The authors wish to analyze the situation from the point of view of two types of motivation: internal (integral) motivation and external (instrumental) motivation. The results of our study have been compared to the results of corresponding studies carried out among Polish students learning German. At the opening of our deliberations we present the definitions and typical features of motivation. Next the typology and origin of motivation is discussed, which incorporates both the cognitive and affective approach. Finally, we submit the results of a pilot study performed among Polish middle school and high school students who learn Spanish.

Attitudes, including beliefs, values, and motivation are within the scope of interest of numerous fields of study such as psychology, philosophy, sociology, and anthropology. In psychology, attitudes related to affective, cognitive and, in particular, behavioral reactions are studied. It is believed that attitudes do not only affect the behavior of the individual, but also their ways of evaluating specific actions. At the same time, empirical research in this area is extremely problematic and conditioned by many individual differences (e.g. age, gender, place of residence, personality traits, etc.). On the other hand, in glottodidactics, the common trend in this type of research is analysis of students' attitudes (including motivation) towards a foreign language and its culture(s). The purpose of the article is to briefly present the methodology of research on attitudes towards learning different languages. First, we review the concepts of attitudes, beliefs, values, and motivation from a psychological and didactic perspective. We also focus our attention on the types of attitude measurement used (which include motivation). Finally, we present some results of research conducted for the first time in Poland in the field of attitudes and motivation of secondary school students towards learning Spanish.

Out of all foreign languages in Polish schools Spanish has achieved the most dynamic increase in popularity within the last few years. For those most fascinated with Spanish and its culture, there have been six editions of the National Spanish Contest in Poland, organised by the Modern Language Association of Poland in cooperation with Adam Mickiewicz University's Institute of Romance Studies. The aim of the article is to present the assumptions and activities of the contest, targeted at the most gifted students, as well as to examine the ways in which the best ones among them prepared themselves, including the amount of time they spent analysing the program guidelines. We will try to address the question whether contest finalists are truly gifted students or merely ones with high language aptitude. Special focus will be placed on finalists' work with their teachers. We are also going to consider possible challenges and problems, which they faced during the preparation process.

El discurso es un concepto multidisciplinar o transdisciplinar, analizado desde los años setenta por varias ciencias: la lingüística (analiza la lengua y su forma de uso), la psicología (analiza las convicciones de los miembros de una sociedad y el modo de su expresión), las ciencias sociales (analizan las interacciones en contextos sociales), etc. Estamos de acuerdo con van Dijk (2001: 21) en que la noción de discurso es «esencialmente difusa» porque remite a fenómenos bastante complejos relacionados sobre todo con la comunicación humana, o mejor dicho, con la interacción verbal. En opinión de Kurcz (2005), el discurso tiene carácter oral (p. ej. la conversación) y el texto pertenece a la transmisión escrita (p. ej. el libro, la carta, el contrato, etc.). En cambio, van Dijk (2001: 23) considera que también los textos escritos (excluyendo los libros, las leyes, las publicaciones de carácter académico o las cartas1) deberían formar parte del discurso, ya que «hay mucha similitud en la manera como las personas hablan o escriben cuando utilizan el lenguaje para comunicar sus ideas y lo mismo ocurre cuando la gente escucha o lee un discurso».

The aim of this article is to present a selection of novel tools used in organizing a foreign language competition. Particular attention will be focused on finalists’ and laureates’ opinions, expressed by means of a questionnaire administered for the needs of evaluation of innovative instruments used in the Spanish Language Competition. These include the Moodle platform, electronic tests, and a comprehensive website. Finally, we will present some recommendations for current and future organizers of foreign language competitions concerning the use of new technologies in their activities.