Eleni Agathopoulou
Σημείωμα της Εκδότριας / Editor’s note
Thomaï Alexiou, Efthimia Penderi, Marianthi Serafeim
The pilot phase of the introduction of English in Greek state pre-primary schools: Portraying stakeholders’ perceptions
This paper presents a review and evaluation of the pilot introduction of EFL in pre-primary schools in Greece, which took place for the first time in 2020-2021. The main characteristics of the pilot scheme are portrayed along with the process of monitoring and investigating its implementation so as to discuss the basic findings presented in the study. The research questions concerned a) the stakeholders’ perceptions and beliefs regarding the advantages and challenges of the introduction of EFL in pre-primary schools, b) the issues raised concerning the active cooperation and relationship between the pre-primary and the English language teacher and c) the educators’ training needs. To answer these questions, questionnaires were developed and focus group discussions were carried out so as to provide evidence regarding these issues.The findings of the study suggest that despite the initial hesitation, numbing or even disbelief, all stakeholders recognized certain advantages accompanying the implementation of English in pre-primary settings and more specifically the benefits children receive. The importance of a good relationship between the pre-primary teacher and the English language teacher was highlighted and the need for further training in specific areas was underlined. A number of difficulties were also reported, mainly regarding lack of resources such as extra financing to support the creative activities in the English language, or availability of time within the working hours to promote collaborative teaching design. Generally, the benefits of such an innovative programme are abundant, supporting and promoting young children’s holistic growth and the general organizational culture for effective education.
Ελευθερία Ζάγκα
Πολιτικός λόγος και ιδεολογία: Τα χαρακτηριστικά του κύριου άρθρου στην κομματική σχολιογραφία
This paper focuses on the textual characteristics of the main article (editorial) of Greek newspapers in the context of commenting on political parties, by using as a theoretical framework the Critical Discourse Analysis. Based on this approach, the contextual, ideological and semantic context of the main article of a paper supporting a specific party is examined, and in particular, its linguistic context (titles), its organizational structure and lexicographical characteristics, as well as the specific strategies used for promoting the ideological positions of the newspaper, ‘Rizospastis’. This study highlights the similarities between the main article of publications supporting or not a specific party, as they are summarized in their macroeconomic characteristics, such as the title, the presentation of an issue, the appearance of arguments and the formulation of a certain position. Similarly, the particular features of comments on political parties are also highlighted, according to which the main article functions more as a militarized political text than as a commentary of discourse.
Zoe Kantaridou, Christine Hatzopoulou
The effect of alternative assessment methods on young learners’ autonomy and self-regulation: Α quasi-experimental study
The aim of the study is to examine the implementation of Alternative Assessment in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in a state primary school as proposed by the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP). Mixed research methods are employed. The quantitative data were analyzed, compared and contrasted along with qualitative data to prove that different types of Descriptive Assessment (DA) and learner portfolios have a favorable impact on Young Learners’ (YL) autonomy and self-regulation. After implementing a two-month period intervention, it was found that both experimental group pupils’ Relative Autonomy Index (RAI) for self-regulation and performance in the language test significantly improved in comparison to their peers in the control group. The results are discussed in relation to the pedagogical implications they have for EFL in YL.
Zoe Kantaridou, Angeliki Psaltou-Joycey
Affective dimensions of L2 learning
The present study investigated emotions of university students based on their answers to a scenario-based questionnaire (Gkonou & Oxford, 2016, in Oxford, 2017). The four scenarios concerned writing in class, being corrected in an oral activity, grammar rule repetition and going to class unprepared. The overall aim was to investigate the emotions evoked in these situations and the emotion-regulation strategies that students employed. Results showed that everyday classroom situations may trigger more negative (anxiety, nervousness, self-derogation) than positive emotions (self-confidence, empathy, encouragement). The students’ most frequent emotion regulation strategy was positive self-talk which activated supportive emotions, beliefs and attitudes.
Μαρία Μαρτζούκου
Θεραπεία του μελωδικού επιτονισμού: Μετάφραση και προσαρμογή στην ελληνική γλώσσα
The sciences of speech therapy, neurology, and neurolinguistics are looking for non-invasive and effective methods to improve patients’ language abilities. One of the most well-known and widely accepted methods of language intervention is the Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT). MIT is based on the prosodic cues of intonation and rhythm and was originally created to address the verbal difficulty of English-speaking patients with Broca aphasia. Despite the fact that MIT has been translated into and adapted to several languages and many positive effects for patients have been reported, in Greece, it is almost unknown. The current study includes a full description of the Greek translation of MIT and its adaptation to the Greek culture, in order to place in the quiver of each clinic one more non-invasive method for the improvement of the patients’ language skills.
Despoina Rodousaki, Thomaï Alexiou
Investigating vocabulary development in Greek EFL young learners
The aim of this paper is to report measures of receptive vocabulary size among Greek primary learners. Three measuring receptive vocabulary tools are used: (1) Greek X-Lex (Milton & Alexiou, 2010), a measure of orthographic vocabulary size in Greek, (2) English X-Lex, a measure of orthographic vocabulary size in English (Meara & Milton, 2003) and (3) Pic-lex (Alexiou, 2020), a picture-based test of vocabulary size. The scores from these tests are examined in relation to variables such as gender, age, and the number of mother tongues of the participants. The already standardized versions of X-Lex are compared to the newly introduced vocabulary assessment tool, Pic-lex, in order to examine its validity for further studies. 165 primary learners aged 6-9-year-olds participated in the study. Results indicate that Pic-lex scores correlate with the standardized tests, and this provides evidence of validity for the newly developed test. Gender does not appear to impact the scores testees obtained. However, testees’ age and the number of mother tongues do seem to play a role in vocabulary acquisition.