Exploring the impact of the European Language Portfolio, EPL (2001) in the Flemish Brussels context

Abstract

The aim of this study originated with my role as a teacher wanting to research the impact of the European Language Portfolio, ELP, (2001) on a small group of minority language students, in Brussels’ Flemish region. In this exploratory case study, the European Language Portfolio (Spanish model) was administered to a small group of forty-five primary school students from the Bicultural Foyer Project in Brussels. In spite of the students’ positive attitudes towards this portfolio, the results suggest that the ELP has no validity for them because the Brussels’ Flemish educational community does not offer the appropriate conditions for a possible broader use of this portfolio. Belgium’s language policy environment, including its language policies, is the fundamental reason for the non-implementation of the European Language Portfolio.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2010
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Andrew Stables (Supervisor) & Trevor Grimshaw (Supervisor)