Students' opinion on the importance of different approaches in German language teaching from the aspect of digital media

Abstract

The research in this paper aims to determine different approaches in teaching German, the influence of digital tools and to determine the differences between first and second-year undergraduate students at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split and Osijek; to identify links between the impact of the teaching approach, and metalanguage awareness, and the final grade at the end of the semester or academic year; to determine the connection between the influence of different digital tools as auxiliary tools and easier mastering of student obligations, understanding, and finally to determine the connection between teachers and/or lecturers and mastering the German language during studies. The research was conducted on N = 106 students of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split and Osijek. It was conducted during the summer semester of the academic year 2019/2020 in February. The results of the research will provide an overview of the importance of different approaches to teaching German, the importance of the type of metalanguage awareness, the importance of the influence of certain digital media, and the importance of the role of teachers/lecturers as factors influencing the learning and teaching of German as a foreign language. The scientific contribution of this paper is in understanding the new methodology of studying the German language. The research could be an example for the development of new educational paradigms in teacher education, and in particular, it can serve as an example for strengthening the impact of those approaches in language teaching at undergraduate and graduate level as well as more meaningful use of digital tools as e-mentors in order to improve the methodology of foreign languages in higher education institutions.