"Luin oppikirjoja ja kirjaimellisesti pänttäsin asioita" : vieraiden kielten opettajaopiskelijat kielen oppimista ja opettamista pohtimassa

Portfolios have been used for a number of years in language teacher education to support and nurture pre-service teachers’ reflective thinking. Combined with the European Language Portfolio (ELP), portfolio provides a powerful tool for students to critically examine their beliefs about languages, language learning and teaching. In the study, the language learning biographies of 29 first-year language teacher students at the first stage of constructing their student teacher portfolios were analyzed to examine the meanings underlying the students’ experiences with language learning in the past. The findings reveal a sharp difference between meanings associated with L2 learning in and out of the classroom: in the classroom context, L2 learning was mainly associated with school achievement and grades whereas no such meanings were attached to it outside the classroom. The teacher was widely regarded as a source of inspiration and motivation but the overall association of L2 learning with school achievement raises the question of what teachers are actually perceived as promoting: good grades, love of other languages and cultures, or both?