Acceleration of Language Skills of High School and Universtiy Students
Motivation and autonomous learning strategies
Vol.15,No.1(2025)
Dagmar Sieglová
Karolína Králová
Eliška Hrušková
In an internationally interconnected world, the ability to communicate in foreign languages, especially in English representing one of the world most wide used lingua franca, becomes crucial. Even though the standards of foreign language skills in Czechia, including English, exceed the global average (EF, 2023), the Czechs still lag far behind the EU nation states (Eurydice, 2023; Smekalová, 2022). A growing effort of individuals to improve their language skills, though, can be observed, mainly in activities utilizing the opportunities of the current global and technological world. This also reflects in the growing popularity and success of university students in the internationally recognized certification exams proving language levels often higher than the required level of the state high school graduation exam. Obtaining these levels, however, assumes their willingness to devote to English their free time. Motivation and strategies leading to these results are the topic of this text.
The presented study focuses on university students who, at the time of their enrolment, have already obtained or planned gain an international certificate with a target level of C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) (Council of Europe, 2011). Using a mixed research strategy combining data from a questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews and group discussions, the study investigates motivational factors the learners in their language study adopt, and at the same time, examines the methods they use to achieve the desired level.
language education; autonomous learning; language learning strategies; motivation; language competences
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