THE PROCESS OF CZECH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION BY FOREIGN PUPILS AT LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL

The study results show that there is a significant difference between the needs of learners. Learners from related linguistic areas reach the threshold level of language skills very quickly, whereas children with a very different language (in our case, children from Asia) reach the threshold level of receptive skills quickly, but have big difficulties with productive skills. It is therefore necessary to focus on these areas and pay attention to this in Czech-language instruction. The study also shows that children who were born to foreigners in the Czech Republic or who moved to the country at a very young age do not usually have language problems that complicate their integration into the Czech school system, while children born outside the Czech Republic who move to the country at a later age face problems fulfilling the requirements of the school curricula, which are connected with their insufficient acquisition of the Czech language.