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THE ISSUES OF TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES TO LEARNERS WITH A SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY
31-52Views:436To make language teaching effective, it is important to consider the forms of language teaching, especially when we talk about learners with a specific learning disability. Our theoretical paper tries to review the literature of language teaching and dyslexia. The goal of our paper is to briefly present the definitions of dyslexia as well as to describe its signs and symptoms. This paper deals with the issues of language acquisition and language teaching, focusing on the difficulties which emerge when learning English. A dyslexic learner usually has difficulties in reading and writing in his L1, their reading is slower and they have problems with reading comprehension too. Besides the possible difficulties, we also discuss the strengths of dyslexic learners as their most important compensating skills are global/holistic thinking, visualisation, creativity, and problem-solving. Our paper also deals with the regulations governing language teaching in schools and the issues of choosing the language to learn at school. In higher education and in the world of work, speaking foreign languages and having language certificates are advantages, consequently, it is necessary to have appropriate course material. Language learners with dyslexia also have to take a school-leaving exam /GCSE in a foreign language, which is why our paper also deals with the output of language teaching in schools as well as the possibilities for dyslexic candidates offered by some Hungarian language exams (ORIGO, BME, DExam, ECL) The paper also mentions the issues of course material and language course books, as well as addressing the question of inclusive teaching for dyslexic learners. We also discuss the competencies required by a Special Educator as a language teacher, as he/she can help students, not only in learning English but also in the integration process.
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HISTORY OF LANGUAGE LEARNING AT AN EARLY AGE ON NYÍREGYHÁZA
7-18Views:169In our paper, we deal with the significance of learning languages at an early age. While going through the literature of the topic, we draw attention to the importance of age in learning a language, as well as the basic differences between language learning and language acquisition. In the following, we present the options outside the family (such as language schools and family creche 'családi bölcsőde') for learning a language at an early age in Nyíregyháza in 2017. In our research, we also wanted to find out what differences can be seen in terms of the methodology of early foreign language activities in kindergartens/preschools between the activities held during the change of the political regime in Hungary (1989/1990) and today. We chose the interview as a research method because in this way we can get a picture of the foreign language activities in kindergartens/preschools and their first steps in the 1990s when they were first available to children. We made eight interviews in spring 2017, asking kindergarten pedagogues/early childhood educators and language teachers as well as who had held English activities in kindergartens/preschools. Based on the information we received from the informants, we can say that early English activities were available in 23 kindergartens/preschools out of the 34 kindergartens/preschools (68%) operating in Nyíregyháza, Hungary in 2017. In some kindergartens/preschools children can also take part in early French and German activities. We have also realized that the number of those kindergartens/preschools which organize playful foreign language activities on a weekly basis has been increasing since the 1990s. From the recollections of the informants, it has also been revealed to us that during the change of the political system providing personal criteria (that is finding qualified teachers) was the most difficult task. Nowadays, several kindergartens/preschools employ kindergarten pedagogues who are able to take part in the language development of children in a foreign language as they are competent users of it. Playfulness, using audiovisual devices, and a lot of props have been highly important since the very beginning in the kindergartens, and pedagogues have also been doing their best to use and try different methods in order to develop the foreign language competence of children aged 4-7.
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THE PLACE OF THE GYPSY LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
73-81Views:152The Hungarian gypsy population is not only varied from the social, cultural, and ethnic side, but also from the lingual viewpoint. The education, health, the situation of the labour market, and the social sciences discourses are continuously in connection with the Gypsy people. At the same time, the examination of the gypsy language and the use of gypsy language can only be the interest of a narrow professional circle, while the phases of gradual language changes, language retention, and loss, or the language policy issues are showing particular problems. We are talking about a language that has been able to preserve its origins, besides the forced lingual and ethical assimilation. In our country, the form of national upbringing and education is always really closely related to educational policy. In my opinion, every student in the educational institutions is enriched with the knowledge of other nationalities' cultures and language, as they have the opportunity for studying it. During the statistical analysis, we looking for answers to the question of whether this relationship can be traced between the territorial distribution of Roma Gypsies and the schools of Gypsy nationality education.
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THE "INSTITUTIONALIZATION" OF THE LOVARI LANGUAGE FROM THE ASPECT OF SOCIAL INNOVATION
85-93Views:118In this current paper we intend to reflect upon the historicity and social impact of Lovari language education from the perspective of social innovation. Our starting point is that the process of the acceptance of the Lovari language and its recognition in the educational palette of foreign languages is a „bottom-up” initiative that developed mainly from the work of Romani intellectuals. The focus of our interest is, among others, the following questions: Who invented it? Who supported it? Who prevented it? What language learning methods are used by people teaching Lovari language who are originally not language teachers? The „institutionalization” of language education in Lovari and the state-recognized language exam certificate that can be obtained in this language have a serious social impact, for example, it helped disadvantaged and/or Roma students to obtain a university degree. From this point of view, we also consider this phenomenon as an innovation. Besides the secondary sources, we tend to map the topic with the help of primary, qualitative data. In addition to interviews with Lovari language teachers (N=3) who have been teaching for several decades, we would like to put our own perceptions in a narrative.
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Pro-drop in Farsi: A Case Study of Bilingual Speakers
127-136Views:27This research is meant to uncover some of the internal grammatical structure of bilingual Farsi speakers who have English as their dominant language. Bilinguals, whose mother tongue is Farsi but whose dominant language is English, are influenced by their dominant language on their mother tongue concerning pro-drop. One of the issues often seen in bilingual speakers of null subject languages is the use of pro-drop in languages such as Hungarian, Japanese, Chinese, Slavic languages, and Arabic. This paper will demonstrate how these bilingual speakers incorrectly use the null subjects in their sentences and in addition, how SEN children i.e. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) understand and use the pronoun-dropping phenomenon. Choosing a null pronoun in the non-dominant language seems unacceptable to some speakers because their dominant language lacks pro-drop; therefore, in certain situations, researchers might say that these bilingual speakers do not sound as fluent in their native language as they do in their dominant language. The main focus of this research is the investigation into the preference of bilingual speakers as well as ASD children of English and Farsi and their use of pro-drop
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LEARNING GERMAN WITH DYSLEXIA
67-75Views:290The current study provides insight into the specificities of dyslexic pupils learning German as a foreign language by measuring their language lexical knowledge. The aim was to explore the nature of dyslexia whilst learning a foreign language. Should we really free all such pupils from the strains of learning a foreign language? Or is it a case of finding the appropriate methodology to learn a new language? The goal is to measure language skills in a foreign language and draw inferences from this. Method: Word association exercises are used to measure the lexical knowledge of children with learning disorders, including dyslexia. Sample: 19 students with learning disorders. Conclusion: The results clearly indicate that we should find pupils’ individual strengths and utilise these, instead of simply exempting pupils from learning foreign languages.
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THE STATE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN'S
77-88Views:628The study addresses the language problems of children with socio-cultural background problems. Children from the environment using a limited language code are more likely to start with a language disadvantage or language delay, and these ability deficits do not or only moderately decrease during the years of institutional education. In the presented pilot study, n = 20 people from Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, disadvantaged Gypsy / Roma children living in three villages and their parents were analyzed. In the study, the Parental Treatment Questionnaire (H-PBI, Gordon, 1979), the LAPP Active Vocabulary Survey (Lőrik et al., 2015), and the speech of children with delayed/impeded speech developed by Dr. Ágnes Juhász and Tiborné Bittera (1995) and its language development was examined. The results were interpreted according to the small sample on the basis of simple statistics, and the drawing of conclusions is also treated sparingly.
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L'EFFETTO DEI SOCIAL MEDIA SULLA LINGUA ITALIANA
123-128Views:118Il presente studio ha valutato le caratteristiche e gli atteggiamenti nell'uso della lingua di n = 97 madrelingua italiani in relazione all'interazione tra i social media e la lingua italiana. I risultati mostrano che i social media hanno solo una piccola influenza sull'uso della lingua degli intervistati e non è chiaro se gli utenti della lingua vedano il cambiamento nella lingua italiana come un'evoluzione o una regressione.
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
In the Italian-language study, n = 97 native-speaking Italian respondents were assessed for their language use characteristics and attitudes in relation to the interaction between Social Media and the Italian language. The results show that Social Media has only a small influence on the language use of the respondents and it is not clear whether language users see the change in the Italian language as evolution or regression.
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TEACHING GERMAN TO STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS HUNGARIAN AND INTERNATIONAL OVERVIEW
55-67Views:325Nowadays teaching children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) is at the centre of attention. However, the field is really new in language pedagogy and, due to the students’ different abilities, a common methodology has yet to be developed. As a result, teachers’ creativity plays an even more important role, since they rely heavily on their own teaching experience. We will dive deeper into this topic in our two papers built upon each other, both dealing with the issues of teaching a second language to school-aged children with SEN. This present paper is about teaching German students with SEN at a Hungarian and an international level. Our research involves an international overview of several European countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Poland, Russia, Estonia, and Italy). We contacted specific institutions in those countries and asked for their experience in teaching a second language to children with SEN. It also includes the language learning characteristics of children with SEN as well as the Hungarian rules governing their language teaching.
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LANGUAGE USE IN INTER-ETHNIC MARRIAGES IN TURKESTAN
7-18Views:79The current paper intends to answer the following questions: What is the rule of the language use in the case of an interethnic marriage in Turkestan? What the features of sociocultural environment like and how these specificities make impact on the language use in interethnic marriages? Furthermore, what are the sociolinguistic aspect of the study concerning the interpretation if interethnic language use in mixed marriages? The whole research is based on a database which consists of 40 interviews.
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COMPARISON OF THE FAMILIARITY OF GRADE 4 ROMA AND NON-ROMA SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH SOME BIOLOGICAL TERMS IN ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
47-60Views:156Most of the Roma settlements in Croatia are spatially segregated from the settlements of the majority population. Specific cultural elements constitute the ethnic border towards the local population, making it difficult and reducing the possibility of their integration into the majority population. One of the results of that segregation is the unfamiliarity of the Roma children with the language of the majority population. This unfamiliarity with the Croatian language is a big obstacle for the integration of the Roma children into Croatian society through school education. Starting from Grade 1 they follow the regular school curriculum. Two of the subjects that are taught from the very beginning of their primary school education are Natural Science and English as a foreign language. In this paper, the authors present the results (statistical analysis and discussion) of their research study. It compares the familiarity of Roma and Non-Roma Grade 4 children (age 10) with some biological terms in English as a foreign language. Based on the results of their research, the authors suggest modifications of the school curriculum for Roma children that would enable their better school achievement and subsequently their easier integration into Croatian society.
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THE USE OF ENGLISH MEDIA IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
49-57Views:190The flow of information in the digital age is facilitated not only by traditional media such as television, radio, and print but also by new media such as the internet, desktops, and integrated computers, tablets, and smartphones, etc. The presence of IT tools is quite common these days among kindergarten-aged children (3-6/7), and even toddlers can use them on a daily basis. Moreover, modern pedagogy is unthinkable without digital devices that have become integral parts of innovations such as game-based learning, media-based learning, and edutainment. There are several language schools and bilingual creches where they accept very young children and babies. It is said that parents know their child best and children spend a lot of time with their parents. In consequence, this provides an excellent opportunity for parents to raise a bilingual child even if it is not his/her first language. In our paper we are combining these two, currently, central issues: the use of English-language media and early childhood language-learning, as only limited research is available about it. We are going to present the results of empirical research carried out mainly in kindergartens in Debrecen, which focused on early second language learning and the children’s use of media. Our research has two goals, so the questionnaires asked parents about the use of foreign-language media, its content and the time children spend consuming English content. In addition, we were interested in the parents’ attitude to their children’s English-language media use. We analyzed our data in the framework of early second language learning. Our research was carried out within the Early Childhood Research Group run by the Faculty of Education for Children and Special Educational Needs of the University of Debrecen. The research was carried out between October 2016 and January 2017.
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TEACHING GERMAN IN NYÍREGYHÁZA TO STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
69-81Views:204The present paper deals with the issues of teaching a second language to school-aged children with SEN in Nyíregyháza, Hungary. In our research, we made semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions featuring 25 children with Special Educational Needs in grades 7 and 8 in order to gain more information about their opinion and attitudes concerning German lessons at school, which in turn might help to unify the material and/or the methods. We also contacted the children’s parents (25) to fill out a questionnaire about their impressions and opinions with regard to their children’s German learning experience at school. Finally, we asked the two teachers to paint a broader picture of teaching German to children with SEN. The research took place in spring 2020 in Nyíregyháza. We did our research in Viktor Göllesz Vocational School, Skills Development School, Student Hostel, and Integrated Special Educational Methodological Institution as well as in Gusztáv Bárczi Primary School, Skills Development School, Student Hostel, and Integrated Special Educational Methodological Institution. To carry out our research, we asked for the parents’ and the head teachers’ ethical consent. Our experience underlines that all the participants in the teaching process feel that there is a need for unification. It would be much easier for all parties to have a German coursebook written for students aged 13-16 with SEN. Based on the answers of the language teachers, we came to the conclusion that they pay attention to individual development and playful, communicative language teaching, even though it is challenging to teach German to children with SEN, as they often have difficulties in their mother tongue.
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THE STORYTELLING CHAIR AS A TOOL TO DEVELOP THE ELABORATED LANGUAGE CODE IN STEP BY STEP ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION
83-97Views:133In the study, we investigate the storytelling chair, a pedagogical tool of Step by Step, a popular alternative educational format in Romania, using Basil Bernstein's theory of language codes. During the qualitative research conducted in the spring semester of the school year 2021/2022, we conducted observations and semi-structured individual interviews in a Hungarian-speaking school in Partium (Romania) with primary school teachers who use the storytelling chair every day (n=11). The interviews showed that the storytelling chair has elements that are characteristic of the elaborated code. The pedagogical tool under study dissolves the situational nature of comprehension, the children tell the story as the only one who knows it, thus playfully encouraging them to communicate their experiences to the class through a variety of linguistic means, while giving them the space to express themselves freely, without the "I" being subordinated to the "we". The storytelling chair brings the symbolism of home and school closer together, and language can help them build a bridge between the two worlds.
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POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF THE EFFECTS OF ONLINE AND IN-PERSON INFORMATION PROCESSING ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN CHILDHOOD
101-110Views:335The following study provides a brief overview of some research findings, both Hungarian and international, that draw attention to the dangers of using digital devices in childhood, particularly to the potential for damage to the nervous system, locomotor, and speech development. In all cases, we seek to support the data with clear explanations, from the standpoint of developmental neurology and language development. As a counterweight to the questions raised, we will present equestrian and storytelling task types that illustrate the essential role of personal presence heard speech, and (mainly outdoor) exercise in the development of children's partial skills, such as speech production, speech perception, and speech comprehension. Each of the cases reported here stems from the experience of our equestrian practice. This awareness-raising study was designed to draw attention to the fact that the optimal timing of children’s encounters with the digital world is still unresolved, and that the marginalization of the off-line world poses more dangers than many people think.
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XAMINATION OF READING SKILLS IN PATIENTS WITH APHASIA USING THE THREE-WAYS READING TEST
87-116Views:169Aphasia is an acquired disorder of previously intact language ability that can affect both oral and written language (Osmanné, 1997, Gósy, 2005). Whilst there are a few fairly useable methods available that can provide a global and true picture of the patient’s linguistic abilities in oral language (Osmanné, 1983, 2007), there is only one assessment method in use in Hungarian for measuring the reading skills and it is a part of the Western Aphasia Battery (Net 1). This assessment does not enable unambiguous interpretation at several points, the scoring method is sometimes not clear and most importantly the results do not mirror the patient’s performance that had been previously observed. This is why we have decided to develop a new diagnostic test.
Our investigation of the reading process in aphasia is based on Ellis and Young’s theory of the dual-route model (Ellis, 2004). Our aim was to assess the patients’ performance in each reading process (route) so a therapy method can be created that is based on the intact reading process and supports the recovery of the damaged routes.
The data for our pilot study were collected from patients who had both motor and sensory disturbances with motor dominance. The use of our testing method was smooth and easy in practice. The results confirm that the method is suitable to use in measuring the performance on different reading routes that can give guidance in designing the treatment approach.
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LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGE WITH CARICATURES AND COMICS
73-85Views:166Applying comics and cartoons can be an effective method of talent development in the area of learning foreign languages. The present study shows a) how we can use the possibilities of comics and cartoons to develop the creativity of students in the frame of foreign language lessons; b) what cooperative methods we can apply with help of the drawings; c) how we can motivate our students to learn languages.
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A CASE STUDY OF TEACHING ENGLISH IN KINDERGARTENS SINCE 1989 – A NORTH-EAST HUNGARIAN CITY
127-137Views:83In our paper, we deal with the significance of learning languages at an early age. The research aimed to explore how the teaching methods employed in kindergartens have altered with the change of the political regime in 1989–90. A case-study was conducted using semi-structured interviews (n=7) with early childhood educators and language teachers in 2016/2017. Oral history method was used because no written material was produced. Based on information we received from the informants and local authorities, early English activities were available in 68% of kindergartens in the North-East Hungarian city when the research was undertaken. The number of kindergartens which organize playbased foreign language practices has been increasing since the 1990s. In the beginning, providing educational personnal was the most difficult task. Using audio-visual devices and props has been highly important, and Early Childhood Educators have been doing their best when working with children aged 4–7. However, there are differences too, due to the development of technology.
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MONITORING AND SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
69-77Views:112Development is a continuous process influenced by several factors. If practitioners would like to ensure children's and young persons' optimal social and emotional development and school performance, they have to monitor both development and academic achievement from early childhood until the age of 19. In the UK, more than one million children struggle with speech, language, and communication problems so early identification is of vital importance. If identification is missed or late, it may have detrimental effects on the child’s or young person’s psychological, mental, and physical health. Multi-agency teams work in collaboration in order to provide relevant help to those in need.
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THE LANGUAGE BOOK “DEUTSCH MIT COMICS” (REVIEW))
99-101Views:141The reviewed book is:
Szalay Kristóf (2013): A „Deutsch mit Comics”. Central Holding Magyaroszág Kft., Debrecen. ISBN 9789630858557 -
MATHEMATICAL STATISTICAL BACKGROUND OF SELF-CONTROLLED EFFECTIVENESS STUDY OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
65-75Views:236This paper offers methodological guidance to the mathematical-statistical analysis of self-controlled (pre-test - development - post-test type) effectiveness studies of development programs written for children who need special treatment. After summarising the basic terms we show what kind of commands can be given to a downloadable free software (it is the R language), and how we can interpret the results of statistical calculations done by the software.
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MATHEMATICAL STATISTIC BACKGROUND OF EFFECTIVENES STUDIES WHICH COLLECT DATA FROM AN EXPERIMENTAL AND A CONTROLL GROUP ONLY ONCE
73-82Views:168One kind of effectiveness study of developmental programs compares results of an experimental group and a control group (when the data collecting happened only once). This paper offers methodological guidance to choose, apply and interpret adequate mathematical statistic analysis of these studies. Using R environment (this is a downable free software) is recommended to compute statistical results.
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PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD THROUGH MUSIC EDUCATION
189-196Views:358The study focuses on a small but important segment of Hungarian culture, the musical education of children aged 3-7. Its central theme is to examine how the adaptation of folk games and related movements can be one of the most complex developmental forces in the personality development of this age group. This is because this period is fundamental in terms of cultural transmission and plays an integrative role in aesthetic education. As the pre-school child develops musically, his or her memory, imagination, associative abilities, creativity, attention and interest are constantly being developed through joyful activity, since his or her movements in connection with folk play are not yet guided and determined by the meaning and content of the text, but by the melody and its rhythm and the spontaneous feeling of joy associated with them. The role of musical education, and within it of folk games, is also evident in the process of emotional education, socialisation, intellectual development and language development. The links examined and presented demonstrate that folk games help children to develop skills that will enable them to become school-ready and to continue to develop in adult life.
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MATHEMATICAL STATISTICAL BACKGROUND OF ONE SAMPLE, CRITERIUM ORIENTED EFFECTIVENESS STUDY OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
69-78Views:207This paper offers methodological guidance to the mathematical-statistical analysis of criterium-oriented effectiveness studies (in case of examining one sample, when we compare the observed values to a criterium value of a development plan) of development programs for children who need special treatment. We provide practical help to choose the adequate mathematical-statistical test for examining differences in the case of one sample (see: Abari et all, 2015), to create commands for R statistical software, as well as to the interpretation of R results.
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A HISTORICAL LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF 19TH CENTURY GYPSY LITERARY WRITING
113-121Views:102The present study attempts to parallel the history of the development of 19th-century Gypsy literary writing with the history of the development of Hungarian language writing and literature in the 18th and 19th centuries. The basis of which was the concept of the literary historian János Horváth