


































3 English Language Curriculum in Macedonia


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English Language Curriculum in Macedonia 

Bisera Dalcheska-Taleska, Marjana Vaneva 

University American College, Skopje, North Macedonia 

Abstract 

In order to highlight the need for change in the instructional practices and English 
language curricula in Macedonia, this paper targets the first-grade curriculum in the 
country and the lesson plans adhering to the planning standards developed by the 
Bureau for Development of Education. The study employs a mixed-methods approach 
to conduct research in a village in Macedonia. Qualitative data have been gathered 
from an online semi-structured interview with two educators from the United States of 
America, Cuchiarra and Fillmore, who have conducted extensive research in urban 
districts throughout the country. Another source for qualitative data is the comments 
on the reflection checklists that have been developed and filled out by the author of the 
study. Then, the author randomly chose 32 students from the same grade-level, 
divided them into two focus groups that had students with different proficiency levels 
and implemented two curricula; the one developed by the Bureau with group A, and 
another one based on the 3Ls Framework, which is a framework developed by the 
interviewees, with group B. In order to gather quantitative data, four posttests were 
administered, and the results are subject to analysis and comparison. Two hypotheses 
are tested, null – which refers to having no difference in the posttest results, and 
alternative – with regards to a possible difference in the posttest results. When it comes 
to the design, this is a QUAL -> quan design, i.e., more data is coming from the core 
qualitative component due to the limitation of the quantitative data. The core 
component is the qualitative data that can stand on its own, yet the quantitative data is 
regarded as a supplemental component and does not stand on its own. However, both 
outcomes of the research process will lead to integration in the conclusion because 
both types of data are in constant interaction. The findings of the study show that the 
current English language curriculum in Macedonia does not prepare the students for 
lifelong learning nor life in the 21st century, does not nurture a culture for independent 
learning, nor requires critical thinking or meaningful discussions. 

Key words: curriculum, research, outcomes, data 

Background 

North Macedonia is located on the Balkan Peninsula, Southern Europe. According to 
the census in 2002, North Macedonia is a country with around 2.02 million inhabitants. 
Ethnically, 64.17% are Macedonians, 25.17% are Albanians, 3.5% are Turks, and 
there are other ethnic groups such as Roma, Vlachs, Serbs, and Bosnians (Population, 
2002). The official language of North Macedonia is Macedonian, which is spoken by 
most inhabitants. On the other hand, 20 % of the citizens speak Albanian, which holds 
the status of an official language too.  

Children start going to primary school at the age of 6. Primary education in North 
Macedonia is compulsory, free of charge and with equal access to all students. The 
main responsible institution is the Ministry of Education and Science which adopts the 
curricula and the annual teaching plans for all primary education grades developed by 



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the Bureau for Development of Education (An Official Website of the European Union, 
2020).  

In North Macedonia, students start learning English at the age of 6. However, there 
are options to begin even before the age of 6 when children go to preschool. 
Nevertheless, preschool is optional, thus this project focuses on the compulsory 
primary education that every child receives. English has become a global language. 
Thus, parents and guardians in North Macedonia see it as a priority and believe that it 
is of utmost importance for their children’s future. English language teaching in North 
Macedonia is based on CEFRL (Common European Framework of Reference for 
Languages). More precisely, CEFRL is a framework which organizes language 
proficiency in six levels and that is from A1 to C2 (Council, 2001).  

However, many parents decide that their children should attend private English lessons 
or a private school because of the public system’s inefficient implementation of 
instructional practices and lesson plans based on simple sentences or vocabulary out 
of context. This study assumes that the traditional drilling and prompting, answering 
questions yet never relying on questioning, failing to provide progress data, 
memorizing by heart, are demotivating factors. It also assumes that the traditional 
practice of teaching English in the first foundational year of the students or the following 
years is not helpful, but inefficient and lacking in many aspects that are to be 
discussed.  

Methodology 

This study employs a mixed-methods research approach in order to answer two 
research questions.  

1. Do content-rich texts in EL lessons build more knowledge than ‘considerate’ 
texts?  

2. Does the 3Ls (Learning, Language and Literacy) approach improve fluency 
more than the traditional ‘prompting’ method?  

Mixed-methods research is an analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data 
(Shorten & Smith, 2017). The overall reason for this choice of approach is to expand 
and strengthen the conclusion and by that contribute to the published literature 
(Schoonenboom & Burke Johnson, 2017). The use of mixed methods is helpful with 
regards to the examination of the research questions and the information obtained in 
the end. Mixed-methods research does not limit the researcher to only one type of data 
(Creswell W. & Clark Plano L., 2018), but it enables them to use all the tools of data 
collection. Qualitative data is collected in order to explain quantitative results. This 
project analyzes data from the collaborative work of Maryann Cucchiara and Lily Wong 
Fillmore when they implemented the 3Ls Framework in New York City public schools 
through interview questions as well as the reflection notes from each lesson with two 
focus groups and the vignettes presented in Chapter III. Then, with regards to 
quantitative data, this study shows results of the conducted posttests of two focus 
groups. The participants in this study are 1st grade students from North Macedonia who 
followed classes in English. The two focus groups consist of 16 students each: group 
A followed the state curriculum developed by the Bureau for Development of 



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Education, and group B was exposed to the 3L Lesson Flows through a combination 
of ESA and Task-Based language teaching approaches. This study is based on two 
theories: constructivism and behaviorism. The 3Ls Framework falls under the category 
of constructivism, and the instructional practice in Macedonia under behaviorism, that 
is group B. Both groups were facilitated by the author of this study. When it comes to 
the design of the study, this is a QUAL -> quan design (Schoonenboom & Burke 
Johnson, 2017). This means that more data is coming from the core qualitative 
component due to the limitation of the quantitative data. The core component is the 
qualitative data that can stand on its own, yet the quantitative data is regarded as a 
supplemental component and does not stand on its own. However, both outcomes of 
the research process will lead to integration in the conclusion because both types of 
data are in constant interaction. “Quantitative dominant [or quantitatively driven] mixed 
methods research is the type of mixed research in which one relies on a quantitative, 
postpositivist view of the research process, while concurrently recognizing that the 
addition of qualitative data and approaches are likely to benefit most research 
projects.” (Johnson & AJ., 2007). This study relies on carefully examined qualitative 
and quantitative data and can speak to different audiences – those that are attracted 
to understanding and meaning, and those that rely on statistical data. The advantages 
of conducting a mixed method research are addressing and answering more than one 
question, perceiving the data from different perspectives, avoiding bias, and, in our 
opinion, this is suitable for evaluating instructional practices. 

Second Language Teaching 

Second language acquisition (SLA) takes into consideration the fact that the learner 
already speaks another language and “encompasses the process an individual goes 
through as he or she learns the elements of a new language, such as vocabulary, 
phonological components, grammatical structures, and writing systems.” (Robertson & 
Ford, 2009). There are six stages of SLA; pre-production, also known as “the silent 
period,” when the student does not speak but takes in the new language, then early 
production when the student starts using a few words and simple sentences, speech 
emergent, longer sentences and more words on familiar topics, beginning fluency, 
the student still struggles to speak fluently due to lack of vocabulary yet the sentences 
can be understood better and the speech is considered fairly fluent, intermediate 
fluency when the student starts speaking fluently in social situations, also they can 
easily manage a new situation or unfamiliar topics, the errors are not that frequent, and 
finally, advanced fluency, communicating fluently in all contexts (Robertson & Ford, 
2009). The time that it takes to go through all the stages largely depends on the 
individual, but the instructional strategies of the teacher are of utmost importance as 
well. Since the target participants in this study are first-grade students, it is assumed 
that they are in the pre-production stage at the beginning of the school year. Task-
based teaching in SLA started towards the end of 1960s (Ellis, Principles of instructed 
language learning, 2005). Tasks were usually linked to problem-solving or role-play 
techniques (Brown, 2007). Since SLA is a field of study that is still in its developing 
stage, one can easily deduce that there is no agreement whether the instruction should 
be based on TBT or PPP. This study takes into consideration the characteristics of 
both teaching methods.  

There are many people who have learnt to speak a language without any lessons, yet 
there are some who, even though they have been taught a language for years in 



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school, have not managed to reach a level of proficiency nor fluency at all. People who 
have learnt a language on their own have a desire and a motive to do so, that is what 
makes the difference. (Willis J. , 1996) They are usually people who travel for business 
or people who are in contact with the language because of a friend, thus they are 
presented with many opportunities to use the vocabulary and the phrases they know. 
In addition, native speakers of the language do not expect them to be flawless, so they 
learn as they participate in exchanges without any pressure. On the contrary, those 
people who are motivated enough to use the language while receiving proper 
guidance, thrive and achieve accuracy easily. It leads to the role of the teacher being 
a facilitator or a guide in the process of learning. Willis states that it is important to use 
the language freely in order to learn to speak it. “Free use involves a far broader range 
of language and gives learners richer opportunities for acquiring. They need chances 
to say what they think or feel, and to experiment in a supportive atmosphere with using 
language they have heard or seen without feeling threatened.” (Willis J. , 1996). Willis 
refers to the classroom setting in which teachers should implement an instructional 
practice that allows the students to engage in a lot of speaking activities, but general 
topics that are familiar to them, so they get more comfortable when using the language. 
Another important point that this study takes into consideration is “Reading widely is 
one of the best ways to learn another language.” (Willis J. , 1996), therefore the first-
grade curriculum should be based on children stories and nursery rhymes that the 
students will understand with the guidance of the teacher, and one of the main goals 
is to develop the desire to read. In addition, re-creating natural learning conditions in 
the classroom leads to all learners learning, thus this is one of the basic characteristics 
of TBL. In order to become fluent in a language, there are certain conditions that should 
be met. The following diagram shows the essentials conditions that lead to effective 
language learning.  

(Willis J. , 1996) 

This diagram presents that exposure, use, motivation and instruction are very 
important factors when learning another language. Thus, the classroom can provide 
all the aforementioned conditions by planning lessons that relate to being exposed to 
real language, numerous instances for discussion, motivating the students to 



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reproduce the language, and providing instruction that allows them to become 
comfortable when using the target language.  

Tasks in SLA are understood as pieces of work that are related to the real world but 
facilitated by the teacher. (Ellis, Task-based language learning and teaching, 2003) It 
is an activity that is characterized by social interaction, meaning, comprehension and 
production of the language in a meaningful way. (Lee, 2000) Tasks present the means 
to urge students to produce an output after setting the instruction flow. (Brown, 2007) 
Another important source is Vygotsky who was a strong believer in social interaction 
and stated that the process of learning requires mediated learning; using material tools, 
interaction with others, and using symbols. (Vygotsky, 1978) TBLT is closely linked to 
Vygotsky’s ZPD as well in the sense that while doing tasks the learner relies on their 
own knowledge, but they also build new knowledge by relying on other people’s 
knowledge. The more knowledgeable one does not need to be the teacher, it can be 
another student, thus it meets ZPD’s criterium that learning needs the presence of a 
learner and the presence of the more knowledgeable one. Tasks provide the learners 
with numerous opportunities to use the language, especially children who can learn 
more through tasks than responding to drills. (Poehner, Group Dynamic Assesment: 
Mediation for the L2 Classroom, 2009) This study assumes that tasks provide the 
students with the right motivation to learn the language. 

Presentation, Practice, Production as a Teaching Method 

PPP (Present, Practice, Produce) as a teaching approach is commonly used when 
teaching a foreign language. The first part of the lesson plan in PPP is presentation, 
that means that the teacher introduces a situation which represents the target 
vocabulary and linguistic frames, then the students practice the vocabulary by choral 
repetition or individual repetition where a student repeats a word, phrase or a 
sentence urged by the teacher, finally, the teacher nominates a student to make the 
desired response connected to the vocabulary (Harmer, 2007). PPP was practiced 
during the 1960s, then it came under attack in the 1990s. Ivan Illich in his work 
Deschooling Society stated “In fact, learning is the human activity which least needs 
manipulation of others. Most learning is not the result of instruction. It is rather the 
result of unhampered participation in a meaningful setting.”, pointing to the teacher’s 
role of an instructor and the straight-forward teaching method, as well as high 
restricted vocabulary, yet what the students need is being exposed to an authentic 
language environment (Illich, 2000). Moreover, PPP was considered inadequate 
because it does not create a natural learning setting, so as a response to the criticism 
alternatives to PPP were offered. Johnson and Byrne suggested to start the lesson 
with the production phase, notice what aspects of the students’ output need 
mediation, then go to the present and practice phase in order to overcome the 
problems (Lewis, 1993) (Byrne, 1987). 

Then, as a response, another trilogy was introduced ESA which stands for Engage, 
Study, Activate (Harmer, 2007). The Engage phase happens in the first phase of the 
lesson when the teacher motivates the students to learn and emotionally engage with 
the topic. Then, Study, introducing the unit theme for the day, finally, Activate, when 



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students are encouraged to use the language they know. ESA has three lesson flows 
which can be seen in the figure below.  

 

(Harmer, 2007) 

A straight arrows lesson procedure follows the three phases accordingly and is the 
most similar to PPP. The lesson starts with the teacher showing a picture that is 
related to the unit theme, then by engaging them, the teacher manages to get to the 
Study phase where meaning and form are explained. The lesson ends with the 
students using the vocabulary or the grammar structure in sentences of their own. 
Then, a boomerang lesson procedure is when the teacher first engages the students, 
then asks them to produce the language they know on the topic, then based on their 
output some aspects of the language are studied. A patchwork lesson may follow 
different sequences based on the needs of the students.  

PPP and its alternative ESA are useful when introducing forms such as can or can’t, 
yet their use when it comes to communicative tasks is not efficient. (Harmer, 2007). A 
lesson based exclusively on PPP is an inefficient delivery of concepts that need 
TBLT to be put into context.  

When it comes to choosing the right method, John Dewey is one of the names that is 
of importance for this study. As stated by Dewey “I believe that the active side precedes 
the passive in the development of the child nature…” He is therefore a strong believer 
in expression and physical movements, otherwise, the child is becoming passive and 
has an absorbing attitude. He believed that all the intellectual and rational processes 
result from action. (Dewey, 1897) He places images as the best instrument of 
instruction, and this is closely linked to ESL teaching methods, preparing a lesson that 
leads to the child’s ability to mentally form images of various subjects. Then, carefully 
observing the students’ interest and evaluating what the student is ready for. “I believe 



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that next to deadness and dullness, formalism and routine, our education is threatened 
with no greater evil than sentimentalism.” (Dewey, 1897), as stated Dewey since he 
meant to convey a message that emotions should be welcomed in education. His My 
Pedagogic Creed outlines the need to take into consideration the psychological and 
social needs of the child instead of just flying through the curriculum. 

3Ls Framework 

In 2007, Maryann Cucchiara began working with Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore to introduce 
changes in the EL classroom in more than 300 schools in New York City (Schools, 
2021). Their mission was to change the decontextualized texts to compelling texts in 
order to increase the English language proficiency and decrease the number of 
students who stalled. They named those compelling and complex texts “juicy texts” 
and strongly believed that through instruction centered on juicy texts students will 
develop their language skills, critical thinking and fluency. They created a framework 
based on the 3 Ls: Learning, Language, and Literacy. Cuchiara and Fillmore based 
the framework on three instructional principles: 1. Text, Talk and Tasks should be 
cognitively demanding (3Ts), 2. Instruction should provide Access, Attention, and 
Active Engagement (3As), and 3. Students learn from quality texts that are Complex, 
Compelling, Concise, and Connected (4Cs) (Schools, 2021). 

The 3Ls approach comprises of six elements that are to be discussed in detail since it 
is the approach used with one of the focus groups, group B. The six elements build on 
each other and are interconnected, and they are tied to an essential question which is 
overarching, and students are supposed to explore throughout the unit.  

 

(Schools, 2021) 

As shown in the picture, the six elements are: framed motivation, word play, reading 
closely, juicy sentences, differentiated tasks, and closure/wrapping up. All of them are 
supported by instructional practices that teachers use on an everyday basis. The first 



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element of the framework, Framed Motivation, calls for the students’ previous 
knowledge on the unit. Learners are motivated to explore the topic by watching a video, 
or powerful images, even quotes. Besides tapping into the students’ previous 
knowledge, Framed Motivation, also builds background knowledge needed for the 
upcoming text. Next, the second element, Word Play, is the part of the unit when the 
teacher provides 3-8 words carefully chosen that are one of the learning outcomes of 
the unit. In order for the students to comprehend the text, they need to understand the 
words, so before indulging into listening to or reading the narrative, the teacher 
presents some words that are to be found in the text later. The teacher does not provide 
translation, but through instructional conversation, they guide the students to uncover 
the meaning of the words. Activities that might be used with young learners are: Talk 
It Out, Act It Out, Grow It, Draw It, Stretch It, and Feel it. Using visuals is extremely 
helpful, so that the teacher avoids mere translating. Next, Reading Closely, the text 
that is to be presented is related to the essential question as well as the framed 
motivation, and some of the words that the teacher perceives as challenging for the 
students are examined in the word play stage. The teacher steps into the role of the 
learner and chooses a text that is worthy. Then, teachers guide the students through 
the text and highlight language points while encouraging students to use them in their 
own speech and writing. Also, the teacher has a few questions ready, called text-
dependent questions, such as “How does the author’s tone change from paragraph 
four to paragraph five?” and together with the students they answer the questions 
though Turn and talk, Stop and jot, and whole class discussions. The main point is to 
address big ideas and to attend to the academic language of the text. Next, Juicy 
sentences developed by Fillmore; after Reading Closely, the teacher selects a 
sentence that contains big ideas or one that is richly detailed. Collaboratively, they 
deconstruct the sentence, and reconstruct it again, either as it was before or in some 
other possible way. During this part, the teacher can explain grammar or lexical points 
that the students need to grasp. Then, Differentiated Tasks as the fifth element of the 
framework, require detailed and careful design. This element is supported by the 
Vygotskian learning theory, “it is a time for students to work as apprentices in becoming 
critical readers and writers while employing the academic language they have been 
learning.” (Schools, 2021) It is best developed when it allows for individual work, pair 
work and group work. It is a time when the students work in their zone of proximal 
development, tackling difficult tasks at their instructional level with appropriate 
scaffolds to support their effort. Although many of the tasks need to be scaffolded, they 
should not be overly scaffolded so that they do not remove any cognitive demand. The 
teacher’s role as the more knowing expert can vary, but mainly they should provide 
feedback, guidance and evaluation. These tasks are very important to foster students’ 
output. Also, as students work with individuals and groups during this time, they can 
make assessments of the students’ learning as well as make assessments for the next 
steps in the learning language and literacy instruction. Finally, wrapping up the 3Ls 
lesson with a Closure which is usually done through a ticket-out-the-door activity. It is 
a time for the students to present their work, to read their writing, or share their new 
learnings. It is during this time when the teachers return to the essential question and 
encourage students to share their views, opinions, and understanding. 

Data Collection 

In order to answer the first research question, Do content-based texts in EL lessons 
build more knowledge than ‘considerate’ texts?, qualitative data is gathered in the form 



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of a semi-structured interview and a teacher’s reflection checklist with the support of 
observation vignettes.  

With regard to the interview as a data collection tool, the researcher was focused on 
three categories; 1. Why adapt the curriculum to 3Ls?, 2. Were students more 
knowledgeable after receiving 3Ls lessons?, and 3. Is differentiation necessary?  

To answer the first question, this research summarizes the interviewees’ answers 
regarding the need for change. Continually throughout the years, the EL departments 
in the United States noticed that there were students who reach a certain level and 
never progress. In order to address the stalling, they adapted the curriculum and 
changed the coursebooks that consisted of texts below their grade level, texts that are 
overly simplified to texts that require more skills. Cuchiara and Fillmore agreed that the 
texts should not confuse the learners, thus, the teacher’s support is inevitable. They 
believed that teachers do not need a prescriptive curriculum but support for their 
instructional vision so they could create texts, talk, and tasks to examine content, 
develop knowledge, and uncover learning, all while developing rich and complex 
academic language. Their main objective is text, talk and tasks that are cognitively 
demanding. They saw that the 3Ls curriculum leads to active engagement, improved 
attention, and students learn more. The texts and lesson the students tackle should be 
compelling to them. In that way, those texts immediately create a sense of wonder and 
invite investigation which again supports the importance of independent learning and 
motivation. The shift to 3Ls improved participation in class, they noted. They believe 
that besides the compelling texts and topics, what the curriculum needs is a caring 
teacher that would scaffold to meet the students need.  

Taking into consideration the second question as a category, Were students more 
knowledgeable after receiving 3Ls lessons?, besides the data that showed the 
increased number of exited students, all the educators and teachers who implemented 
or observed the implication of the 3Ls, agree that while improving their language skills 
students tackled different generic topics of importance and researched with the 
teacher’s assistance topics such as, How do volcanoes form rocks?. Thus, while trying 
to answer that question, and learning new vocabulary and grammar rules, the students 
found out more about a natural phenomenon and the lessons did not feel like imposed 
learning, but a discussion and tasks through which they acquire language skills.  

The 3Ls curriculum provides an opportunity to differentiate the instruction based on the 
students’ interests, readiness, and needs. During the word play, the teacher provides 
different tiers of words that are synonymous and asks the students to either write the 
word or draw it. During reading closely, students can answer the text-dependent 
questions or address the tasks in different ways, that is by writing, acting it out, or 
working with a more knowledgeable peer on a project. The part where differentiation 
is mostly highlighted is during differentiated tasks. A teacher should prepare materials 
for the different types of learners in the classroom. Yet, what Cuchiara and Fillmore 
state as the most important is “Although many of the tasks need to be scaffolded, they 
should not be overly scaffolded as to remove any cognitive demand. It is always 
important to remember that there is no learning without productive struggle.” Teachers 
should make sure that each student is challenged during their work period.  



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Moreover, the reflection checklists and the vignettes show a difference when it comes 
to participation, self-motivation, confidence and enjoyment between the students from 
the two groups, and the coding of the categories goes in favor of group B. 

In order to answer the second research question, Does the 3Ls approach improve 
proficiency more than the traditional method?, pretest results are analyzed as a 
covariate, and posttest results provide the answer to the question with regard to two 
hypotheses; null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis.  

To begin with, the pretest results serve as a covariate because they explain any 
variability that might occur in the posttest results. This study regards the pretest scores 
as having two roles. The first one is to prove that 21st century students in North 
Macedonia enter first grade with at least a little knowledge of English, even some of 
them with a mid or high level in speaking and listening. The second role of the pretest 
as a covariate is to show the students’ initial knowledge of English, so that the results 
on the posttests can be clearly analyzed. Thus, after screening a total of 32 students 
chosen randomly, but in the same grade level and from a similar socio-economic 
background, their scores showed that all students had knowledge of English.  

 

Graph 1. The proficiency level according to the pretest conducted before starting the 
lessons 

The pie chart shows that 50 % of the students that were tested had some knowledge 
of English. They scored low according to the scoring table. Low starts from 0 to 10, 
however, none of the participants in this study scored 0 in the pretest. Thus, having in 
mind these results, low refers to students who can name either objects, family 
members, or some animals. This shows that they have had little exposure to the 
language. Then, 25 % of the students scored mid which is a significant increase and it 
shows that students have already grasped some of the vocabulary such as colors, 
animals, family members, and some objects. 16 % scored high which shows a more 



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extensive knowledge of English, ability to form a sentence and understand a simple 
question, provide an answer and easily name all the colors, family members, objects 
and things in nature. 9 % of the students scored exceptional, which shows that those 
students were able to go through the test easily. Exceptional knowledge of English in 
the first-grade means that the student is able to form simple sentences, prove answers 
to questions either by pointing or stating, describe pictures in more detail. After 
obtaining the results, the students were divided into two groups. The teacher divided 
them according to their scores, but not according their placement level. The theory on 
which this selection was based was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory; one can learn from 
a more knowledgeable other and that does not have to be the teacher but working 
collaboratively with a peer who is more skilled can lead to efficient learning.  

 

These pie charts show that between the groups there was little difference with regard 
to the proficiency level. Group A consisted of 50 % low, 25 % mid, 19 % high, and 6 % 
exceptional students. Group B consisted of 50 % low, 25 % mid, 13 % high, and 13 % 
exceptional students. The results on the pretest are important and they serve as a 
systematic factor so that the posttest results can be considered valid.  

Both groups had 70 lessons in total; group A following the Ministry of Education’s 
guidelines and curriculum, and group B following a 3Ls curriculum, however, its 
structure was based on the state’s curriculum as well. The reason for that is because 
both groups took the same posttest. Four posttests were administered because both 
curricula consist of 4 units, shown in Appendices 2 and 3. After receiving lessons on 
Unit 1, the first posttest was administered. There were 7 questions in total, the 
administrator was not allowed to translate into Macedonian, which was not the case 
during the pretest, each correct answer was marked with 1, each incorrect with 0. The 
students had the following results.  



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The results showed that no students scored below 2 points from group B, however, 
there are 4 students who scored 0-2 points from group A. On the vertical axis, it can 
be seen that group B had 7 students who scored 3-5 points on the range scale, and 9 
students who scored high, i.e. 6-7 points. The results from the first posttest showed 
differences that need to be remediated, however, the lessons continued in the same 
manner, following the curricula and adhering to the standards listed in the planning 
phase. There was another difference when analyzing the results and it can be found 
in the administrator’s notes as well; all the students from group B tended to use full 
sentences after posttest 2 when answering the questions with a few exceptions. While, 
students from group A, restricted their answer to one-syllable words.  

 

The total sum of all posttests’ scores at the end of the school year was 28 points. After 
summing up the scores from the four posttests that were administered, the following 
results were analyzed.  



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Conclusion 

This study was inspired by the author’s teaching experience in two different settings; 
in a private language school and in a public school in North Macedonia. Being able to 
observe and deliver lessons and having experience with curricula developed by the 
Bureau for Development of Education from grade 1 to grade 9, the author started 
questioning the efficient application of methods and instructional practices, discussed 
students’ dissatisfaction and the need to revise material from two or three grade levels 
behind.  

This study’s goal is to reject Pavlov and Watson’s theory that human beings are born 
as blank slates and can be trained like animals, and to suggest that all curricula should 
take into consideration that regardless of the age of the student, they all come with a 
certain type of knowledge. Students have been having real life experiences long before 
they start going to primary school. Those real-life experiences have played an 
important role in their cognitive development and highly influenced their opinions, 
preferences, and thoughts. Besides their experience, all of them have been exposed 
to social interactions with other human beings and have an unfinished personality that 
should be expressed and further developed. Thus, another theory that this study 
refutes is the notion that students learn though rewards and punishments. This 
research attempts to highlight the need for students to fall in love with the learning 
process itself and accept that it never ceases. They should know the capital cities of 
the countries, but also realize and be able to explain why a certain capital city is crucial 
for the country. The lessons should foster their curiosity, nurture dialogue and 
discussion, encourage them to think critically, and work on their intrinsic motivation. 
Piaget’s stages of development are taken into consideration and first-grade students 
are understood as human beings who are only aware of their own perspective, enjoy 
role-playing and being recognized as a central figure of all the happenings, yet some 
of them are shifting towards the next stage of logical thinking and are able to connect 
different ideas. Thus, the 3Ls curriculum even though it puts the student in the center 



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of the attention, it provides additional information that might be connected to their world 
and their everyday activities. Discussion and dialogue are prevalent throughout the 3Ls 
lessons and that practice is supportive of Vygotsky’s social theory that interactions lead 
to learning. For the students to work in their ZPDs, the teacher’s role is of a facilitator, 
and exposing them to rich input is also a demanding task for the teacher because they 
are the ones who need to decide when the right time to assist is to make it more 
comprehensible for the students. Another factor is to never let the students be 
completely confused or lost in a task. Thus, the 3Ls manages to create lessons that 
need active participants not passive absorbers of content that has already been too 
much scaffolded and does not present a challenge.  

The students who were part of the experiment enjoyed the lessons immensely, 
especially group B, who were more privileged and had a classroom equipped with 
computers, they were shown lots of presentations, videos and pictures. They became 
more confident and prouder of their accomplishments. The reflection checklists serve 
as proof of the increased students’ engagement and confidence, as well as the 
teacher’s enjoyment while delivering the lessons and collaborating with the students. 
The posttests’ results showed an increase in the attitude of the students from group B 
towards the lessons; relying on their verbal skills to produce full sentences regardless 
of the mistakes they would make. From the vignettes it can be easily noticed that 
students enjoyed the lessons and were exposed to rich content without realizing that 
they are studying and exploring complex topics.  

The data provided by Cuchiarra and Fillmore suggest that the 3Ls is a successful 
practice and especially when having in mind the scope of their research is a proven 
approach that results in success, efficiency, lifelong learning, democratic relationship 
between the teacher and the students, active participation, and willingness to be 
involved in dialogue.   

All in all, the findings from the analysis of both types of data complement each other 
and show that a mixed-methods research is the right choice to address issues such as 
changes in education especially in rural or semi-urban places in an underdeveloped 
country that lacks in budget and professional development for teachers and educators 
in general. Students should have the same chances in school regardless of their 
residential status. Students from rural or semi-urban areas in North Macedonia should 
have the same access to materials and options for further growth and participation in 
events. While this is an issue that deserves attention, it is the goal of the study to raise 
awareness of the need for a change in the educational practices and curricula in North 
Macedonia, a change that will bring enjoyment, satisfaction, more knowledge, and 
equity. 

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Author Notes 
 
Bisera Dalcheska-Taleska has been an English language teacher since 2016. She received her 
Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Blaze Koneski Faculty of Philology 
in 2016 and is currently enrolled in a Master’s program in English Language Teaching at 
University of American College Skopje, as well as a Master’s program in Linguistics at Blaze 
Koneski Faculty of Philology. She has been a Guilford County Schools employee for two years, 
teaching English as a Second Language in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.  
 
Marjana Vaneva, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Linguistics and English and a Dean of the 
School of Foreign Languages at the University American College Skopje. She is a certified 
teacher of English, with an MA degree in Linguistics, with the thesis title: “Means of 
Expressing Negation in English and Macedonianˮ and a PhD degree also in Linguistics, with 
the thesis title: “Zero Derivation in English and Macedonianˮ, all obtained from the English 
Department of the Faculty of Philology “Blaze Koneskiˮ, Skopje at the SS Cyril and Methodius 
University. 


