical part of this thesis.

Магистерская диссертация посвящена изучению формирования межкультурной коммуникативной компетенции у школьников 10 классов в процессе изучения иностранного языка при участии в международных волонтерских программах. Целью данного исследования является теоретическое обоснование, разработка и экспериментальная апробация модели формирования межкультурной коммуникативной компетенции у обучающихся десятых классов в процессе изучения английского языка при участии в международных волонтерских программах. Структура работы состоит из двух глав: теоретической и практической. В первой главе приведен теоретический обзор нормативных документов Федерального государственного образовательного стандарта среднего общего образования (ФГОС СОО) и научной литературы по теме формирования межкультурной коммуникативной компетенции у обучающихся старших классов на уроках иностранного языка, описаны особенности коммуникативного подхода в обучении иностранному языку, изучены двадцать семь волонтёрских программ и определены наиболее подходящие в рамках российских реалий, составлена и описана педагогическая модель формирования межкультурной коммуникативной компетенции у обучающихся десятых классов на уроках английского языка при участии иностранных волонтёров. Во второй главе описан материал исследования, педагогические технологии и деятельность обучающихся, учителя английского языка и иноязычного волонтёра в процессе формирования межкультурной коммуникативной компетенции в рамках курса внеурочной деятельности “Страноведение”, приведены результаты опытно-экспериментальной работы. Результаты экспериментальной работы подтвердили идеи о построении системы управления процессом формирования межкультурной коммуникативной компетенции старшеклассника, в котором ведущая роль принадлежит учителю английского языка, управляющему учебным процессом, сопутствующая роль принадлежит волонтёру, выступающему в роли фасилитатора коммуникативного процесса, который придаёт общению на иностранном языке более естественный характер. Материалы исследования могут быть использованы в преподавании таких учебных дисциплин как методика преподавания иностранного языка, дидактика внеурочной деятельности, практикум по межкультурной коммуникации. / The master dissertation is devoted to the study of the formation of cross-cultural communicative competence among 10th graders at English lessons with the assistance of international volunteers. The aim of this study is the theoretical justification, development and experimental testing of the educational model for the formation of intercultural communicative competence of the tenth grade students in the process of learning English with the assistance of international volunteers. The structure of the work consists of two chapters: theoretical and practical. The first chapter provides a theoretical review of normative documents (Federal State Academic Standard for High Schools) and scientific literature on the topic of the formation of intercultural communicative competence among high school students in foreign language lessons, describes the features of the communicative approach in teaching a foreign language. Twenty-seven volunteer programs have been studied during the research and the most suitable within the Russian realities have been pointed out. Moreover, a didactical model for the formation of intercultural communicative competence among the tenth grade students in English lessons with the foreign volunteers` participation has been compiled and described. The second chapter provides the information about the research material, the pedagogical technologies used in the process of forming intercultural communicative competence within the extracurricular activity course “Country Studies”, and presents the results of the experimental work. The results of the experimental work confirmed the ideas about building a management system for the formation of intercultural communicative competence of a high school student, in which the leading role belongs to the teacher of English who manages the educational process, the minor role belongs to a volunteer acting as a facilitator of the communicative process. It helps the foreign communication sound more natural and English-like. These results can be used within the courses of foreign language teaching methods, didactics of extracurricular activities, intercultural communication practice.