Teacher and Student Perspectives on the Use of Linguistic Landscapes as Pedagogic Resources for Enhancing Language Awareness: A Focus on the Development of Cognitive and Affective Dimensions
In this contribution, we compare teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the use of linguistic landscapes (LLs) as resources for language education in general, and for the development of language awareness in particular. As non-participant observers, we analyse how two French-language teachers integrate LL modules at the secondary level in two different classes in Germany (one in an urban centre, the other in a peri-urban location) and compare teacher and student perspectives on the advantages of that integration. In order to carry out this comparative study, we performed in-depth semi-structured interviews with the two teachers, constructed a questionnaire for students, and complemented teacher and student answers with our thick description of classroom happenings. This study illustrates the pedagogical potential of using LLs in formal language education settings, namely to develop the affective and cognitive dimensions of language awareness. The positive effects seem to be valid for both students with and without migrant background, as well as for both those living in urban and non-urban settings. The study also shows how students and teachers scaffold each other on their path towards a more reflective relationship with societal multilingualism and individual plurilingualism.
In this contribution, we compare teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the use of linguistic landscapes (LLs) as resources for language education in general, and for the development of language awareness in particular. As non-participant observers, we analyse how two French-language teachers integrate LL modules at the secondary level in two different classes in Germany (one in an urban centre, the other in a peri-urban location) and compare teacher and student perspectives on the advantages of that integration. In order to carry out this comparative study, we performed in-depth semi-structured interviews with the two teachers, constructed a questionnaire for students, and complemented teacher and student answers with our thick description of classroom happenings. This study illustrates the pedagogical potential of using LLs in formal language education settings, namely to develop the affective and cognitive dimensions of language awareness. The positive effects seem to be valid for both students with and without migrant background, as well as for both those living in urban and non-urban settings. The study also shows how students and teachers scaffold each other on their path towards a more reflective relationship with societal multilingualism and individual plurilingualism.