Inclusive and accessible teaching of Russian L2 to absolute beginners

Abstract

The current study aims at investigating to what extent different models are suitable for teaching L2 Russian to absolute beginners in an inclusive and accessible environment. Our research involved an Experimental Group, which received Task-based Learning (TBL) instruction, and a Control Group, which experienced a more traditional presentation-practice-production (PPP) approach; both groups included learners with special educational needs (SEN), among whom some were visually impaired. As most literature advocates for TBLT over traditional teaching, we hypothesised that the Experimental Group would have acquired a better command of the taught structures. We tested our hypothesis by conducting a post-test on speaking and writing abilities, as well as listening comprehension, and reading comprehension skills. Quantitative analysis on the results of the post-test reveals how both approaches were effective. Furthermore, the group that received TBLT had statistically significant better scores than the PPP-group with regard to writing skills.