engleski

Project-Based Learning in German Language Teaching - Teachers' Attitudes and Teaching Practice

Project-based learning (PBL) is a teaching method which has existed for a number of years. In recent times, PBL is being considered as the method which possibly meets the needs for developing competences of the 21st century individual. The contribution of this manner of learning and teaching with respect to developing critical thinking and problem-solving competences has been proved by numerous research studies in the field of both linguistic and non-linguistic subjects. In foreign language teaching and learning, PBL can have particularly positive impacts on language acquisition - students are active, they have the opportunity to use the foreign language in authentic situations and they are motivated to be creative in communication. However, studies in this area point to shortcomings when it comes to integrating PBL in teaching practice. In order to examine primary school German language teachers’ knowledge of PBL, to explore their opinions and attitudes about PBL and to gain insights regarding the implementation of PBL in their teaching practice, a questionnaire was given to a population of 101 primary school German language teachers mostly from Central Croatia. The results showed that the respondents were often uncertain in defining PBL. As the greatest advantage of PBL, they often stated that it was simply a step away from the usual teaching practice. Findings showed that younger respondents were less likely to integrate projects into their teaching practice than the older ones, although older respondents were more inclined to think negatively about PBL. Such findings point to the need for further teacher education in this area.

compulsory education ; German as a foreign language ; learning strategies ; teaching methods ; 21st century skills

nije evidentirano