Edit H. Kontra

Language wants of English majors in a non-native context.

The main aim of our research was to investigate the language wants of English majors in Hungary. First a questionnaire was administered to 279 students at all the six universities of Hungary where there are students majoring in English language and literature combined with TESOL. The participants were mainly students in the last 2 years of their university studies and their number represented approximately 10% of the target population. The same questionnaire was also completed by 80 students who graduated from one of the universities in Hungary in the past 5 years. The design of the questionnaire was informed by the Common European Framework of Reference prepared by the Education Committee of the European Union (Council of Europe, 2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Teaching, Learning and Assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge). The questionnaire was piloted and validated with think-aloud interviews and test–retest reliability analysis. The results suggest that students use English mainly for academic purposes during their university studies. The most important functions for English majors in their future occupation seem to be expressing their opinion, reading texts on the Internet, conversing with non-native speakers, writing e-mail messages, giving explanations and instructions, and translating oral and written English in a variety of occupations. No major differences between students in different years of study and at different universities in the country were found. The methods applied and the findings concerning the needs of English majors in Hungary might also be relevant for other countries with a similar educational system.

An investigation into the relationship of foreign language learning motivation and sign language use among Deaf and hard of hearing Hungarians

Abstract The aim of this study is to point out the relationship between foreign language learning motivation and sign language use among hearing impaired Hungarians. In the article we concentrate on two main issues: first, to what extent hearing impaired people are motivated to learn foreign languages in a European context; second, to what extent sign language use in the classroom as well as outside school shapes their level of motivation. The participants in our research were 331 Deaf and hard of hearing people from all over Hungary. The instrument of data collection was a standardized questionnaire. Our results support the notion that sign language use helps foreign language learning. Based on the findings, we can conclude that there is indeed no justification for further neglecting the needs of Deaf and hard of hearing people as foreign language learners and that their claim for equal opportunities in language learning is substantiated.

The Challenge for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students to Learn Foreign Languages in Special Needs Schools.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) learners have the right to equal access to knowledge and information which entails equal opportunities in learning foreign languages (FLs). As part of a larger project, the present study aims at exploring how students in eight specialised institutions across Hungary perceive the challenge of learning a FL. Following the principles of qualitative research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 14–19-year-old D/HH learners. A purposive sample aiming at maximum variety was selected from a cohort of over 100 learners with the help of a previously validated questionnaire that focuses on D/HH learners’ FL learning motivations, strategies and beliefs. The interviews tapped into the following five topics: (1) the importance of learning a FL; (2) beliefs about the FL and about learning it; (3) learning modalities; (4) motivated learning behaviour and the use of learning strategies; (5) future goals and the envisaged role of the FL in the participants’ future. Our results indicate that in spite of low levels of initial motivation, many of the interviewed D/HH learners aspire to work abroad, where they hope to use the FL learnt. A frequent source of difficulty seems to be respondents’ perceived gaps in their own abilities to learn FLs; however, most participants claim that by seeking help and studying harder they can overcome these obstacles. It is also noteworthy that several of our participants find their knowledge of Hungarian inadequate for learning another spoken language. While producing and comprehending speech in the FL is a real challenge, learning to read and write is identified as an attainable goal. The use of Hungarian Sign Language for enhancing in-class communication seems both necessary and inevitable.