Current Projects
Well-Engaged: English language learning among students with and without ADHD-related difficulties
Scientific team
Dr. Alexandra Schurz, University of Vienna (Principal Investigator)
Univ. Prof. Dr. Judit Kormos, Lancaster University & University of Ljubljana
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Milena Košak Babuder, University of Ljubljana
Research assistants
Jonas Schmutzer, BEd, University of Vienna
Zala Koštomaj-Valenčak, BA, University of Ljubljana
Tamara Bizilj, BA, University of Ljubljana
More information on this project can be found here.
AVENUES: Audio-Visual Enrichment among Under 12-year-old Learners
Scientific Team
Alexandra Schurz, University of Vienna (Principal Investigator)
Shona Whyte, Université Côte d’Azur
Pedagogic consultants and teacher trainers
Jean-Claude Tocabens, Direction des services départementaux de l'éducation nationale des Pyrénées-Orientales (Académie de Montpellier)
Valérie Coumel, Direction des services départementaux de l'éducation nationale des Pyrénées-Orientales (Académie de Montpellier)
More information on this project can be found here. The first publication on this project has appeared here.
Past Projects
The type of instruction in English language teaching in Austrian, French, and Swedish secondary school
What role do teachers attribute to grammar in their teaching?
This video concerns the type of instruction lower secondary school teachers apply in English language teaching across the three countries. Drawing on publications I authored together with Marion Coumel and Julia Hüttner, I report findings based on teacher self-reports in questionnaires (N = 615) and interviews (N = 20).
Please find the published findings here and here.
Context matters! Contextual factors influencing the type of instruction
What makes teachers choose a particular type of instruction?
In this video I address two contextual factors that appear to impact EFL teachers' didactic choices: The Selectiveness of a school system and learners' use of English in their spare time. Based on interview data gathered from lower secondary teachers in Austria, France, and Sweden (N = 20), results previously reported in publications co-authored by Marion Coumel and Julia Hüttner are summarized.
Teacher and learner beliefs on spare time English
Can learners' use of English in their spare time aid language acquisition?
In this clip I zoom in on the beliefs of EFL teachers regarding the effect of learners' recreational use of English on grammar learning. This is based on questionnaire data from upper secondary teachers in Austria, France, Sweden, and Finland (N = 534) and on interview data from lower secondary teachers in Austria, France, and Sweden (N = 20). I further draw on student reports from Austria and Sweden (N = 213). Collaborators in these projects were Pia Sundqvist, Marion Coumel, and Julia Hüttner.
Developing grammar knowledge
Instruction over spare time language use?
This video revolves around the apparent effect of instruction and learners' recreational target language use on automatized/implicit and explicit grammar knowledge. The participants were 13- to 14-year-old learners from Austria and Sweden (N = 213). The results are taken from my PhD thesis.