Authors

Barbara Łukaszewicz¹;  ¹ University of Warsaw, Poland

Discussion

The aim of this presentation is to emphasize the significance of societal knowledge as an integral component of foreign language and culture learning. In the context of teaching Polish as a foreign language, there is much discussion about cultivating cultural competence and the necessity of its inclusion in the Polish language curriculum for foreign learners. However, there has been limited discourse on the pivotal role played by phenomena inherent to a given society and its unwritten norms influencing language usage and understanding the mentality of native speakers. Furthermore, there has not been a distinct sub-discipline established within the realm of teaching Polish culture as a foreign entity, despite the existence of separate monographs addressing various cultural facets such as popular culture, the relationship between emotions and language, or spatial linguistic considerations. The presenter, who works with international students at the University of Warsaw, will provide her own theoretical analysis of texts and documents pertaining to foreign language education and Polish as a foreign language. She will primarily highlight gaps in the interpretation of the concept of 'sociocultural competence'. Documents like the CEFR (2020) do not explicitly mention the necessity of expanding knowledge about a specific society but rather emphasize the need to learn how to use a language within a given society. To achieve communicative success, learners should possess knowledge about the society that employs the language, not solely an abstract notion of society. In addition to the theoretical analysis, a qualitative pilot study using participant observation has been conducted, and its results are being analysed. The presenter will also analyze the methods she has previously employed to incorporate knowledge about Polish society into her language and culture classes for foreign learners, demonstrating its essential role. These methods can be categorized into three groups: a) explicit knowledge transmission (e.g., through lectures), b) implicit teaching about foreign society (e.g., during language workshops), c) explicit-implicit teaching about foreign society (e.g., by integrating lecture and workshop components). Finally, the presenter will explain how future researchers in foreign language education, including Slavic languages, should explore the domain of imparting knowledge about foreign societies within foreign language learning.