Learning Needs of Senior English Learners
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The talk presented findings from a qualitative research investigation aimed at detecting senior (60+) beginner learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) needs when learning EFL that are relevant, especially for The University of Third Age (U3A) EFL educators. The research findings follow the research questions dealing with the students’ motivation, goals and needs concerning language skills, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, the learning environment, classroom climate, the teacher’s approach, (self-) reflection and evaluation, teaching methods and techniques. The research sample consisted of seven Czech U3A EFL course participants. The data were collected in the form of field notes from class observations by the class teacher and a focus group interview with the research participants. The interview transcriptions were further open coded using the Atlas.ti software. A set of recommendations emerged from the data analysis (including, for example, tailored listening exercises, chunk-based grammar instruction, gradual introduction of new material, incorporation of drills for pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, or creating a safe environment for role-playing challenging real-life situations). However, the small sample size limits the value of the findings, and more research is needed in this EFL subfield. |