Abstract :
In our presentation we share the results of a diachronic analysis of language education in Poland from the 1950s to the present day. Glottodidactics (FLT) is nowadays a scientific field with a high degree of autonomy, being developed in the area of the humanities and social sciences. We take into account the reflection on the evolution of academic glottodidactic (FLT) thought and its influence on everyday teaching practice. The description of the developed and implemented theory as well as the programme of language education is chronological – the solution is arbitrary, but justified by the socio-political context. We also pay attention to achievements in the field of teaching Polish as a Foreign and Second Language. The analysis starts with a presentation of the tradition of teaching foreign languages in Poland leading on to a description of terminological solutions.
The analysis is complemented by qualitative empirical research in the form of: 1) an analysis of surveys on teaching practice performed among students and teachers and 2) structured interviews with several researchers who have significantly influenced contemporary Polish glottodidactics.
In the methodological dimension, the presentation combines comparative analysis of existing source materials, educational programmes and legislative assumptions with a discussion of specialists complemented by the surveys;the interviews are based on ethnographic methodology. Giving the floor to the direct witnesses and authors of 20th-century changes as well as learners and teachers introduces a retrospective, personal and emic dimension to the conducted analyses.
