Foreign Language Education and Dynamics of Foreign Language Competence

Abstract

1.IntroductionCurrently, the need to speak foreign languages across the world has created a significant need for efficient methodologies, high quality resources and well-educated and qualified, interdisciplinary educated foreign language teachers for the development of foreign language competence. While there has been a sincere search into these aspects of foreign language education, the objectives and syllabi of such programmes have also gone through extensive overhauling to meet the needs of the global marketplace. This overhaul is connected to the need for good communication skills in foreign languages as today, it is not enough to be able to read or write in a foreign language, but to be able to communicate authentically in a foreign language speaking world. Acknowledging these needs, foreign language teaching methodology has shifted its focus from grammar and traditional receptive teaching to communicative and community based approaches with a wider focus on the interdisciplinary aspects of foreign language education. Although foreign language teaching is a broad topic that has been extensively discussed over the years, the following study was meant to be a discourse on uncovering insights into potentially successful methodology in teaching foreign languages as well as examining a specific element of foreign language learning, that is the dynamics of foreign language competence.The field of foreign language learning has been discussed and analyzed from a wide variety of viewpoints and determinants (Richards 2006; Janikova, 2011; Lojova, 2005; Stranovska, 2011; Rickheit, Sichelschmidt & Strohner, 2007; Rickheit, Strohner & Vorwerg, 2008). Previous research studies looked mainly into foreign language competence and its relationship to communication skills and reading comprehension skills (Devine, 1987; Carrell, 1983; Clarke, 1976; Eskey, 1973; Goodman 1967, 1971). Furthermore, the aims of the previous research studies were to examine the two following hypotheses: The Linguistic Threshold Hypothesis and The Linguistic Interdependency Hypothesis. The basic argument of the Linguistic Threshold Hypothesis is that a certain level of competence in a foreign language has to be in place before learners are able to perform fluently in a foreign language. The Interdependency Hypothesis argues that prior to the acquisition of the second or foreign language (L2, L3), the first language (L1) skills have to be sufficiently developed. Recent studies have focused predominantly on examining predictors of reading; operating memory, language sensitivity, rapid naming, and phonological awareness, as well as personal characteristics and social competences of language acquisition (Anthony & Francis, 2005; Foy & Mann, 2006; Smith-Spark & Fisk, 2007; Stranovska et al., 2013). Additionally, contemporary research studies examined the influence of a variety of foreign language instructional methods in teaching foreign language on foreign language competence (Farkasova, 2008, Janikova, 2011, Stranovska et al., 2013). However, the variable of foreign language development in relation to intervention on the variable of foreign language learning strategies used and their influence on foreign language learners' competence has not been investigated in the academic environment as evidenced by the paucity of research studies on intervention in foreign language learning in the academic environment. Stanovic (1984) and Ehlers (1998) investigated interdependency of learning strategies in first and foreign languages and the influence of the strategies on foreign language learning and found that the interdependency of learning strategies did influence foreign language learning and competence.Therefore, the current study sought to examine the dynamics of foreign language competence through the means of the Linguistic Intervention Programme (LIP). Pre-test and post-test scores served as the tool to measure the dynamics of foreign language competence in this study. …