Education of Foreign Languages Examined Using the Semantic Differential

Authors

  • Barbora Tokárová Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (UKF), Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4950-9819
  • Ladislav Simon Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3867-3016
  • Kitti Páleniková Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4537-1983
  • Ekaterina Davydova Russian Language Department, Institute of Russian Language, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Miklukho-Maklaya 6, 117198 Moscow, Russia
  • Zita Jenisová Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (UKF), Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8720-4337

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2023.2.227.241

Keywords:

teaching, foreign languages, semantic differential, psycholinguistics, didactic research

Abstract

Aim. The main aim of our project is to find out the opinions of selected groups of respondents about the teaching of foreign languages.

Methods. For verification, we chose to apply the research method of semantic differential and matched it in relation to psycholinguistics. Semantic differential is a research method aimed at verifying how respondents perceive concepts. We focused on verifying what the term language teaching evokes in three different groups of respondents (pupils/students, parents, and teachers). 16 bipolar terms were chosen, which the respondents had to evaluate on a scale of 1 to 7. The given term was evaluated more positively, the smaller the value of the number was. Didactic research was attended by 231 respondents who were divided into three basic groups: teacher, parent, and pupil/student. Then, the experimentally obtained data was statistically analysed and compared using post-hoc tests to determine which of the groups showed any results of significance.

Results. Of the used terms, only 3 were statistically significant: contemporary - outdated, valuable - worthless and cheerful- sad. The statistically significant difference was manifested in the two groups of pupils/students and parents. Pupils/students evaluated the teaching of foreign languages as contemporary, valuable, and fun. By contrast, parents are inclined to answer that teaching foreign languages is outdated, less valuable and sad.

Conclusion. The results evoke the implementation of new innovative based methods, for example, on integrated teaching (CLIL method) or new activating teaching methods.

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Author Biographies

  • Barbora Tokárová, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (UKF), Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia

    She is a student of external doctoral studies in departmental didactics with a focus on the theory of teaching chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia. She graduated as a teacher of chemistry and biology. She amended her education with the state examination in English language at the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica. She worked as a secondary school teacher. In her research activity, she focuses on the implementation of modern teaching methods and procedures in the teaching of chemistry. Currently, she is looking into the possibility of using the CLIL method in natural sciences and she is designing educational materials, methodologies and methodological sheets for this topic. She is a co-author of a university textbook and scientific articles.

  • Ladislav Simon, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia

    He is a student of external doctoral studies in departmental didactics with a focus on the theory of teaching chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia. He graduated as a teacher of chemistry and biology at the University of J. Selye in Komárno, where he also passed the rigorous examination in the teaching of chemistry. He collaborated on the evaluation of scientific, computer and information literacy in international testing. He focuses on verifying natural science literacy and the preparation of tools and activities related to improving the level of natural science literacy of students.

  • Kitti Páleniková, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia

    She is a university teacher, senior lecturer at the Department of Mathematics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia. She completed her doctoral studies in the field of the Theory of Teaching Mathematics. Her scientific focus is versatile. In addition to implementing CLIL in the teaching of mathematics, methodology of active learning of mathematics and natural sciences, teaching useful mathematics and method of solving problems in mathematics, she also evaluates pedagogical research. She is the author of many monographs, textbooks and articles and a lecturer of continuing education programs for teachers.

  • Ekaterina Davydova, Russian Language Department, Institute of Russian Language, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Miklukho-Maklaya 6, 117198 Moscow, Russia

    Russian as a foreign language teaching methodology for special purposes, methods of literary text analysis, comparative literary studies (study of the influence of German Romanticism on Russian and European literature of the XIX-XX centuries), author of many monographs, textbooks, articles.

  • Zita Jenisová, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (UKF), Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia

    She is a university teacher, associate professor at the Department of Chemistry at the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. After completing her university studies in teaching physics and chemistry at the Comenius University Bratislava, she continually deals with departmental didactics with a focus of the theory of teaching chemistry. She completed her doctoral studies in this field at the Comenius University in Bratislava and in 2016 she successfully defended her habilitation thesis at the Trnava University in Trnava. She focuses her research on the didactics of chemistry, school science experiments and digital technologies in the teaching process. She also deals with the implementation of new modern educational methods in the process of teaching natural sciences for the development of critical thinking, creativity and innovation using digital technologies. She is the author of university textbooks, monographs and scientific articles.

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Published

2023-09-28

How to Cite

Tokárová, B., Simon, L., Páleniková, K., Davydova, E., & Jenisová, Z. (2023). Education of Foreign Languages Examined Using the Semantic Differential. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 14(2), 227-241. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2023.2.227.241