The ''Teddy Bear'' Project - Developing Intercultural Communication Competence through eTwinning

master's thesis

• Author: Lucija Kordić
• Mentor: Ivana Milković (mentor)
• Committee member: Marija Andraka (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Ivana Milković (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Silvija Hanžić Deda (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Teacher Education; Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2021-07-05, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Interdisciplinary Humanistic Studies; Teaching Methods in the Humanistic Sciences

Abstract

Learning English as a foreign language early in life is almost impossible to escape in this day and age of advanced technology and globalization, especially if an individual aspires to achieve academic and professional success. Due to the constant rise of English language usage around the world, children have to learn the basics of the foreign language and acquire elementary competences early in life in order to be prepared for potential future challenges. To improve the existing curriculum, the importance of developing intercultural competence even in early foreign language learning was emphasized by the Ministry of Science and Education in Croatia. Studies have found that young learners unquestionably benefit from being exposed to cultural diversity and that it enables them to develop necessary competences like empathy, understanding differences and accepting other cultures. Through the modernization of the education system, teachers have found numerous advantages of technology-assisted learning. As a result, the eTwinning platform has slowly gained popularity by combining all beneficial assets for learning through active participation in international projects.
The aim of this thesis is to describe one of many projects that were initiated owing to the above-mentioned platform and to establish positive and negative aspects of its implementation in primary classroom teaching. The project took part in two countries, Croatia and the Netherlands, and included students aged 9 to 11. The project was also carried out as a potential research on importance of developing pupils’ digital competences and intercultural communication competences in relation to foreign language learning, in this case, English. Consulting numerous studies conducted during several decades of global English as foreign language learning, the thesis confirms predominantly positive outcomes of implementing similar projects into regular lessons or extracurricular activities.

Abstract (croatian)

U današnje vrijeme napredne tehnologije i globalizacije, rano učenje engleskog kao stranog jezika gotovo je neizbježno, posebice ako se teži akademskom i profesionalnom uspjehu pojedinca. Kontinuiranim porastom upotrebe engleskog jezika širom svijeta, učenici vrlo rano moraju usvojiti temelje stranog jezika i osnovne kompetencije istoga kako bi bila spremna za potencijalne izazove u budućnosti. S ciljem poboljšanja postojećeg kurikula u Republici Hrvatskoj, Ministarstvo znanosti i obrazovanja istaknulo je važnost razvoja međukulturne kompetencije učenika već u ranom učenju stranoga jezika. Zaključci mnogih studija otkrivaju nesumnjivu korist izlaganja mladih polaznika kulturnim raznolikostima, omogućavajući razvoj neophodnih kompetencija kao što su razumijevanje različitosti, empatičnost i prihvaćanje drugih kultura. Modernizacijom obrazovnog sustava učitelji pronalaze brojne prednosti provođenja nastave uz pomoć tehnologije. Kao rezultat toga, eTwinning platforma postupno je stekla popularnost, kombinirajući brojne korisne resurse za učenje aktivnim sudjelovanjem u međunarodnim projektima.
Cilj ovog rada je opisati jedan od mnogih projekata pokrenutih zahvaljujući spomenutoj platformi te utvrditi pozitivne i moguće negativne aspekte provođenja istoga u razrednoj nastavi. Projekt je proveden u dvije države, Hrvatskoj i Nizozemskoj, te je uključivao učenike u dobi od 9 do 11 godina. Također, projekt je proveden kao potencijalno istraživanje važnosti razvijanja digitalnih kompetencija učenika te međukulturnih komunikacijskih kompetencija kada je u pitanju učenje stranoga, u ovom slučaju engleskog, jezika. Služeći se brojnim istraživanjima provedenim tijekom nekoliko desetljeća globalizacije učenja engleskog jezika, ovaj rad potvrđuje pretežito pozitivne ishode uvrštavanja sličnih projekata u redovnu nastavu ili izvannastavne aktivnosti.

• Keywords: eTwinning; curriculum; intercultural competence; project; foreign language
• Keywords (croatian): eTwinning; kurikul; međukulturna komunikacijska kompetencija; projekt; strani jezik
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:147:643993
• Study programme: Title: Integrated undergraduated university study with english language and german language; specializations in: English language, Deutsche sprache; Course: English language; Study programme type: university; Study level: integrated undergraduate and graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra primarnog obrazovanja (magistar/magistra primarnog obrazovanja)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2022-07-15 09:47:29