Sprachaustausch auf der Primarstufe: Einfluss auf die Sprachlernmotivation und die produktiven Sprachkompetenzen

Pourquoi cette étude ? En Suisse, peu d’échanges linguistiques sont réalisés en contexte scolaire, au niveau primaire surtout, entre les différentes régions linguistiques et ceci en dépit de leur proximité géographique et du soutien de la Confédération et des cantons. Cela est probablement dû au jeune âge et à la compétence linguistique limitée des élèves concernés. De plus, il ressort de nombreuses études que l’on est davantage motivé à apprendre l’anglais plutôt qu’une seconde langue nationale, dont l’enseignement au niveau primaire a même fait l’objet d’une remise en question politique en Suisse alémanique. Parallèlement, les résultats issus de recherches antérieures laissent à penser que les échanges linguistiques pourraient avoir un effet positif sur la motivation pour l’apprentissage des langues. Des activités d’échange, réalisées dès l’école primaire, dans lesquelles des élèves sont mis en contact avec leurs pairs d’une autre région linguistique suisse pourraient ainsi s’avérer positives en terme de motivation. Quels étaient les objectifs de l’étude ? L’étude a examiné les effets d’un projet d’échange de courte durée, réalisé avec des classes de niveau primaire en Suisse orientale et occidentale. Elle s’est à la fois concentrée sur l’évolution des compétences linguistiques productives (expression orale et écrite) des élèves dans la langue étrangère et sur leur motivation à apprendre cette langue.Wie kam es zu dieser Studie? Trotz geografischer Nähe sowie Förderung durch Bund und Kantone gibt es in der Schweiz nach wie vor wenig Sprachaustausch im schulischen Kontext, insbesondere auf der Primarstufe, was mit dem jungen Alter und der eingeschränkten Sprachkompetenz der Schülerinnen und Schüler zusammenhängen dürfte. Zudem haben zahlreiche Studien in der Schweiz auf eine tiefere Motivation für das Erlernen einer weiteren Landessprache als für Englisch hingewiesen. In der Deutschschweiz wurde der Unterricht in einer zweiten Landessprache auf der Primarstufe mitunter auch politisch in Frage gestellt. Gleichzeitig legen bisherige Forschungsresultate nahe, dass durch Sprachaustausch eine Motivationssteigerung erzielt werden kann. Austauschaktivitäten, die bereits im Primarschulalter ansetzen und Kontakt mit Gleichaltrigen einer anderen Sprachregion der Schweiz ermöglichen, könnten daher ein geeignetes Mittel sein, um eine positive Entwicklung der Sprachlernmotivation zu begünstigen. Was waren die Ziele der Studie? Die Studie untersuchte die Wirkungen eines stufengerechten, kurzen Austauschprojekts auf der Primarstufe in der Ost- und Westschweiz. Dabei wurde der Fokus sowohl auf die Veränderung der produktiven Sprachkompetenzen (Sprechen und Schreiben) der Schülerinnen und Schüler in der Fremdsprache als auch auf ihre Sprachlernmotivation gerichtet.Perché è stato effettuato questo studio? Nonostante la vicinanza geografica a territori allofoni e diversi programmi di sostegno federali e cantonali, lo scambio linguistico in contesto scolastico in Svizzera registra ancora numeri bassi, soprattutto a livello di scuola primaria, probabilmente a causa della giovane età e delle limitate competenze linguistiche degli apprendenti. Al contempo, numerosi studi in Svizzera hanno evidenziato che allievi e allieve sono più motivati a imparare l’inglese rispetto a una lingua nazionale e, a livello politico, in diversi cantoni della Svizzera tedesca l’insegnamento di una seconda lingua nazionale nella scuola primaria è stato messo in discussione. Considerando tuttavia che le ricerche finora effettuate suggeriscono che lo scambio linguistico può favorire la motivazione, si può presumere che le attività di scambio realizzate nella scuola primaria volte a favorire il contatto con i coetanei di un’altra regione linguistica della Svizzera possano aiutare a incrementare la motivazione a imparare una lingua nazionale. Quali sono gli obiettivi dello studio? Lo studio ha esaminato gli effetti di un progetto di scambio di breve durata a livello di scuola primaria nella Svizzera orientale e occidentale. È stato esaminato l’incremento delle abilità linguistiche produttive dei discenti nella lingua straniera (parlare e scrivere) nonché della loro motivazione a imparare una lingua straniera

Sprachliche Austauschaktivitäten und deren Auswirkungen auf interkulturelle Kompetenzen und Sprachlernmotivation: Executive Summary

Rapport de l’Institut pour l’enseignement et l’apprentissage (HEP Lucerne) financé par le Centre scientifique de compétence sur le plurilinguismeReport of the Institute of Teaching and Learning (University of Teacher Education Lucerne) funded by the Research Centre on MultilingualismBericht des Instituts für Lehren und Lernen (PH Luzern) finanziert aus Mitteln des Wissenschaftlichen Kompetenzzentrums für MehrsprachigkeitRapporto dell’Istituto per l’Insegnamento e l’Apprendimento (Alta Scuola Pedagogica di Lucerna) finanziato dal Centro scientifico di competenza per il plurilinguism

The impact of COVID-19 on the social and cultural integration of international students: a literature review

This systematic literature review summarises the state-of-the-art evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on the integration of international students in their host countries and institutions. Conducted between January and May 2022, it analyses the responses to COVID-19 of the key actors involved in international student mobility: national/regional authorities, higher education institutions, and students. Findings reveal that governmental action and institutional measures were decisive in shaping international students’ integration experiences. Regarding governmental action, criticism of the policies adopted by Australia and the USA in relation to immigration and/or support stand out, in contrast to policies adopted by the Canadian authorities. Higher education institutions played an important role in mitigating the negative effects of COVID-19 on international students’ integration. These targeted different needs– material, well-being, and social– through different types of support: logistical and financial support, psychological support, and the provision of platforms for ongoing social interaction and exchange. Most studies, however, focus on the students themselves, the challenges they faced during the pandemic and their coping strategies. Common to international students’ lived experience was (dis)connectedness, with the following themes emerging as obstacles to their social and cultural integration: distress during lockdown periods, disruption of their social life and support networks, mental health issues, discrimination and racialised prejudice, and language barriers. The review concludes by proposing recommendations and by identifying avenues for future research

The impact of COVID-19 on the social and cultural integration of international students: A literature review

Abstract This systematic literature review summarises the state-of-the-art evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on the integration of international students in their host countries and institutions. Conducted between January and May 2022, it analyses the responses to COVID-19 of the key actors involved in international student mobility: national/regional authorities, higher education institutions, and students. Findings reveal that governmental action and institutional measures were decisive in shaping international students’ integration experiences. Regarding governmental action, criticism of the policies adopted by Australia and the USA in relation to immigration and/or support stand out, in contrast to policies adopted by the Canadian authorities. Higher education institutions played an important role in mitigating the negative effects of COVID-19 on international students’ integration. These targeted different needs– material, well-being, and social– through different types of support: logistical and financial support, psychological support, and the provision of platforms for ongoing social interaction and exchange. Most studies, however, focus on the students themselves, the challenges they faced during the pandemic and their coping strategies. Common to international students’ lived experience was (dis)connectedness, with the following themes emerging as obstacles to their social and cultural integration: distress during lockdown periods, disruption of their social life and support networks, mental health issues, discrimination and racialised prejudice, and language barriers. The review concludes by proposing recommendations and by identifying avenues for future research.</jats:p

Hat die Einführung von «Frühenglisch» in der Primarschule einen Einfluss auf Motivation der Primarschulkinder Französisch zu lernen?

The introduction of English as the first foreign language (FL) taught in many German-speaking cantons of Switzerland has triggered concerns among educational politicians, academics and teachers that learning English – the global lingua franca – before French will diminish the need to learn another FL and, thus, negatively affect the students' motivation to learn French. A minority also believes, however, that the motivation to learn French may actually profit from previous English instruction as English can function as an icebreaker and stimulate an interest in and openness towards further languages. In this article empirical results from a Swiss National Science Foundation project regarding the influence of previous English instruction on the motivation to learn French among primary school children will be presented. The results show that English instruction from third grade onwards neither exerts a negative nor a positive influence on the subsequent motivation to learn French. It is other factors, such as the learners' language attitudes, their self-concept, gender and the language background of learners, that decisively influence the motivation to learn French

Sprachaustausch als sprach-kultureller Brückenschlag: Entwicklungen der letzten 20 Jahre und Erkenntnisse aus der Forschung

The Swiss Global Language Concept issued in 1998 recommends that every student experience at least one linguistic exchange or mobility activity during compulsory schooling. In a first section this article pinpoints key developments of the last 20 years that contribute to the achievement of this aim. The second section is devoted to research and details the findings of a Swiss study examining the effectiveness of linguistic exchange activities for language learning motivation and intercultural competence. The study findings suggest that even rather short exchange activities can have a positive effect. Future research will have to show if these results can be replicated with other samples (younger students) and other types of activities (e.g. shorter, virtual exchange channels)