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Vicky Kantzou

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Primary Education, Faculty Member

Princeton University, Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, Faculty Member

Hellenic Open University, School of Humanities, Adjunct

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Address: Athens, Attikí, Greece

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Papers by Vicky Kantzou

Τα γραπτά πληροφοριακά κείμενα και η ανάπτυξή τους: μια επισκόπηση της βιβλιογραφίας

Τα πληροφοριακά κείμενα αποτελούν έναν από τους βασικούς κειμενικούς τύπους που αξιοποιούνται στο... more Τα πληροφοριακά κείμενα αποτελούν έναν από τους βασικούς κειμενικούς τύπους που αξιοποιούνται στο πλαίσιο της εκπαίδευσης για τη μετάδοση της γνώσης. Η ικανότητα των μαθητών να κατανοούν και να παράγουν αυτόν τον τύπο κειμένου βρίσκεται σε άμεση συνάρτηση με τη σχολική επιτυχία. Έτσι, η ανάπτυξη δεξιοτήτων παραγωγής τέτοιων κειμένων έχει συγκεντρώσει το ενδιαφέρον των ερευνητών τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες ιδιαίτερα, αλλά για τα ελληνικά είναι ακόμα αρκετά περιορισμένη. Στο άρθρο γίνεται μια επισκόπηση της βιβλιογραφίας σχετικά με την ανάπτυξη της παραγωγής γραπτών πληροφοριακών κειμένων, αφού πρώτα παρουσιαστούν τα βασικά χαρακτηριστικά αυτού του τύπου κειμένων.

Grammatical and lexical development in Μodern Greek expository and narrative texts: A focus on noun phrases and word length

While previous research has explored grammatical and lexical development in writing, little is kn... more While previous research has explored grammatical and lexical development in writing, little is known about how these aspects develop in Modern Greek, particularly across different text types. This study explores grammatical and lexical development in Modern Greek texts written by children, adolescents, and young adults. Focusing on expository texts in comparison to a narrative, it examines the influence of age, text type and task on the development of phrasal-level complexity and structural lexical complexity, in particular compositionality. The study analyzed three texts written by participants aged 10, 13, 16, and 23-35. We examined four indices: noun-dependent genitives per clause, noun-dependent noun phrases per clause (excluding personal pronouns), subjective/objective genitives per clause and word length (as a reflection of lexical compositionality). Results indicated that noun phrase complexity increased with age, with expository texts showing additional topic-based variation. Word length also increased with age across all text types, with one expository text eliciting significantly longer words than the others. These findings suggest that noun phrase structure, and noun dependent genitives in particular, as well as word length are informative measures of syntactic and lexical development in Modern Greek, and that expository texts may present unique challenges for developing writers. The results are discussed in relation to the discourse stance young and mature authors adopt in their texts.

The CEFR and the CEFR-CV in Modern Greek language education: Overall impact and teachers’ perceptions

by Vicky Kantzou and Anna Mouti

Exploring Modern Greek as a Second, Foreign, and Heritage Language: In Greece and Beyond, 2024

The Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR) has had a major impact on language education a... more The Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR) has had a major impact on language education and assessment in Europe and beyond and has influenced, accordingly, Modern Greek (MG) language education. The aim of this chapter is twofold. First, we give an overview of the influence of the CEFR and its Companion Volume (CEFR-CV) on MG language education and assessment, and more particularly, on the planning and development of curricula/syllabi, the design of materials and the definition of standards and examinations for MG as a second language (L2). Secondly, we present a study on MG language teachers’ perceptions regarding the CEFR and CEFR-CV; for the needs of our study, we adapted Díez-Bedmar and Byram’s (2019) questionnaire to collect the necessary data. Our findings show that more than 20 years after its launch, MG language teachers’ knowledge of and familiarity with the CEFR is limited, while the CEFR-CV remains almost unknown to most of them.

Teaching linguistically diverse classes: The impact of teachers' prior educational experiences

Academia, 2002

One of the main aims of pre-service or in-service teacher education is to develop educators who a... more One of the main aims of pre-service or in-service teacher education is to develop educators who are aware of their own educational backgrounds and critically reflect on those experiences for future practice. The present qualitative study attempts to explore how the educational and linguistic biographies of ten educators of linguistically diverse classes in Greece impact their beliefs and educational practices. The focal educators were postgraduate students attending a module on multilingualism and language education, in the context of which they wrote a reflective essay on their own second language learning experiences. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted, aiming to explore their reflections on their own educational backgrounds and their perception on how this background had defined their teaching philosophies and practices. The essays and the interviews were analyzed through the content analysis method. The results revealed that teachers mainly held negative experiences while positive models were rare. They acknowledged having been influenced by what they had experienced as students, especially at the beginning of their careers. However, the reflective process helped them redefine the appropriateness of their teaching methods and their attitudes towards their bilingual students, as their plurilingual educational experiences were examined under a new light. The article concludes with the implications of the study with regard to teacher preparation programs.

[ 465 ] Η Χρονική Οργάνωση του Αφηγηματικού Λόγου στην Ανάπτυξη της Πρώτης Γλώσσας

This paper focuses on the development of narrative skills in the acquisition of Greek as a first ... more This paper focuses on the development of narrative skills in the acquisition of Greek as a first language. More specifically, it investigates the means for expressing the movement of narrative time and setting up the foreground of the narrative. Children four, seven and ten years of age, as well as adults were asked to tell a story based on a silent animated film. The analysis reveals that children show a preference for past anchored narratives where morphological marking plays a crucial role in the movement of narrative time. Adults on the other hand produce mainly present tense narratives where movement of narrative time is achieved through lexical aspect.

Connectivity of narratives: Developmental and cross-linguistic approach [in Greek]

Greek as a second language: Rating scale and assessment of language proficiency in Greek of children attending Greek-Turkish bilingual minority schools of Western Thrace [in Greek]

On Narrative Future

On Using Languages Other Than the Target One in L2 Adult Language Education: Teachers' views and practices in Modern Greek classrooms

by Vicky Kantzou and Dimitra Maria Vasileiadi

Current developments in language education call for a reassessment of the role that students' alr... more Current developments in language education call for a reassessment of the role that students' already-established linguistic repertoires can play in language teaching. This study probed into adult second language education in Modern Greek offered in Greece, where classes are culturally and linguistically diverse. We investigated teachers' views and perceived practices regarding the use of other languages in their classes. A mixed-method design was followed. Data on teachers' opinions was collected via a questionnaire completed by 30 teachers. Complementary data on teachers' practices collected through observations of two classes was also studied. The results indicated that English was mainly used by the teachers as a mediation language, although a wide variation was reported in the amount of other-language use. Large variations were also reported in the students' behaviour. Teachers stressed several benefits from using other languages in class, but also expressed concerns about excessive reliance on other languages and on how using a support language would impact students with limited proficiency in this language. These findings were discussed in light of recent developments in language education and implications for teacher training were considered.

Η ανάπτυξη της συντακτικής πολυπλοκότητας σε γραπτά πληροφοριακά κείμενα

Studies in Greek Linguistics, 40, 2020

Despite the fact that expository texts, i.e. the use of language to convey information, are impor... more Despite the fact that expository texts, i.e. the use of language to convey information, are important for academic success, research examining students' skills in expository writing is limited for Modern Greek. Moreover, this text type exhibits a variety of macro-structure patterns, rendering, thus, the generalization of research findings difficult. In an effort to shed some light on the development of this text type and the effect different topics and macrostructures may have, this paper investigates the developmental trajec-tories of two written expository texts, focusing on their microstructure and specifically on syntactic complexity. The sample comprised students aged 10, 13 and 16, as well as adults aged 25 to 35. The texts were analyzed in terms of four measures of syntactic complexity at clausal and subclausal level: mean length of T-Unit, ratio of complex T-Units to T-Units, the subordination index, and mean clause length. Results indicated age-related growth in syntactic complexity at the subclausal level but not in subordina-tion. Moreover, the adults significantly differentiated the means for achieving syntactic complexity in the two texts. Finally, syntactic complexity at the subclausal level was positively correlated in the two texts, while syntactic complexity at the clausal and sub-clausal level were negatively correlated in one of the texts. These results indicate that the development of mature expository skills is complex, continues into adulthood and has distinct characteristics for each expository text. 1. Εισαγωγή Η ανάπτυξη της γλώσσας κατά την παιδική ηλικία, την εφηβική και μεταγενέστερα έχει αποτελέσει τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες αντικείμενο συστηματικής έρευνας, καθώς σταδιακά κατέστη σαφές ότι η γλωσσική ανάπτυξη είναι μια δυναμική διαδικασία που εκτείνεται χρονικά και πέρα από τα πρώτα χρόνια της ζωής (Berman 2004· Nippold 2016). Το ενδιαφέρον για τις γλωσσικές δεξιότητες σε αυτές τις ηλικίες τροφοδοτείται και από τις συνέπειές τους στη σχολική επιτυχία, αλλά και αντίστρο-φα, από την επίδραση της εκπαίδευσης στην ανάπτυξή τους. Σε αυτό το πλαίσιο μελετώνται με όλο και μεγαλύτερη συστηματικότητα τα πληροφοριακά κείμενα (expository texts). Τα κείμενα αυτά, λόγω των χαρακτηριστικών τους, αποτελούν πρόκληση για τις υπό ανάπτυξη γλωσσικές ικανότητες των παιδιών και των εφήβων (Snyder & Caccamise 2009) και γι' αυτό προσφέρονται για τη διερεύνηση πιο ανε-πτυγμένων μέσων γλωσσικής έκφρασης (Berman 2008). Επιπλέον, η κατανόηση και παραγωγή πληροφοριακού λόγου είναι εξαιρετικής σημασίας για τη σχολική επι-τυχία, δεδομένου ότι αξιοποιείται στην εκπαίδευση για την περιγραφή του περι-εχομένου των γνωστικών αντικειμένων (Nippold & Scott 2010· Scott & Balthazar 2010). *Η μεταδιδακτορική έρευνα πραγματοποιήθηκε στο πλαίσιο της πράξης "Ενίσχυση μεταδιδακτορικών ερευ-νητών/ ερευνητριών" του ΕΠ "Ανάπτυξη Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού, Εκπαίδευση και Διά Βίου Μάθηση", 2014-2020, η οποία υλοποιείται από το ΙΚΥ και συγχρηματοδοτήθηκε από το Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινωνικό Ταμείο και το ελληνικό δημόσιο. Θερμές ευχαριστίες οφείλω στην κ. Ευαγγελία Θωμαδάκη για την υποστήριξη, τις συζητή-σεις και την ανατροφοδότηση σε όλες τις φάσεις της έρευνας.

The Development of Productivity and Syntactic Complexity in Modern Greek Expository and Narrative Texts

The International Journal of Literacies 26 (2), 2019

Expository discourse, i.e., the use of language to communicate information about a topic, calls u... more Expository discourse, i.e., the use of language to communicate information about a topic, calls upon users’ advanced language skills, thus offering a unique opportunity to study later language development. Furthermore, exposition is of enormous importance in education, closely related to academic success. Nevertheless, research examining the developing ability of students to produce expository texts is relatively recent, and for Modern Greek quite limited. Relevant studies have indicated that the development of the linguistic skills necessary for mature expository text production is a process that develops gradually, all through adolescence into adulthood. This cross-sectional study investigates the developmental trajectories of two expository and one narrative text in Modern Greek, and probes into productivity and syntactic complexity at both clausal and subclausal level. Three written texts were elicited from students aged 10, 13, and 16 years, as well as adults aged 25–35 years. Results revealed that the younger participants produced shorter expository than narrative texts. However, with age, expositions became longer and reached the narrative in length. With regard to syntactic complexity, expository writing gave even young learners the opportunity to unfold more advanced language skills than narrative writing. However, age did not lead to an increase in subordinate clause use in either of the expository texts. Subclausal syntactic complexity proved more sensitive in capturing age-related progress in these texts. Overall, it was revealed that the development of mature expository skills is complex, continues into adulthood and has distinct characteristics for each expository text. Finally, in narratives, syntactic complexity increased with age at both the clausal and subclausal level. These results are discussed in terms of the cognitive demands each text type creates on language users, and future research directions are suggested.

Teaching Modern Greek in the US: The development of an undergraduate course curriculum within the CEFR context

What is the place for a less widely taught language like Modern Greek in the foreign languages pr... more What is the place for a less widely taught language like Modern Greek in the foreign languages program of an American university? How is a curriculum to be developed so as to cater to the needs of the heterogeneous audience that attends the course? Is there a place for a curriculum based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)? These are some of the questions that are addressed in this article. More specifically, the process of curriculum development for a two-year language course at an Ivy League university is described. Based on the framework developed by Nation and Macalister (2010), the course’s context along with learners’ profiles are presented. Subsequently, the goals and objectives are discussed. The CEFR, with its plurilingual and pluricultural approach, was considered the most appropriate basis for the endeavor. Finally, the principles of language teaching, the content, and the assessment scheme are presented.

Tutor practices in new HOU programmes. Stories from the trenches: the case of LRM (Language Education for Refugees and Migrants)

by Vicky Kantzou, Μαρία Παπαδοπούλου, Εύη Μάρκου, Nektaria Palaiologou, and Anastasia Gkaintartzi

This paper reports on the good practices followed by the tutors of HOU new Master's Programme, en... more This paper reports on the good practices followed by the tutors of HOU new Master's Programme, entitled “Language Education for Refugees and Migrants” (LRM). After presenting the profile and rationale of LRM, we focus on the online Tutor-Students Sessions (TSSs) and present the tutors' practices before, during and after the programmed TSSs, as well as their practices to support the development of the students' academic literacy. The data is drawn from 10 interviews, ie 8 with LRM tutors, 1 with one module coordinator and 1 with one member of the Digital Course Development Team (DCDT). The findings provide a comprehensive view on the varied practices, techniques and tools used by tutors in dealing with the TSSs as well as in helping students develop academic skills. New insights can thus be gained into the different ways tutors can respond to their students' needs concerning TSSs and the enhancement of their academic literacy.

Language education for refugees and migrants: Multiple case studies from the Greek context

by Vicky Kantzou, Dr Polyxeni (Peggy) Manoli, and Anna Mouti

The aim of this study is to probe into the methods, approaches, and principles used in educationa... more The aim of this study is to probe into the methods, approaches, and principles used in educational environments, both formal and non-formal ones, throughout Greece that address immigrants' and refugees' language needs. The data were collected in the context of the Postgraduate Programme ''Language Education for Refugees and Migrants'' at the Hellenic Open University, particularly within the module ''LRM50: Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition''. Observation tools and interviews with the teachers and students were used to collect the data, in the various second language learning environments. More specifically, the focus was on: a) teachers’ and students’ profile and goals, b) learning/teaching language procedures, c) teacher-student relationship and student relationship, and d) educational materials. The data were analyzed through the content analysis method. The results of the study explicitly show the fragmentation of the relevant field and highlight the need that people working in the field have for assistance and guidance in the development and implementation of educational interventions

Παραγωγή προφορικού λόγου

Η ενότητα αυτή εστιάζει στη δεξιότητα της παραγωγής προφορικού λόγου (ΠΠΛ). Αρχικά περιγράφονται ... more Η ενότητα αυτή εστιάζει στη δεξιότητα της παραγωγής προφορικού λόγου (ΠΠΛ). Αρχικά περιγράφονται τα βασικά χαρακτηριστικά της δεξιότητας αυτής καθώς και οι υποδεξιότητες που είναι ανάγκη να διαθέτει ο ομιλητής προκειμένου να επικοινωνήσει αποτελεσματικά.
Στη συνέχεια συνοψίζονται τα αποτελέσματα μιας έρευνας σε αλλόφωνους μαθητές Γυμνασίου (Βαρλοκώστα & Τριανταφυλλίδου 2003) σε σχέση με την ανάπτυξη της δεξιότητας παραγωγής προφορικού λόγου σε εφήβους και τη διάκριση επιπέδων γλωσσομάθειας και δίνονται δείγματα λόγου κάθε επιπέδου από την έρευνα αυτή. Περνώντας στη διδακτική της ΠΠΛ, αναπτύσσονται μέθοδοι και τεχνικές για την ανάπτυξη της δεξιότητας σε μαθητές της ελληνικής ως Γ2 και δίνονται δύο παραδείγματα δραστηριοτήτων. Στο τελευταίο μέρος της ενότητας το ενδιαφέρον εστιάζεται στην πολύγλωσση τάξη, όπου φοιτούν αλλόφωνοι και φυσικοί ομιλητές της Ελληνικής και η οποία αποτελεί την πραγματικότητα σε πολλά σχολεία σήμερα.

Σύντομη εισαγωγή στη διγλωσσία

Η διγλωσσία αφορά σήμερα ένα διαρκώς διευρυνόμενο μέρος του παγκόσμιου πληθυσμού. Σε αυτό το πλαί... more Η διγλωσσία αφορά σήμερα ένα διαρκώς διευρυνόμενο μέρος του παγκόσμιου πληθυσμού. Σε αυτό το πλαίσιο η γλωσσική ανάπτυξη και εκπαίδευση των δίγλωσσων παιδιών έχει προσελκύσει το ενδιαφέρον της έρευνας, οδηγώντας στη διάλυση εσφαλμένων αντιλήψεων
σχετικά με τη διγλωσσία καθώς και στη συγκρότηση καινοτόμων προσεγγίσεων στην εκπαίδευση γι’ αυτή την ομάδα του μαθητικού πληθυσμού. Στην ενότητα αυτή αρχικά παρουσιάζονται τα πλεονεκτήματα του να γνωρίζει κανείς περισσότερες από μία γλώσσες, με ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στα γνωσιακά οφέλη. Στη συνέχεια αναλύονται βασικές μορφές διγλωσσίας με βάση την ηλικία που εκτίθεται το άτομο στη δεύτερη γλώσσα και παρατίθενται οι εσωτερικοί και εξωτερικοί παράγοντες που καθορίζουν την πορεία και το τελικό αποτέλεσμα της δίγλωσσης κατάκτησης. Τέλος, το ενδιαφέρον εστιάζεται στην εκπαίδευση των δίγλωσσων παιδιών και εφήβων, με έμφαση στο ρόλο της μητρικής γλώσσας και στην ανάγκη ανάπτυξής της.

Το Κοινό Ευρωπαϊκό Πλαίσιο Αναφοράς για την Εκμάθηση, τη Διδασκαλία και την Αξιολόγηση των Γλωσσών: Συνοπτική παρουσίαση

Το Κοινό Ευρωπαϊκό Πλαίσιο Αναφοράς για τις Γλώσσες (ΚΕΠΑ) είναι το αποτέλεσμα είκοσι και πλέον χ... more Το Κοινό Ευρωπαϊκό Πλαίσιο Αναφοράς για τις Γλώσσες (ΚΕΠΑ) είναι το αποτέλεσμα είκοσι και πλέον χρόνων έρευνας για τη γλώσσα. Έχει εκδοθεί από το Συμβούλιο της Ευρώπης με στόχο να αποτελέσει τη βάση για την εκπόνηση προγραμμάτων διδασκαλίας γλωσσών, διδακτικών εγχειριδίων καθώς και για τη γλωσσική αξιολόγηση. Χρησιμοποιείται στην Ευρώπη αλλά η απήχησή του έχει επεκταθεί και σε άλλες ηπείρους και είναι διαθέσιμο σε 39 γλώσσες. Στην ενότητα αυτή παρουσιάζεται συνοπτικά η κλίμακα γλωσσομάθειας που περιέχεται στο ΚΕΠΑ και οι περιγραφές που αυτή περιλαμβάνει σε σχέση με την ανάπτυξη καθεμιάς από τις επικοινωνιακές γλωσσικές δεξιότητες.

On narrative future

by Vicky Kantzou and Maria Tzevelekou

One of the most puzzling features of Greek temporal system is the extensive use of future forms i... more

Αερόστατο: Αναπτύσσοντας διαδικτυακό εκπαιδετικό υλικό για μικρά παιδιά

by Spyridoula Stamouli and Vicky Kantzou

Το Αερόστατο είναι μία εκπαιδευτική πύλη ψυχαγωγίας και μάθησης, σχεδιασμένη για παιδιά 3‐7 ετών.... more Το Αερόστατο είναι μία εκπαιδευτική πύλη ψυχαγωγίας και μάθησης, σχεδιασμένη για παιδιά 3‐7 ετών. Στόχος της είναι η ολόπλευρη ανάπτυξη της προσωπικότητάς τους μέσα από την ενίσχυση των γλωσσικών, νοητικών, συναισθηματικών και επικοινωνιακών δεξιοτήτων τους. Τα παιδιά εξοικειώνονται με βασικές έννοιες και αποκτούν γνώσεις και δεξιότητες μέσα από δραστηριότητες οργανωμένες σε δέκα ενότητες: Μαθηματικά, Σχήματα, Μουσική, Ο εαυτός μου και οι άλλοι, Βασικές έννοιες, Οι φωνούλες της γλώσσας, Ξένες γλώσσες, Ανακαλύπτω τον κόσμο, Διαβάζω και Γράφω. Επιπλέον η πύλη στοχεύει στην έγκαιρη ανίχνευση της μαθησιακής ετοιμότητας παιδιών ηλικίας 5‐6 ετών, ώστε να προετοιμαστούν για τη σχολική ένταξη. Μέσα από τρία σταθμισμένα τεστ, οι γονείς ενημερώνονται για το αν τα παιδιά τους αντιμετωπίζουν δυσκολίες σε θέματα Φωνολογικής Επίγνωσης, Γραμματικών δομών και Μνήμης και Συλλογισμών. Παράλληλα, μέσα από ασκήσεις λογοθεραπευτικής παρέμβασης, η διαδικασία φωνολογικής διόρθωσης παίρνει τη μορφή παιχνιδιού. Τέλος, η πλατφόρμα παρέχει δυνατότητες ενσωμάτωσης νέων δραστηριοτήτων από ειδικούς της προσχολικής αγωγής.

Διαδίκτυο και γλωσσική εκπαίδευση: πλατφόρμα εκμάθησης γενικών και επιχειρηματικών ελληνικών

by Giorgos Simopoulos, Vicky Kantzou, and Lelia Panteloglou

Web-Enhanced Language Learning (WELL) constitutes the new and powerful trend in L2 learning and t... more Web-Enhanced Language Learning (WELL) constitutes the new and powerful trend in L2 learning and teaching, which employs and exploits Web technologies and tools to render a unique learning experience. As far as Modern Greek is concerned, WELL materials for learning the language are almost non-existent. In this context, a webbased platform was developed for learners of Greek to help them develop their communicative skills in the target language. The platform comprises courses for both General and Business Greek and targets the general adult population and/or entrepreneurs with beginner or intermediate language proficiency level respectively.
The platform is generally built on typical features of course management systems, however it exceeds their potentials, as it hosts a number of state-of-the art language tools (e.g. text-to-speech tool, automatic phonetic transcription tool) and
resources (e.g. access to an on-line Greek language corpus), which facilitate second language learning. Although the platform employs Bulgarian as support language in its current version, it enables the addition of any other language, thus widening the spectrum of potential target groups and functioning as a valuable on-line tool for promoting the language worldwide.