Abstract:

Present study examines the characteristics of the teaching of the Slovak language in schools with Hungarian as the language of instruction in Slovakia, analyzing the factors that affect the teaching process and discussing the legal framework of education in Slovakia. An analysis of the place of the Slovak language among the school subjects is also provided, together with an outline of the national school curriculum of the teaching of Slovak Language and Slovak Literature, as it is regulated by law in Slovakia, at the various educational levels. An analysis of the national school curriculum of the teaching of the Slovak Language and Slovak Literature as school subject is also provided in order to get an insight into acquisition of reading and writing competencies and teaching methods in the Slovak language (Kozmács 2015; Vančo 2017).

The curricula and the textbooks were analysed from the methodological aspect. The study points to the problems arising from the lack of theoretical substantiation for teaching (Žigová–Vojtech 2011; Pekarovičová 2002) as well as for acquiring writing and reading competencies in Slovak as a second language in developing Slovak language competencies at the first and second stage of Hungarian-language primary schools in Slovakia.

References:
[1] Kozmács, István 2015. Funkcionális alapú kisebbségi anyanyelvoktatás mint az államnyelv sikeres oktatásának feltétele [Functional minority mother tongue education as a prerequisite for successful state language teaching]. In: Vančo, Ildikó – Kozmács, István (eds,): [Nyelvtanulás – nyelvtanítás. Fókuszban az államnyelv oktatása kisebbségek számára Language Learning - Language Teaching. Focus on teaching the state language to minorities]. Univerzita Konštantina Filozofa v Nitre, Filozofická Fakulta – Nyitrai Konstantin Filozófus Egyetem, Bölcsészettudományi Kar. Nitra–Nyitra, 129–36.
[2] Pekarovičová, J. (ed.) 2002. Slovenčina ako cudzí jazyk – zborník príspevkov z medzinárodnej konferencie v Bratislave [Slovak as a Foreign Language - Proceedings of International Conference in Bratislava]. STIMUL, Bratislava.
[3] Vančo, Ildikó 2017. A szlovák nyelv tanítása szlovákiai magyar tanítási nyelvű iskolákban Általános helyzetkép [The teaching of the Slovak language in schools with Hungarian as the language of instruction in Slovakia: General overview]. Budapest, MTA. Magyar Nyelvőr 141/3: 272-291.
[4] Žigová Ľ.– Vojtech. M. (eds.) 2011. Slovenčina (nielen) ako cudzí jazyk v súvislostiach – zborník [Slovak (not only) as a foreign language in context - anthology]. Univerzita Komenského, SAS, Bratislava.

Keywords:

State language, curriculum, reading and writing competencies, Hungarian minority in Slovakia, Slovak language.