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Abstract: The purpose of the master thesis entitled Understanding the Grammatical Category Aspect in Present Tense Forms and Past Tense Forms in Primary School is to determine whether primary school learners associate the forms of the simple present and past tense with the simple/indefinite aspect and the forms of the progressive present and past tense with the continuous/progressive aspect. This is crucial for building grammar knowledge of elementary school learners and applying that knowledge in real-life situations. English is becoming more and more integrated into our daily lives and in some cases is a prerequisite for achieving goals. Therefore, the need for learning and teaching English is also increasing. Teachers face the challenge of how to get the learners to actively participate and speak in a foreign language, and applying the grammar rules to achieve the understanding, not just the knowledge of rules. The theoretical part of the thesis presents English language on a global level with the distinction between L2 users. It further presents the language acquisition and language learning and the factors that affect the perception of the language. It describes different teaching methods, approaches and strategies that the teachers use in the classroom. Then the grammar is presented as various linguists describe and perceive it, based on the universal grammar hypothesis by Noam Chomsky. Further, the focus is on the indefinite and progressive form of aspect and the terminology of terminative and non-terminative verbs is presented. The formation and the uses of Present Indefinite/Progressive and Past Indefinite/Progressive are explained in detail as a base for the empirical part of the thesis. In the end of the theoretical part, the correspondences between the present and past tense referring to the universal truths and general statement, stative/dynamic verbs and limited actions is described. The empirical part presents the results of a research, conducted in March and April 2022 in two primary schools in north-eastern Slovenia. Learners of 7th and 8th grade were tested with the help of two questionaries. The first questionnaire (Present Simple vs Present Continuous) consisted of six questions plus one additional task. The first five tasks were completely practical; however, the first two tasks included a theoretical task, asking the learners to explain why the said time is used in that particular task. The last task and the additional task required a more complex thinking since the learners had to use their knowledge of grammar rules and their usage to successfully solve all the tasks on the questionnaire. The second questionnaire (Past Simple vs Past Continuous) consisted of six tasks in total. The first five tasks were practical, with task two and three additionally requiring the learners to write why they thought Past Simple or Past Continuous were used. The data was then analysed and presented in tables in terms of correctness/incorrectness and in the percentage of the answers given by learners. The results showed that learners learn grammatical rules according to the syllabus and mostly through drilling exercises, which resulted in the very high success rate of the practical tasks, but they achieved poor results on theoretical tasks, where they were required to show the understanding of those rules. The results also confirmed our hypothesis that learners relate the simple present and past tense with the simple/indefinite aspect and the progressive present and past tense with the continuous/progressive aspect. In the end, we compared the results of our study with the results of the study done by Kaja Podgoršek, since it covers a similar topic.
Keywords: teaching English, primary school, English tenses, English grammar, terminitative verbs, non-terminitative verbs
Published in DKUM: 16.10.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 4
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Abstract: Literature plays an essential role in language learning, since it offers students an engaging and meaningful way to develop their language skills and critical thinking. This Thesis deals with the integration of literature into English language teaching in the final three years of primary school in Slovenia. The theoretical part of the Thesis examines the fundations for integrating literature into English language teaching in Slovene primary school by examining how reading comprehension is addressed in the Curriculum for the final three years of Primary School, as well as the objectives, standards and l themes outlined in the Curriculum. It also investigates the role that literature plays in learning a foreign language, focusing not only on its role in developing students' language skills but also on its importance for rasing students' sociocultural awareness. The empirical part is divided into two parts: the first one analyses literary texts that are included in the English textbooks currently used in the final three years of primary school to assess their frequency and their pedagogical role. Based on the findings, the second part proposes a list of additional literary texts suitable to be used in the English classroom for their alignment with the Curriculum's objectives, as well as for addressing socially relevant themes that reflect contemporary social issues.
Keywords: primary school, English language teaching, Curriculum, literature, reading
Published in DKUM: 25.09.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 4
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Abstract: The recent emergence and the widespread use of AI-driven tools have significantly affected various aspects of human communication, including business-related professional communication. This pilot study explores how AI-driven tools can be used in drafting commercial correspondence by considering its genre conventions. To this end, we carried out a small-scale study to assess AI-driven tools for translating and drafting commercial correspondence. We used ChatGPT, Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Gemini 2.0 Flash to translate 15 letters from Slovenian into English and to draft 10 letters in English based on the prompts in Slovenian. Our key findings show that although the translations are similar, slight differences occur mainly at the level of formality and the scope of formulaic expressions. Concerning the drafts, the AI-driven tools produced adequate letters which might sometimes need light human editing.
Keywords: Business English, commercial correspondence, translation, drafting, AI-driven tools, English, Slovenian
Published in DKUM: 22.09.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 4
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Abstract: Following the Bologna Process (2001) and Croatia’s accession to the European Union (2013), English has assumed a more prominent role in Croatian higher education (HE). While Croatian remains the dominant language of instruction, universities are increasingly expected to internationalise their programmes through English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English-Medium Instruction (EMI) courses. This study analyses the attitudes of content-area (non-language) university teachers at the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Croatia, towards the use of English in their teaching, focusing particularly on ESP and EMI. The aim is to examine how these attitudes contribute to the internationalisation of HE and support students’ academic and professional development through discipline-specific English instruction. The results obtained from the data collected using an online questionnaire indicate strong support for ESP course integration, with most teachers recognising its value in enhancing students’ employability and domain-specific language proficiency. While EMI was not addressed directly, several items suggest teachers are aware of EMI-related demands and express positive attitudes towards its benefits. Notably, teachers with Erasmus experience showed greater confidence in English and more openness to EMI. These findings highlight the need to expand ESP offerings, strengthen EMI-related training, and develop institutional language policies aligned with internationalisation goals.
Keywords: English for specific purposes, Croatia, higher education, university teachers, sports science
Published in DKUM: 02.09.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 2
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Keywords: chatbots, artificial intelligence, generative artificial intelligence, large language models, English studies
Published in DKUM: 27.08.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 6
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