EXPLORING THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF LEARNING ROMANIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY
This qualitative research aims to explore the experiences of 50 international students who ran into issues like the complexity of grammar, distinction in pronunciation, and scarce chances to use the language. Many learners mentioned problems with grammar, stating that Romanian grammar is rather complicated, especially the verb conjugation and the noun declension as compared to other languages they had learned. Pronunciation and Phonetics were another area of concern to the students. They also reported problems in trying to replicate certain sounds and tonal patterns, which made them tense when they could not comprehend spoken Romanian in real life. Availability of practice out of class was seen as another important problem; a large number of learners had problems finding language partners or other ways to expose themselves to the language, which limited their accuracy when learning the language. On the other hand, the use of technology in language learning was seen as an advantage. Students liked the game-like features of language apps and online platforms and the variety of ways they could learn according to their learning preferences. Such tools also offered flexibility and convenience that helped the learners learn at their own pace, which in turn increased their participation and interest in the course. In conclusion, this study reveals the multiple and interconnected challenges and possibilities of learning Romanian as a foreign language. As such, a holistic, student-centered approach is recommended to address these challenges to make the learning process more appealing and productive for the students and also to incorporate intercultural awareness in educational practices.
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