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Reading skills and reading strategies are an interesting area of research since they represent prominent factors in the process of language acquisition and learning. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the L1 and L2 reading strategies used by elementary school learners, and to compare the results in order to find similarities and differences. The instrument used in this research was an adapted version of the questionnaire used by Šamo (2013). The results showed that learners used a whole range of different reading strategies in their L1 and L2 which facilitated their reading and completion of the task, despite being unaware of their use. However, some differences in the use of reading strategies between L1 and L2 were noted, including the use of silent translation and subvocalizing in the L2 task. Vještine čitanja i strategije čitanja predstavljaju zanimljivo istraživačko područje s obzirom kako su to bitni faktori u procesu usvajanja i učenja jezika. Cilj ovoga rada bio je istražiti strategije čitanja koje djeca osnovne škole koriste prilikom čitanja na hrvatskom i engleskom jeziku i usporediti dobivene rezultate kako bi se pronašle sličnosti i razlike. Istraživački instrument bila je prilagođena verzija upitnika kojeg je Šamo (2013) koristila u svom radu. Rezultati su pokazali kako učenici koriste čitav niz različitih strategija čitanja iako nisu ni svjesni kako ih koriste i na taj način si olakšavaju proces čitanja i rješavanja zadataka. Ipak, postoje neke razlike među strategijama koje se koriste prilikom čitanja na hrvatskom jeziku i onih koje se koriste prilikom čitanja na engleskom, kao na primjer, prevođenje u sebi i poluglasno čitanje u slučaju čitanja na stranom jeziku.

This paper provides a researcher’s account of the qualitative methods used in a research whose aim was to identify effective foreign language teacher characteristics as seen by elementary school learners. This study was part of a larger quantitative research which involved 596 children aged between 9 and 14 years from 3 urban schools in Croatia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants chosen from the representative sample by using a non-random method. The present paper and the findings of the research will hopefully contribute to growing debates about qualitative methodology for working with children as well as to the description of a competent foreign language teacher as the prerequisite for the overall quality of the foreign language teaching process.

A typical (Slovene) teenager today no longer finds reading materials on the book shelves in the local library, but forms a reading list of electronic sources, very often in English. However, in contrast with an abundance of studies focusing on first language (L1) reading strategies and motivation, not a lot of literature can be found on reading motivation in a foreign language, even though it is perceived as one of the most important factors influencing second language (L2) development. The aim of this research is to determine the influences on reading motivation in English as a foreign language in the group of young teenagers (11-14-year-olds) and a possible transfer of L1 reading attitudes to L2 reading. The theoretical framework relies on Wigfield and Guthrie's (1997) self-efficacy theory and Day and Bamford's (1998) expectancy value model. The data obtained from 197 questionnaires give an insight into not only the frequency of reading in English and the type of reading materials, but also the factors influencing teenagers' reading motivation in EFL. Tipičen (slovenski) najstnik se po svoje bralno gradivo vedno pogosteje odpravi v virtualno okolje svetovnega spleta, kjer prevladujejo viri v angleškem jeziku. S pričujočo raziskavo smo tako želeli osvetliti bralno motivacijo v angleščini kot tujem jeziku za populacijo starejših osnovnošolcev (11-14-letnikov). Teoretski okvir raziskave sloni na teoriji samoučinkovitosti in taksonomiji bralne motivacije po Wigfieldu in Guthrieju (1997) ter modelu branja v tujem jeziku Daya in Bamforda (1998). Rezultati so pokazali, da večina vprašanih v angleščini bere pogosto, pretežno besedila s svetovnega spleta kot ključni za bralno motivacijo v angleškem jeziku so se izkazali dejavniki notranje motivacije za branje v slovenščini, zunanje motivacije za branje v angleščini, prepričanja o lastnih sposobnostih branja v angleščini ter vpliv staršev in odnos družine do branja.

This paper deals with the language learning styles of Croatian learners of English. The aim of the study was to gain an insight into the preferred learning styles of a group of elementary school learners and to find out whether the gender and success of the learners influence their preferred learning styles. Cohen and Oxford’s (2001) Learning Style Survey for Young Learners was used to test 5 dimensions and 11 subscales of learning styles. It was found that the learners’ preferred styles are field-independent, closure-oriented, global and auditory, and that there are significant differences in some dimensions of learning styles with regard to success and gender., Ovaj rad obrađuje stilove učenja jezika prisutne kod hrvatskih učenika engleskoga jezika. Cilj istraživanja bio je dobiti uvid u omiljene stilove učenja grupe osnovnoškolaca te ispitati utječu li spol i uspjeh učenika na njihove omiljene stilove učenja. Upitnik korišten u ovom istraživanju je Learning Style Survey for Young Learners Cohena i Oxfordove (2001) koji ispituje 5 dimenzija i 11 vrsta stilova učenja. Zaključeno je da su omiljeni stilovi učenika neovisni, zatvoreni, globalni i auditivni stil te da postoje značajne razlike u nekim dimenzijama stilova učenja, ovisno o uspjehu i spolu učenika.