Teaching the state language in minority bilingual schooling represents a linguistically and pedagogically complex task, particularly in contexts where the language of schooling and the state language belong to structurally distant language systems. This paper explores how Slovak as a second language (L2) is taught in the lower grades of primary schools with Hungarian as the language of instruction in Slovakia, drawing on data from a nationwide quantitative study conducted in 2025 among primary school teachers (N=257). Empirical analysis of teachers’ self-reported instructional practices identified eight statistically distinguishable dimensions of teaching approaches: autonomous/self-regulated learning, explicit, explanation-based teacher-led instruction, discovery learning, a communicative approach based on real-life situations, input-based language instruction, movement-based communicative learning, a reception-oriented approach, and reproductive, pattern-based instruction. Multivariate statistical procedures (ANOVA, non-parametric tests, and regression models) revealed that the relative prominence of these approaches varies in systematic relation to contextual variables. These interacting factors form a structured pattern summarized in the Adaptive Teaching Regulatory Model, which describes how teaching approaches are distributed and combined in minority educational settings. The results highlight that Slovak L2 instruction in minority schools is characterized by context-bound variability rather than uniform methodological orientation, reflecting the adaptive alignment of pedagogy with the sociolinguistic realities of bilingual minority education.

Authors:
Katalin Sýkora Hernády, J. Selye University, Slovakia

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Sýkora Hernády Katalin is an Assistant Professor at J. Selye University. Her research focuses on teacher education, Slovak as L2 pedagogy, teacher competencies, national identity, teaching development.

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