MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA

BRITISH COUNCIL LITHUANIA

A Survey of English Language

Teaching in Lithuania:
2003-2004

Monograph

Desmond Thomas
Asta Antulienë
Vilmantë Liubinienë
Zita Maþuolienë
Irma Ðneiderienë
Violeta Valiuðkevièienë
Giedrë Valûnaitë-Oleðkevièienë

Vilnius
2005
Editor-in-chief Dr. Desmond Thomas
School of Oriental & African Studies,
University of London

Authors
Chapter 1 Dr. Zita Maþuolienë
Chapter 2 Asta Antulienë
Irma Ðneiderienë
Violeta Valiuðkevièienë
Giedrë Valûnaitë-Oleðkevièienë
Chapter 3 Dr. Vilmantë Liubinienë
Chapter 4 Dr. Desmond Thomas

Consultants Dr. Christopher Tribble

King’s College, University of London

Brian Gay
(consultant for focus group interviews)

Language Editor Cy Kuckenbaker

© British Council, 2005

© Ministry of Education and Science
of the Republic of Lithuania, 2005
Dear Readers of the ELT Survey,

It gives me great pleasure to express our gratitude to the British Council, the project
consultant and editor-in-chief of the ELT in Lithuania Survey Mr. Desmond Thomas,
the team of authors and all respondents from Lithuania who took part in the survey,
to create this informative and valuable Report.
I am pleased to acknowledge the great contribution made by the British Council to
improve English language teachers’ qualifications. The Council has also assisted in the
improvement of training for teaching children with special needs and improved the
training of university teachers and mentors. The work done over the last 11 years has
been very closely coordinated with the Ministry and the most important needs are al-
ways being addressed and met.
The ELT in Lithuania Survey is an important reflection and clear evidence of the
work done by common projects of the British Council and Lithuanian national and lo-
cal authorities. The Lisbon strategy decision that EU should become, “the most com-
petitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable
economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion” further high-
lights its importance. The strategic goals for European education and training systems
of improved quality, efficiency and access to education mean extra importance de-
voted to language learning. Equipped with the right knowledge and competencies in-
cluding language skills, people can be better placed to cope with rapid changes in
society and the labour market.
It is only through cooperation with the British Council that we have been able to pro-
mote English language learning to its full potential. The ELT Survey is a perfect eval-
uation of the work done as it revealed our strengths and weaknesses. The Survey also
points to major challenges in the field of ELT for the future. Our life requires better
language competencies to work and study freely within the EU and to increase under-
standing and solidarity between people and countries.
The ELT in Lithuania Survey is a great contribution to English language learning in
Lithuania. It is a good reflection of the current situation and a solid basis on which
we may plan our future language policies.
I am truly convinced that if we continue in the spirit of positive, creative and close
cooperation, we will achieve our common goals. Equipping Lithuanian citizens with
better English language skills and competencies along with preparation for life-long
language learning is a major task for EU citizenship.

Dr Remigijus Motuzas
Minister of Education and Science
of the Republic of Lithuania
3
Dear Reader,

Since 1992 the British Council in Lithuania has put active efforts and sufficient invest-
ment in teachers’ professional development to help improve English language teaching
in all sectors, including primary, secondary and tertiary. I am convinced that our pro-
jects in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science have helped to facili-
tate and expedite the process of change in English language teaching and assessment
in Lithuanian schools, colleges and universities.

I believe that this report will not only help us even more efficiently assist English lan-
guage teachers in the future, but also provide a platform for further development of
Lithuanian education.

Without the enthusiasm and participation of English language teachers, this project
would have never been as successful as it has been. The positive feedback tells us that
our efforts, experience and activities have value and influence.

If the outcome of the survey is improved teaching, it will facilitate more effective
learning. Thus, we seek to help learning. Learning a foreign language nowadays is not
another subject or skill to acquire. It is another opportunity to open, another culture
to know, and another mind to see and understand the world.

Lina Balënaitë
Director
British Council Lithuania

4
Acknowledgements
The British Council wishes to thank all the project team members who contributed
their enthusiasm, time and expertise to the ELT Survey:
Asta Antulienë
Raminta Barzdþiukienë
Liolita Bernotienë
Dalia Cepenienë
Loreta Chodzkienë
Irena Èikotienë
Lina Danilevièienë
Rûta Jankauskienë
Rasa Jodienë
Rûta Kazlauskaitë
Giedrë Klimovienë
Tatjana Kriliuvienë
Audrius Kurlavièius
Genovaitë Laugalienë
Vilmantë Liubinienë
Romualda Liutkuvienë
Zita Maþuolienë
Elena Mickûnaitë
Auðra Nesterovienë
Stasë Skapienë
Natalija Slobodianik
Genovaitë Snuviðkienë
Vida Ðkudienë
Irma Ðneiderienë
Lora Tamoðiûnienë
Albina Treèiokaitë
Violeta Valiuðkevièienë
Giedrë Valûnaitë-Oleðkevièienë S. Daukanto Secondary School, Vilnius
Daiva Verikaitë
Jûratë Zdanytë
S. Daukanto Secondary School, Vilnius
University of Agriculture
Klaipëda University
Utena College
Vilnius University
Academy of Physical Education
Academy of Physical Education
University of Technology
Utena College
International School of Management
University of Agriculture
Lauryno Ivinskio Gymnasium, Kurðënai
Klaipëda University
Military Academy
University of Technology
J. Jablonskis Gymnasium, Kaunas
Vilnius University
Kolping College, Kaunas
Teacher Education Centre, Këdainiai
Ministry of Education and Science
Klaipëda University
Gediminas Technological University
International School of Management
Þiburio Gymnasium, Prienai
International School of Management
Vilnius University
Teacher Professional Development Centre, Vilnius
Pedagogical University
University of Technology
5
Very special thanks go to Dr. Desmond Thomas, our independent consultant and edi-
tor-in-chief, for his input and guidance of the team. This survey and report would not
have been possible without him.

I would also like to thank Mrs Stasë Skapienë from the Ministry of Education and
Science for her continued support of the project and regular advice, Dr. Christopher
Tribble for his consultation, and Mr Brian Gay for preparing and facilitating the focus
groups.

Also, a special thanks is given to the members of the team who took up extra respon-
sibilities of writing up the report, namely, Asta Antulienë, Vilmantë Liubinienë, Zita
Maþuolienë, Irma Ðneiderienë, Violeta Valiuðkevièienë and Giedrë Valûnaitë-
Oleðkevièienë.

The Survey was made possible thanks to the teachers’, students’ and school adminis-
trators’ cooperation. They assisted the project team by giving interviews, filling out the
questionnaires, participating in focus group discussions, observing and giving lessons
for observation.

Vilma Baèkiûtë
ELT Projects Manager
British Council Lithuania

6
Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s

Introduction 9
CHAPTER 1: The Lithuanian Education System 13
1.1. General Information About Lithuania 13
1.2. The Overall Structure of the Education System 14
• Principles of Education 14
• Distribution of Responsibilities 14
• Primary, Basic and Secondary Education 15
• Upper Secondary Education 16
• Higher Education 18
1.3. Language Teaching 19
• Foreign Languages at Basic and Secondary Schools 19
• Foreign Languages at Vocational Schools 20
• Foreign Languages at Universities and Colleges 21
• Teacher Training 21
• Foreign Language Teaching Strategy 22
1.4. Levels and Standards of Education 23
• Achievement levels 23
• Assessment 25
1.5. Teaching English in the European Context 26
• The Council of Europe 27
• The British Council 27
• The American Centre 28
• International Projects 29
1.6. Conclusions 30

CHAPTER 2: ELT in Lithuanian Schools 32

2.1. The Schools 32
• General overview 32
• The learning environment 32
• Teaching resources and equipment 33
• Administrative policies and practices 37
• Conclusions 38
2.2. The teachers and students 38
• Teacher profile 39
• Working conditions for teachers 40
• Teacher qualifications and experience 42
• Teacher motivation 44
• Teacher development and support 44
• Student profile 47
• Conclusions 49
7
2.3. Classroom Practice 49
• Lesson aims and planning 50
• Types of lesson 51
• Types of activities 52
• Teaching methods 53
• Class atmosphere 54
• Class management 56
2.4. Key Issues and Conclusions 57

CHAPTER 3: ELT in the Lithuanian Tertiary Sector 61

• Introduction 61
3.1. The profile of EL teachers at colleges and universities 61
• Qualifications 61
• Experience 62
• Motivation 63
3.2. The Learning Environment and Institutional Practices 64
• The teaching curriculum 64
• Working conditions for teachers 66
• Class sizes 67
• Support for teachers 69
• Resources and equipment 71
• Teaching materials 74
3.3. Classroom practices 75
• Approaches and methods 75
• Student motivation and involvement 75
• Student-teacher relationship 77
3.4. Key issues emerging 78

CHAPTER 4: Conclusions and Recommendations 80

4.1. ELT in Lithuania: Strengths 80
• The Educational Environment 80
• Support for Teachers 81
• Classroom Practice 81
4.2. ELT in Lithuania: Problem Areas 82
• Teachers’ working conditions 82
• Teacher rotation 82
• Teacher qualifications 83
• Teachers’ professional development 83
• Teaching resources and equipment 84
• Ministry of Education and Science Support for Teachers and Students 85
• Classroom practice 85
4.3. Recommendations 86
Glossary 89
8
Introduction

1. Background and overall aims

This report contains the findings of a survey of English Language Teaching in schools
and higher education institutions in Lithuania during the 2003-4 Academic Year. The
survey was commissioned by the British Council (Lithuania) and the Lithuanian Min-
istry of Education and Science with the following aims:

1. To document the current state of English Language Teaching (ELT) in Lithua-

nia with special emphasis on the state sector.

2. To highlight areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction among those involved or in-

terested in ELT in Lithuania.

3. To explore the extent to which current practice in ELT in Lithuania meets

agreed national and international standards.

4. To provide a platform for the further development of ELT in different sectors

of the education system.

The survey provides a snapshot of the teaching of English in all sectors during the
2003-4 academic year. Its intended readership includes teachers of English, teachers of
other foreign languages, university foreign language departments, teacher training in-
stitutes, the Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Science, regional pedagogic inspec-
tors and school directors. It is expected that much of the content will also be of
interest to ELT professionals in other countries, especially those where educational re-
form is currently taking place.

2. Research questions

The main questions that the survey sets out to address are:

a) What is the provision of ELT in the primary/secondary and tertiary sectors?

• What are the perceived strengths of this provision?
• What are the perceived problem areas?
• To what extent are the hopes and aspirations of pupils, parents and teachers
being met by the current system?

b) To what extent does current practice in ELT in Lithuania meet declared national
and international standards?
9
 • What are the agreed criteria for good ELT practice according to national
and international guidelines and standards?
• What evidence can be found to show that such criteria are being met?
• What further measures need to be taken to ensure that the criteria are met?

3. Research Methods

To find answers to these questions the report research team (see Acknowledgements)
used a variety of data collection methods. The aim was to achieve a mix of quantita-
tive and qualitative data. The report presents both an overall picture of ELT at a na-
tional level and a detailed analysis of teaching and learning in very specific contexts.
Certain elements are brought into relief by highlighting the perspectives of certain in-
dividuals, classrooms and schools. (All data collection instruments described below can
be found in the appendices to this report).

3.1. Questionnaires

Questionnaires were sent to English language school teachers across Lithuania in or-
der to obtain as much general information as possible about the teachers themselves –
their qualifications, experience, workload and levels of motivation. There were 409 re-
spondents. A detailed breakdown of the results is provided in Chapter 2.2.
A second version of this questionnaire was prepared for tertiary level teachers and
distributed nationally. There were 175 respondents, 113 from universities and 62 from
tertiary colleges. The results are presented in Chapter 3.

3.2. Structured Interviews

Interviews were also used as a means of data collection. 78 school directors from dif-
ferent schools provided information about pupil numbers, levels of motivation, materi-
als and resources available for ELT. The school directors also answered questions
about teaching staffs and problem areas faced by schools. This data is reported in
Chapter 2.1.

Administrators from tertiary institutions were interviewed along similar lines, with 25
different representatives responding. Their data is presented in Chapter 3.

3.3. Focus Groups

To complement the broad results obtained from the questionnaire and interview sam-
ples a series of focus groups were also set up. Here, the aim was to gain a detailed
10
profile of some individual teachers and their learners. While it cannot be claimed that
the data obtained in this way is necessarily representative of all groups of teachers
and learners in Lithuania, the opportunity for at least some individuals to explore lan-
guage teaching related issues in greater depth provided very useful material for analy-
sis of the current situation. Selected quotations from focus groups appear throughout
this report, usually in conjunction with other data.

The focus group interviews were carried out as follows:

• School teachers (2 groups)
• College teachers (1 group)
• University teachers (3 groups)
• College students (1 group)
• University students (2 groups)

College and university students were able to provide useful insights about their sec-
ondary schooling, and about language learning at the tertiary level.

All focus group question lists are included in the appendices to this report.

3.4. Classroom observations

To get an accurate first-person perspective of the Lithuanian ELT classroom practise,

teams were formed to make observations. An observation schedule was prepared
along with a standardized set of procedures. The schedule was refined during two pi-
loting stages then 71 different classes were observed. The team spread among three
different levels, 4th grade (26.8 %), 8th grade (42.3 %) and 11th grade (31 %).

The results obtained are discussed in detail in Chapter 2.3. The observation schedule
can be found in the appendices of this report.

3.5. Document analysis

A final means of data collection was by means of document analysis including official
reports, educational statistics, curriculum specifications, educational laws, guidelines
and procedures.

4. Structure of the report

Chapter 1 of the survey report provides an overview of the administrative structure

and pattern of provision of English Language Teaching in Lithuania. It includes infor-
11
mation about the number and types of educational establishments where English is
taught, educational laws, English language curricula, levels and standards of education,
types of assessment and the provision of teacher education.

In addition, it seeks to provide a European context for educational reforms which are
currently taking place.

Chapter 2 presents a snapshot of ELT in Lithuanian state sector schools. Data ob-
tained from interviews, questionnaires, observations and focus groups provide the evi-
dence from which a detailed analysis is carried out of the school learning environment
and classroom practice. This is accompanied by profiles of Lithuanian students and
their English language teachers.

“The Schools” (2.1), describes the environment in which ELT takes place, the range
of resources and equipment available, administrative policies and practices which af-
fect teaching and learning, and typical teaching timetables.

Under the heading “The Teachers and Students” (2.2), detailed profiles are drawn up
of those who teach English in Lithuanian schools. These profiles include age, qualifi-
cations, experience, levels of motivation, attitudes and opinions concerning language
teaching. Student profiles look generally at levels of motivation attitude and opinions.

Finally, under the heading “Classroom practice” (2.3), different aspects of practice are
presented and discussed. These include the types of language lessons, typical methods
and approaches, levels of student involvement and perceptions of success or failure.

At the end of each of these chapters the main issues emerging from the data are
summarized.

Chapter 3 presents a view of ELT teaching in two different types of tertiary sector in-
stitutions; universities and colleges. It provides a profile of teachers and typical learn-
ers at this level, examines the range of learning, environments within institutions, and
analyses of classroom practice.

Chapter 4 is an analysis of the key issues emerging in the previous chapters and the
report’s conclusions and recommendations.

12
CHAPTER 1. THE LITHUANIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM

1.1. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT LITHUANIA

http://neris.mii.lt

Lithuania is a country situated on the south east shore of the Baltic sea bordering
Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Russia (Kaliningrad region), with an area of 65,200 sq.
km and a population of about 3.45 million. According to the 2001 Census, the popula-
tion represents 115 nationalities, the largest ethnic groups being Lithuanians (83.5 %),
Poles (6.7 %), Russians (6.3 %), and Belarussians (1.2 %). The official language is
Lithuanian, a branch of the Baltic group of Indo-European languages.

The administrative division of Lithuania is territorially based on 10 counties with 44

regions and 11 municipalities, divided into 22 urban districts and 92 towns.

Lithuania is an independent democratic parliamentary republic with a President as the

head of the state. Its highest legislative body is the Parliament (Seimas). The execu-
tive power is represented by the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister
who is appointed by the President and approved by the Seimas.

13
1.2. THE OVERALL STRUCTURE OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

Principles of education

This chapter is not designed as a comprehensive study of the educational system in

Lithuania or as a study of the continual changes it has undergone starting over a de-
cade ago. Instead its aim is to present the educational background in which learning
and teaching English takes place[1].

The fundamental principles of education are formulated in the General Concept of Ed-
ucation, drafted in 1989 and published in 1992[2], and the purpose, values and objec-
tives of basic education are specified by the General Curriculum Framework for
Lithuania’s schools. Other documents that specify school curriculum are national edu-
cation standards, specifications of maturity examinations, teaching materials, a national
plan for education and decisions of school boards. Their importance and the impact
on the practice of language teaching will be further highlighted in this chapter and in
the issues of the survey that will follow.

(For the more detailed description of the legislative foundations of the system of education
in Lithuania see Appendix 1)

Distribution of responsibilities

Education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Science. However,

each of Lithuania’s ten counties (see 1.1) has a department of education to which cer-
tain ministerial duties are delegated. The main task of these county departments is or-
ganising school inspections. Responsibility for education is shared between the central
government, the counties and municipalities, as well as the governing bodies of educa-
tional institutions.

School councils functioning in schools are composed of teachers, parents and students
(at primary level only teachers and parents) in equal numbers. The powers and duties
of school councils are limited; but they may decide on voluntary contributions from
parents or sponsors to collect money[3] for the needs of the school (cleaning, small
renovations, teaching aids) or to determine the number of classes per week to be
given to different subjects, foreign languages among them, within the permitted (Na-
tional Standards and General Curriculum Framework) range.

[1]
A comprehensive description of the entire system of education in Lithuanian is presented in OECD
edition of Reviews of National Policies for Education. Lithuania, 2002.
[2]
General Concept of Education in Lithuania, 1992, Leidybos centras, Vilnius.
[3]
A short description of the principles of financing education is given in Appendix 1.

14
Vocational education and training institutions comprising vocational schools and col-
leges are the responsibility of several ministries. These include the Ministry of Educa-
tion and Science, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Social Security
and Labour.

The state grants universities considerable autonomy. Still, institutions of higher educa-
tion have to abide by the existing laws and the international conventions guidelines on
tertiary education. The Lisbon and Bologna conventions are among the first priorities,
as well as the European Council regulations (see 1.5. Teaching English in the European
Context).

Primary, basic and secondary education

In general, the system of basic and secondary education is rather similar to the sys-
tems of neighbouring countries of eastern and central Europe (see Appendix 2 for a
structural breakdown of the system).

Children can start compulsory education at the age of six or seven. Compulsory edu-
cation, as set by the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania, is ten years (until
the age of 16). It is free of charge, except partial payments for textbooks.

In 2002/2003, 99.7% of students attended publicly funded education establishments fi-

nanced by the central and local administration budgets[4].

Compulsory school education consists of the following principal phases: primary, basic
and secondary, with some different types of schools (like vocational and youth schools)
which conform to the general pattern.

Table 1.1. Basic school education

Pupils’ age
Phase Duration Grades
(years)

Primary school
4 years 6/7 – 9/10 1–4
(pradinë mokykla)
Basic / lower secondary
6 years 9/10 – 16/17 5 – 10
(pagrindinë mokykla)
Vocational lower secondary
2 years 14/15 – 16/17 9 – 10
(profesinë mokykla)
General lower secondary youth school
6 years 12 – 16 5 – 10
(jaunimo mokykla)

[4]
Summary of Education Systems in Europe, 2003, www.eurydice.org.

15
In primary schools, pupils are taught only compulsory subjects, as defined in the
General Curriculum approved by the Ministry of Education and Science. In basic
and secondary schools, compulsory subjects are studied by all pupils, but may be al-
located a variable number of lessons (e.g., a more intensive programme of foreign
languages, information technologies, fine arts or physical education may be of-
fered). Vocational schools provide professional training at three levels - initial (ba-
sic) vocational education for students who are at least 14 years old, three or four
year secondary vocational education (for those who have graduated from basic
schools) and post-secondary vocational education for secondary school graduates.
Youth schools (jaunimo mokykla), the number of which is rather limited, provide
basic education and are mostly chosen by teenagers who lack motivation for learn-
ing.

Upper secondary education

A certificate is awarded at the end of compulsory education (grade 10, age 16–17).
Pupils can then apply for admission to the school of their choice for upper secondary
education. Since learning at a gymnasium starts in the ninth form, upper secondary
education is actually a continuation of studies either at a general school or gymna-
sium. Vocational training can take place alongside upper secondary education[5].

Table 1.2. Upper secondary education

Students’age
Type Duration Grades
(years)

General upper secondary school /

2 years 16/17 – 18/19 11 – 12
gymnasium (gimnazija)
General upper secondary school
2 years 16/17 – 18/19 11 – 12
(vidurinë mokykla)
Vocational secondary school
3 years 16/17 – 19/20 11 – 12+1
(profesinë mokykla)
Vocational post-secondary school
2 years 18/19 – 20/21
(profesinë mokykla)
Vocational technical school
3.5 years 18/19 – 21.5/22.5
(aukðtesnioji mokykla )

[5]
Vocational training can take part alongside with the basic education starting at 14, after the basic
education, at 16 or 17 without or together with the upper secondary education, or after the
secondary education for obtaining working qualifications.

16
In 2000/2001 profiling was introduced at upper secondary level, i.e. pupils can select a
specialised programme of their own choice: humanities (humanitarinis profilis), mathemat-
ics and natural sciences (realinis profilis), fine arts (menø profilis) or technology
(technologinis profilis), and the number of hours of teaching per subject depends on the
chosen area and the level of instruction. Vocational schools set their own curricula based
on the directives drawn up by the Ministry of Education and Science.

Table 1.3. Number of schools and pupils in Lithuania in 2002/2003

Type of educational institution Number of institutions Number of pupils

Kindergartens-primary schools 146 12,182
Primary schools 681 35,819
General lower secondary schools 639 117,875
Youth schools 25 2,326
General upper secondary schools 479 324,638
Gymnasiums 90 74,613
Other 431
Total 2,060 567,884
Department of Statistics, 2003

In 2001/2002, the number of pupils per teacher was 12.9 at primary level and 11.2 at
lower and upper secondary level. The average class size in 2002/2003 was 19.6 (24.4 in
urban areas, 12.1 in rural areas. The law defines the maximum number of pupils per
class as 24 in primary education and 30 in lower secondary education (Summary on
Education Systems in Europe, www.eurydice.org).

The official language of instruction is Lithuanian. The right of linguistic/regional mi-

norities (Russians, Poles, Belarussians, etc.) to teach children their mother tongue and
national history and to foster their culture is guaranteed by the law on education.
On the whole, the schools of national minorities follow the general education curricu-
lum approved by the Ministry of Education and Science.

Table 1.4. Number of pupils in schools with different languages of

instruction in 2002/2003

Language of instruction Number of pupils Percentage

Schools with the Lithuanian language of instruction 512,213 90.27 %

Schools with the Russian language of instruction 33,698 5.9 %
Schools with the Polish language of instruction 21,314 3.8 %
Schools with the Belorussian language of instruction 175 0.03 %
Department of Statistics, 2003

17
The small number of students at schools with languages of instruction other than
Lithuanian reflects the general demographic situation in Lithuania. It also relects the
motivation of the non-ethnic Lithuanian population to better integrate into the social
and economic life.

Higher education

Higher education comprises university-level courses offered by universities and acade-

mies (such as academies of art, music and others). They are provided at the following
academic levels: undergraduate (Bachelor) studies, and post-graduate (Master and
Doctoral) studies[6].

The sector of non-university higher education (kolegijos - colleges) was established in

2000. The colleges specialise in different areas, and students graduate with a Diploma
of College Graduation (Aukðtesniojo mokslo baigimo diplomas), which grants access to
professional occupation.

At present, there are 30 state-supported higher educational institutions (10 universi-

ties, 5 academies and 15 colleges) and 13 private institutions (4 university-type and 9
colleges) in Lithuania (Department of Statistics 2003).

Table 1.5. Number of students in higher education

2000 2001 2002

Non-university level higher education 36,783 31,498 21,822

University level higher education (Bachelor level) 97,083 115,178 143,601

Department of Statistics, 2003

As can be seen from the table, the newly established colleges, being fewer and smaller
in size, do not provide for a great number of students. But they are gradually increas-
ing both in size and number as well as importance.

In general, the number of university-level students has increased significantly over the
last few years. The general tendency, however, is a decrease in the population of
young people, and the number of primary and lower secondary school pupils in
2002/2003 was 16,000 pupils less than the school year 2001/2002 (Ministry of Education
and Science. www.smm.lt)

[6]
It should be noted that the three level system was only established after the restoration of
independence. Those that graduated before 1991 usually had a 4 to 5 year course for a university
degree.

18
1.3. LANGUAGE TEACHING

Foreign language learning at basic and secondary schools

The number of foreign languages being learnt depends on the stage of education.
Learning the first compulsory foreign language starts at the age of nine or ten, in the
last year of primary school (grade 4). Traditionally it is one of the main European
languages – English, German or French. At this level there normally are two or three
classes of 45 minutes each per week as regulated by the General Curriculum Frame-
work[7].

The second foreign language is selected two years later. During the second year of
lower secondary education (grade 6), students may chose from the most widely used
European languages – English, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Italian - or other
languages (Polish, Latvian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, etc.).

Before the 2000/2001 school year, it was mandatory that two languages be studied
throughout the school year. Since 2000/2001, with the introduction of profiling in up-
per secondary education, the second compulsory language has been differentiated de-
pending on a chosen programme. The second foreign language became compulsory
only for those who chose the humanities programme (humanitarinis profilis). The
other programmes require only one foreign language. A third foreign language is op-
tional and is recommended in schools specialising in humanities or in gymnasiums.

The number of lessons is three to four per week. A school is allowed to add one
more lesson per week from the small reserve for extra lessons. Since 2000/2001, when
Early Language Learning (see Bendrosios programos ir iðsilavinimo standartai.
Ankstyvasis ugdymas, ðvietimo aprûpinimo centras, Vilnius, 2003) was introduced,
schools have been able to start non-compulsory foreign language teaching in the sec-
ond year of primary school. In schools using Russian, Polish or Belarussian as the lan-
guage of instruction, Lithuanian is compulsory and one foreign language is required.

The languages offered at school depend on the availability of teachers. Parents and
pupils may choose schools on the basis of the languages they offer within the limits of
their availability.

The number of hours allotted to foreign language teaching comprises 9 % – 17 % of

the total teaching time, depending on the school stage[8].

[7]
Bendrojo lavinimo mokyklø ugdymo planai. Ðvietimo aprûpinimo centras, Vilnius 2003.
[8]
General Curriculum Framework, www.smm.lt.

19
Official recommendations on the number of pupils in foreign language classes are
made by the Ministry of Education and Science. A class can be further split into
groups according to the School Board decision based on the financial situation of the
school.

Lithuania’s orientation towards West European countries and its preparation for join-
ing the EU has fostered young people’s interest in studying the major EU languages:
English, German, French. The popularity of English as a foreign language has been
significantly increasing: in the year 2001/2002, 52.4 % of all the pupils were studying
English (8.7 % more than in 1995). In 2001/2002 36.7 % of pupils were studying one
foreign language, 46.1 % – two foreign languages, 1.1 % – three foreign languages[9].

Table 1.6. Studying foreign languages in general education schools

(thousands of pupils)

Lietuvos statistikos metraðtis, 2002

The growing popularity of English puts great pressure on the supply of English teach-
ers at all levels of education. That said, the importance of other languages in the Eu-
ropean context cannot be underestimated either. Conditions for learning a second
foreign language must be improved. Learning a third language still receives little sup-
port or encouragement from school authorities.

Foreign languages at vocational schools

Since vocational schools are oriented towards basic education needs for employment,
elements of occupational English or English for specific purposes are introduced in
many vocational schools according to the schools profile. The English language is

[9]
Lietuvos ðvietimas – 2002. www.smm.lt.

20
generally studied at the basic programme level, with 4 lessons (45 minutes a lesson)
per week being given. In some schools the general English programme is supple-
mented with different modules of specific English. It must be noted that ‘introducing
innovative language teaching in the vocational training system’ is set as one of the
principle goals in the Foreign Language Education Strategy Paper (2004, draft).

Foreign languages at universities and colleges

The institutions of higher education in Lithuania are granted considerable autonomy

and each of them designs its own curriculum. However, foreign language courses are
part of the core curriculum in all the higher schools for all the specialities. 1st year
university students continue studying the first foreign language they studied at school.
They must attain a certain level of language proficiency set by each higher school (up-
per intermediate to advanced, or, according to Common European Framework, B2 or
C1). After they have reached the required level set for the first foreign language, stu-
dents may usually choose a second foreign language or a more specialized first foreign
language course as an optional subject.
Language courses provided at higher schools are oriented towards academic and pro-
fessional communication competence. Eight is the average number of credits for com-
pulsory foreign language modules for non-language studies majors. The number of
credits may range from 1.5 to 13 depending on which university or faculty the student
is enrolled. One credit at the university corresponds to 40 hours of a student’s work
in the class, and the course may vary from one semester to six semesters (1 semester
equals 16 weeks). Assessment of the student is carried out according to requirements
set by individual universities.
At present attempts are being made to unify the system of foreign language profi-
ciency assessment in tertiary education. In 2003 a group of experienced university lan-
guage teachers from the three Baltic states (10 higher schools) started a Leonardo da
Vinci project QUALSPELL (Quality Assurance in Language for Specific Purposes).
The project is aimed at establishing unified skills-based tertiary level Language for
Specific purposes, examination requirements and assessment criteria recognized by the
Ministries of Education in line with the recommendations of the European Ministers
of Education.
The Bachelor’s degree certificate has served as a certification that the holder has
completed a course of a foreign language study laid out according to the requirement
of a particular higher institution.

Teacher training

Foreign language teachers are trained at six universities (out of 15) and six colleges.
All six universities confer Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English philology / lin-
guistics. Only Vilnius Pedagogical University grants the qualification of foreign lan-
guage teacher.
21
The colleges give higher professional education without conferring Bachelor’s degree.

Most universities have Master’s programmes in linguistics and general education but
not a single university runs a Master’s programme in foreign language teaching.[11]
Some universities have one year pedagogical professional studies given after Bache-
lor’s studies. This means, in practice, that the majority of teaching staff at all levels of
education have sufficient training in general subjects of linguistics, but only the gradu-
ates of Pedagogical University have comprehensive training in the methodology of lan-
guage teaching.

Currently, a Bachelor’s degree is required for a job at secondary school and Master’s
degree for university, but in view of the shortage of MAs, there are a number of lec-
turers with BA degrees working at tertiary level. The shortage of professional teachers
of English at the beginning of the nineties instigated a number of teacher re-qualifica-
tion courses. Initially these courses were meant for teachers of Russian but later de-
veloped into broader more formal studies. At present Vilnius University, Pedagogical
University, and Ðiauliai University run BA re-qualification programmes.

Foreign language teaching strategy

The General Concept of Education in Lithuania is the founding document which laid
out four phases for the recreation of the education system (see 1.2). Phase I ran from
the end of 1988 to March 11, 1990. Phase II led to the framing of the Concept in
1992, and phases III and IV ran from 1992 to 2005 to create a uniform permanent
Lithuanian education system.

A new document to outline the strategic development of national education National

Education Strategy is to encompass periods 2003-2012. In this new plan, the status of
foreign language instruction in the national education system remains prominent. The
strategic vision is to increase teaching foreign languages at the secondary level of the
Lithuanian education system and to teach two or three foreign languages during
higher education. 70 % of basic school graduates must test out of the first foreign
language at the “Vantage” level to meet the Council of Europe’s “Threshold” stan-
dard. While in the National Longterm Development Strategy (2002) Lithuania’s goals
are to integrate into the European cultural and economic sphere; and as a developed
European state, all citizens seeking higher education in Lithuania should acquire two
to three foreign languages. Foreign languages are seen as an important social factor in
the overall development of the country.

[10]
Agricultural University of Lithuania, Kaunas University of Technology, Vilnius Gediminas
Technical University, Vilnius University, Vytautas Magnus University.
[11]
At present mastership programmes in foreign language teaching, English and German, are
being worked out at Vilnius University.

22
Strategies in Foreign Language Teaching is a document being drafted as a response to
the need to concentrate the guidelines instituted by different regulatory commissions
into a single document that presents a consistent and coherent vision for foreign lan-
guage teaching. It must be in line with the General Curriculum Framework and con-
sistent with the EU and the Council of Europe documents (see 1.5 Teaching English in
the European Context). The aims are to: (a) promote awareness and highlight the im-
portance of language learning in modern society; (b) to promote foreign language ed-
ucational initiatives such as textbook development, early learning, innovative teaching,
and new assessment system; (c) to promote cooperation between formal and non-for-
mal education institutions in the field of language education.

All these documents provide a solid basis for the development of foreign language
teaching in Lithuania.

1.4. LEVELS AND STANDARDS OF EDUCATION

Achievement levels

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania is responsible for
commissioning and publishing the general curriculum and education standards, which
are designed at the Centre of Educational Development.

The standards of achievement have been defined for primary, lower secondary (basic)
and upper secondary education, with modifications being carried out on a “rolling”
basis. At present the standards for basic school published in 2004 are available for the
educational community, and the standards for secondary school are under modifica-
tion. The standards outline the general and subject specific skills, knowledge, and sys-
tem of values to be acquired after completion of a certain stage.

“National standards (Bendrojo Iðsilavinimo Standartai) have been developed to serve as a

basis for the assesssment of student learning. Their fundamental purpose is to ensure
that all students receive the same level of education to which they are entitled by law,
regardless of where they live or who they are. Other purposes are: to specify what is to
be taught and to what extent; to ensure progression (“harmonisation” or coherence)
from one year to the next and from one school or municipality to another; to form a
nationally understood basis for the measurement of student learning; to motivate teach-
ers and learners; to provide a frame of reference for trends over time; to influence and
help define the development of the (20–30 %) school-based curricula; to guide the eval-
uation of school and system quality; and for international comparisons.” (Reviews of Na-
tional Policies for Education – Lithuania, OECD, 2002, p.75)

The standards of achievement for English are set for four stages of teaching / learning
at the following levels: introductory, beginner, middle and higher (as defined in the
Concept of Education).
23
Table 1.7. Stages of learning the first foreign language

Level Grade Age CEF language level

Introductory 4 or 5-6 9/10 or 10-13 A1 Breakthrough

Beginner 7-8 12-14 A2 Waystage
Middle 9-10 14-16 B1 Threshold
Higher 11-12 16-18 B2 Vantage

Table 1.8. Stages of learning the second foreign language

Level Grade Age CEF language level

Introductory 6 11/12
Beginner 6-7 or 6-8 11-14 A1 Breakthrough
Middle 8 or 9 to grade 10 13-16 A2 Waystage
Higher 11 to 12 16-18 B1 Threshold

Learning and assessment is carried out on a continuous basis, students are given
marks ranging from 1 to 10, four being a pass mark.

Primary, basic, and some secondary schools organise their teaching and learning into
three terms:

Table 1.9. Organization of the school year

Terms Months

1st September, October, November

nd
2 December, January, February
rd
3 March, April, May (June is mostly devoted to examinations or various ex-
tra-curricula activities.)

Most upper secondary schools split the same teaching time into two terms instead of
three.

At the end of the term the teacher usually determines the total mark of performance
from the continuous assessment marks over the whole term. At the gymnasium level
teaching and learning may be set in two term periods. At the end of the term the to-
tal mark is determined by the teacher.
24
Assessment is criterion-referenced according to national standards. Self-assessment tools
for foreign language learning are also being developed. One such tool in development
is a version of the European Language Portfolio of the Council of Europe intended for
students aged 15-18. Portfolios for other age groups are also in development.

Assessment

On completion of the upper secondary level, students may choose an English lan-
guage examination of either type: state or school examination. Both types of the for-
eign language examinations are optional.[12]

The goal of the examinations, as stated in the Foreign Languages Examination sylla-
bus for years 2004 – 2005, is “to check and assess the general and foreign language
skills”. The objective of the examination is “students’ communicative competence in a
foreign language”, regardless of the level taken – state or school examination.

Table 1.10. The component parts and weighting of upper secondary

graduation examinations

State examination School examination

State examination consists of the following School examination consists of:

parts:
listening test listening test
3-6 audiotexts, 25 min., 3-6 audiotexts, 20 min.,
reading test reading test
3-6 texts, 1300-1900 words, 55 min., 3-6 texts, 800-1200 words, 50 min.,
language in use test language in use
3-6 tasks, 30 min., 3-4 tasks, 20 min.,
writing test writing test
1-3 tasks, 220-270 words, 90 min. 1-3 tasks, 100-150 words, 50 min.,
Total time: 3h 20 min. (200 min.) Total time: 2h 20 min (140 min.)

The state examination is based on the extended course of the General Curriculum
Framework orientated to the Threshold level (B1) for productive skills (i.e. speaking
and writing), and to the Vantage level (B2) for receptive skills (reading and listening)
though examinations are not yet formally related to CEF. The assessment is norm-ref-
erenced and the results are presented on the percentage scale from 1 to 100.

[12]
Since state examinations assess students’ proficiency at higher level of achievement, the mark re-
ceived is sometimes an asset (or a requirement) for entering universities where foreign language
skills are an important part of professional university education.

25
The school examination is designed on the basis of the General Curriculum Framework
general course and is supposed to correspond to the Threshold level B1. It is criterion
referenced and the results of the exam, estimated with the help of assessment scales,
are converted to the marks from one to ten, 4 being a pass.

There are many aspects of examination system that require thorough investigation and
resolution. First of all, the standards and examination requirements need further har-
monisation. The skills listed in the examination syllabus sometimes reflect the levels
which are different from those declared in the General Curriculum Framework and
not always correspond to the level of examination tasks. The requirements defined in
the Examination Syllabus sometimes have no ground or cannot be used as helpful
tools for orientation. For example, the examination matrix presents the required pro-
portions for different skills to be tested. Alongside with the weighting of the commu-
nicative skills it also states the proportion of strategies and knowledge to be assessed
(50 % of strategies and 50 % of knowledge), which can hardly be estimated at the
present level of the development the examination and is rather misleading, creating
the illusion of the possibility to differentiate them. Since the tests are not in any way
validated before the examination, the conclusions drawn after the exams remain dubi-
ous.

Prior to the exam all students have to pass an English language speaking test which is
compulsory and the content of which is determined by the National Examination Cen-
ter. The mark does not count in the final examination mark but is included into
Graduation Certificate. If the student fails the credit test, he/she can retake it on a
date set by the school.

Vocational schools follow the same system of assessment as the secondary schools.

University assessment is twofold: students have to pass credit tests (orally or in writ-
ing) every term and take examinations for which they are given marks. (The scale
runs from 1 to 10. One is the lowest mark possible and a ten is the highest. A four is
a fail and a five is passing mark.)

University exams are criterion-referenced and determined by the inner rules and regu-
lations of the universities. Some universities have a rather rigorous practice of accu-
mulative assessment.

1.5. TEACHING ENGLISH IN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT

In the last decade, after the restitution of independence in Lithuania in 1990, teaching
/ learning English has been heavily impacted by various European trends. Participation
in different activities supported by European organisations has played an important
role in creating an open, democratic and innovative educational system and acceler-
ated integration into Western Europe’s economic, political and cultural life.
26
The Council of Europe

Since 1993, when Lithuania became a member of the Council of Europe, language
teachers, curriculum, examinations and learning materials developers have been able to
familiarise themselves with conceptual papers developed and being developed by the
Council of Europe experts. The most significant documents developed by the Council of
Europe have been taken as a foundation for developing the fundamental directions in
teaching languages in Lithuania. Threshold level specifications for English, written by
the Council of Europe experts in the 70s and revised in 1990, were taken into account
for developing the General Education Curriculum Framework, both original and later
modifications[13]. Later on Standards of Attainment[14] were based on the Common Euro-
pean Framework of Reference[15]. Finally, following the recommendations of the Com-
mittee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, a version of a European Language
Portfolio for general education students of Lithuania is being developed.

Lithuania is a member of the European Centre for Modern Languages in Graz;

teachers of all languages take an active part in the projects co-ordinated by experts
from different European countries.

The most recent activities in language teaching policies in Lithuania, following the
Council of Europe’s “Guide for the Development of Language Education Policies in Eu-
rope” (Language Policy Division, Council of Europe), includes a joint project to pro-
duce a Language Education Policy Profile Report. The Report has been written by
Lithuanian policy makers and the Council of Europe experts.

The British Council

The activities of the British Council, established in Lithuania in 1992, play a crucial
role in the improvement of teacher qualifications and the quality of teaching by initi-
ating such major projects as Teacher Development Programme, Teacher Re-qualifica-
tion Programme, the Year12 Examination Project and supporting a lot of minor
programmes.

The Teacher Development Programme, was established in 1993 and was aimed at re-
training teachers to acquire new teaching skills corresponding to more up-to-date
communicative approaches. Some of these approaches include co-operative learning,
problem solving, and project work. Teachers had to learn to use new materials and
approaches, and to change their role from an authoritarian source of knowledge to a
friendly facilitator of learning.

[13]
Lietuvos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklos bendrosios programos. Leidybos centras, Vilnius, 1997.
[14]
Bendrojo issilavinimo standartai. Leidybos centras, Vilnius, 1997.
[15]
Language Teaching, Learning, Assessment. A Common European Framework of Reference.

27
With this aim, a group of Lithuanian English language teachers from 8 different
towns (11 participants total) were trained in Britain and became certified teacher
trainers. Later in 1997-1998 they delivered cascaded training – a new course to pre-
pare a group of 15 certified regional ELT trainers for the 11 regions most in need.
The 26 trainers ran a great number of in-service teacher development sessions locally
(more than 500 per year totally), including many teachers of English (nearly 6 000
participants per year on average) in developing their teaching skills.

Based on their professional reputation, the group has acted as key information
sources for the dissemination of information about ELT innovations, resources and
events. They have covered the most important issues of communicative approaches to
language teaching, teaching four language skills, learner autonomy, testing and assess-
ment, teaching young learners, and using debates in ELT.

Another important step in improving teacher qualifications was the Teacher Re-quali-
fication Programme, started in 1992 and supported by the British Council from 1993.
It gave many teachers the opportunity to acquire English language teaching qualifica-
tions and helped to bridge the gap in the supply of English language teachers.

One of the greatest undertakings of the British Council in the nineties was the project
for developing a valid, reliable, centrally marked English language Secondary school
graduation examination. The International Year 12 project, started in 1994, was car-
ried out together with Latvian and Estonian teams and supervised by Lancaster Uni-
versity. It laid the foundations of the examination reform and gave a powerful
stimulus to change the whole assessment system in Lithuania. In the late 1990’s the
Examination Centre established a national English language exam and helped to in-
troduce it to secondary schools. The Council used its expertise to set the codes for ex-
amination administration. For English in particular, it laid the foundations for valid
and objective tests. These developments have continued in concert with the changing
standards, curricula, and ways of administering the examinations.

The American Center

The American Center supports numerous initiatives for English language and Ameri-
can Studies. The English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Program sponsors seminars
and conferences on English teaching methodology across Lithuania as well as helps
develop and provide textbooks and materials to schools. As a sponsor of American
studies, the Center hosted annual conferences of the Lithuanian Association for North
American Studies and has promoted teacher exchanges and training. The Center has
also donated core book collections to universities and secondary schools.

Language teaching and teacher qualifications projects coordinated and sponsored by

the American Center (Public Affairs Section of U.S. Embassy Vilnius, former USIS)
28
have produced a very favourable impact on teaching English in Lithuania. English
Language Fellows and EFL/ESP teacher trainers from the U.S. ran a great number of
workshops for English language teachers in Lithuania. They facilitated the workshop
for improvement of their English skills and provided opportunities to get acquainted
with new methodologies, and in doing so, promoted the communicative approach in
teaching languages. Schools and universities received a number of dictionaries,
text-books, copying machines, tape-recorders, etc.

The first series of textbooks School English written by Lithuanian authors appeared
in schools thanks to American professionals who trained the authors to write text-
books.

A very important role in improving teachers’ qualifications has been played by the
Fulbright programme. Since 1992, the Fulbright program has established a network of
Lithuanian institutions of higher education that regularly receive American lecturers,
scientific researchers and students. This process of cross pollanization has improved
the processes for curricular reform and broadening cultural/educational contacts be-
tween Lithuania and the United States. In turn, Lithuanian grantees go to the United
States. 36 secondary school and university teachers have studied American culture,
history and language at universities in the United States. Likewise, they were able to
participate in a number of regional conferences in Hungary, Poland, and the Czech
Republic.

International projects

In 1998 Lithuania enjoyed new opportunities with the establishment of Socrates

programmes such as Lingua, Comenius, Grundvig, Leonardo da Vinci, and Erasmus.
After joining the European Union in May 2004, Lithuania has been actively partici-
pating in implementing the main objectives in language learning in the context of Lis-
bon strategy launched in 2000. Its aim is the development of a knowledge based
society to accelerate the EU’s goal of becoming the most competitive economy in the
world. Language learning contributes to this aim, enabling European citizens to estab-
lish the intercultural and language skills necessary for a global market and cultural co-
operation. The European Council in Barcelona called for further action ‘to improve
the mastery of basic skills, in particular by teaching at least two foreign languages
from a very early age’.

Following the action plan for 2004-2006 ‘Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic
Diversity’ (Brussels, 24.07.2003, COM(2003)449 final), Lithuania is striving to create a
friendly learning environment, to diversify language learning, and to improve the qual-
ity of language learning. These are the main tasks for Lithuania as a new member of
the European Union.
29
1.6. CONCLUSIONS

The very short overview of the system of education above reveals a well developed
system of foreign language teaching in Lithuania at all levels. Though in most cases
learning foreign languages starts in the 4th or 5th grades (at the age of 10 or 11) the
number of schools with early learning / teaching of foreign languages (mostly English)
is gradually increasing. Before independence a high level of proficiency in foreign lan-
guage skills was the prerogative of specialized schools with an English, German or
French bias. Today the number of hours allotted to foreign languages in the curricu-
lum and the limits on the numbers of students per class allow better results in com-
municative skills development. Teaching foreign languages at universities has also
undergone some change. The syllabi are more streamlined and profession-oriented.
However, there is a worrying tendency at some universities to decrease the number of
hours given to foreign language teaching, and, therefore, reduce the demands on stu-
dent achievement.

The growing popularity of foreign languages, English in particular[16], demands new

ways of teaching and additional resources in terms of teaching staff, equipment and
materials. The greatest problem the Lithuanian education system faces is the shortage
of teachers, mostly for English, at all types of schools. The turnover of foreign lan-
guage teachers at higher educational institutions, especially young and promising in-
structors, also presents a problem. Turnover affects the general level of teacher
qualification and, consequently, quality of classroom practices.

The participation of teachers in international projects has an enormous impact on

teaching and learning, especially at secondary school level. Hopefully, the projects re-
lated to different aspects of ESP, the development of systems for the assessment of
language proficiency at tertiary level and others will also have wide repercussions at
the college and university level.

[16]
English is the most popular language chosen both as the first and the second foreign language. It is
also the most frequently chosen language at universities where second language is offered as an op-
tional subject.

30
Sources:

1. National Education Strategy, 2003-2012

2. Reviews of National Policies for Education – Lithuania, Examinator‘s Report, 2003

3. www.smm.lt

4. www.lrs.lt

5. Bendrosios programos ir issilavinimo standartai, 2003

6. Bendrosios programos ir iðsilavinimo standartai. Ankstyvasis ugdymas, ðvietimo

aprûpinimo centras, Vilnius, 2003

7. Uþsienio kalbø mokymo strategijos gairës. 2003/2004, www.smm.lt

31
CHAPTER 2: ELT IN LITHUANIAN SCHOOLS

2.1. THE SCHOOLS

General overview

In examining the general situation of English language teaching in Lithuanian schools

one particular area of interest is the teaching/learning environment. The body of this
ELT study is made up of 409 questionnaires completed by teachers, 78 interviews with
school directors, 71 lesson observations and focus group discussions with teachers. It
should be noted that in the case of the interview data, 59 % of the respondents are
actually deputy directors and 41 % are school directors. These respondents also teach
various subjects ranging from Science and Mathematics to Arts and Physical Educa-
tion.

The survey reveals that the number of pupils at different schools varies greatly. The
smallest has 40 students and the largest has 1626 students. The average school has
691 pupils. Pupils may study English as the first foreign language or choose it as the
second. The numbers of pupils studying English as the first foreign language varies in
different schools from 19 to 1626 according to the size of the school.

The learning environment

According to the lesson observation data, 63.4 % of lessons were given in special ELT
classrooms, and 36.6 % were in ordinary classrooms. This result could be considered
satisfactory since it means that most of the lessons observed were conducted in special
classrooms, and these rooms better satisfy the needs of students and teachers.

The majority of classes meet the Ministry’s of Education and Science requirements for
teacher/student ratios.

Table 2.1. Number of students in the group

Number of students Percent

5 – 11 7%
12 – 20 91.5 %
21 – 29 1.4 %
More than 30 0%

Based on a sample of 71 lesson observations

32
As shown in the table, 91.5 % of lessons observed were given to groups of students
ranging from 12 to 20. 7 % of the observed classrooms had between 5 and 11 pupils.
1.4 % of classrooms observed had between 21 and 29 students.

However, English teachers and students are not satisfied with groups larger than 12.
One teacher explains: “You see it was easier to teach them, because working in a small
group you can pay attention to each child. And now if you have a group of 16 or 17, a
child may use just a few sentences per lesson, or perhaps say nothing.” According to the
Ministry regulations classes should be split if there are more than 21 students. This
also depends on if there are enough English teachers to teach.

Teaching resources and equipment

Resources

The variety of English textbooks used is large. Textbooks written by both foreign and
Lithuanian authors are broadly available. Teachers may choose textbooks from a list
approved by the Ministry of Education and Science (see Appendix 4). Looking at the
list, it can be easily said that foreign textbooks prevail. Teachers’ attitudes about the
choice are split. Some teachers like the variety of choice, but the others are dissatis-
fied. One of the teacher focus group respondents says, “Sometimes you get lost among
all those books and sets”.

The method of textbook selection depends on the individual school. There are three
possible scenarios. Either a board of teachers decides on the textbooks to be used at
a school, or textbooks are chosen by the deputy director, or teachers are allowed to
choose textbooks individually. This means that different teachers teaching the same
age group may be using completely different textbooks.

The majority of schools prefer the books published by foreign publishers to local
ones. Often this is because the foreign textbook packages contain additional material
like tapes, videos and visual aids. These help to develop different skills, especially lis-
tening. Specially designed teacher’s books and test booklets also provide help for the
teachers.

Local authors are mostly chosen in rural areas and for teaching junior classes.
The main reasons for this are:

1. The supply of textbooks in rural areas is still lower.

2. Beginners have a better chance of understanding the tasks and getting support
from their parents while studying and preparing homework.
33
The analysis of the questionnaire data reveals that the most popular textbook used in
Lithuanian schools is the Enterprise series. It is used by 88 teachers of 409 surveyed
(46 %). Observers found it used in 29 schools out of 71 (41 %). One of the respon-
dents says, “The Enterprise series has course books, workbooks and separate grammar
books for each level and it’s very easy for kids to keep track”. Some publishers criticise
the Enterprise series, claiming that the teaching methodologies used in it are old-fash-
ioned and concentrate mostly on grammar structure. However, most teachers, espe-
cially the ones who teach senior levels admit that they concentrate on exam
preparation rather than on teaching speaking. The state exam focuses on listening,
reading and writing skills so speaking is neglected in senior grades (in spite of the
credit test taken at the end of secondary education), because it plays a minor role in
university entrance.

Every second teacher says that they are satisfied with the choice of textbooks. There
are many things that motivate teachers to choose a particular textbook.

Table 2.2. Textbook choice

Reasons for choosing a textbook Percent

Student’s needs 63.6 %

Exam requirements 62.6 %
Variety of activities 50.4 %
All skills covered 45.2 %
Syllabus requirements 37.9 %
Textbook availability 37.7 %
Attractive presentation 31.3 %
Price 20 %
Publishers’ advertising 11.5 %

Based on the questionnaire sample of 409 respondents

According to the questionnaire data, textbook choice is mainly influenced by the stu-
dents’ needs (63.6 %) and exam requirements (62.6 %). Half of the respondents say
that they like the variety of activities for development of all skills (45.2 %), and for
an attractive presentation of new material (31 %). The price is also important. 20 %
of the respondents identify it as a deciding factor. Nevertheless, we cannot forget the
percentage based on the exam requirements (62.3 %) is one of the highest. This illus-
trates the conflict between exam preparation and the development of communicative
competence as outlined by national and international agreed standards[1].

[1]
See Chapter 1.

34
The common belief that textbook selection is influenced by sales promotions has been
refuted. Only 12 % of the respondents choose the products promoted by publishers
who offer various discounts, presents or other incentives to attract customers.

Other resources such as literature, dictionaries, and encyclopaedias are scarce in

school libraries and methodological centres. “Usually each English room has got a dic-
tionary or two but nothing more. Teaching materials are not available for our students,”
says one of the focus group respondents.

Classroom observation data also reveal how other resources are used for ELT.

Table 2.3 Other resources

Learning materials Percent

Activity book 73.2 %

Audio cassettes 57.7 %
Handouts 36.6 %
Self-produced 33.8 %
Dictionaries 15.5 %
Other 12.7 %
Video 1.4 %

Based on the sample of 71 lesson observations

The data illustrate that there is a large percentage of teachers who use activity books
and audio cassettes in the classroom because they are included in a course set. Sup-
plementary materials like handouts are used by 36.6 % of the observed teachers. One
third of the teachers observed use self-produced materials to supplement the course
book, which may illustrate the creativity of the teaching staff and their ability to inte-
grate additional material. Dictionaries were used in 15.5 % of the observed lessons.
This confirms the fact that schools still cannot afford additional resources such as dic-
tionaries, encyclopaedias and literary books. Usage of video is scarce (1.4 %). This is
connected with the shortage of equipment at schools. The category ‘other’ includes
such things as posters, pictures, flashcards, slides, tables and board games. They are
not often used, presumably because of the lack of finances for acquiring them.

Teaching equipment

According to observation data, Lithuanian classrooms appear to be equipped mostly

with chalkboards (97.2 % rooms observed) and audio recorders (87.3 % rooms ob-
served). In contrast, a very small percentage of classrooms were equipped with com-
35
puters (only 11.3 %) and video recorders (8 %). Whiteboards, power point projectors
or OHP were not observed at all.

Interestingly, interviews with school administrators and teacher questionnaires re-

vealed a very different picture as shown in the table below.

Table 2.4. Teaching equipment available at schools: a comparison

Equipment available Equipment available Equipment teachers

at school in the classroom lack in the classroom
Types of equipment
(according to interview (according to (according to
data) observation data) questionnaire data)

Chalkboard * 97.2 % –
Audio recorder 100 % 87.3 % 9.3 %
Video recorder 85.9 % 2.8 % 60.4 %
OHP 67.9 % 0% 41.8 %
Computer 97.4 % 12.7 % 64.3 %
Internet access 93.6 % 11.3 % 47.9 %
Flipchart * 0% 18.3 %
Number of respon- 78 71 409
dents

* This item was not included in the school administrator questionnaire because it is taken
for granted that some kind of board is available in every classroom.

The survey results vary widely depending on who is surveyed. Of school directors in-
terviewed, 93 % claim that their schools have access to the Internet. When we look at
the technologies available in actual lessons, we see that only 12 % of the schools vis-
ited have Internet access in ELT classrooms.

Similarly, 86 % of school directors say that a video recorder is available at their

school and that 68 % of their schools have access to an OHP. Lesson observations re-
veal that none of them appear to be used in ELT classrooms.

Lack of modern teaching equipment in the ELT classroom is also reflected in the
questionnaire data. 64.3 % of teacher respondents lack computers. 47.9 % would like
to have access to the Internet. 60.4 % would like to have access to a video recorder,
41.8 % would use an overhead projector if available and 18.3 % would like to use
flipcharts.

To sum up, it seems that although school administrators claim that the percentages of
various types of equipment available at their schools are high enough, the reality
36
might be different. There are explanations for the different measurements. Some
equipment is kept in school offices or in special IT rooms but seldom used for lan-
guage teaching. OHPs and video recorders may be available, but it is often necessary
to carry the heavy equipment to the ELT room. So teachers tend to organise lesson
around the actual resources that are available.

Administrative policies and practices

51 % of teachers define the support of school administration as “good” and 15 % as

“poor”. It appears that teachers get better support from those administrators who are
foreign language teachers themselves. One of the focus group participants says,
This year the director, because she also teaches English, knows the situation and
supports us in every way. We already bought some grammar books, some textbook
sets, a tape recorder and a computer for the classroom’.

Meanwhile, a less fortunate respondent has a very different experience.

‘My headmaster says that we, English teachers, should be more active. We must
take the initiative to get money and buy materials. He is a teacher of physics and
pays greater attention to the natural sciences’.

On the one hand, English teachers should be active in looking for ways to improve
their classroom environment and teaching methods. They are responsible for the class-
room atmosphere they create and for the textbooks they choose. On the other hand, a
lot depends on the school authorities and their attitude. They decide on the fund dis-
tribution, on teaching hours and classroom provisions. As some of the teachers say, ‘I
think that the situation depends on the school authorities’; ‘The number of hours also de-
pends on the authorities’. On the positive side, school director interviews reveal a con-
structive attitude toward ELT. Speaking about the future, many school administrators
are both positive and realistic about improvement of ELT in their schools. They are
thinking about ways to develop learning conditions, the use of advanced technologies
and improvement of teaching methodology.

Questionnaire data also provide interesting insights into the importance of parents’
support for school policies and practices. Both teachers and school administrators
claim that parents can help to obtain textbooks and school equipment, such as tape or
video recorders, and can even solve photocopying problems. Most teacher respondents
evaluated parent support for the school administration positively. 32 % of them
thought that parent support is good and 33 % saw it as fair.

In addition to a lack of resources and equipment, school administrators identified two

major problem areas which they must deal with. These are the constant rotation of
English teachers and a shortage of qualified individuals. Both of these will be dis-
cussed in detail in the next section of this chapter.
37
Conclusions

Based on the data, it can be said that the ELT environment at schools is satisfactory.
Most lessons observed were conducted in special ELT classrooms. The numbers of
students in groups ranged from 12 to 20. Classrooms are usually equipped with chalk-
boards and audio recorders. Still there is a demand for modern technologies in the
context of language teaching. Both administrators and teachers would prefer to have
better equipped classrooms with video recorders, multimedia, whiteboards and
flipcharts. While teachers are satisfied with the wide choice of textbooks, they feel a
lack of other resources such as readers, dictionaries and encyclopaedias.

As far as administrative policies are concerned, generally they are considered good.
Many administrators seem to be willing to improve the present situation and pay at-
tention to school resource provision and teacher development.

2.2. THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

This section of the ELT survey report presents a detailed analysis of English language
teachers in Lithuania, along with a profile of typical English language learners. The
main emphasis, however, is on the teachers themselves. A total of 409 teachers from
all 10 counties in Lithuania responded to a national questionnaire[2]. All the data
were collected in late autumn of 2003 and early in 2004.

The questions[3] were arranged in several blocks. The 1st block gives general informa-
tion about English language teachers such as the location they teach in, the type of
school, their age and gender, native language and academic background. The 2nd
block contains questions about lesson loads, the number of students in a group and
grades taught. It also covers teacher experience and teacher qualification categories.
The 3rd block reflects their career motivations, working as a teacher, improving quali-
fications and their feelings about their work.

Information obtained from the questionnaire is also supplemented by quotations from

teachers who took part in two focus groups. These comments are especially helpful in
determining how Lithuanian teachers feel about the work that they do and about
their profession in general. Finally, three focus groups with student respondents have
also contributed to this section.

[2]
See Appendix 5 for the map.
[3]
See Appendix 6 for the complete questionnaire.

38
Teacher profile

Out of the 409 questionnaire respondents 61.4 % work in urban schools and 36.9 %
work in rural schools. More than half of the teachers work at secondary schools
(52.8 %), 24.4 % work in basic, 19.6 % work in gymnasiums and 4.9 % work in pri-
mary schools. Although the sample appears to be biased towards the secondary sector,
it does contain a large number of respondents teaching at grades 5 through 8 (see
Teacher Working Conditions).

Of those English language teachers who have completed the questionnaire 92.4 % are
women, 5.6 % men. Women are the dominant gender not only in English language
teaching but in other subjects as well. The dominance of women in the field is evident
at local and national levels. Usually more than 90 % of an educational audience is fe-
male.

The table below shows the age range of the respondents:

Table 2.5. Teacher age

Percentage Years

31.8 % 41 – 50
21.5 % 31 – 40
21.3 % 25 – 30
12.5 % 51 – 60
10.8 % 19 – 24
1% 61+

Based on the questionnaire sample of 409 respondents

Nearly one third of English language educators are older than 40 and more than half
of the teachers are older than 30. Students’ attitudes toward teachers were examined
in their focus groups. Student comments show that they prefer young teachers. They
expressed the following ideas: ‘teachers should be competent’; ‘have good communica-
tion skills’; ‘be an interesting personality’; ‘have a good sense of humour’; ‘communicate
with students informally rather than formally’; ‘be young’. Students think young teachers
are more flexible, communicative, friendly and able to understand “the emotional
highs and the lows” of young people.

Every year newly trained young English language teachers graduate from Vilnius Ped-
agogical University, Ðiauliai Pedagogical University, and colleges in Këdainiai,
Marijampolë, Klaipëda and Rokiðkis. Still, school administrators constantly complain
about English language teacher rotation and shortages at schools, especially in rural
39
areas. Why young teachers are choosing careers other than teaching is addressed later
in this chapter.

Part of the survey was to investigate which languages are the Mother tongues of ESL
teachers in Lithuania. The data show the following distribution: more than 90.7 % of
teachers are native speakers of Lithuanian, 7.6 % – Russian, 1.2 % – Polish, 0.5 % –
German. There were no native speaker teachers of English among the respondents –
a surprising revelation.

The survey is also concerned with the academic background of ESL teachers. 66.7 %
have a university degree, 17.1 % have a college degree, and 9.5 % only have a sec-
ondary school qualification. Nine percent of the teachers are currently students of the
English language, which means they are studying English at higher education institu-
tions, and 2.9 % did not answer. A matter of concern is the percentage of those Eng-
lish language teachers (9.5 %) whose academic background is only a secondary school
education. This can be explained by the lack of qualified English language teachers.
On the other hand, there are some teachers who are still studying at higher educa-
tional institutions and will graduate to become qualified specialists in a year or two.
According to the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science[4] all the
teachers working at educational institutions (even kindergartens) have to be qualified
specialists in their subject area.

Working conditions for teachers

The questionnaire data show that 89 % of teachers are full time employees and 11 %
are part time. A full-time job according to the law is 18 lessons[5] per week and
part-time is 9 lessons. Having a part-time job can mean that there is not enough work
at a particular location or that the teacher chooses it for a special purpose. Often pri-
vate lessons are better paid or perhaps the teacher needs more time (traditionally,
women more often than men) to take care of their own family. Many part-time (and
even full-time) teachers are known to work in several different institutions, though the
questionnaire did not collect any detailed information in this category.

The workload of English language teachers is interesting in several respects. In the ta-
ble below the weekly teaching load of respondents is presented:

[4]
See the Country Report, years 2003–2004, www.smm.lt
[5]
A lesson = 45 minutes.

40
Table 2.6. Teaching load

Percentage of teachers Number of Lessons (weekly)

51.3 % 25 – 30
23.2 % 19 – 24
9.3 % 10 – 18
8.3 % 31+
7.6 % 1–9
0.2 % No answer

Based on the questionnaire sample of 409 respondents

Nearly 60 % of the English language teachers have a work load over 25 lessons per
week. Over 8 % teach more than 31 hours. It is easy to draw the conclusion that
English language teachers are overloaded. No data are available for teachers of other
subjects, but it would be interesting to make a comparison to see if this is a problem
that affects this subject area only.

Another measurement that affects workload is the number of students per class.

Table 2.7. Number of students

Percentage of teachers Average no. of students per class

87.0 % 12 – 20
11.7 % 5 – 11
11.2 % 21 – 29
0.7 % 30+
0.7 % No answer

Based on the questionnaire sample of 409 respondents

The respondents could choose more than one answer. According to the data received,
we can say that about 90 % of teachers teach less than 20 students in a group. The
consistent complaint made by teachers that the groups are too large does not appear
to be supported by the data. This is especially so if we compare the numbers to other
countries.[6]

[6]
See Eurydice, www.eurydice.org

41
A breakdown of grades taught reveals the following information:

Table 2.8. Grades taught

Percentage of teachers Grades taught

74.8 % 5–8
67.7 % 9 – 10
50.1 % 11 – 12
32.8 % 1–4
0.5 % No answer

Based on the questionnaire sample of 409 respondents

Again, more than one answer was accepted. There are cases when teachers teach all
age groups which include primary, basic and secondary. Interestingly, English language
teachers tend to move with their students from one grade to the next. We can say
that they develop professionally by teaching different levels and there is no narrow
specialisation. In some cases they can choose which grades they prefer to teach. Those
elementary school teachers who have qualifications to teach English language in 2nd,
3rd or 4th grade, are dependant on school policies. Schools may start an English lan-
guage curriculum any time between the 2nd and 4th grades.

Teacher qualifications and experience

Categories of Teacher qualifications were also surveyed. The respondents could choose
from ‘teacher’, ‘senior teacher’, ‘teacher methodologist’ and ‘teacher expert’.

Table 2.9. Teacher qualification category

Percentage of teachers Qualification category

42.3 % Teacher
30.6 % Senior teacher
21.3 % Teacher methodologist
4.6 % Teacher expert
1.2 % No answer

Based on the questionnaire sample of 409 respondents

It appears that quite a high percentage of the responding teachers (42.3 %) have the
lowest qualification category (‘teacher’). This category is normally obtained after grad-
42
uating from a pedagogical university or college. However, re-qualifying teachers who
have not followed this route are also included. It seems likely that those respondents
who are still studying for their degree in the ‘teacher’ category, and who, technically
speaking, do not have the right to put themselves in this category, have nevertheless
done so.

Those in the ‘teacher’ category can apply for promotion to the next level (senior
teacher) after 4 years of teaching English language at an educational institution. The
figures show that 23.7 % of teachers have been teaching from 2 to 5 years. This
means that a significant number might be eligible for promotion.

67.9 % of school administrators maintain that English teachers who work at their
schools are sufficiently qualified and 21.8 % of the respondents characterise their
English teachers as highly qualified. However, 10.3 % of the respondents say that
their English teachers are under-qualified. Individual administrators noted a shortage
of qualified teachers as one of the greatest problems they face. Some of the adminis-
trators mentioned the poor methodological preparation of young teachers. This means
that institutions of higher education preparing young teachers should think not only
about theoretical courses but also about teaching practice, which enables teacher-
trainees to prepare better for their teaching career. Another problem mentioned by
school administrators is the lack of professionalism in re-qualified and young teachers.

The complete figures for teaching experience are as follows:

Table 2.10. Teacher experience

Percentage of teachers Teacher experience in years

28.6 % 16 – 30
25.9 % 6 – 15
23.7 % 2–5
12.7 % Less than 2 years
8.8 % Over 31
No answer

Based on the questionnaire sample of 409 respondents

From the presented data we can say that more than one third of the respondents are
very experienced and well qualified teachers.

43
Teacher motivation

The question ‘Why have you chosen a teaching career?’ produced the following an-
swers: 72.1 % of the respondents ‘wished to learn English’, 41.6 % felt a ‘call for teach-
ing’, 16.4 % considered teaching ‘to be good for employment opportunities’ and 11.0 %
chose it because of ‘family tradition’, 3.9 % made the choice ‘under a friend’s influ-
ence’. One percent of the teachers indicated other reasons, such as: ‘had a perfect
English language teacher’; ‘love working with children’; ‘was good at English as a pupil’;
‘teachers’ encouragement and family support’.

The most popular answer ‘wished to learn English’ seems very surprising. There are
several possible reasons for its appearance on so many answer forms. Firstly, respon-
dents were able to give more than one answer to the question, meaning that some
people may have included it as an extra reason. But those respondents who only gave
this reason may have been following an old trend. According to popular knowledge,
the only way to become highly proficient in English is to enroll in a teacher training
course for ELT.

It is quite possible that many students enrolling in such courses view the teaching
qualification as secondary. Their main aim is to find a route that will ensure a good
foundation in English. This in turn could lead to a choice of jobs, with English teach-
ing as an alternative.

The next part of the survey asks the teachers if they are happy working as teachers of
English. 72.9 % answered ‘yes’, 23.5 % were uncertain and only 2 % answered ‘no’.
In general, it seems that a high percentage of teachers like their job and feel happy in
their profession. However, when asked whether they would change their job if they
had an opportunity, 25.9 % of the teachers answered positively. Their explanations in-
cluded the following: ‘low salary’, ‘need for change’, ‘lack of respect’, ‘low prestige’, ‘at-
mosphere at work is very tense’, ‘tired of tension’.

Teaching itself is not the problem. However, the status accorded to the profession,
manifested through low salary levels and lack of respect, is sufficient to persuade
many individuals that they would be better off working elsewhere.

Teacher development and support

The questionnaire also investigates teachers’ opinions on the support they receive
from the Ministry of Education and Science, school administration, colleagues, parents
and teacher centres. The picture is as follows:

44
Table 2.11 Teacher support

School Teacher
Ministry Colleagues Parents
administration centres

Very good 2.2 % 8.1 % 22.5 % 4.9 % 8.6 %

Good 20.5 % 43.0 % 55.0 % 32.3 % 54.8 %
Fair 34.0 % 32.0 % 15.6 % 33.3 % 26.4 %
Poor 40.8 % 14.0 % 5.6 % 28.1 % 5.9 %
No answer 2.4 % 2.2 % 1.2 % 1.5 % 4.4 %

Based on the questionnaire sample of 409

It appears that teachers are dissatisfied with the support received from the Ministry of
Education and Science. Teacher focus groups have revealed specific dissatisfaction ar-
eas: ‘no close co-operation with the ministry people’; ‘the state exam is too complex and
puts too much pressure on the teacher and the student’; ‘lack of feedback about the state
exam – teachers’ opinion is not taken into account’. This dissatisfaction should be ad-
dressed by the National Examination Centre which has administered the 12th grade
exams for the last two years. To be clear, we must say that there is currently only one
person at the Ministry who is responsible for the English language and English lan-
guage teachers. This is problematic since there are more than 4,500 English language
teachers in the country. The dissatisfaction can be assigned to the ministry, but not to
any particular person.

Regarding support from colleagues, most teachers appear to be satisfied. 55 % think

it is good and 22.5 % think it is very good. Teacher Centre support is considered
good or very good by more than 60 % of the teachers. In contrast, more than 50 %
think that parent support is poor or fair. As far as school administration is concerned,
‘...school administration wants teachers to improve their qualification, but they do not fi-
nancially support teachers and expect the teacher to work extra classes or find a substitute
teacher’.

The desire to receive more support from the parents is quite understandable. The ma-
jor concerns are student attendance, behaviour during the lessons and the atmosphere
at home for studying. Regarding financial support, some parents feel it is quite natu-
ral to give support. Other parents express strong negative attitude towards the idea of
financing their children’s studies at public institutions.

One more area of examination was teacher qualification improvement at regional, na-
tional and international levels during the last five years. According to the Ministry’s of
Education and Science regulations every teacher has to attend in-service teacher de-
velopment events for at least 15 days every five years or three days every year. More
45
than half of the teachers (53.3 %) have not participated in international in-service
teacher development events. One third (29.3 %) of the teachers have participated in
these events from one to three times and nearly ten percent have done it more than
three times.

Table 2.12. Teacher qualification improvement at international events

Percentage of teachers International events

53.3 % 0
29.3 % 1–3
9.8 % 3+
7.6 % No answer

Based on the questionnaire sample of 409 respondents

An international event is any in-service teacher development project, seminar, course,

conference and forum or symposium held abroad. National and regional teacher de-
velopment event data distributions are as follows:

Table 2.13. Teacher qualification improvement at national and

regional events

Times in 5 years National Regional

0 21.3 % 9.0 %
1–5 40.1 % 38.6 %
6 – 10 18.8 % 24.2 %
10+ 14.4 % 21.3 %
No answer 5.4 % 6.8 %

Based on the questionnaire sample of 409 respondents

The teachers who state that they have not participated in national or regional in-ser-
vice teacher development events are not clear about towards their own qualification
status. The fact that they have filled in the questionnaire form already means that
they have participated in at least one seminar, because all the 409 questionnaires were
completed during different national or regional in-service teacher development events.

46
Student profile

Many students from focus groups say that there is a large difference between studying
English at schools and universities. The majority of the respondents are first year stu-
dents so their memories of secondary school are very ‘fresh’.

According to the focus group data, the students learning English language at second-
ary schools learned from four to twelve years. School policy determines the grade dur-
ing which foreign language is introduced. Whether English language is the first, the
second or even the third foreign language of the student is also determined by school
policy.

The learning conditions and group sizes are quite different depending on the school.
Some groups contain 12 to14 students, some from 20 to 24 students.

‘In schools we are learning English in big groups. It’s a group of 20 to 24 people
and it’s too difficult to study English in such a big group.’

There are cases where classes are not divided into groups and the teachers have to
work with a class of about 30 students. On the other hand, there are cases when
groups are small with only six or seven students. If we refer back to the students’ sec-
ondary school years, we have to acknowledge that some students say that they hated
English as a subject at school, because their teachers did not inspire them.

‘My English teacher was very boring, and lessons were boring.’

‘During my last two years at secondary school I can say that I really forgot the
English language because of our English teacher. The lessons were very boring and
we only went through the book, there was no practice. She only spoke English with
the students who were already strong speakers.’

There is one more dynamic all too common at schools. The large migration of Eng-
lish teachers causes a distinct fluctuation in pupils’ knowledge.

‘During eight years at school, I’ve had five teachers. The first one was very good.
She laid the foundations of the language. The other two teachers, in my opinion,
were under-qualified. Especially one whose manner of teaching was, I would say,
stupid. He organised games like crosswords and he wrote marks for them. So it
was easy to get marks that didn’t reflect your knowledge.’

In some schools, students can choose the teacher, especially in senior forms, but it is
not typically the case.

47
Quite a number of students look at English language studying positively, knowing the
English language helps them communicate and get acquainted with interesting people:

• I like to learn languages in general.

• When I meet people from different countries I can speak with them that’s why I
like English.
• I think English is very useful because it’s everywhere. I know that this language
is the most spoken in the world.
• I get acquainted with many interesting people.
• I like to learn about other countries.
• It gives us an opportunity to travel, to talk with others.

They consider the English language to be “the most popular international language”.
They want to learn the English language, because they know it relates to their studies
and future:

• Computer language is English therefore you must learn English to really

understand computers.
• To study English means to expand your knowledge. Lots of things are going on
in the world today, and most of the information comes here in English.

However, not all the students are disposed so positively towards English language
learning:

• I don’t like learning English and…. it’s not just English, it’s all languages.
• In our class there were pupils who didn’t want to learn, they were happy
because the teacher let them go home.
• In secondary school I was very lazy.

Other students have always been satisfied with their English teachers. The respon-
dents also point out, that learning is not only the teacher’s responsibility.

• Usually it depends not only on the teacher: if you want to learn a language the
teacher gives you useful information, but if the students or pupils do not want
to learn then I think no one can teach them.
• The teacher is not the most important person …it actually depends on the
learner. If you want to study something then you study it. I actually like English,
and I like studying it.
• I went to England for one month when I was 14, but I was too young. I would
like to go to England again and study for a month.

Some students would prefer to study less and learn ‘everything in the classroom’, ‘they
expect the teacher to teach them everything’ or, as others put it, ‘no homework at all’.
48
The last comment could be partially justified as students are very busy and they have
to learn several subjects, so they lack time.

Conclusions

Based on the data obtained through questionnaires for school teachers and interviews
with school directors, we can present the strengths of our English language educators
in the following ways:

• The majority of English language teachers have a qualification from a

university or a college.
• They are experienced, sufficiently qualified and seek professional improve-
ment by attending different international, national or regional in-service
teacher development events.
• All the educators have equal opportunities for the acquisition of higher
degrees of certification.
• The teachers are generally satisfied with the support received from their
colleagues and teacher centres.
• The majority of teachers work with groups of 12 to 20 students. They teach
in different grades with no narrow specialisations.

In the deficient areas, emphasis has to be laid on the following issues:

• High teacher rotation, a shortage of qualified teachers and insufficiently

trained re-qualified teachers negatively affect the teaching process.
• State authorities have to pay more attention in order to change the situation.
• The teaching load on English language teachers is high. The teachers feel
overloaded and feel that the quality of their work is negatively affected.
• English language teachers sometimes lack real support from their school
administration with respect to teacher qualification and improvement.

2.3. CLASSROOM PRACTICE

The key guidelines for good classroom practice are encoded in international and na-
tional standards[7]. These emphasise the importance of using a communicative ap-
proach to achieve the main aims of foreign language teaching. Another aim of the
Foreign Language Teaching Strategy in Lithuania[8] is the development of innovative
teaching and assessment approaches.

[7]
See Chapter 1.4.
[8]
See Chapter 1.3.

49
In this survey, measurements for classroom practice are derived from the above-men-
tioned standards. It is expected that a good English lesson should have clear aims and
stages, that there should be a wide variety of activities, and a balance of skills/systems,
activities and materials that are appropriate for the students’ level. It is also expected
that students should be actively involved and motivated. Class management should in-
clude a variety of interaction patterns. Teachers should encourage and praise students,
correct errors and use appropriate English.

To examine teaching practices in Lithuanian schools, a team of experienced in-service

teacher-trainers and mentors carried out 71 lesson observations. Lessons were ob-
served in 4th (27 %), 8th (42 %) and 11th (31 %) grades.

Table 2.14. Types of schools where lessons have been observed

Types of schools Percentage of schools

Primary 1.4 %
Basic 16.9 %
Secondary 53.5 %
Gymnasium 28.2 %

Based on a sample of 71 respondents

As seen in table 2.14, the lessons observed represent a general cross-section from dif-
ferent schools in Lithuania. 53.5 % of the lessons were observed in secondary schools,
28.2 % in gymnasia, 16.9 % in basic schools, and 1.4 % in primary schools. The pri-
vate education sector was not included.

Lesson aims and planning

With regard to the aims and stages of the lessons, in general, the lessons were care-
fully planned, well prepared and well organised. These are some common examples of
observers’ comments:

• The lesson is well planned with clear and useful aims.

• It was a topic-based lesson which had clear aims, stages and phases.
• It was planned taking into account students’ age: warm ups, board-games were
used.
• The teacher is very well prepared. Each step is carefully thought over.

Some of the lessons lacked a logical sequence, and did not have clear aims and
stages. The observers commented:
50
 • The teacher did not state the aims for the lesson, so at the beginning it was
difficult to understand what the purpose of the activities was.
• The teacher was not prepared for the lesson; the lesson was not very well
balanced.

According to the observation data, 82 % of the observed lessons had clear goals. This
means that English teachers stated them orally or wrote them on the blackboard. In
17 % of the lessons the goals were not clear, when teachers simply forgot to present
them or even did not have them at all. We discovered that most of the lessons were
divided into clear stages (80 %), they were well-organised and coherent with varied
activities. However, 20 % of the observed lessons had no clear stages, some of the
lesson phases should have been shorter, or it was difficult to understand why one ac-
tivity followed the other.

Types of lesson

Our observation form included seven main types of English lesson: grammar lessons,
vocabulary lessons, speaking lessons, writing lessons, listening lessons, reading lessons,
and mixed lessons.

Table 2.15 Types of lessons

Lesson type Percentage of lessons observed

Mixed lesson 62 %
Grammar lesson 16.9 %
Vocabulary lesson 15.5 %
Speaking lesson 4.2 %
Writing lesson 1.4 %

Based on a sample of 71 respondents

Most of the observed lessons can be best described as mixed lessons (62 %), in which
different language skills are developed. The following comment is quite frequent:
“This lesson develops students’ skills in listening, speaking and reading…”

According to the data, grammar lessons (when only grammar practice exercises were
used) made up 16.9 % of the 71 observed lessons. Here are the comments:

• The lesson aim was to introduce the Present Simple tense.

• At the end of the lesson they could easily say: he has/I have…
• The aim of the lesson was to practice conditionals.
51
Vocabulary lessons comprised 15.5 % of the observed lessons. Some comments:

• Students sang a song, revised new vocabulary; they also performed situations
using new vocabulary…
• It is a vocabulary practice lesson…

The lessons aimed at developing speaking skills comprise 4.2 % of the total. The most
typical comments:

• The aim of the lesson was to develop speaking skills by discussing the pros and
cons of different jobs…
• Students participate in discussions and share ideas...

Writing lessons made up 1.4 % of the observed lessons. No reading or listening les-
sons were given at all.

The very small proportion of writing lessons indicates that the status of this skill set
has not gained sufficient importance. The very small number of reading lessons also
reflects teachers’ attitudes towards the development of reading skills. Reading is usu-
ally seen as an acquired language element such as grammar or vocabulary. In general,
the instruction of language elements dominates the development of communicative
skills and appears to be a typical feature in the language teaching.

Types of activities

78 % of the 71 observed lessons were balanced with a variety of activities. The ob-
servers’ comments strongly demonstrate the ability of the teachers to make the best of
the activities used:

• The character of activities was frequently changed. The variety enthused the
students and introduced them to a wide selection of materials.
• Activities are differentiated, individual work is well organised.
• The teacher was successful in using handouts. Visual and explanatory methods
helped students to cope with difficult grammatical structures.
• A variety of activities are used. The teacher uses a wide range of tasks:
multiple-choice, matching, ordering, etc. to strengthen the active vocabulary
about natural disasters a memory game is used.
• The sequence of activities is very logical. Different techniques are used to
explain new vocabulary.
• Interesting handouts for reading, integration with other subjects like Geography
and Physics. The students are divided into groups according to their birthdays.
52
 The final products of their discussion are displayed around on the walls to
share the information. A song is used for relaxation.
• The lesson is interesting with a variety of activities.

According to the observation data, 22 % of the observed lessons were not well bal-
anced with a variety of activities. Some observers’ comments are given here:

• Students were bored. They learned phonetic transcription the entire lesson. No
active methods were used.
• The teacher dominated the lesson.
• The teacher finds it difficult to explain how an activity works.
• Speaking is neglected; students should do the work not the teacher.

On the positive side, we believe that attempts to integrate English with other subjects
at schools should be applauded. This is very important for the students’ future studies.
On the negative side, there is evidence of a teacher-centred approach, with the
teacher dominating class activities.

Teaching methods

One of the most controversial and problematic areas of classroom practice is the use
of poor teaching methods. One of the observers’ comments illustrates the seriousness
of the matter:

‘Some methods are not appropriate to the age or level. There is no real communi-
cation.’

Also, we should add some remarks made by first year university and college students
in their focus group. Their learning experience at secondary school was often disap-
pointing. Almost all of them are not satisfied with the methods and activities that
were used in the lessons during the last two school years. Here are some examples of
the respondents’ comments on English lessons at school:

• When I was learning at school, lessons were boring. Everything was the same
every day, the same paragraphs, the same things…
• We practised mostly grammar…
• During my last two years at secondary school, I really forgot the English
language because of our English teacher. The lessons were very boring. We went
through the book but never had any practice…

The students’ comments correlate with the teachers’ focus group opinions to explain
why senior students become disappointed with their English studies. The reason ap-
53
pears to be the state exam. Students have to be prepared very well in order to take it.
Some respondent-teachers stated:

‘The state exams are very high level and we have to just stick to it. We have to
teach grammar, different exercises and perhaps very often they are too boring, but
we can’t do without them…’

‘I really think we need to teach them speaking, to express their ideas freely, to com-
municate. Not to be afraid or shy. The problem lies in the exam. We lose the plea-
sure of teaching and learning…’

The ELT in Lithuania survey paints a vivid picture of the type of the English lesson
students want. They want to learn to communicate freely, have more international ex-
change and projects in order to develop their fluency in English. The teachers in fo-
cus groups respond:

‘Usually I think of some role-play situations or whatever… Well they have an

amount of work to do and then after they come to school they have to kind of cre-
ate stories, create plays, and create poems or whatever… So they like it very much’.

Class atmosphere

As far as the general atmosphere in the classroom is concerned, some information ob-
tained from the survey data is concerning. For example, 17 % of the observers com-
mented that teachers were not sensitive to the needs of individual students. One of
the focus group respondents says: ‘Sometimes parents come to school and ask for an-
other teacher but our authorities do not let them choose a teacher’. Sometimes there is
dissatisfaction with teachers and not all teachers are able to build up good relation-
ship with their students. The classroom atmosphere is not always conducive to learn-
ing.

For the majority of observed lessons the following comments seem to be typical:

• The teacher creates a good classroom atmosphere, helps and encourages…

• The atmosphere of the lesson is very friendly and stress-free…
• The teacher possesses a perfect sense of humour which students love and
respond to. That makes the atmosphere in the lesson really warm and adds to
the effectiveness of the lesson…

The atmosphere in the lesson is one of the most important things for students’ in-
volvement and motivation. And as we mentioned above, students’ involvement and
motivation depend on several factors – the relationship between teachers and stu-
54
dents, the atmosphere in the lesson, and the variety of activities. According to the ob-
servation data, the students were actively involved in 83 % of the observed lessons
where the atmosphere was positive. Some comments made by observers:

• Students were actively involved in the lesson.

• The teacher manages to maintain interest of the class throughout the lesson.
• The teacher tried to involve all the students.
• The teacher is very friendly with her students, which encourages and motivates
them.

Observers noted that in 17 % of the observed lessons, the students were not actively
involved. They were bored and not interested in the lesson. Furthermore, the teachers
did not manage to motivate their students because the lessons were organised in a
monotonous way. Here are a few comments:

• Some students aren’t involved…

• Not all students are involved in activities; the teacher should encourage more in
order to motivate students…
• Students are very quiet and unwilling to participate. The teacher does not create
a good classroom climate…

The observation data show that 83 % of the teachers encouraged and praised stu-
dents’ progress, while 17 % did not. Encouraging and praising were used to motivate
students. Here are some comments:

• …The teacher mimes, uses facial expressions to encourage the students.

• …Each student is encouraged to speak using active vocabulary. They are offered
any kind of support depending on their needs: word lists, prompts written on
small sheets of paper in English.

There are some concerns about English usage during the lessons. 37 % of students
did not use English most of the time. Students were not encouraged to speak English,
but used too much Lithuanian instead. Some observers’ comments are concerning:

• The students speak Lithuanian from their places, it’s chaos…

• A lot of attention is paid to teaching vocabulary and literal translation into
Lithuanian…
• The students are not encouraged to speak English. Too much Lithuanian is
used…

The argument can be made for English teachers to use English as much as possible
and encourage students to do the same. The survey concludes that the teachers’ use
of Lithuanian in the English lessons is 84.5 % justified, while 15.5 % is not justified.
55
One observer comments: ‘The teacher uses English most of the time, but sometimes
Lithuanian is unjustified.’

Class management

According to the observation data, error correction was properly used in 84.5 % of
the observed lessons. The teachers provided individual support to the students if this
was necessary, and drew attention to the most frequent mistakes. In many cases cor-
rection was done after the activities and used to improve students’ skills. Teachers
generally believe that students should not be afraid of making mistakes, and that they
should also be encouraged to ask questions if they do not understand the task.

However, observers say that in 11.3 % of the observed lessons error correction dis-
couraged learning. Negative comments include the following:

‘The teacher corrects errors even when the students are involved in free practice ac-
tivity. Some students are afraid to speak because of the teacher’s comments on the
errors…’

‘All the time the teacher tried to draw attention to spelling mistakes. A lot of atten-
tion is paid to spelling and pronunciation...’

According to the observation data, error correction was just right in 84.5 % of the ob-
served lessons, while 8.5 % overemphasised it. The teacher corrected mistakes when it
was not necessary. In 7 % of the observed lessons error correction was ignored.

The pattern of interaction is also important. The evidence points to a prevalence of

teacher-centred lessons (32.4 %) over student-centred lessons (18.3 %). Observer
comments included the following:

‘The teacher dominated all the time. Students were bored. They didn’t have any-
thing to do…’

‘Students are willing to participate, but the teacher should think of some ways to
involve the students. The lesson can’t be a teacher’s performance when he is the
only actor in the classroom....’

The results of the observation data reveal that 49.3 % of the observed lessons were a
mixture of both teacher-centred and student-centred styles. The survey also measured
the teacher’s speaking time in the lesson:

56
Table 2.16. The teacher talking time

The teacher speaks Percentage

As much as the students 31 %

Not as much as the students 29.6 %
More than 50 % of the time 25.4 %
More then 75 % of the time 14.1 %

Based on a sample of 71 respondents

The table supports the conclusion that English teachers speak too much in English
lessons. In as much as 39.5 % of the observed lessons teachers spoke more than 50 %
or 75 % of the time. This means that students did not have much opportunity to ex-
press their thoughts and ideas; instead they were just watching the teacher’s perfor-
mance. It is easy to imagine a situation in which students are not actively involved
and their motivation is therefore low.

Data are also available about the interaction patterns from the observed lessons:

Table 2.17. Interaction patterns used

Interaction patterns used

Percentage
(more than one is possible)

Whole class work 85.9 %

Individual work 67.6 %
Pair work 49.3 %
Group work 26.8 %

Based on a sample of 71 respondents

Whole class work prevails in 86 % of classes. Pair work was used in only 49 % out of
71 observed lessons. Group work (27 %) is not very frequently used. These percent-
ages lead us to believe that Lithuanian teachers need to use more pair and group
work in their lessons if oral fluency and communicative skills are to be developed.

2.4. KEY ISSUES AND CONCLUSIONS

One of the aims of the ELT survey is to identify areas of satisfaction and dissatisfac-
tion with current English teaching practice in Lithuanian schools. The data obtained
through classroom observations, questionnaires for teachers, interviews with school di-
57
rectors and focus groups have led us to certain conclusions. The findings show that
there are strengths that should be fostered and some areas to be improved.

The following are achievement areas:

Curriculum

• There are a sufficient number of hours per week for ELT (three to four) as
outlined in the General Curriculum Framework.

• Schools can start non-compulsory foreign language teaching in the second

year of primary school at age 7 or 8.

The learning and teaching environment

• The survey reveals that 64.4 % of the observed lessons were given in a
special ELT classroom.

• The size of the students’ groups ranges from 12 to 20, which is very suitable
for foreign language teaching.

• A wide variety of textbooks are available.

• School administrators have a positive attitude towards ELT, are ready to

support English teachers and provide them with professional development
opportunities.

Classroom practice

• Lessons have clear aims and are well organised (81.7 % of the lessons
observed).

• Lessons are well balanced with a variety of activities. A mixed type of the
lesson prevails (62 % of the lessons observed).

• A friendly atmosphere is created in 83.1 % of the observed classes.

The main issues for improvement are in the following areas:

Resources and equipment

• The provision of equipment is not satisfactory. The survey shows that most
of the classrooms are mainly equipped with chalkboards (97.2 % rooms
58
 observed) and audio recorders (87.3 % rooms observed). Classrooms lack
whiteboards, flipcharts, video recorders, multimedia, OHPs and the Internet.
As a result, many school administrators and teachers complain about the
lack of modern teaching equipment.

• A lack of books by Lithuanian authors may be problematic because

textbooks by foreign publishers do not contain culturally appropriate topics.

Teaching staff

• School administrators identified a shortage of qualified teachers and

problems related to constant teacher rotation. 42 % of teacher respondents
have the lowest category of teacher certification. The reason may be
twofold. Because of low salaries, university graduates tend to choose other
career opportunities. Secondly, there is poor methodological preparation for
young teachers and a lack of professionalism among re-qualified teachers.
This is connected to a shortage of teacher preparation programs which focus
on teaching practice rather than theory.

• English language teachers tend to be overloaded. The survey shows that

nearly 60 % of the teachers work more than 25 hours a week. The full
teaching load is 18 hours a week. This could influence the quality of
teaching.

Classroom practice

• In senior grades (11–12th) speaking is neglected because of the intensive

preparation for the state exam. Speaking is not a priority for the English
examination. Only 4.2 % lessons observed were aimed at developing
speaking skills. Students complain about boring lessons and say they are
deprived of a chance to learn to communicate in a foreign language
freely.

• Another concern is the percentage of teachers who are not sensitive to

students needs (observers identified 16.9 %). Furthermore, students
complain that they are under evaluated. This is a part of the wash back
effect of exams during the last two years of school. For senior students,
teachers introduce an evaluation scale orientated towards state exam
requirements.

• One more issue is that students do not use English most of the time during
the lesson. During 36.6 % of the observed lessons, students were not
encouraged to use English and they used too much Lithuanian. This is
59
 closely connected with the teachers’ speaking time in the lesson. In 39.5 %
of the observed lessons, teachers spoke more than 50 % of the time. This
means that not much time is given for students to communicate.

In closing, there are many satisfactory areas in the English teaching and learning envi-
ronment. Still the picture of ELT in schools, presents many challenges. There are un-
doubtedly many issues to address concerning the provision of resources, teaching staff,
classroom practice and the uses of limited resources. Despite the many difficulties un-
earthed, we also found much to encourage us. It is clear that administrators, parents
and students recognise the importance of learning English and support the process
within their limits. It is broadly understood that the school years are the critical time
during which basic knowledge acquisition must take place for all subjects including the
English language.

60
CHAPTER 3: ELT IN THE LITHUANIAN TERTIARY SECTOR

Introduction

Chapter 3 presents a snapshot of ELT teaching in Lithuania in two different types of

tertiary sector institutions – universities and colleges (see Chapter 1). To obtain the
empirical data for analysis of the current ELT situation, different research methods
have been employed. These include: questionnaires for tertiary level teachers (113 re-
spondents from 8 universities and 62 respondents from 25 colleges, 175 respondents
total), structured interviews with university administrators (25 respondents) and 7 fo-
cus group discussions with college teachers, college students, university teachers and
university students. Both qualitative and quantitative data have been obtained.

According to the data, 73 % of college teachers work for the state and 27 % in pri-
vate sectors. The data indicate that 98 % of the university teachers are employed by
the state and 2 % in the private sector.

To obtain an overall picture, the questionnaires were distributed in different geograph-

ical areas of Lithuania: Klaipëda, Kaunas, Ðiauliai, Vilnius, Panevëþys, Utena and
Marijampolë. Interviews with administrators were carried out in 7 tertiary education
institutions of Lithuania: Vilnius University, Lithuanian University of Agriculture,
Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education, Klaipëda University, Vilnius Pedagogical
University, the Military Academy of Lithuania, and the Kaunas University of Technol-
ogy. In total 25 administrators, 12 vice deans, 7 deans, 4 department heads, a vice-di-
rector and deputy commandant for science and studies, were interviewed.

3.1. THE PROFILE OF EL TEACHERS AT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Qualifications

The data indicate that 48 of the college teachers questioned have university diplomas
(issued by universities up to 1994, the year when the system of awarding university de-
grees was re-established), 29 of respondents have an MA and 13 a BA. None of the
respondents possess a doctor’s degree. Thus, the majority of the teaching staff at col-
leges seem to be oriented towards the practical teaching of English and are less in-
volved in research activities. College teachers would appreciate higher status in society
and greater respect for their efforts.

The majority of the university teachers are graduates of Vilnius University. Most of
the respondents (44 %) have an MA; 39 % have university diplomas issued before
1994; 11 % have doctor’s degree; 6 % have a BA.
61
Table 3.1. Academic degrees awarded to EL teachers

Academic degree Colleges Universities

University diploma 48.4 % 38.9 %

(graduate pre-1994)
BA 12.9 % 6.2 %
MA 29.0 % 43.4 %
PhD 0.0 % 10.6 %
No answer 6.5 % 0.9 %
No. of respondents 62 113

Table 3.2. Teacher title/position

Title/position Colleges Universities

Assistant 32.3 % 32.7 %

Lecturer 59.7 % 57.5 %
Associate professor 0.0 % 8.0 %
Professor 0.0 % 0.0 %
No answer 8.1 % 1.8 %
No. of respondents 62 113

The data illustrate that although qualification levels of EL teachers at universities are
high, only 8 % of the respondents have the position of Associate Professor; 58 % are
lecturers and 33 % are assistants. 85 % of respondents are working full-time; 14 %
are teaching part-time.

Tertiary level teachers, both at universities and colleges, are actively involved in their
professional development. Within the last five years nearly all respondents indicated
that they attended seminars and conferences and were involved in projects. They pub-
lish articles, books and teaching materials.

Experience

The teaching experience among university and college teachers is very different, rang-
ing from 1 to 37 years of teaching. Table 3.3 divides teachers according to the number
of years teaching at tertiary level institutions.

62
Table 3.3. Teaching experience at tertiary level

Years of teaching Colleges Universities

1–3 21.0 % 11.5 %

4–9 33.9 % 31.9 %
10 – 15 17.7 % 16.8 %
16 – 21 9.7 % 7.1 %
22 + 16.1 % 31.9 %
No answer 1.6 % 2.7 %
No. of respondents 62 113

The data in Table 3.3 illustrate that there is an equal proportion of experienced teach-
ers working at the universities (31.9 %) as there are teachers of a younger generation.
At colleges we find more young teachers who have no more than 3 years of experi-
ence (21 % compared to 11 % at universities). The proportion of teachers working
more than 22 years is smaller at colleges (16 % compared to 32 % at universities).
This could be explained by the supposition that universities accumulate more experi-
enced staff and those, who work there, are not so interested in changing their jobs.

Motivation

The data indicate that university teachers are highly motivated and care about their
students’ progress. Although they are among the lowest paid teaching staff in the
country. However, being a university teacher in Lithuania has always meant having a
certain status in society. Being a member of the academic community is a prestigious
position and it is considered an indication of high academic competence. Conse-
quently, most university teachers feel pride in teaching at university. Among other fac-
tors influencing university teachers’ self-esteem and motivation is that they are proud
of teaching non-native speakers of English. The teachers observe positive changes in
their students’ personalities as a result of a foreign language course.

From focus group data analysis, it is evident that being a university teacher is not only
prestigious but also a demanding position. Every five years university teachers have to
comply with requirements for academic certification. This means that university teach-
ers have to take part in scientific conferences at local, national and international lev-
els. In addition, university teachers must have publications in acknowledged journals.
They also have to prepare textbooks and teaching manuals for their university stu-
dents. All this requires many hours of additional work.

63
Commitment to teaching is seen as the strength of university teachers.

“We are committed, we are patriotic about teaching. There are people who search
for bigger salaries, for better working conditions, they leave universities. They don’t
stay here. So, we are kind of patriotic and if there’s a way there’s a will. It depends
very much on the teacher.”

However, teachers feel that the status of English language teaching at the college
level should be increased.

“The status of a teacher, whatever he or she teaches, English or mathematics,

should be much much higher”.

And according to college teachers,

“The Ministry should put aside the idea that English teaching is not necessary at
the university and college level, because the reality is that it is still very useful. Only
a small minority teaches advanced English at the college level and that means that
students are still in the intermediate or even pre-intermediate level. Then they do
need English or other foreign language teaching.”

Summing up, qualification levels of EL teachers at tertiary institutions are high.

Teachers are actively involved in their professional development. The prestige and sta-
tus of their occupation motivates university teachers, whereas college teachers would
like their status to be increased.

3.2. THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL PRACTICES

The teaching curriculum

The duration of EL courses and the distribution of lessons are different at various in-
stitutions, varying from one to six semesters. The spectrum is very wide. For example,
two semesters are allotted to EL at the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University and
Klaipëda University while 6 semesters are allotted at the Military Academy of Lithua-
nia. There are approximately 4 academic hours per week for teaching EL at the ter-
tiary level. All the tertiary education institutions interviewed have English as a
mandatory subject in their curricula. Several of them have it also as an optional sub-
ject.

As far as number of credits for ELT is concerned, the average is eight. The Military
Academy of Lithuania allots the maximum number of credits (18 for 6 terms). The
lowest number of credits is granted by Klaipëda University (four credits for two
64
terms). The majority of administrators interviewed stated the optimal number of stu-
dents in a group for ELT to be from 10 to 16, and most of them argued that students
need ESP more than General English. In fact, the teachers indicated that the number
of students in academic groups is very often higher than 20.

From the university administrators’ point of view, the current number of hours allot-
ted for ELT is sufficient to achieve the goals for ELT at their faculties. However, only
half of them (48 %) are satisfied with the results achieved by students. Only two ad-
ministrators out of 25 consider the number of hours insufficient. The others make
their case by mentioning students’ successful participation in exchange programmes,
positive comments they receive about their students who study abroad, and their stu-
dents’ ability to specialize in English literature.

84 % of the interview respondents think that university students need an ESP course.
This opinion is supported by university teachers, 79 % of whom feel that their stu-
dents need ESP. College teachers (63 %) think that ESP is needed by students but
39 % of them also admit the need of General English. University teachers (32 %)
realise the importance of English for Academic Purposes, whereas only three percent
of college teachers do so. The difference between universities and college teachers re-
flects the general tendencies in study programmes. University students are encouraged
to do more research and thus they need to master Academic English to be successful
in the field. College students are more vocationally oriented. Some tertiary institu-
tions, e.g. Kaunas University of Technology have designed language syllabi that com-
pile general English, ESP and EAP together.

Table 3.4. Students’ needs in different courses of the English

language

Students’ need Colleges Universities

ESP 62.9 % 78.8 %

General English 38.7 % 31.9 %
EAP 3.2 % 31.9 %
No answer 1.6 % 0.9 %
No. of respondents 62 113

Some administrators expressed dissatisfaction that after studying ESP for two years
(four terms) at the Bachelor level, students lose their skills during the break before
beginning Master’s courses.

65
During focus group interviews, students commented positively on the course of Eng-
lish at the university when compared to school and stressed that they were studying
ESP related to their future speciality:

“I am studying business management so all English here is business English which

I will need”.

“At the university we study English related to our profession”.

Working conditions for teachers

The data indicate that the attitudes towards EL teaching are generally positive. Only
5 % of university administrators show a negative attitude. Unfortunately, 20 % of uni-
versity administrators were indifferent towards ELT, which means one fourth of uni-
versity administrators do not care about the situation in language studies. At colleges
the situation is similar, albeit slightly better.

Table 3.5. F aculty authority attitude towards ELT

Authority attitude Colleges Universities

Very positive 25.8 % 18.6 %

Positive 54.8 % 53.1 %
Indifferent 17.7 % 20.4 %
Negative 0.0 % 5.3 %
No answer 1.6 % 2.7 %
No. of respondents 62 113

The major problem areas indicated by teachers were as follows:

• More attention should be paid to the EL teaching process.

• Better financial support for obtaining teaching materials and facilities should
be ensured.

“I would also ask about a computer and printer for our building, because
maybe we have one in the head office, but it would be nice to have one for
each department.”

• Classrooms should be renovated:

66
 “First of all, to change windows in the building because it is very cold some-
times and my students are sitting there in their coats and anoraks. Their fingers
are cold. They don’t want to do anything. They don’t want to move. They sit
like this. And the teacher does too”.

• Teachers should not be overloaded. English language teachers are involved

in lots of extra activities, such as translation and interpretation, conducting
courses for the staff or general public and preparing programmes.

“They don’t listen to you. My dream was to have fewer hours but there are no
teachers and they are always asking: ‘Can you take this group? Can you take
that group?’ And then they ask to have courses for the staff and teachers, other
teachers, evening courses, and then it’s a full day, from morning to evening.”

“… We spend hours in adapting texts, preparing tasks and whatever. That’s the
most difficult part of teachers’ life, I think”.

“I have a lot of work to do everyday that is not connected with teaching Eng-
lish. I have to do lots of paper work and I would like to get more time for
teaching and preparation.”

“Actually we are working hard translating all the programs, all the information
and all the work you do as a translator – and we must manage both.”

• Salaries of teachers should be increased.

“We are motivated but not financially supported”.

Class sizes

College teachers seem to be dissatisfied with the classrooms they teach in and the size
of the groups:

“Personally I’m dissatisfied with the seating arrangement in my classroom, be-

cause some years ago we used to have about ten – twelve students in a group
and now the groups are much bigger, even up to twenty students in one group.
They are seated in front of each other…"

“The room is too small. Let’s say, I have environmental studies – twenty three
students”.

College teachers complain of small rooms for English language students and con-
stantly increasing groups of students every academic year:
67
 “Twenty. Even twenty-six. That’s too many. They usually stress the budget and it’s
the main reason why they are pressed to do that because, possibly you know the re-
quirements, groups should be small but it’s money that doesn’t allow us.”

The problem of the big groups gets even more complicated when students of mixed
abilities are placed in one group.

Table 3.6. Number of students

Number of students Colleges Universities

1–3 1.6 % 0.0 %

4–9 11.3 % 8.8 %
10 – 15 56.5 % 31.0 %
16 – 21 40.3 % 51.3 %
22 + 3.2 % 21.2 %
No answer 4.8 % 0.9 %

The data indicate that universities have bigger student groups than colleges. More
than half of university teachers indicate that they have 16–21 students in the group
and they think that the optimal size should be 10 – 15. Moreover, 21 % of teachers
work with groups that far exceed the optimal size. They teach groups larger than 22
students. It supports the statement that universities have more financial difficulties re-
lated to reducing the number of students in academic groups. More than half of col-
leges actually have groups of 10–15 students, which is satisfactory.

Both the students and the teachers try to adapt to large groups of students. Students
comfort themselves with the idea that even at school their foreign language classes
were not split because of the shortage of teachers. The university teachers organise
the work in groups: they translate, talk, make presentations and reports and collect
material for their projects. The students say, “Work in groups is more interesting”.

Students are happy with the EL learning environment when the number of students
per group does not exceed the standard size. They feel that such circumstances facili-
tate learning. Then they mostly sit in small groups of four or in circles. The tables can
be easily moved around for different activities, thus providing a basis for the applica-
tion of a greater variety of teaching methods.

It can be concluded that in the Lithuanian context, where the English speaking envi-
ronment is not widely spread, it is especially important to have groups of smaller size
in order to ensure a successful study process.

68
Support for teachers

According to the data, institutional authorities believe the support for professional EL
teachers’ development at colleges is excellent (21 %), good (58 %), or fair (16 %).
No administrator thought it as poor. At the university level the administration is not
so optimistic about the professional development of English language teachers. Only
7 % of respondents consider the current situation excellent, 46 % consider it as good,
35 % as fair and 8 % say the support for teacher development is poor. It can be said
that administration at the university level sees the question of teacher development as
a more urgent problem when compared to college administrations.

Table 3.7. Professional development support by the institution

authorities

Administration support Colleges Universities

Excellent 21.0 % 7.1 %
Good 58.1 % 46.0 %
Fair 16.1 % 34.5 %
Poor 0.0 % 8.0 %
No answer 4.8 % 4.4 %
No. of respondents 62 113

However, college teachers, contrary to the views expressed by their administrators,

complain about the lack of support:

“The requirements are that we should be European teachers but we are not mobile
and we are not supplied with the necessities to meet those requirements”.

The data show that English language teachers at colleges are very often employed by
administration in lots of extra administrative activities. Some examples are: translation
of different documents, preparing materials for international auditors or interpreting
at international meetings. On the other hand, there is little expectation that they be
involved in research activities.

According to college teachers, the question of staff development is very important. It

turns out that teacher development at colleges is restricted mostly to the events and
courses held by the British Council. The support of the administration for teacher de-
velopment was defined as insufficient.

“Well, our Head, she doesn’t allow me to go anywhere and she pays attention only
to our lessons or lectures. It’s only my family that supports me; my husband gives
me some money and of course time comes from my budget as well.”
69
 “If we want to go somewhere we have to find funds for that and wouldn’t get any
support in terms of money”.

Teachers feel there is a lack of networking and communication with their colleagues:

“You need to meet with colleagues, network with colleagues from other parts of
Lithuania and from other parts of Europe. You must refresh your imagination and
think about new ways to teach the language. I mean that you yourself must be ex-
cited about the work”.

According to college teachers, there used to be such a network for English teachers in
Lithuania:

“We were rather active two or three years ago. There was an association at our
level and union associations were established four or five years ago but then sud-
denly everything stopped and the financing was stopped.”

“…We are willing to have a network, because when we meet during courses it’s
been a must to share ideas or experience. Then when you go back to your college,
I think, the problem is that teachers are too busy and we have so many hours…”

Some of the solutions teachers see are: college conferences, meetings and a wider net-
working with colleagues:

“I think college conferences are very useful because we share ideas but then again
everything stops. I wish I had one day off for preparing materials, for meeting my
colleagues, let’s say, going to another college, talking face to face with my col-
leagues, but have no opportunity to do that”.

Summing up, we may assume that college teachers and administrators view support
differently. Some administrators view support as only the supply of necessary re-
sources for teaching. They are not concerned about the professional development of
teachers and are not supporting them. They do not even allow them to go to some
events when teachers find them on their own initiative. Some administrators are con-
cerned only about the lessons, whereas others try to involve teachers of English in a
lot of extra activities.

On the other hand, college teachers themselves do not take enough initiative to be in-
volved in different events. Their professional development seems to be restricted to
the events organised by the British Council. They express the wish for more network-
ing opportunities, but they would like administrators to arrange it.

70
44 % of university administrators during the interviews admitted that they do not en-
courage ELT teachers’ professional development. The explanations that they provide
are as follows: teachers are qualified and competent enough; it is an individual mat-
ter; there is not much to offer. 36 % of university administrators claim that they sup-
port teachers’ professional development by organising seminars, courses, providing the
opportunity to participate in international conferences, seminars and projects.

University teachers think that university officials show an indifferent attitude to foreign
language teaching. Most of them are satisfied with the present situation and some-
times do not even know about the existing problems.

“Maybe I should mention that sometimes the university officials seem to be rather
indifferent. Maybe they should provide more freedom for us and they should allow
us to have more initiative because if we come with new ideas, some new prospects,
initiatives, we don’t feel any support and it brings us back”.

“Teachers should show initiative and initiate various programs. Actually if you ap-
proach the administration with some project they support it at least morally. But,
well, you get moral support and they simply push us to do the work. So the idea is,
it’s again stressed by the administration, that teachers should work on their own,
and find their own niches. In this market economy even our professional develop-
ment is based on competition. If you compete, if you show off, then you are sup-
ported…”

On the other hand, university teachers feel a big pressure from the administration to
develop professionally and be involved in research activities:

“Very high pressure! It’s just the highlight of everything. The mission of our univer-
sity is to produce as much scientific research material as possible. Somehow our
teaching practices should be improved and maintained on our own initiative”.

“If the requirements have not been fulfilled, you don’t qualify as a teacher. So you
are honestly pressed to do this”.

Resources and equipment

When asked about the type of facilities provided by the departments, administrators
mention the following: OHP, tape recorders, dictionaries, textbooks, video, and soft-
ware for a computer classroom. The data indicate that the supply of resources and fa-
cilities is better at colleges. Universities are in worse condition.

71
Table 3.8. Provision of resources and materials

Satisfied with provision Colleges Universities

Yes 53.2 % 24.8 %

Partially 43.5 % 67.3 %
No 1.6 % 10.6 %
No answer 1.6 % 0.9 %
No. of respondents 62 113

“Our authorities do understand our problems. They try to be helpful. As much as

they can, they are ready to help us. This is not a question of buying ELT materials
for every student. They order books which are necessary for courses, purchase theo-
retical courses for the library and also try to equip us with computers and tape re-
corders”.

Most university teachers complain about the facilities they have:

“It’s very very difficult despite the fact that our university has access to the largest
databases such as PapaMidline, Cambridge University Press library, and lots and
lots of others. Our department can’t be connected for a very simple reason – we
don’t have computers”.

The data indicate a rather unequal distribution of facilities among the universities.
Some of them are very well equipped, while others have shortage of even elementary
things. The question “What resources are available to you?” was answered as follows:

• A skeleton and a tape recorder are available in the room where I teach.

• Tape recorders, but no videos.

• Only chalk and one chalkboard.

• We have tape-recorders. Video is also available to use.

• Only one for the whole department. We have one TV set and one video.

• Everything. And even multimedia if we need it. But we have to arrange it

beforehand.

During the focus groups interviews it turned out that some students are in a better
situation than the teachers.
72
 “They have up-to-date computers… colour printers… and most importantly, they
travel much more than we do… They’re spending much more time in English
speaking countries than we are and really have a good command of natural Eng-
lish. And this is… it is a very very problematic issue.”

The situation with teaching resources and equipment is better at colleges. Most stu-
dents say that such equipment as tape recorders, CD players and video recorders is
available in class. Only one student complains about the lack of a video recorder in
class. The focus group discussion clearly illustrates the drastic shortage of photo-
copying facilities at colleges. All students say that they have to make photocopies of
certain materials at their own expense. Students have no complaints about course
books. The availability of teaching materials does not appear to constitute a major
problem at colleges. According to the respondents, Landmark and Snapshots seem to
be the most favoured by college faculties, at least the ones represented by the re-
spondents.

It should also be mentioned that the respondents voiced a clear satisfaction with the
college libraries. According to them, they have a good selection of dictionaries as
well as different kinds of books in English. However, though not seen as a problem
by the students, college libraries seem to be lacking English magazines and newspa-
pers. On the other hand, the students claimed to have access to the Internet either
at college or at home. To a certain extent, this may compensate for the lack of
up-to-date reading materials. Students seem to have better access to the Internet
than teachers do.

In general, students seemed to be satisfied with the teaching resources and equipment
available at their colleges. In some cases respondents pointed out that their teacher
was bringing her own teaching materials from home. This may indicate a shortage of
material at the college.

“We have video equipment in our classroom. When we need to listen, the teacher
brings a tape recorder. She uses many materials that are not from our school. She
has her own library. She brings everything from home”.

From a teacher’s point of view:

“One more problem that we face is that of teaching English for specific purposes.
We can adapt some texts and get material in that way, but let’s say, cassettes for
listening, those are impossible to get. So, that’s a drawback because they really
can’t hear that specialised language.”

College teachers complain about limited resources:

73
 “We have to teach English for specific purposes – technical English. For some of
the courses it is very difficult to get good resources. …. You need a lot of time to
prepare material because the students are so diverse in their needs”.

Teaching materials

The majority of students stated that they did not have any specific textbook. Usually
they ‘have to make copies of the handouts the teacher gives us’; ‘our lecturer copies
handouts from various sources’; ‘our lecturer gets books from the Internet’; ‘copies articles
from specialised magazines’.

The lack of textbooks could represent a significant problem. On the other hand, stu-
dents say that materials they get from teachers ‘are very useful’.

More than half of administrators of universities interviewed (60 %) say that they do
provide some textbooks. It may suggest that teachers are using a variety of sources,
not just one textbook, which may make the teaching process more interesting and ef-
fective. Teacher respondents state that some students buy textbooks themselves, be-
cause ‘they want to have the useful material themselves’.

Some university teachers are very happy about the wide choice of teaching materials
that are currently available on the market:

“Large amounts of ELT materials on the market enable us as teachers”.

However, at other universities the situation is critical:

“I’ve been teaching art students for about seven years. They study design, painting,
graphics, sculpture, and all kinds of trends in art. Their ages are from 18 to 30
years and sometimes they are even older. Their English language abilities are mixed.
I am the only teacher of English and they still haven’t managed to give me a full
salary though I’m teaching about 130 students. The numbers say something. The
English language literature in our library – well, the latest issues are from Stalin’s
days when they wrote about Konenkov’s Mashenka – a Russian sculptor – you can
guess what I mean. The ability levels are mixed, and there are students who can’t
speak at all”.

Both teachers and students have to spend their own money for acquiring materials,
because the libraries lack up-to-date teaching resources.

“Not just students, but teachers as well. We have to pay for our own material“.

74
3.3. CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Approaches and methods

Based on college teachers’ answers it may be said that EL teachers use a student-cen-
tred approach during their teaching. They pay greater attention to the development of
students’ communicative skills by simulating real-life situations, organising meetings,
and making presentations. These methods increase students’ motivation, and give
them more freedom to participate in discussions.

“We’re trying to get them involved in the process and we say that the motto of our
teachers is ‘our students are to be treated fairly and be involved in the process of
their education’.”

The teacher respondents discuss their students’ feedback with the administrations af-
ter summarizing the results at the end-of-term and end-of-year surveys. The teachers
followed up the students’ feedback, analysed their answers, made conclusions, and
where ever possible, improved their teaching methodologies.

Students have some recommendations regarding the teaching process. A wish for less
monotony, and a greater diversity of reading materials and learning activities was ex-
pressed. These should include more frequent discussions, films, meetings with native
speakers, and participation in student exchange programmes. In contrast, there are
some teachers who say that their students wanted to have more grammar revision
classes.

Student motivation and involvement

The majority of students admit that knowing at least one foreign language is useful
and that is why they have chosen to study the English language at university.

“It is so helpful to know a foreign language while travelling: when you meet people
from different countries, you can speak to them, it makes communication easier”.

The respondents find English the most useful tool for communication because it is
spoken everywhere. English also makes their access to the media and the Internet
much easier. It has to be pointed out that English is one of the students’ favourite
subjects:

• I like to learn languages.

• I like English.
75
 • The English language is the language of science.

• To study English means to expand your view, to expand your knowledge.

Many students stress that knowing a foreign language is a necessity for their future
career. The same idea was confirmed by the teacher respondents, who say that their
students see English in a much broader context. They see it as a tool for life and
communication in the European Union. The students’ future career is the greatest
motivation for many, because they understand that without it there will be no future
for them. The teachers also remark that each year they see more and more self-moti-
vated students who do understand that they need English, communication competen-
cies, and not only professional English. It is rewarding to see how conscious the
students are towards learning and gaining skills in English.

The situation is a little different at colleges. Poor attendance demonstrates the lack of
motivation. 27 % of college teachers see poor attendance as a major problem com-
pared to only 5 % of university teachers who have indicated poor attendance as a
problem.

Table 3.9. Student attitude towards English language learning

Student attitude Colleges Universities

Very positive 12.9 % 24.8 %

Positive 82.3 % 71.7 %
Indifferent 9.7 % 7.1 %
Negative 0.0 % 0.0 %
No answer 1.6 % 0.9 %
No. of respondents 62 113

As the data in Table 3.9 indicate both college and university students are positively
motivated towards learning English. None of them express negative attitudes towards
the English language. This could indicate a positive opinion of English language
teachers in the eyes of students.

The use of student feedback is much more popular at universities. According to the
data, only 4 % of university teachers do not ask for feedback forms from the students.
At colleges 11 % of teachers admit to not using feedback. Additional comments indi-
cate that university teachers are considerate towards students and use their feedback
to improve the teaching process. University teachers tend to modify their general atti-
tudes towards teaching and their relationships with students. College teachers try to
improve results by giving more activities in the form of exercises and tests. This may
76
lead to the conclusion that university teachers use a more reflective approach towards
the basic principles of English language teaching. College teachers might lack theoret-
ical background in ELT methodology.

All the tertiary education institutions interviewed use an exam as the final assessment
instrument though there is no indication that it has any power to motivate learning.

Student-teacher relationship

The main problem areas, indicated by the students are related to the personal character-
istics of their teachers rather than their professional skills. One of sources of discontent
voiced during a focus group discussion deals with the interaction between the teacher and
the students. The students seem to dislike the high degree of formality in the teacher’s
communication with the students and would definitely favour a more friendly style. The
teacher’s disposition and age are the other two factors of major significance in the stu-
dents’ judgements. Drawing on the students’ comments, a perfect teacher should be
rather young, smiling, making learning a fun activity, and communicate well with students:

“My students say that they like it when their teacher smiles. This year it happened
that my former students have a different teacher and they are unhappy because she
doesn’t smile. She is young, she’s OK, but she doesn’t smile, she never smiles.”

From the point of view of teachers, students appear to respond more effectively to a
student-centred approach, but first, teachers have to help students overcome the dif-
ference between school and university. They must adjust to the shift of responsibility,
and develop a firm attitude towards knowledge and their future speciality.

As the data in Table 3.10 indicate, 23 % of college teachers and 14 % of university

teachers are not satisfied with the level of English their students have mastered before
entering the university or college. But on the other hand, 30 % of university teachers
rank the knowledge of English of their students good, as compared to 17 % of teach-
ers at colleges. The difference may be explained by the fact that brighter students
choose to study at universities.

Table 3.10. Students start learning English at the institution with

satisfactory command of the language

Range of students Colleges Universities

1 – 30 22.6 % 14.2 %
30 – 60 59.7 % 55.8 %
60 – 90 17.7 % 30.1 %
No answer 1.6 % 0.9 %
No. of respondents 62 113

77
The university teachers describe students as being used to a teacher-centred approach.
They say that it is difficult for them to become more independent as learners.

“They just feel a little cautious, they do not know what might happen here. There
is a difference between what they had at school and what they have here. The first
two weeks are just the kind of research on both sides. The students just look at the
teacher and the teacher looks at the students. With time they get more and more
used to the student-centred approach. It still might be said that they do not want to
take on the responsibility for their learning, it is much easier for them to rely on
the teacher.”

It is possible to assume that students, once they understand the changes in their lives,
like independence and accept the responsibility. However, some students would prefer
to study less and learn ‘everything in the classroom’. ‘They expect the teacher to teach
them everything’ or, as others put it, ‘no homework at all’. The last comment could be
partially justified since students are very busy and they have to learn many more sub-
jects, so they lack time.

3.4. KEY ISSUES EMERGING

In terms of financial support it is evident that tertiary institutions have very different
conditions that range from very poor to excellent. We may say that private institutions
have much better support in terms of the classroom environment, facilities, teaching
materials and IT applications when compared to the support provided to public insti-
tutions.

The major problem areas from the perspective of university staff are as follows: low
pay, big groups, an insufficient number of hours, lack of teaching materials for ESP,
lack of facilities, and inadequate opportunities for professional development. College
teachers emphasise the lack of support for their professional development and a large
workload.

Students see the knowledge gap between school and university as a problem in their
further studies of EL. The need for ELT remains as those students who have not
studied English at school request EL courses. They believe EL skills are an indispens-
able tool for their future career opportunities.

The data show that the future of language teaching at universities is unclear. The
wish expressed by the staff to expand the number of hours for ELT has hardly been
achieved. The authorities of most universities consider language study an individual
matter.
78
Many administrators see changes in the future as the dissemination and implementa-
tion of new teaching methods begin. Distance learning, better access to the Internet,
new technologies, updated textbooks, more opportunities to participate in exchange
programs, and more opportunities for professional development are all believed to be
on the horizon. Key issues for the future focus on financial support in terms of text-
books, technological facilities, modern classrooms, participation in international pro-
jects, and teacher development.

To improve conditions for teaching English at the tertiary level, the following major
directions should be followed:

A) The material and financial basis for teaching foreign languages at the ter-
tiary level should be consolidated: up-to-date textbooks for ESP provided, fully
equipped classes and free access to IT ensured.

B) Constant updating of teaching approaches and implementation of IT in

teaching should be developed to ensure future place for Lithuania’s youth in the
economy and culture of the EU.

C) Support for ESP teacher development at the tertiary level should be en-
sured. The motivation level of university teachers to develop professionally is very
high. The proper conditions must be created to do so.

D) Teacher networking groups should be reinforced. Professional associations of

language teachers would provide more opportunities to network and more unity in
language policy making.

E) Based on student needs, more diverse courses of English should be pro-

vided. Currently, students are highly motivated to learn languages. They see the Eng-
lish language as an indispensable skill in their future careers.

F) Teacher and student exchange programmes should be fully implemented and

supported. Teachers and students need co-operation and contact with educational in-
stitutions in other countries.

79
CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

The findings contained within this report provide an up-to-date account of the current
situation in ELT in Lithuania, as well as the views of teachers, students and educa-
tional administrators. In this final chapter the authors’ aim is to highlight areas that
can be considered strengths of the current ELT provision, and to identify and explore
any causes for concern. In this way, it is hoped that a contribution can be made to-
wards the further development of ELT at different levels of the education system.

4.1. ELT IN LITHUANIA: STRENGTHS

The Educational Environment

Analysis of data received from students and teachers show that the need for learning
foreign languages, including English, remains at all levels of education. At the same
time, in the context of Lithuania’s membership in the European Union and European
labour market, the importance of English for employment and career prospects is in-
creasing. Data obtained from focus groups and elsewhere support the idea that the
English learning environment has expanded rapidly: students now have a range of op-
portunities to develop and improve their English language skills through watching
films, listening to music, travelling and using information technologies. This contrib-
utes towards a positive environment for English language learning and teaching.

According to the questionnaire data, 95 % of university teachers and 96 % of college

teachers believe that their students have a very positive or positive attitude towards
learning English. This enthusiasm is echoed in the comments of first year students in
focus groups, reported in Chapter 3. As far as schools are concerned, 73 % of teach-
ers surveyed said that they were happy working as an English language teacher. And
the profile of typical English language students presented in Chapter 2 (based on fo-
cus group and questionnaire data) makes it clear that motivational levels and determi-
nation to succeed are generally high.

Increased learning opportunities and motivation levels can undoubtedly contribute to-
wards a very positive educational environment for learners and teachers. At the same
time, the education system itself also has an important role to play. There is evidence
to suggest that the Ministry of Education and Science, schools and universities are of-
ten very successful in providing the conditions necessary for promoting effective for-
eign language learning and teaching.

A good example of this is the question of language class sizes. According to the Min-
istry regulations, groups of students in schools should be split if there are more then
80
21 students. The data obtained through the questionnaires for school teachers (87 %)
and classroom observations (92 %) indicate that the number of students in an average
English language classroom ranges from 12 to 20. Though responses from the teach-
ers’ focus groups indicate a tendency to enlarge student groups, especially at universi-
ties, the complaint made by some teachers of teaching big groups is not supported by
the survey findings. The situation at colleges is similar to that of schools: question-
naire data show that 97 % of college teachers teach English to groups of 10–21 stu-
dents (40 % of respondents indicating 12–21 and 57 % indicating 10–15 students in a
group). And even in universities, 82 % of the teachers stated that they teach groups
of 10–21 (31 % teaching 10–15 students and 51 % teaching 12–21 students in a
group).

Meanwhile, an analysis of the General Curriculum Framework (see Chapter 1) shows

that the number of hours of teaching English at schools comprises 9 %–17 % of the
total teaching time, depending on the level. The number of lessons is usually three to
four per week and schools can choose to add one more lesson per week from a small
reserve for extra lessons. This means that English is seen as an important component
of the school curriculum, occupying a significant percentage of the total time avail-
able.

As far as the higher education sector is concerned, universities offer an average of 8

credits for compulsory foreign language modules in non-language studies, with 1 credit
corresponding to 40 classroom hours. A foreign language course may vary from one
semester (16 weeks or 4 months) to six semesters (96 weeks or 24 months). Once
again, foreign language learning (including English) appears to play an important role
even for non-language specialists.

Support for Teachers

According to the survey data school administrators actively support and encourage
their teachers. In this respect 51 % of teachers define the support of school adminis-
tration as ‘good’ and only 14 % as ‘poor’. It is interesting to compare these figures
and levels of satisfaction with other sources of support: 78 % of teachers see the sup-
port of colleagues as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, 62 % see the support of in-service teacher
development institutions as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. The figures for Ministry support,
however, are not so convincing: 23 % of teachers indicate that it is ‘good’ or ‘very
good’, while 41 % think it is ‘poor’ (see section 4.2).

Classroom Practice

The observation and questionnaire data show that an extremely wide variety of Eng-
lish textbooks is available and being used in Lithuanian schools. Schools and individ-
81
ual teachers have considerable freedom of choice, their main constraint being exam
requirements. The most popular textbook used in Lithuanian schools is the Enterprise
series, used by 46 % of teacher questionnaire respondents and in 41 % of lessons ob-
served. According to the questionnaire for tertiary teacher respondents, Landmark and
Snapshots series are most favoured by colleges. The survey shows that all teachers, es-
pecially at the tertiary institutions, use a variety of sources to make the teaching pro-
cess more interesting and effective.

Finally, according to the observation data, English lessons mostly have clear aims
(82 %) and stages (80 %), while materials used in the lessons are usually appropriate
to the level and age of the students.

4.2. ELT IN LITHUANIA: PROBLEM AREAS

Teachers’ working conditions

According to Ministry of Education and Science regulations the teaching load of a

full-time teacher should be 18 hours a week. However, questionnaire data from the
survey indicate the reality is very different: nearly 60 % of English language teachers
teach more than 25 lessons a week and 8 % teach more than 30 hours. There is also
a possibility that respondents work even harder than this, with some giving private tui-
tion to individual students to supplement their income although there is no direct evi-
dence of how many extra hours that this would entail. At any rate, the figures make
depressing reading and must necessarily have implications for the quality of teaching,
as well as for the amount of time that teachers have available for planning and pre-
paring lessons or counselling individual learners.

Teacher rotation

Another worrying phenomenon mentioned many times in the survey is the constant
rotation of teachers of English in Lithuanian schools. Data from focus groups provide
some insight into the main reasons for this: low teacher salaries, high workloads and
better career opportunities available for English graduates elsewhere.

If the problem of teacher rotation and its apparent root causes is not addressed, there
are implications for the ability of the entire education system to meet the national
and international standards to which it aspires. The worst scenario would involve sig-
nificant numbers of trained and qualified professionals leaving the education sector to
be replaced by less-qualified and perhaps less able individuals.

82
Teacher qualifications

According to the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science all subject
teachers teaching at educational institutions (even kindergartens) have to be qualified
specialists. Foreign language teachers are trained at 6 universities and 6 colleges in
Lithuania.

The academic background of English language schoolteachers at first sight appears to

meet the ministry requirements. Most (67 %) have a university degree and smaller
proportions (17 %) have a college degree. A matter of some concern, however, is the
9.5 % of respondents who indicated that they have a secondary school qualification
only.

Most school administrators (68 %) interviewed maintained that English teachers

are sufficiently qualified and 22 % of respondents describe them as ‘highly quali-
fied’. However, the teacher questionnaire data indicate that 31 % of the respon-
dents are qualified ‘senior teachers’, 21 % are ‘teacher methodologists’ and 5 %
are ‘teacher experts’. This means that 42 % have the lowest form of qualification
and are labelled simply ‘teachers’. With the problem of teacher rotation mentioned
above there is evidence to suggest that this situation may get worse rather than
better.

At tertiary level 48% of college teachers have university diplomas issued before 1994,
29% have master’s degrees and 13% bachelor’s degrees. None of the respondents
have a PhD. University teachers are somewhat better qualified with 44 % holding a
master’s degree and 11 % a PhD. 8 % of the university teachers-respondents hold the
position of ‘Associate Professor’, with the expectation that they will be actively in-
volved in research.

Teachers’ professional development

Questionnaire data obtained from university teachers show that professional develop-
ment is seen as a major problem area in this sector along with low pay, and lack of
teaching materials and facilities. In fact 40 % of university administrators interviewed
admitted that they do not encourage English language teachers’ professional develop-
ment as they feel that it is not the responsibility of the faculty and they consider that
their teachers are qualified and competent enough.

Meanwhile college teachers also emphasize the lack of support for professional devel-
opment – their views contrasting with those of the college authorities, 79 % of whom
consider the support for English Language teachers’ professional development to be
either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.
83
These figures might lead us to assume that teacher development is a more urgent is-
sue at universities than at colleges. The number of university administrators who do
not appear to see the need for professional development is particularly worrying.

According to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Science every school-
teacher has to attend in-service training events for at least 15 days in five years or
three days every year as a minimum. The teacher questionnaire findings show that
only 14 % of teachers participated in more than 10 national events and 21 % in re-
gional in-service teacher development events. More than half of the teachers (53 %)
have not participated in any international events.

Teaching resources and equipment

Although school administrators claim that the percentages of various types of equip-
ment available at their schools are high enough, according to survey observation data
Lithuanian classrooms appear to be equipped mostly with chalkboards (97 %) and au-
dio recorders (87 %). Only 11 % of classrooms have computers and 8 % video re-
corders. Interestingly, 93 % of school administrators claimed that their schools have
access to the internet, while 86 % said that a video recorder is available. It would ap-
pear that such facilities are, frustratingly, not easily available for foreign language
teaching even though 60 % of teachers interviewed would like to have access to a
video recorder and 48 % would like to use the internet in their teaching.

Somewhat surprisingly, parents are expected to play a role in making good this deficit.
The survey data show that parents’ support for the school appears to be measured by
the degree of willingness to donate materials or equipment. This is perhaps why only
37 % of teacher questionnaire respondents evaluated parent support for the school
administration as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, while 61 % considered it to be ‘poor’ or ‘fair’.
In fact, both schoolteachers and administrators would like to encourage parents to
help obtain textbooks and school equipment, and even to solve photocopying prob-
lems.

As far as higher education is concerned, questionnaire data show that 53 % of college

teachers and only 25 % of university teachers are fully satisfied with the provision of
teaching resources and equipment at their institutions. Focus group data reveal that
provision is indeed better at colleges than at universities, though college students
complain that they have to make photocopies of certain learning materials at their
own expense.

Finally, questionnaire and interview responses from teachers and students testify to
the fact that private tertiary institutions have much better facilities, teaching materials
and modern technology when compared with state institutions. Another interesting
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consideration is that in both schools and tertiary institutions language teachers get
better support in terms of equipment from those administrators who are foreign lan-
guage teachers themselves.

Ministry of Education and Science Support for Teachers and Students

The questionnaire data received from school teachers state that only 23 % of teachers
find the support from the Ministry of Education and Science ‘good’ or ‘very good’
while 41 % think it is ‘poor’. For an explanation of the reasons for this, we need to
turn to opinions expressed by focus group participants, who gave as reasons for dissat-
isfaction ‘lack of co-operation’, ‘the state exam complexity and pressure’, ‘lack of feed-
back’ and ‘disinterest in teachers’ opinions’. The dissatisfaction with the English
language state exam should really be addressed to the National Examination Centre,
which has been administrating all the school-leaving exams for the last 2 years.

At tertiary levels the Ministry is, to a certain extent, also held responsible for the
shortage of up-to-date textbooks (especially for English for Specific Purposes), lack of
teaching resources, and non-availability of fully equipped classrooms.

Classroom practice

Focus group data obtained from first year university and college students about their
learning experiences at school provide some cause for concern. It seems that many
pupils feel disappointed about the methods and activities used in the lessons in the fi-
nal years of school education. Their opinions are supported to a certain extent by ob-
servation data with 17 % of observers commenting that teachers were not sensitive to
the needs of individual students.

A major contributing factor appears to be the wash back effect of state examinations,
which have enormous influence on teaching especially in the last two years of second-
ary education. Schoolteachers tend to choose textbooks and activities for exam prepa-
ration very early in the English language teaching cycle. This means that in effect
students are preparing for the exam throughout the secondary school.

Judging by evidence collected during the survey, the skills listed in the examination
syllabus sometimes reflect levels which are different from those declared in the Gen-
eral Curriculum Framework. And the requirements defined in the Examination Syl-
labus sometimes cannot be used as helpful tools for orientation. Thus, it would
appear that national standards and examination requirements need further harmoni-
sation.

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In addition, lesson observation data show that, while 62 % of the lessons are consid-
ered ‘mixed lessons’ with different language skills being developed, 17 % of lessons
are clearly identified as ‘grammar lessons’ and only 4 % are considered ‘speaking les-
sons’. Developing spoken fluency is seemingly considered a low priority by teachers,
especially those in grades 11 and 12. This is extremely disappointing for students for
whom improving speaking is highly desirable. An added concern is the 37 % of ob-
served lessons where students were using mainly Lithuanian as the means of commu-
nication in class.

The survey data also show that the teaching of needs-related ESP is common practice
in tertiary institutions and that 84 % of university administrators think that their stu-
dents need some kind of ESP course. This view is supported by opinions expressed in
the questionnaire data: 79 % of the university teachers and 63 % of college teachers
consider that their students need ESP. In contrast, 32 % of university and only 3 %
percent of college teachers realize the importance of English for Academic Purposes.
The difference in preferences between universities and colleges reflects the content of
their teaching programmes.

It seems that, while the ELT syllabus in Lithuanian secondary schools is mostly
exam-driven and the choice of materials and methods influenced by the exam require-
ments, in tertiary institutions ELT is more needs-driven.

4.3. RECOMMENDATIONS

The previous section of this report highlighted problem areas in the provision of ELT
in Lithuanian schools: these included the working conditions of teachers, the potential
lack of qualified teachers due to teacher rotation and the dangers posed by a teaching
syllabus distorted by over-emphasis on preparation for exams.

It seems that, as far as language teachers are concerned, certain areas of the educa-
tion system work better than others. One example of this is the way in which teaching
and learning resources are not evenly spread.

There are also issues that cut across the different educational sectors. An example of
this would be the gap between secondary and tertiary institutions, mentioned by both
students and teachers in the survey data. This needs to be bridged through closer
co-operation between the two sectors, building trust and information sharing. At pres-
ent students are often aware of gaps in their knowledge that are not being catered for
by their university classes.

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To address the most important issues that affect English language teaching and learn-
ing in Lithuania, this report will conclude with a number of specific recommendations,
as follows:

1. Able and well-qualified language teachers need to be encouraged to stay in the

profession after the investment in their training. The fact that the great
majority of teachers (72 %) undergo teacher training “to improve their
English” should serve as a clear warning that many young graduates see
teaching only as a stepping-stone to more lucrative professions.

2. The issue of working conditions of teachers needs to be addressed. The

Ministry of Education and Science’s stated aims of meeting international
standards should apply to teachers’ salaries, working hours and facilities as well.
Although it is unrealistic to expect immediate parity with other European
countries in this respect, teachers (and potential teachers) would be greatly
encouraged by any initiatives that seek to achieve this aim.

3. Resources and equipment need to be more evenly spread across the different
educational sectors. In particular, the material and financial basis for teaching
foreign languages at the tertiary level needs to be consolidated.

4. There should be more consultation of language teachers at different levels. For

example, a strong professional association of teachers of English could
contribute towards the formulation of national language teaching policies.
Teacher networking groups within ELT and across the education sectors could
also be reinforced.

5. Universities should be encouraged to change any negative attitudes concerning

the need for staff development programmes, especially when these relate to the
teaching of ESP.

6. The Ministry of Education and Science needs to address the question of

teaching methods and approaches at secondary school levels. The current bias
towards exam preparation needs to be counterbalanced by initiatives which will
address students’ long-term, as well as their short-term needs.

7. Attempts to review the ELT standards and curricula at tertiary institutions as

well as their alignment with the state exam after secondary education would
ensure more consistency in English language learning.

8. A greater implementation of information technology (IT) in teaching should be

seen as an immediate requirement if the goal of working towards international
standards is to be achieved.
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 9. Co-operation between Lithuanian schools and universities and educational
institutions abroad should be greatly encouraged (for example through the
means of teacher and student mobility programmes) to facilitate the dissemina-
tion of new ideas and the sharing of expertise.

10. The expansion of the learning environment and English language usage is
making teaching English more and more challenging. This challenge needs to
be met by a combination of constant updating of teaching approaches used, the
provision of good quality facilities for teaching and an increased willingness to
co-operate across all educational sectors.

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Glossary

Basic school (pagrindinë mokykla) – provides education for students starting from
11/12 to 16/17 years old and lasts for six years (grades 5–10).

County (apskritis) – administrative unit. Lithuania is divided into ten counties.

Education Development Centre (Ðvietimo plëtotës centras, ÐPC) – is a state non-profit

educational institution. It was founded by the Ministry of Education and Science of
the Republic of Lithuania.

European Language Portfolio (Europos kalbø aplankas) – a document to plan and re-
flect on one’s learning, to record and report about learner’s language qualifications.

General Curriculum Framework and Education Standards (Bendroji programa ir

iðsilavinimo standartai) – a governmental document to specify and regulate the teach-
ing content and learners’ achievements.

Gymnasium (gimnazija) – provides education for students starting from 14/15 to 18/19
years old and lasts for four years (gardes 9–12).

Maturity certificate (brandos atestatas) – an official certificate, confirming both the

completion of a general education secondary school and the results of the
school-leaving examinations, which grants the right to enroll in institutions of higher
education.

Maturity examination (brandos egzaminas) (can be school and state) – an official

exam take taken after finishing the subject secondary programme with satisfactory
grades.

National Long-term Development Strategy for 2003 – 2012 (Valstybinës ðvietimo

strategijos 2003 – 2012 metø nuostatos) – a governmental document on the priorities of
the development of education in Lithuania until 2012.

PPRC (Pedagogø profesinës raidos centras) – Teacher Professional Development Cen-

tre.

Primary school (pradinë mokykla) – provides education for students starting from 6/7
to 10/11 years old and lasts for four years (grades 1–4).

Profiling (profiliavimas) – differentiation by disciplinary profiles whereby a group of

pupils learn one or more subjects following one of several different complex
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programmes which differ in their objectives, content, teaching method and require-
ments for pupil achievement in upper secondary school. There can be four subject
areas-leaning profiles (humanities, natural sciences, fine arts, technology).

Qualification categories (kvalifikacinë kategorija) (teacher, senior teacher, teacher

methodologist, expert) – these are categories granted for teachers after certification,
showing theoretical preparation and the quality of practice.

Sample (imtis) – a part of data/number of people/etc. taken from certain amount to

show the quality of the whole.

Secondary school (vidurinë mokykla) – includes two last years of secondary education.

Student’s basket (mokinio krepðelis) – it is 1703 Lt allocated to each student a year to

a certain school budget to pay the teachers and buy textbooks.

Vocational school (profesinë mokykla) – provides education for students starting from
16 years old and lasts for four years. After graduation a student is granted with a sec-
ondary school certificate and professional qualification.

Youth school (jaunimo mokykla) – this is a special type of school for pupils who have
no motivation for studying, are from families having social problems. It provides edu-
cation for students from 12 to 16 years old. After graduation a student is granted with
basic (lower secondary) school certificate.

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