Comparative assessment of young learners’ foreign language competence in three Eastern European countries

Abstract

This paper concerns teacher practices in, and beliefs about, the assessment of young learners’ progress in English in three Eastern European countries (Slovenia, Croatia, and the Czech Republic). The central part of the paper focuses on an international project involving empirical research into assessment of young learners’ foreign language competence in Slovenia, Croatia and the Czech Republic. With the help of an adapted questionnaire, we collected data from a non‐random sample of primary and foreign language teachers who teach foreign languages at the primary level in these countries. The research shows that English as a foreign language is taught mostly by young teachers either primary specialists or foreign language teachers. These teachers most frequently use oral assessment/interviews or self‐developed tests. Other more authentic types of assessment, such as language portfolios, are rarely used. The teachers most frequently assess speaking and listening skills, and they use assessment involving vocabulary the most frequently of all. However, there are significant differences in practice among the three countries.

Keywords:

• assessment of young learners
• foreign languages
• teachers’ beliefs and practices

Acknowledgements

The information about Croatia was written by Vesna Bagaric (MA) and Nina Truck Biljan, assistants and teacher trainers in the Department of German and English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Arts, Osijek. The information about the Czech Republic was written by Zdena Hartingerová, deputy head of primary and upper primary school in Hradec Králové (English teacher, teaches children aged 6–15; INSETT teacher trainer), and Dana Hurtová, teacher trainer (PRESETT + INSETT) at the English Department of the Pedagogical Faculty, the West Bohemian University, Plzen. The research group would like to extend their thanks to all (contact) persons who helped in the implementation of this research.