Fachtextdekodierungskompetenz durch sprachbewussten Fachunterricht in der Berufsschule
Enhancing decoding skills of specialist texts through language-aware teaching in vocational School

Author(s): Jutta Majcen
Subject(s): Language studies, Theoretical Linguistics, Translation Studies
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: vocational school; language awareness; scaffolding; heterogeneity; decoding specialist texts
Summary/Abstract: In Austria, roughly one third of juveniles between the ages of 15 and 20 attend a vocational school. Many of these vocational students face difficulties in reading and understanding the specialist texts that are used in vocational training, irrespective of whether they have migration background or not. They often lack the skills to understand specialist language, which forms part of the education language and is defined by multiple word combinations, complex attributes and separable verbs, and often lack skills in decoding specialist texts. One way to acquire the skills in specialist language as well as the requisite decoding skills is to offer language-aware and instructional scaffolds, which means planning (subject) lessons in which the “deliberate use of language in teaching and learning (in a special professional subject)” is practiced throughout the entirety of the educational curriculum. The main question is the extent to which language-aware teaching across the vocational curriculum (including both general knowledge and specialized, commercial subjects) as well as methods like scaffolding actually helps vocational students improve their comprehension skills despite the difficult structural conditions within the vocational system (time constraints, heterogeneity, etc.).

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