Dissertation: Foreign languages teaching in vocational education and training requires tailor-made solutions (Dziomba)

Current research on job-related language acquisition suggests that traditional textbook- and teacher-centered language teaching is old-fashioned. It is said not to meet the needs of learners and working life. In her dissertation Sanna Dziomba shows, however, that vocational school students with a low starting level consider this kind of teaching as needs-oriented. On the contrary, students with good language and subject skills prefer learner- and job-related language acquisition. The dissertation highlights the need for new, learner-oriented methods alongside the traditional teaching methods in the vocational education and training (VET).

Sanna Dziomba katsoo kameraa hymyillen. Hänellä on musta paita ja musta, kukallinen huivi kaulassaan. Tausta on valkoinen.

Published

17.1.2025

In order to meet the needs of all learners and the working life, the traditional textbook- and teacher-centered teaching methods in VET should be supplemented with content and language integrated learning (CLIL). The CLIL can be implemented in subject classes, through team-teaching or at work.

In her dissertation Dziomba investigated the attitudes of German and Finnish vocational school students, their teachers and employers towards the needs-oriented teaching of foreign languages in VET. For her research, she conducted interviews and surveys both in Germany and Finland.

The heterogeneity of students and teachers as a challenge for teaching

Teaching foreign languages in VET is challenging due to the heterogeneity of both the needs and the skills of the students as well as the varying skills of the teachers. Most of the interviewees saw a need for foreign language teaching, i.e. the vocational school students need at least English – and according to some interviewees also other foreign languages – to enable their future work assignments and mobility. A small minority was of the opinion that the vocational school students do not necessarily need foreign languages at all.

“In groups where students' linguistic and subject skills differ greatly, the students have made the experience that the learner- and job-oriented language acquisition does not work”, Dziomba says.

The solution is to differentiate foreign language teaching according to starting levels

Dziomba proposes differentiating foreign language teaching in both German and Finnish vocational schools according to students' linguistic and subject skills. According to her proposal, teaching content (e. g. language for specific purposes vs. general language) will be weighted according to the student's starting level and, in addition to the language class, learning environments such as subject classes or on-the-job learning will be utilised, partly on a voluntary basis.

Public defence:

M. Sc. Sanna Dziomba defends her doctoral dissertation in German language “Bedarfsorientierter Erwerb von Fremdsprachen in der beruflichen Ausbildung: Einstellungen von deutschen und finnischen Auszubildenden, Berufsschullehrern und Arbeitgebern” at the Ģ��ֱ��, in Seminarium ”vanha juhlasali” S 212 on January 25, 2025 at 12:00 noon. Custos: PhD Docent Sabine Ylönen (Ģ��ֱ��). The opponent is PhD Docent Sabine Grasz (University of Oulu). The language of the defence is German.

The event can be followed live online:

The dissertation is available in the JYX publication archive:

Further information:

Sanna Dziomba (née Ranta-Nilkku) has worked in Finland in the business and school world for a total of 16 years, of which 9 years as a foreign language teacher in vocational upper secondary education. Today, Dziomba lives in Germany.

Sanna Dziomba

sanna.m.dziomba@student.jyu.fi

+358 50 3400095

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