A case study on the impact of a one-week Spanish exchange trip on the attitudes and productive language skills of four Year 8 pupils
Karen Forbes
(PGCE Modern Languages) 2009
karenforbes23@hotmail.com
Abstract
This study reports the findings of a small-scale case study on the impact of a one-week Spanish exchange trip on the attitudes, speaking and writing skills of four Year 8 pupils from a Cambridgeshire comprehensive school, with a view to discovering how the language teacher can maximise the benefits of trips abroad for all pupils involved. The findings are based on language tests, interviews and attitudinal questionnaires completed before and after the trip. The data suggest that pupils returned from the trip with more positive attitudes towards Spain and Spanish-speaking people, and with increased motivation towards their study of the language in school. Pupils also gained proficiency in their productive language skills, and within this study a clear link emerged between improvement in confidence and attainment, and an amount of Spanish spoken and written while abroad.
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The full paper is available for download as a pdf file 107-152- forbesk
Citation: Forbes, K (2010) A Case study on the impact of a one-week Spanish exchange trip on the attitudes and productive language skills of four Year 8 pupils. Journal of Trainee Teacher Research,Volume 1, pp.107-152. (Downloaded from http://jotter.educ.cam.ac.uk/, [date of access])