engleski

The Use of Context and Language Acquisition Outcomes of German and English as Foreign Languages in Croatia

In the last decade or so, some researchers (e.g. Firth and Wagner, 1997) have re-emphasized the importance of context in the language acquisition processes, initially recognized by Hymes in the 1970s. As a result, a number of empirical studies have emerged that explore the impact of contextual factors on the outcomes of language acquisition. Most of these studies were devoted to the comparison of language gains in the study abroad or intensive domestic immersion contexts and the at home (AH) contexts (e.g. Milton and Meara, 1995 ; Segalowitz and Freed, 2004 ; Lafford, 1995, 2004 ; Collentine, 2004). In these studies, the AH learning context usually refers to the foreign language learning in a formal language classroom setting in an institutional context. However, in the era of globalization, the concept of AH context has widened to include the informal, out-of-school context of learning and/or acquiring a particular foreign language as well. The present study sets out to compare the use of out-of-school language learning context of German and English learners and its impact on their language learning outcomes. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to: - determine learners’ use of out-of-school context in connection with the four language skills ; - explore learners’ perception of the exposure to the two foreign languages ; - establish the level of learners communicative language competence ; - explore the relationship between the use of the context and learners’ level of communicative competence ; - analyse the differences between learners of English and learners of German as a foreign language with respect to the above listed variables. An adapted version of the “Language Contact Profile” questionnaire developed by Freed et al. (2004) and a battery of standardized tests measuring communicative language competence through four language skills (listening comprehension, reading comprehension, speaking and writing) were administered to a total of 113 Croatian secondary (high and vocational) school students - 57 learners of German and 56 learners of English (aged 17/18). Statistical analyses revealed that learners of English generally achieve better results and make better use of the context: while learners of German rely heavily on the school context, learners of English exploit both the school and out-of-school context. The results may be associated with the differences in contextual circumstances for English and German within the same social context. What this implies is that the ostensibly same AH context may be comprised of diverse strata linked to specific foreign languages which do not provide identical opportunities for context-related language learning activities. Therefore, we argue that a foreign language learning context is complex in that it conceals variability leading to differences in language learning achievement, and as such commands further attention.

language learning context, language learning outcomes, German, English

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