A Comparative Study of Bosnian and Herzegovinian Adult Foreign Language Students’ Attitudes to Teaching Four Skills in Classroom and Distance Language Learning Systems

Abstract

Widespread use of information and communication technology is a cornerstone of today's society. This results in significant changes in communication, information flow, business operations, gaining knowledge and other aspects of life. Needs and requirements in the field of education are, thus, also changing. Skills for autonomous research and lifelong learning are gaining importance. Educational institutions and teachers as individuals are faced with the challenge of changing the concept of knowledge delivery which has to imply almost inevitable integration of modern technology. Considering the need to change educational systems in accordance with the changes in the society, marked by constant increase of information and knowledge base as well as by dynamic and fast paced development of information and communication technology, distance education is becoming an increasingly significant concept. A need to learn foreign languages is always present, regardless of teaching methods. This paper considers possibilities and specific elements throughout the process of teaching a foreign language in the distance education system compared to the traditional, in-class teaching system. The goal of the research is to analyze whether the methods of foreign language teaching used in the distance education system can be as equally efficient as the traditional teaching methods and whether the lack of face-to-face contact in the distance education system can be compensated by the use of information and communication technology.

Keywords

• Distance education and online learning
• Adult learning
• Teaching/learning strategies

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