The Role and Use of Digital Media in the Russian Language Classroom

An Empirical Baseline Study in German-Speaking Countries

Abstract

This article exemplifies the role digital media play in the Russian language classroom at secondary schools in Austria, Germany,and South Tyrol. The presented baseline study aims at investigating the types of digital media, how frequently these are employed, and the specific purposes they are used for in the Russian language classroom. Moreover, this study examines whether and in how far Russian teachers are satisfied with the pre-and in-service teacher training they received in the field of digital media as well as the digital literacy of teachers and adolescent learners of Russian. The data were collected in a mixed-methods procedure: quantitative data from online-questionnaires and qualitative data from face-to-face semi-structured interviews. In this article, selected study results will be presented and discussed.