The Future of Education
English as a Third Language (L3) in Greek State Schools: Pedagogical Implications and Suggestions
Evangelia Papalexatou, University of Patras (Greece)
Abstract
Our era has witnessed the expansion of the European Union which led various people to move to different countries in search of new opportunities. As a result, the influx of migrants and refugees has transformed the Greek society into a multicultural mosaic. Hence, cultural as well as linguistic pluralism is now a reality worldwide and issues of second / third language acquisition phenomena are becoming more and more pertinent to the Greek as well as the international educational contexts.
In this light, this paper provides an overview of ‘bilingualism’ and ‘trilingualism’ and the general role of the first in the teaching and learning of English as a third language (L3), regarding the public primary education in Greece. In particular, it reports on the general findings of a qualitative study (case study) regarding two Albanian students attending the fourth class in a Greek state primary school. Being bilingual learners themselves, this study aimed to identify their overall scope, attitudes and performance of theirs when it comes to learning English as a third language.
The present paper first aims to shed light on those particular practices- based on and mingled with relative research- which were conducive to successful learning and secondly provides snapshots of teaching English as an additional language (EAL) to bilingual learners. Moreover, this paper conveys the uniqueness of real individuals and situations based on the researcher’s point of view and puts forward ways to improve the existing quality of teaching English as a third language in the primary school context.
The research tools used for the specific article are limited to the bilinguals’ personal practices and the researcher’s personal reflection. Generally, the results of the study indicate that the bilinguals’ advantages outweigh those of monolinguals and based on the theoretical framework along with the empirical insights, the need for meticulous attention and careful consideration- regarding third language acquisition strategies and teaching methods- is highlighted.
Key words: Bilingualism, Trilingualism, EAL, pedagogical/teaching practices
