INSTITUTIONAL AND METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN GERMANY

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the foreign language education system in German general secondary schools. The relevance of the German experience is substantiated in view of the high level of English language proficiency among German youth and the country’s leading positions in global language competence rankings. The role of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is examined as a framework instrument that defines the competence-based and communicative orientation of language education irrespective of learners’ age or specific languages.

The study analyzes the key methodological principles underlying foreign language teaching in Germany, including communicative, competence-based, and action-oriented approaches, as well as the integration of implicit and explicit grammar learning. The significance of authentic communicative situations, interactive forms of instruction, digital technologies, and modern teaching and learning materials in developing students’ linguistic and intercultural competences is demonstrated.

Special attention is given to the structure of language education depending on school type, the onset of foreign language learning, multilingualism, as well as assessment systems and the alignment of school grades with CEFR levels. The place of foreign languages within the structure of final school examinations (Abitur) is analyzed, taking into account  federal characteristics of Germany’s education system.

The article concludes that the German model of foreign language education is holistic, practice-oriented, and may serve as a methodological benchmark for the modernization of foreign language teacher education in Ukraine. Prospects for further comparative research and possibilities for adapting effective German practices to the national education system are outlined. Implementing such approaches is expected to enhance the quality of professional training for future teachers, foster their professional autonomy, and ensure compliance with European educational standards. This, in turn, will facilitate the more effective integration of Ukrainian teacher education into the European educational space.