School of Education: Research and Projects
Research within the School of Education currently focuses on issues of teaching English as a second language. Topics include the methods and methodology of teaching foreign languages in general in elementary as well as high schools; issues of transition from one language to another (interpreting, translating, teaching and acquiring a second language); and sociolinguistic and other non-structural aspects.
The research is conducted with support from various sources and within the framework of various programs such as GAČR (the Czech Science Foundation), EU structural programs, programs for further education run by MŠMT (the Czech Ministry for Education, Youth and Sports), and other organizations. Research results are presented at local as well as international conferences and published in prestigious Czech as well as international periodicals such as Slovo a slovesnost, SALi, Naše řeč, Pedagogická orientace, Časopis pro slovanskou filologii, Slavie, The Journal of Culture, and Multilingua.
The faculty also participates in the delivery of the internationally-recognized Cambridge CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults and DELTA (Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) courses, organized in the Czech Republic by our partner, Akcent International House.
National and International Conferences
An important aspect of PCU faculty research activities and their application is to provide methodological support for English teachers. For example, we organise an annual conference for English teachers in the Czech Republic with Akcent International House.
This conference provides a platform for teaching professionals and current students who specialise in teaching English as a second language. It features plenary sessions and practical workshops that focus on teaching techniques, the use of stories in language instruction, and the sharing of training resources. The conference is accredited by by Cambridge University Press and the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Czech Republic. You can read more about last year's conference here.
In addition, PCU has the honour of hosting the internationally-renowned English as a Lingua Franca conference in September 2024. This conference serves as a platform for prominent English language university professors and researchers from around the world to engage in discussions on present-day educational challenges and share research on the future of English, bilingual education, and other related topics.