Foreign Language in the Albanian Primary School, Benefits and Problems

Abstract

Learning a foreign language in the Primary School is already an incontestable reality not only in European countries, bur also in Albania. This is conditioned by different factors such as political, economic, social and cultural factors. This article focuses on the foreign language learning benefits and problems in the Albanian primary school. - What are some of the scientific data to the benefit of the foreign language learning at an early age? What is the attitude of the students who are now studying at the second level of the 9-year-long school? - Is the formation of the foreign language teachers in the Primary School a problem that calls Education Offices' attention due to the specific nature of that teaching? What are the pedagogical methods that should be applied to an active, motivated, rich and full of variety teaching? - What is the ratio of oral learning to written learning? Is the continuity between different levels of the 9-year-long-school taken care of? After a long-lasting fieldwork through studying, analysis, reflection and questionnaires among pupils and teachers involved in the foreign language learning and teaching process in the primary schools and the second level of the 9-year long schools of the town of Gjirokaster as well as these pupils' parents, we have tried to resolve some of the problems pointed out in our paper.

Keywords: foreign language, primary school, appropriate age, teachers' training, school subject, motivation.