The concept of oral language proficiency has evolved over the years, and the modern view of a successful language user is a skillful multilingual communicator with strong mediation skills (Council of Europe, 2020). Developing one’s language skills requires not only knowledge of the language and culture but also opportunities to use the language. A typical situation for using a foreign language in everyday life is some form of oral communication.
In an ongoing study, our research team is interested in what promotes and also hinders engagement in oral language use situations. Factors influencing the willingness to use one’s language skills may include perceptions of one’s language proficiency and attitudes towards the language being learned or its speakers.
Our target groups are students in high school and university language center courses studying German, French, and Spanish. In our first study we explore students’ perceptions of language proficiency and oral language use situations using the narrative approach (Eskola et al. 2017, 2019). In their stories, students reflect on factors they believe influence success or failure in oral interaction situations.
Researchers:
Ilona Halttunen
Hanna-Ilona Härmävaara
Eija Jokinen
Heini Kallio
Katja Kemppainen
Laura Lahti
Claudia Rehwagen
Tanja Tuuna-Kyllönen
Elina Vasu