Abstract:

In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, foreign language teaching is challenging a paradigm shift. The focus of language education has shifted from the native-likeness towards the use of target languages in real-life situations, and a variety of concepts are re-reconsidered in teachers’ action research projects seeking examples of good practice. Learner-centred approaches have challenged language teachers to review their teaching techniques and procedures, focusing more on their students’ needs and wishes, thus supporting the development of autonomous learners who are intrinsically motivated to realise the natural use of languages and the impact of being aware of target communities’ cultures. Students started to understand that being equipped with more languages makes their life richer due to many positive consequences for their future lives.

Mastering one language can effectively influence the use of another language, which aligns with the concept of pluralistic approaches. The focus on the ability to use target languages for communication taking part in intercultural interaction refers to plurilingual and pluricultural competences that are seen as a composite competence of a user. Currently, the goal of language education is not the mastering of one language and the culture of the target community(ies) but the ability to connect previously achieved communicative language competences to new languages and cultures learning by terms of focusing on connections, similarities and differences between the languages and cultures of a language user.

Our study will analyse and discuss the attitude of secondary-school learners studying German after being equipped with more advanced English and exposed to Anglo-Saxon cultures. An analysis will be based on the respondents’ questionnaires that address the view in which languages are not seen separate. Students were expected to share their attitudes towards other languages and cultures in order to enable us to measure their awareness of the mentioned relationships. Some of the aspects will be illustrated with examples from the teaching of German as a second foreign language.

Keywords:

Pluralistic approaches, teaching German, competence development.