WAYS TO IMPLEMENT PLURILINGUALISM BY MEANS OF

RESEARCH

Antonio R. Roldán Tapiaaroldantapia@yahoo.es

http://languagesroldan.blogspot.com

What is Plurilingualism?

A social and educational

value

A linguistic concept

A language policy

1. CENTROS BILINGÜES2. ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMA3. PLURILINGÜISMO Y PROFESORADO4. PLURILINGÜISMO Y SOCIEDAD5. PLURILINGÜISMO E INTERCULTURALIDAD

Number of bilingual schools1 – Piloting stage 1999-20052 – 2005/20063 – 2009/2010

Number of EOIs (2005-2009)

3. Plurilingualism and teachers

ACTION RESEARCH

Ph. D. Proyecto G.T. Investigación

Research ……. Four parameters

Synthetic (focus whole) vs. analythic (focus parts)

Descriptive (generates hypothesis) vs. deductive (tests hypothesis)

High vs. low level of control and manipulation

Structured vs non-structured data collection process and quantitative vs. qualitative data

EXAMPLE OF RESEARCH

To measure how much textbooks adapt to the levels of CEFR.

1st ESO textbooks? A1 or A2 level?

A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2

? ?

EXAMPLE OF RESEARCH

To measure how much textbooks adapt to the levels of CEFR.

To what extent do they incorporate the corresponding scales?

The learner / user can……..

The learner /user can…….

The learner / user can…………

The learner /user can…………..

EXAMPLE OF RESEARCHTo measure how much textbooks adapt to

the levels of CEFR.

Selection of textbooks New Thumbs Up 24% Exchange 11% United 10%

Checklist

Double observer

CREATIVE WRITING BOOK /OBSERVER

A2 The learner can write very short, basic descriptions of events, past activities and personal experiences

from: United 1 (Macmillan)

To make sure data are: • objective• reliable

NTU EX UN

OVERALL WRITTEN PRODUCTION OBS1

OBS2

OBS1

OBS2

OBS1

OBS2

A2

The learner can write a series of simple phrases and sentences linked with simple connectors like “and”, “but” or “because”.

* * * * * *

A1

The learner can write simple isolated phrases and sentences. * * * * * *

Inter-rater agreement

Higher than 80%

Conclusions1st ESO books include both A1 and A2

descriptors;A1 is not equivalent to Primary

Education;There is considerable difference

among books from different publishers: the lowest score is 42.5% and the highest is 52.5%;

There is a lack of authentic materials at this level;

There is considerable difference among skills;

Suggestions post-researchFor the teachers, it would be worth: • Making an effort to get to know at a

certain level the CEFR;• Using the CEFR as a tool to select the

textbooks they are teaching at school;• Using the CEFR as a tool to analyze and

evaluate the materials that are available in the market and also those in the internet;

• Making learners familiar with the CEFR so that ELP implementation would be an easy task to carry out.

Suggestions post-researchThe Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Andalucía

should proceed in the following way:

• By using the CEFR as one of the mechanisms that are applied to adopt decisions about the approval of textbooks and teaching materials for the first and second languages;

• By officially setting the levels of competence that are desirable after the end of each school level for the languages that are taught;

• By updating the topics that are required for Oposiciones so that candidates have to show the knowledge they have about the CEFR and ELP;

• By making the CEFR a priority in teacher training for all L1, L2s and ELE teachers.

Suggestions post-researchThe publishers might take into consideration

these issues: • To accomodate the textbooks they produce to

the scales of the levels of the CEFR;

• To use a set of codes (colours, icons, etc) –coommon to all series they produce- so that teachers and learners become familiar with the CEFR and its levels;

• To incorporate authentic materials at this level, mostly for reading and listening comprehension;

• To accomodate the supplementary materials they produce (for slow learners or for highly-gifted) to the levels of the CEFR;

PROPOSALS OF RESEARCH

PROPOSALS OF RESEARCH

PROPOSALS OF RESEARCH

REFERENCESCohen, A. & Macaro, E. (ed.) (2007). Language learner strategies.

Oxford: Oxford University Press.Consejería de Educación (2005). “Acuerdo de 22 de marzo de 2005,

del Consejo de Gobierno, por el que se aprueba el Plan de Fomento del Plurilingüismo en Andalucía”, BOJA núm. 65 de 5 de abril de 2005.

Council of Europe (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press and the Council of Europe.

Edge, J. (ed.) (2001). Action research. Alexandria, Va: TESOL.Roldán, A.; Lucena,D.; Meseguer,L.; Roldán, J. y Sánchez, M. (2009).

“Adecuación de los libros de texto al MCERL”, Porta Linguarum 11: 189-206.

Roldán Tapia, A. R. (2007). Glosario de términos para el plurilingüismo. Granada: Grupo Editorial Universitario.

Seliger, H. & Shohamy, E. (1989). Second language research

methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.