Browsing by Subject "funktionaalinen kielenopetus"

The Bachelor’s thesis surveys the challenges that Finnish as second language -speaking (S2) learners face in the learning process. The text seeks to reveal which elements influence language learning in general, and especially in Finnish context. The research questions arose out of the need to classify and analyse S2 research field into a clear entirety. S2 research has been conducted for decades, but with the rise of immigration and the need for learning, it has grown significantly over the last decade. The thesis was executed as a descriptive literature review, reviewing at the literature and articles written on the subject. The material was mainly collected from electronic databases during the autumn of 2019, the method of analysis being concept analysis. The study revealed that the formalistic teaching tradition that has long prevailed in Finland has, for a good reason, diversified as functional teaching has come into vogue. Functional language teaching aims to teach language skills as functionally and practically as possible so that new things are taught according to a genuine need for expression. However, as new methods become enthusiastic, one should not forget that the traditional concept of learning is also necessary. In addition to just using language, learning is also based on a cognitive, individual, mental process. The study also showed that the learner’s lexico, meaning vocabulary control, played a key role in learning a language. Most important, however, is that the language learning feels meaningful, necessary and desirable from the learner’s point of view. The study strongly demonstrated the complexity, comprehensiveness of language learning, as well as the inevitable interaction with the learner’s personal life. The language learning is an interactive equation whose individuality ensures that a fully optimal learning model is hardly to be found. Thus, language development is present in every aspect of the life of its learner. It is opening and, at worst, closing doors. In Finland as elsewhere, language has a gatekeeper responsibility in social communities, as well as in citizen applications and in studying. According to the thesis, language is best learned through interaction with native speakers, so community access and social acceptance are critical for the S2 learner.