Language Teaching for Young Learners - Current Issue

Abstract

We report a priority setting partnership (PSP), which sought to establish the priorities for new research among research users (educators, parents, and learners) in the field of English as an Additional Language (EAL). A steering committee consisting of members of these research user groups was established to oversee the project. An online ‘uncertainty questionnaire’ was distributed to research users inviting them to identify areas of their practice about which they are uncertain. These ‘raw’ uncertainties were consolidated and converted into a list of research questions, which was then distributed to the same groups to rank in order of priority. The 25 highest ranked questions were then discussed and debated in a workshop, consisting of research user representatives, to collectively and democratically produce a final Top 10 list of questions. The Top 10 shows what EAL research users regard as priorities, which we hope will inform research agendas and funding decisions.

Abstract

Interaction is recognised as an important contributor to language learning but in many classrooms opportunities to interact meaningfully are limited. This situation can be addressed when teachers make decisions about adapting the materials they are working with. The result is likely to be learners who are more engaged in multiple ways and who therefore learn more effectively. This article reports on a two-phase investigation of English language learning in Grade 5 classes in Vietnam. In the first phase, twenty-one classes were observed to form an understanding of standard practices in these classes. In the second phase, a small, replicable adaptation of coursebook material was made and implemented with an intervention class for one semester. Three dimensions of engagement were investigated, and on each learners in the intervention class were considerably more engaged than in the comparison class, or in the first phase classes. This study demonstrates what it is possible to achieve through a small coursebook innovation.

Abstract

The study of Shakespeare in secondary school literature classes remains a global phenomenon across L2 contexts. Understanding said spaces is important, as the study of Shakespeare is known to expand learner knowledge of normative conventions of academic literacy – this, in service of building the cultural and linguistic capital necessary for learners to succeed on their own terms. However, little is known about how best to research this context so as to assist language learners with their academic literacy needs. To address this gap, this study employs thought modeling – an analytic tool informed by complex dynamic systems theory – to investigate the teaching and learning environment of seven secondary school ESL programs in the Canadian province of Ontario. Mining the educational experiences of 106 participants, this research explores five primary components of the educational landscape: conditions, timescales, interactions, artifacts, and agents. Thematic analyses and descriptive statistical analyses were performed on a dataset comprised of surveys and interviews. This study initiates a framework for continuing research into L2 secondary school Shakespeare studies by identifying and describing substantive avenues of research (i.e., control parameters) informing conditions for best practice and highlights thought modeling as an effective analytic framework for understanding educational dynamics.

Abstract

Vocabulary acquisition of young foreign language learners is an understudied topic. This study examines how early foreign language textbooks in Finland present and practise vocabulary. Moreover, studying textbooks is essential as they guide teachers’ actions and pupils’ perceptions of what is central in learning and how one should learn. We examined five different textbooks used in Finland for early foreign language learning. The languages covered were English, French, German, Swedish and Spanish. We analysed how the textbooks presented vocabulary using Thornbury’s (2002) classification as a basis. In particular, we looked at how the books took into account pupils’ existing linguistic resources, how they introduced and attempted to consolidate new vocabulary, what aspects of vocabulary knowledge were emphasised, what the role of formulaic sequences was, and if there were differences between the textbooks of different languages. The results showed that even though the textbooks had versatile exercises, there was a lack of progression and consolidating activities. Moreover, it seems that the textbooks do not largely aim at learner agency or translanguaging for vocabulary learning. Therefore, the examined textbooks for early foreign language learning in Finland are not fully in line with current understanding of vocabulary learning and language learning in general.

Abstract

Extensive reading (ER), which refers to reading a lot of often self-selected material for information, overall meaning, pleasure, and enjoyment, has been growing in popularity in Asia as an effective way for English as a foreign language (EFL) students to improve reading skills and has provided opportunities for comprehensible input (Nation & Waring, 2013). The focus of this action research (AR) project is on young EFL learners in a private language school setting without a grading system. Therefore, it is important that students be intrinsically motivated to read for the school’s ER program to be successful, specifically, the motivation to check out and read books from a school library. Furthermore, this AR project sought to find whether certain methods can increase students’ intrinsic motivation to read. The research methods include questionnaires, student voice recordings, and empirical data on book-borrowing behaviors. The findings show that indirect, rather than direct, teacher recommendation of books seems to be the most effective method to increase intrinsic motivation to do ER.

This article reviews Innovative Practices in Early English Language Education978-3-021-12921-6