英国基础阶段外语课程改革的政策与问题: 外语教育的“科学性”视角

Foreign language curriculum reform in primary and secondary schools in the UK:Revisiting the notion of“scientificalness”of foreign language education

国家语言能力的发展离不开国家外语能力的提升,国家外语能力的提升要求外语教育既符合教育的内在规律,又满足国家和社会的具体需求。然而,在教育实践中,这两方面往往存在矛盾,需要一定的宏观调控和规划。本文分析英国基础阶段外语课程改革的政策与问题,探讨外语教育规划中涉及的“科学性”问题。本文指出,近年来英国政府对基础阶段外语课程的改革虽体现了对学生个人兴趣的尊重,但加剧了教育资源分配的不均衡;国民人文素质的提升、就业前景的拓展和社会的均衡发展这三个方面都是国家外语教育规划需要考虑的因素,是提升国家语言能力过程中不可忽视的问题。

National foreign language capacity is an important component of national language capacity.In order to develop national foreign language capacity,foreign language education has to satisfy two criteria:to follow scientific educational principles and to meet particular needs of the state.In reality,however,these two criteria may contradict each other,and their contradictions cannot be resolved without systematic and intentional planning at the macro level.This article analyzes the policies and problems in national foreign language curriculum reform in primary and secondary schools in the UK.Based on the analysis,it discusses the notion of“scientificalness”in foreign language education,that is,in what sense foreign language education can be considered“scientific”.The findings suggest that,in recent years,the national curriculum reform for foreign language courses in the UK tend to show greater respect for students’individual interests in learning,but it has worsened the unequal distribution of educational resources.This implies that the planning for foreign language education at the national level should not overlook important functions of foreign language education such as enhancing basic humanistic quality and improving the prospect of employment for all students.If foreign language education is to serve the purpose of developing national language capacity,its planning should take into consideration the balanced development of the whole society,providing students from all social classes with equal opportunities for human and professional development.