ANDREA REMNYI

Views of Hungarian language teachers on mid- and long-term EU mobility: First results of the interview survey
UPRT, June 24, 2011

What is mobility? Rationale Previous, related research This research quantitative results qualitative results

Summary

Remnyi: LT mobility / UPRT, June 24, 2011

Mobility length and type

= geographical mobility (Short term: 1-6 weeks study trips training programmes) Longer term: Mid-term: 2-6 months (one school semester) Long-term: 9-12 months (two school semesters) or longer = international contract-based job placement or exchange organised by the European Commission (EC) and its agencies

Remnyi: LT mobility / UPRT, June 24, 2011

Mobility realities
low level of inter-EU labour mobility: 10% of active EU27 population have lived/worked in another country, HU: 3% (Eurobarometer 2010: 51-52) plans: 17% would work there; HU: 29% (Eurobarometer 2010: 9-10) Teacher mobility: willingness high: over 70%, HU 85% Strubell (2009) short-term: organised through Comenius, Erasmus OK longer-term: limited to teaching assistantships/obligatory period in certain programmes during teacher training (through Comenius)
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Rationale for longer-term mobility

the free movement of people / labour is one of the fundamental freedoms of the EU (European Parliament 2004) teacher mobility especially prioritised (Lifelong Learning Programme) considered advantageous for each stakeholder: would enhance the language, pedagogical and other professional skills of visiting teachers, disseminated after returning home would acquaint host schools with alternative approaches to pedagogy would build base school - host school and thus educational authority connections would facilitate the development of a European identity through teacher-student & teacher-teacher connections
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Added rationale for Hungary

Germany Austria EU25 Poland UK Hungary Romania

Eurobarometer 2005:3 Remnyi: LT mobility / UPRT, June 24, 2011 6

Previous research
Strubells survey (2009): Obstacles (real and/or perceived) for the mobility of teachers of foreign languages commissioned by the DG Education & Cultures Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity: An Action Plan 2004-2006 N = 6,251 language teachers respondents (incl. 312 Hung-L1) to a 64-item online questionnaire sample not representative of L teacher population of the EU (but informative: computer-literate and inquisitive teachers are likely to be over-represented) willingness high (over 70%, Hungary: 84.9%), though gender/age sensitive imbalances among target countries perceived legal/administrative and personal obstacles
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Language teacher profiles

L1 Maj Taught Cou or L ntry Example
Hung-L1 teacher of Hungarian teaches Hungarian in Hungary (L1/L2) Hung-L1 teacher of English teaches English (L2/CLIL) in Hungary ( = non-native teacher) English-L1 teacher of English teaches English (L2/CLIL/rarely L1) in Hungary (= native teacher) Hung-L1 teacher of English teaches Hung (L1/L2/ CLIL) in the UK OR: English-L1 teacher of another subject teaches English (L2/CLIL) in Hung. English-L1 teacher of German teaches English (L2/CLIL) in Malta Hung-L1 teacher of English teaches E (L2/CLIL) in the UK Hung-L1 teacher of English teaches English (L2/CLIL) in Germany

I II III IV V VI VII

A A A A A A A

A B A B B B B

A B A A A B B

A A B B C B C

Remnyi: LT mobility / UPRT, June 24, 2011

This research

Remnyi: LT mobility / UPRT, June 24, 2011

Research questions
I. Would Hungarian language teachers go to work on a longer term

mobility? Why, why not? II. What do they know about the possibilities?

III. What is the attitude of English language teachers in Hungary towards middle and long term mobility programs?
IV. How do our results relate to the large-scale EU surveys? (Williams et al. 2006, Strubell 2009, Maiworm 2010)

V. What key issues are constructed in their discourse (e.g. teacher identity, the non-native teacher, living abroad, L teaching in Hungary, etc.)

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Methods
a. Quantitative description of the Hungarian survey b. Brief omparison to the questionnaire-based EU survey (Williams et al. 2006, Strubell 2009) c. Qualitative analysis of interviews with Hungarian-L1 English as a Foreign L teachers length: > 60 min. format: 20 questions (adapted from Strubell 2009, for comparison): 18 open questions + evaluation of statements, conducted semi-structured N = 100 (planned) 25 senior teachers in Budapest 25 junior private language school teachers in Budapest 25 teachers in a big cities 25 teachers in small towns N = 30 so far (Piloting: N = 2+3)
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Participants
Female Male

Level/Age Primary (lower level: 1-4th grades) Primary (higher level: 5-8th grades) Secondary grammar school Secondary vocational school Tertiary education Language school Private tutoring Total N=30

30-35 1

36-40

41-45

45+

30-35

36-40 1

41-45

45+

Total

3 3 1 1 1 1 10 5

3 1 2

8 5 3 1 1 4 2 30
12

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Participants schools

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Target country
Great Britain

1; 1; 2%1; 2% 1; 2% 2% 1; 2% 2; 4% 2; 4% 3; 6%

Germany

14; 28%

Austria Spain Italy Ireland Belgium Poland

4; 8% 8; 16% 7; 14%

Croatia Slovenia Finland Sweden Norway

5; 10%

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Expected difficulties
Expected difficulty Adapting to the new circumstances (expectations at school, relationship with colleagues and students) Language problems Everyday tasks (finding place to live, finding school/ pre-school for children, opening a bank account) Administration and paperwork Loneliness I do not expect any difficulties Total Cases 11 Percentage 46%

4 4

16.5% 16.5%

3 1 1 24

13% 4% 4% 100%

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15

Obstacle to mobility
Lack of information about the programs
Mentioned Mobility Programs
6 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Comenius Erasmus Tempus 3 5

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Qualitative results
1 Living abroad
DB: [ reading] The experience could diminish my work status.* Hajni: In what sense actually? DB: The experience, when you come home. Hajni: That is, here? That I would be worth less? You mean, as a teacher?
BD:[felolvas] A tapasztalat cskkenten a szakmban kivvott sttuszomat.* Hajni: Mrmint hogy a? BD: A tapasztalat, amikor hazajssz. Hajni: Hogy itt, hogy kevesebbet rnk? Mrmint tanrilag?

* Williams et al. (2006:62) Q13

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Qualitative results
2 Language teacher identity (unskilled immigrant)
Kata: The way Ive heard it [being employed as a teacher in the UK] is because teachers there are unwilling to do that. Thats why foreigners are also employed. AR: To do what? Kata: They are unwilling to do that. AR: Are they? Oh, would that be the reason? Kata: Because there is a lot of work done only by immigrants. In Germany, in England, as the local people live so well that they are unwilling to do that. AR: [laughing] Well, I truly hope thats not only what counts. That in the case of professional work maybe her level also counts, that she can be measured to a native [teacher].
Kata: Ez nhozzm gy jutott el, hogy mert az ottani tanrok mr ezt sem hajlandak csinlni. Teht ezrt flvesznek klfldit is. RA: Ezt sem? Kata: Mr ezt sem hajlandak csinlni. RA: Hogy nem? Ja, hogy azrt? Kata: Mert hogy van egy csom olyan munka, amit mr csak a bevndorlk hajlandk csinlni. Nmetorszgban, Angliban, hogy mert hogy a helyi lakossg mr olyan jl l, hogy azt mr nem hajland megcsinlni. RA: [nevet] Ht n nagyon remlem, hogy nemcsak ezen mlik. Hogy egy szakmailag ers munknl taln szmt az is, hogy van olyan j, mint egy / UPRT, June Remnyi: LT mobility anyanyelvi. 24, 2011

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Qualitative results
3 Language teacher identity (degree not acknowledged)
Dri: ...he had a university degree, when he first went out [to the UK], as they could not make sense of it, so he did not have such a quick-and-easy training like the teachers there, so he was registered for the lowest category, that is, that he is unqualified, though he had a fiveyear teacher training degree. AR: Was this before the accession? Because this could have been impossible.... Dri: Roughly 4-5 years ago. AR: you should have picked on it a little. It couldnt have been... Dri: So he went to take a Delta [course], and now this way he has a degree to be listed. AR: Oooh, no. Dri: And now the situation is the same, every time he applies, his Delta makes his way, but his university degree doesnt. On teaching English, at most places they cannot handle that.
Dri: ...neki egyetemi diplomja van angolbl, s legelszr, amikor kiment, mivel nem tudtk besorolni, teht nem olyan kis gyorstalpals kpzsei voltak, mint az ottani tanroknak szoktak lenni, t a legals kategriba tettk, hogy kpestetlen, holott ott volt az tves nyelvtanri diplomja. RA: s ez mg a csatlakozs eltt volt? Mert utna ez mr nem lett volna... Dri: Ez krlbell ngy-t vvel ezeltt volt. RA: meg lehetett volna kicsit piszklni. Nyilvn nem lehetett volna... Dri: s ezrt elment, s elvgzett egy Deltt, s akkor most mr van neki is besorolhat diplomja. RA: , ne. Dri: De most is ez van, hogy ha most elmegy s jelentkezik valahova, akkor a Deltval tudnak mit kezdeni, azzal, hogy neki egyetemi diplomja van, azzal nem. Angol nyelvtantsra, ezzel a legtbb helyen nem tudnak.

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Results so far
Difference from EU-survey so far: every informant is willing to go (next year) several have spent less than a month in an English-speaking country (tourism included) mostly personal obstacles are visible, if any, legal/administrative ones are underestimated

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Summing up: obstacles

Administrative teaching degrees are not yet fully accepted supporting central initiative and programme missing (vs. Fulbright K-12 teacher exchange (USA)) facilities hardly encourage mobility Structural imbalance between target countries Personal financial sacrifice, job insecurity family-related issues

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Summing up: benefits

Possible benefits in Hungary (education policy level): would have positive effect on attracting quality workforce to public education (cf. the planned teacher life-long career model programme) through dissemination by returnees: positive effect on language teaching positive washback on language learning positive washback on language teacher training

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Summing up: efforts to be made

Required efforts in the EU Required efforts in Hungary (education policy level): home: speed up comparability measures in teacher training (FL teacher training would be a good starting point) work out EC-level programme remove administrative barriers (bilateral agreements are not enough) address imbalances among desired target countries work out teacher selection criteria work out acknowledgment policy for returnees experience EU: find piloting partner countries EP: work out proposal strategy

Main target population: young professionals with some teaching experience (age: 25-35); at the start, selection to be limited to top 1% of FL teachers
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Thank you!

remenyi@colbud.hu http://remenyi.andrea.btk.ppke.hu

References European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/38/EC Eurobarometer (2005): Europeans and languages. Vol. 63/4. Brussels: Eurobarometer. http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_237.en.pdf Downloaded Nov. 27, 2006 Eurobarometer (2010): Geographical and labour market mobility: Report. Special Eurobarometer 337. Brussels: European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_337_en.pdf Downloaded August 25, 2010 Maiworm, Friedhelm Heiko Kastner Hartmut Wenzel (2010): Study of the impact of Comenius in-service training activities: Full report. Kassel: Gesellschaft fr Empirische Studien Zentrum fr Schul- und Bildungsforschung. http://ec.europa.eu/education/comenius/doc/istreport_en.pdf Downloaded July 15, 2010 Strubell, Miquel (2009): Problems and solutions for the mobility of language teachers in the EU. Sevres: SemLang Summer University. http://www.semlang.eu/Telechargement/Textes/SemLang%20-%20Strubell.pdf Downloaded August 2, 2009 Williams, Glyn Miquel Strubell Jordi Busquet Dolors Sol Sergi Vilar (2006): Detecting and removing obstacles to the mobility of foreign language teachers: Final report. A report to the European Commission Directorate General for Education & Culture. http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc429_en.pdf Downloaded Nov. 20, 2009
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