Pupils do not question the meaning of the Latvian language, but lose motivation to learn it / Article / LSM.lv

Pupils do not question the importance of the Latvian language and want to learn it well, but children often lose motivation during the learning process. One of the weak points is the lack of support for teachers. Such conclusions were made by a group of researchers who for three years in 14 Latvian schools studied the attitude towards the Latvian language and its teaching process. The results of the research will be used to support teachers and improve the learning process.

For three years, pupils and teachers were surveyed and interviewed in 14 schools in six Latvian cities, and lessons were observed and focus group discussions were held. The aim of the extensive research was not only to find out the students’ attitude towards the Latvian language, but also to understand what hinders the achievement of better learning outcomes.

One of the most important conclusions – none of the students questioned the need to learn Latvian, the children did not question the meaning of Latvian. This is contrary to the views expressed by some teachers.

But attitudes changed when it came to the process of learning a language. “Pupils start learning Latvian with quite high motivation. It was said a lot that they want to write better, speak better, be able to defend their opinion, argue, but then they see the way it is offered sometimes,” said Sanita, the leader of the research group. Martena.

The researchers concluded that when imagining the most ideal way to learn a subject, the views of students and teachers were largely the same. Children are very interested and want to take part in discussions, which educators are not always ready to organize. And there are reasons for this – teachers lack support and sometimes knowledge.

“Students in discussion groups quite freely question topics, methods, question why he needs one or another opinion. And the teacher must have the answers so that doubts can be removed. Or to change teaching materials, ”said researcher Miķelis Grīviņš.

“The teacher tells the child that no one is talking about it. However, the latest findings show that it speaks, but the teacher does not know, ”says Vineta Vaivade, the chief methodologist of the Latvian Language Agency.

Researchers praise the collaboration between children and teachers, and point out that work is still ahead to establish support for educators.

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