How 15-Year-Olds Learn English
Case Studies from Finland, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands and Portugal
This report takes the reader into the lives of young people in Finland, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands and Portugal to explore the question: how do 15-year-olds learn English? Gone are the days when learners only encountered English for a couple of hours a week in a classroom. For today's teens, English is often the preferred language of communication in increasingly diverse online and offline communities. Yet relatively little is known internationally about how students learn English inside and outside school, and the resources available to help them. This report presents country findings from interviews with 15-year-olds, English-language teachers and school principals and wider background research, as well as a comparative chapter on key international insights. The report also explores how today’s digital technologies can support learners to develop foreign language proficiency. These findings support the forthcoming PISA 2025 Foreign Language Assessment through which the OECD will generate comparable data on students’ proficiency in English in different countries and on the factors related to it.
The use of digital technologies to enhance foreign language learning
Digital technologies have a crucial role to play in the teaching of foreign languages. However, to fully realise their potential and have a positive impact on foreign language learning, they need to bring an added pedagogical value to classroom practice. This chapter presents ways in which today’s digital technologies, including emerging artificial intelligence (AI) tools, can be used in formal learning environments to nurture foreign language proficiency. It considers the development of linguistic knowledge, as well as students’ reading, listening, speaking and writing skills. Finally, the chapter outlines some ongoing challenges to the application of digital technologies in foreign language teaching and learning and ways in which teachers can be supported to take advantage of these tools.
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