Towards Learners’ Empowerment and Plurilingualism in FFL Didactics at University? The Latvian Case
Towards Learners’ Empowerment and Plurilingualism in FFL Didactics at University? The Latvian Case

Summary/Abstract: In fifty years, language didactics has evolved towards learner-speaker autonomy and multilingualism. Facing this evolution encouraged by the European institutions, how do the European teachers of FFL at university consider their role of citizens and future FFL teacher trainers? What does the implementation of didactics favouring learners’ empowerment and multilingualism depend on? Considering the situation in Latvia, it is torn between the Soviet past, European institutional directives and ethnocentric values. The paper presents the results of a comprehensive and qualitative research work on speech analysis. The central components of FFL Latvian University teachers’ representations on foreign languages didactics and on their professional practical experiences are presented, considering simultaneously national and supranational official guidance since the 1980s. Finally, conclusions are drawn on elements which may influence the creation of a FFL didactics in Latvia based on learner’s empowerment and plurlingualism. It brings eventually to suggestions for FFL and foreign language teacher education evolution in Latvia and possibly in other countries in Europe.

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