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• Teaching English for Students with Special Educational Needs During the Pandemic

  20-31

  Gabriella Ridzig

  Anett Hrabéczy

  Gabriella Hegedűs

  Views:

  92

  This research aimed to examine the impact of distance learning on SEN students’ English language education, parental involvement in the education of these children, as well as the ICT tools used for their development. There is little information about the difficulties and trials these students and their teachers had to face during the COVID-19 epidemic. Moreover, parental involvement plays a significant role in school performance, but there is little information about how this was realized during distance learning. We assumed that the biggest problem was the transition from face-to-face education to the online sphere. To examine this, we conducted semistructured personal interviews with elementary school English teachers from north-eastern Hungary. The most important result of our research is that during this period only a few SEN students could receive special, individual lessons, and differentiated education was implemented to a somewhat limited extent. To conclude, more programs should be created that meet the different needs of SEN to properly educate these children, and that as many development specialists as possible, who could provide group or individual lessons, should be recruited.

• Curriculum Changes in the Visegrad Four: Three Decades After the Fall of Communism by Tomáš Janík, Štefan Porubský, Magdolna Chrappán, Kinga Kuszák

  144-146

  Gabriella Hegedűs

  Views:

  171

  Bibliography of the reviewed book: Janík, T., Porubský, Š., Chrappán, M., & Kuszák, K. (2020). Curriculum changes in the Visegrad Four: three decades after the fall of communism. Waxmann.

• Learning English through Shadow Education: Exploring Participants’ Motives and Experiences

  66-77

  Gabriella Hegedűs

  Views:

  459

  Parallel to the institutionalised school system, in which no change in pedagogical attitudes has taken place (Einhorn 2015), there is a growing demand for learning languages in non-formal contexts, including out-of-school courses that not only complement students’ studies in formal education but also seem to make the process of learning languages as well as giving academic support to students more effective. The present study aims to explore the international and Hungarian literature on shadow education, which is widespread in Hungary but has little literature (Varga 2015), by presenting the characteristics of the phenomenon and highlighting its shortcomings. A qualitative study is also presented in order to examine the expectations and experiences of the students (and their families) participating in private tutoring. Data gleaned from interviews with students and their parents are analysed to identify their motives, expectations, the development of students’ additional skills and competencies, their career aspirations and the families’ financial background. The results of the study shed light on some characteristics of shadow education that have not been visible yet. Some factors that can potentially enhance the effectiveness of language teaching in the state school system will also be highlighted. Although the study is based on a rather limited sample, the results help us gain important insights into the hidden aspects of shadow education.