Abstract
The dissertation deals with the issue of multimedia language labs in foreign language teaching.
The research study is based on the assumption that the lab helps to practice the development of students' oral expression and how the use of the lab is connected to autonomous learning, selfassessment and multilingualism. The work examines under what conditions the SmartClass
Robotel lab can be used in the teaching of the German language at a secondary school. Sixtynine high school students took part in the research conducted in the form of a case study between December 2021 and February 2022.
Data from the input and output records of the oral speech recordings of individual students have been used as the main source of the research. Each recording was evaluated by the student himself, his classmate and the teacher. The assessment focused on content and oral expression, lexical, grammatical and phonological competence. The evaluation also included an assessment of the quality and identification of the speech's weaknesses.
The results show that, under certain conditions, teaching in a language lab can make it easier for teachers to implement conversational activities and allow students to work at their own pace and choose the order of activities. The benefit for teachers is the ability to collect data on student learning. Students' oral expression improved in all monitored areas, with the greatest improvement in the "content and expression" category.
The dissertation also includes an analysis of the current condition of use of the SmartClass multimedia language lab across schools in the Czech Republic. Based on data obtained from a questionnaire survey at 89 primary and secondary schools, it emerged that teachers lack sufficient methodological and technical support when working with a multimedia language lab, as well as space for the exchange of experiences.