ABSTRACT

This study follows a group of modern foreign languages (MFL) teachers in the Netherlands during a nine-month professional development project around the theme of ‘Content in MFL’. The project was initiated following proposals to refocus the MFL curriculum on the basis of integrated learning outcomes for both language proficiency and areas of language-related content in the areas of Language Awareness and Cultural Awareness. The aims of the study were to explore the areas of content that teachers viewed as relevant to their MFL teaching, as well as the extent to which the introduction of MFL-specific content addressed teachers’ concerns regarding their practice. Perceived obstacles to the refocused curriculum were also addressed. Findings suggest that cultural content was a more relatable concept than language-related content for teachers in this study but also that language proficiency remained their central concern. Implications for the further development of the proposed content-focused curriculum are discussed.

摘要

本研究跟踪荷兰的一组现代外语 (MFL) 教师在围绕“MFL 内容”主题开展的为期九个月的专业发展项目中。该项目是根据关于语言能力和语言意识和文化意识领域的语言相关内容领域的综合学习成果重新调整 MFL 课程的建议而启动的。该研究的目的是探索教师认为与其 MFL 教学相关的内容领域，以及引入 MFL 特定内容在多大程度上解决了教师对其实践的担忧。重新调整课程重点所面临的障碍也得到了解决。研究结果表明，在本研究中，文化内容是一个比与语言相关的内容更相关的概念，但语言能力仍然是他们关注的中心问题。讨论了对拟议的以内容为中心的课程的进一步发展的影响。