| Περίληψη: | With the internationalization of English and the increased human mobility around the globe, it is nowadays deemed more than imperative to reconsider long held views about the notion of the traditional structure of the ‘nation’ and gear towards the reassessment and reconstruction of various ideas and practices. Speaking of education, in particular, classrooms are characterized by increased diversity which can take on various forms ranging from students who are culturally or linguistically diverse, students with disabilities to even gifted students. Specifically, teaching and learning contexts consisting of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students call for meticulous planning and careful curriculum design as well as high quality English language education. Hence, given that it is unknown the degree to which Greek EFL teachers are equipped to teach English L3 learners, there is an increasing demand worldwide not only for competent English language speakers, but also for competent English language teachers and efficient English language teaching. EFL teachers can no longer aim towards monolingual English speakers acquiring a second language. The new school reality calls for educational reforms to address the needs of diverse school populations who bring both their home languages and cultures into a mainstream classroom.
In this context, this thesis first strives to describe the current situation in Primary schools in Western Greece, where English is taught as a third language to bilingual students. In particular, we seek to examine the Greek EFL teachers’ views and knowledge regarding various issues related to interculturalism and their actual approaches and practices to third language teaching in mixed classrooms. Secondly, this study aims to explore the most efficient strategies regarding the teaching of English to students who may be ethnically, racially and / or linguistically different from the mainstream students in a Greek mixed classroom. This way, weaknesses, as well as gaps in third language teaching, learning and acquisition will be identified and in relation with the examination of professional experiences, suggestions will be provided for the optimal teachers’ development opportunities addressing this unique population of learners. In this light, this study fills a gap in the present body of knowledge on L3 instruction at a Primary level in the Greek educational context and puts forward suggestions for the improvement of the current situation.
Towards these goals, a multi-method approach was applied, with the administration of a teacher questionnaire to 93 in-service English language teachers in the Western Greece and in-depth, semi-structured interviews carried out with 12 teachers.
The analysis of the data was situated in a social-constructivist framework and was thus informed by according theory underpinnings in conjunction with the related literature on second and third language learning and teaching. The findings of the study, gleaned from both the questionnaire and the interviews were not convergent. While it was evident from the questionnaire that the majority of the teachers had positive attitudes towards CLD students and did employ various general techniques, they failed to refer to basic strategies which -based on research- have been proven to be conducive to successful L3 teaching and learning. Also, although teachers are aware of the advantages several languages may confer to learners, the majority of them do not involve students’ first languages in learning- ignoring this way the potential benefits, but they opt for either the second (Greek) or the third (English) one, instead. They still, though, consider first languages as a kind of scaffold and use them as a stepping stone for students’ smoother learning. Moreover, the findings indicate that teachers mostly regard themselves as cultural mediators and do not perceive absolute faith in their chosen strategies, the majority of which are also culturally – bound. This implies the teachers’ great struggle to adapt to the given contextual demands and maintain order in any teaching context.
Based on the aforementioned points, the study urges for a reconsideration or even an update of the intercultural practices regarding the foreign language classroom and of the wider legal framework regarding the teaching of English to L3 learners in the Greek educational context. Moreover, the implications of the study include the great need for teacher training to replace the mere theoretical conceptions or the rare use or even omission of specific strategies with a coherent framework for Greek EFL teachers, which would contain new initiatives and guidance for actual, practical implementation of effective L3 strategies. The qualitative data, in particular, highlight the centrality of teachers in future change processes. They suggest that the desired change will come if coherent frameworks are developed and learning communities among teachers and experts are established. This professional development may have a significant impact on developing more equitable learning environments and providing all students with equal chances of mastering a foreign or additional foreign language.
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