Beyond The Abstracts: Multilingual Advising

Press/Media: Relating to Research

Description

In this episode of Beyond the Abstracts I speak with Martina Šindelářová Skupeňová. Martina is an English lecturer at the Masaryk University Language Centre in Czechia. She is interested in promoting autonomy in various teaching and learning scenarios. Martina has contributed to the English Autonomously project from its beginning. Her Ph.D. research project investigates the influence of language advising on learner autonomy development.

We begin by discussing Martina’s work at the Language Centre - a hub for learning support for the Masaryk University community. Martina first reflects on her own dual-language background, how the Language Centre has evolved, and ongoing shifts in the Czech educational landscape. We then turn to her 2024 article Fostering Students’ Self-Directed Language Learning: Approaches to Advising, published in Studies in Self-Access Learning (SiSAL) Journal. The article explores inclusive methods of language advising for learners of English and German as a second or third language. Martina highlights how the Language Centre caters to these learners’ varying levels of preparedness and motivation. She next explains her survey and case study findings. Martina reaffirms the importance of accommodating different levels of readiness for self-regulated learning, ability to engage in target language reflection, and needs for active guidance. Learners valued the support and reassurance provided by language advisors. Finally, Martina shares the Language Centre’s plans for expansion, including for learners of Czech as a foreign language. She also reveals details about her ongoing PhD research. This conversation will be of interest to those engaged in optimising learning advising in multilingual settings.  

Period9 Jan 2025

Media contributions

1

Media contributions

  • TitleBeyond The Abstracts: Multilingual Advising
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletBeyond The Abstracts
    Media typePodcast
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date9/01/25
    DescriptionIn this episode of Beyond the Abstracts I speak with Martina Šindelářová Skupeňová. Martina is an English lecturer at the Masaryk University Language Centre in Czechia. She is interested in promoting autonomy in various teaching and learning scenarios. Martina has contributed to the English Autonomously project from its beginning. Her Ph.D. research project investigates the influence of language advising on learner autonomy development.

    We begin by discussing Martina’s work at the Language Centre - a hub for learning support for the Masaryk University community. Martina first reflects on her own dual-language background, how the Language Centre has evolved, and ongoing shifts in the Czech educational landscape. We then turn to her 2024 article Fostering Students’ Self-Directed Language Learning: Approaches to Advising, published in Studies in Self-Access Learning (SiSAL) Journal. The article explores inclusive methods of language advising for learners of English and German as a second or third language. Martina highlights how the Language Centre caters to these learners’ varying levels of preparedness and motivation. She next explains her survey and case study findings. Martina reaffirms the importance of accommodating different levels of readiness for self-regulated learning, ability to engage in target language reflection, and needs for active guidance. Learners valued the support and reassurance provided by language advisors. Finally, Martina shares the Language Centre’s plans for expansion, including for learners of Czech as a foreign language. She also reveals details about her ongoing PhD research. This conversation will be of interest to those engaged in optimising learning advising in multilingual settings.
    Producer/AuthorLanguage Learner Autonomy Research Portal
    URLhttps://learnerautonomy.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/researcher-interviews/#multilingual
    PersonsThomas Stringer, Martina Šindelářová Skupeňová