Abstract:

The current Coronavirus pandemic seems to have determined a large variety of changes tfor the education process. Our study aims at identifying changes of perspective on language learning skills by analyzing the progress of students learning the Romanian language in the Preparatory Year by exposure to the target language in an online environment, not having the opportunity to travel to Romania for language immersion. Based on the analysis of placement tests and A1 and A2 level tests (according CEFR), we identified different degrees of language skills aquiring level. The reported differences are due to the fact that learning a foreign language in an online environement favors the development of oral communication skills and and places less emphasis on developing written skills. We are going to record advantages and disadvantages of studying Romanian online for students coming from Ukraine, who have already learned Romanian (regionally spoken variant - A2 spoken, A1 written) in their native villages, bordering Romania. With these students, the challenge was to correct the regional spoken language practices while trying to consolidate the standard Romanian language and to develop B1 level communication skills without having the support of the language immersion that would have happen in a face-to-face language learning system.

Keywords:

Language skills, online learning, face-to-face learning.