Teaching the Greek Language in Multicultural Classrooms Using English as a Lingua Franca: Teachers’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Practices

Aretousa Giannakou () and Kyriaki Karalia
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Aretousa Giannakou: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Languages and Literature, University of Nicosia, Nicosia 2417, Cyprus
Kyriaki Karalia: School of Humanities, Hellenic Open University, 263 35 Patra, Greece

Societies, 2023, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: The present study examines teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and practices regarding the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) to teach Greek as a second language (L2) in multicultural classrooms in Greece, a largely underexplored area in the field of applied linguistics. The research was based on self-reports collected through questionnaires, written accounts, metaphor elicitation, and semi-structured interviews provided by 20 teachers of young learners with a migrant background in public schools in Greece. The findings showed that the classroom discourse takes place mainly in the target language, i.e., Greek, and ELF was also reported to be used by both teachers and learners for specific functions, such as vocabulary translation, explanation of grammar rules, and checking for comprehension. As reported by the participants, both teachers and learners welcome the idea of ELF use because a sense of security and comfort is provided through its employment. The study suggests that ELF may allow a smooth transition into the new social reality of the host country and a better approach of L2 Greek for young learners with a migrant background in the context of multilingual and intercultural education.

Keywords: teachers’ attitudes; English as a lingua franca; refugees/migrants; multilingualism; L2 Greek (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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