Language teaching for European citizenship: insights for teacher education

Abstract

A drive for the development of European citizenship (EC) through Modern Foreign Language (MFL) teaching has existed for some time within the academic literature as well as policy institutions. Nevertheless, the views of MFL teachers on the role of MFL in developing EC have rarely been given a voice. This article presents the findings of a study conducted in eight schools in four European countries. Through semi-structured interviews with 19 secondary school teachers of MFL, the study investigated teachers' views on the teaching of the EC and their understandings of their role as MFL teachers. The study also examined teachers' considerations on what such teaching might include, their preparedness for the task and their perceptions of challenges they may face. Findings show that teachers are supportive of the development of active EC but highlight a number of systemic and situational challenges, particularly in England. Findings are discussed in light of the European dimension of teacher education as well as socio-cultural perspectives on second language teacher education. © 2014 © 2014 Association for Language Learning.