Abstract

The purpose of the article is to show the educational needs and expectations of adult students towards their foreign language teacher. The paper presents the main aspects associated with the process of teaching English to Polish and Romanian adults who are being prepared for their final exams (in Poland - matura, in Romania - Examen de bacalaureat). In considerations related to adult education, it is necessary to pay attention to recent changes in the job market in both Poland and Romania. Nowadays it is important to speak at least one foreign language, with employers requiring an understanding of both general and specific job-related language. This is the main reason for increasing numbers of adults starting to learn foreign languages. It might also be noted that foreign language acquisition is one part of the process of lifelong learning. For a teacher planning classes for adults, the considerations must also involve the differences between teaching children and adults, and the primary aspects that should be included in the planning process. The methodological part of the article includes data analyses of a survey involving a group of young adults preparing for the English final exam at a high school for adults in Warsaw and at a high school in Bucharest. The conclusions present considerations related to the educational needs of the young adult students who participated in the study.

Keywords: andragogist, adult education, adult students, lifelong learning, teacher, Matura Exam

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