Teacher Perceptions of the Role and Challenges of Foreign Language Geography Teaching in Hungarian Dual Language Secondary Schools

Subject teaching in languages other than Hungarian (L2) has been present in bilingual, nationality (minority) and international dual language programmes (DLPs) in more than 150 secondary schools. This linguistic diversity is a less-studied yet valuable feature of the Hungarian education system. Though these programmes differ in their demographic context, pedagogical aims, methodological background and subjects offered in foreign languages, Geography has been a common choice to teach in 10 different languages within a wide range of school contexts. This paper combines a variety of empirical research including detailed spatial and statistical data published by schools and educational authorities, a nationwide survey carried out among teachers (n=76) involved in foreign language Geography education, online interview sessions and years of personal experience in the field. Teacher perceptions reveal not only the achievements of teaching Geography in L2 but also the limitations and challenges of the institutional and pedagogical context in which the development of subject literacy and language competence takes place. Research findings provide new perspectives on the multilingual nature of Geography education, but in a broader sense, they may also contribute to the general research of DLPs too, both within the Hungarian and European contexts. Article visualizations: