Language Teaching for Young Learners - Volume 2, Issue 1, 2020

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss how task-based language teaching (TBLT) can work with beginner-level learners by using input-based tasks. It begins by dismissing a common critique of TBLT, namely that learners need to be taught some language before they can perform tasks, by arguing that input-based tasks make TBLT possible with beginner-level learners and that such an approach is entirely compatible with what research has shown about the early stages of L2 acquisition. A review of the research that has investigated input-based tasks follows and serves to identify key features in the design and implementation of tasks. Designing input-based tasks involves considering the choice of topic, the non-verbal devices that are central to the tasks, the pre-selection of target language, the verbal input for the task, and the task outcomes. Implementation options include task preparation, use of the learners’ first language, input modification and elaboration, focus-on-form and feedback, and task repetition.

Abstract

This study investigates the receptive L2 proficiency of early and late starters in primary EFL education in the German context. Thus, the L2 reading and listening proficiency of primary EFL learners was assessed at the end of primary schooling in year 4 in two German federal states with different ages of onset. A special focus of the study is on indicators of teaching quality as well as teacher qualification. The study did not find significant differences in the receptive L2 proficiency between early starters and late startes. When controlling for teaching quality or teacher qualification the earlier age of onset or increased amount of exposure did not explain variance in learners’ receptive EFL skills. However, supportive climate as an aspect of teaching quality correlates positively and significantly with learners’ EFL proficiency. In addition, there is a small advantage for children taught by teachers with a major in EFL.

Abstract

The way learners engage with tasks can crucially impact on learning opportunities and, therefore, more attention is now being devoted to task affect. This study examines the attitudes of an underresearched population, child EFL learners, towards a collaborative dictogloss task. Thirty-two Spanish EFL children (ages 11–12) completed the task in pairs and small groups at their school, and an attitude questionnaire one week after. Results show that learners had a positive attitude towards L1 and L2 writing, collaboration in the classroom, and the task itself, regardless of their grouping condition. Although these children did not mention in their responses any explicit grammar gains as a result of the task, they considered the blend of the written and oral mode and the opportunities for peer assistance to be beneficial. These results are encouraging for the promotion of collaborative writing tasks with young learners in communicative contexts.

Abstract

Research on collaborative writing and models as a form of written corrective feedback has been conducted with adult participants but research with children is scarce despite the growth of early EFL learning in school settings in the past twenty years. The aim of the present exploratory study was to analyze what EFL primary school children noticed and incorporated during a three-stage task and completed in collaboration. The participants were 12 children (11–12 years old) divided into a treatment group, which received a model, and a control group, which self-edited their texts. The findings showed that what children noticed at Stage 1 were mostly grammar LREs, whereas at Stage 2 both groups focused most of their attention on content and lexical LREs, with statistically significant differences between the treatment group and the control group. Significant differences were also found between Stage 1 and 3 regarding lexical LREs in the treatment group. Pedagogical recommendations will also be discussed in light of these findings.

Abstract

Teachers of young learners often seek guidance on how best to engage and motivate their students. In this study, we aimed to document engaging teacher practices in the context of foreign language classes in Japanese elementary schools. We surveyed 16 public elementary school foreign language classes in western Japan using quantitative (questionnaire; external rating) and qualitative (naturalistic observation) tools grounded in self-determination theory. Classes were sorted into three groups of high, middle, and low teacher support based on student surveys, and observed for practices that influenced student engagement in each tercile. Results indicate that students are most responsive in classrooms involving teacher warmth and strictness, homeroom teacher involvement, appropriate pacing, instructional clarity, and a balance of activities. We offer descriptions of how these practices were employed, with implications for classroom practice and teacher training.

Abstract

Most experts in teaching children state that teaching grammar in the traditional way is inappropriate for children under the age of ten. However, very little research has been done on the effectiveness of consciousness-raising (C-R) with young learners. An action research (AR) project was conducted in a private language school for children, to investigate if a consciousness-raising project would be an effective way to help children notice and correct the ten most commonly made errors they made in their writing of weekly book reports. It was concluded that this consciousness-raising project was effective and a positive experience for children over the age of ten, but sometimes frustrating and less effective for younger learners. The conclusions reached through this action research project led to changes in school policy on error correction, as well as greater efforts to educate the parents of the students.

This article reviews Teaching young language learners£29.20

This article reviews Introducing task-based language teaching