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.
{"title":"Engagement in oral production","authors":"Le Hong Phuong Thao, John Macalister","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00042.eng","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00042.eng","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Interaction 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.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":"30 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138591048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hamish Chalmers, Faidra Faitaki, Victoria A. Murphy
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.
{"title":"Setting research priorities for English as an Additional Language","authors":"Hamish Chalmers, Faidra Faitaki, Victoria A. Murphy","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00043.set","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00043.set","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000We 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.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":"14 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138602277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article reports a small classroom-based study that has explored task-based peer interactions among grade 9 secondary school students (N = 14) of middle and low relative proficiency. Drawing primarily on audio recordings of peer interactions, oral presentations, and post-task interviews, and conducted by the teacher-researcher, it investigated how students interacted on an output task that was embedded in regular EFL lessons and designed to wrap up the unit work centered around the topic Down Under. A particular focus was on exploring to what extent and how students used the language that the task was meant to trigger, namely future tense and unit-related vocabulary. The aim was to inquire whether the task worked in the way it was designed for. The findings have shown that although students were involved with the task and with each other’s contributions, the use of the targeted structure elicited by the task remained limited. Pedagogical implications are discussed.
本文报告了一项以课堂为基础的小型研究,该研究探讨了九年级中学生(14 人)之间基于任务的同伴互动。该研究主要利用同伴互动、口头陈述和任务后访谈的录音,并由教师-研究者主持,调查了学生在一项输出任务中的互动情况,该任务被嵌入到常规的 EFL 课程中,旨在围绕 "Down Under "这一主题对单元作业进行总结。其中一个重点是探讨学生在多大程度上以及如何使用该任务所要引发的语言,即未来时态和与单元相关的词汇。目的是探究该任务是否以其设计的方式发挥作用。研究结果表明,尽管学生们参与了任务,也参与了彼此的发言,但对任务所引发的目标结构的使用仍然有限。本文讨论了教学方面的影响。
{"title":"A teacher-researcher snapshot of task-based peer interactions in EFL secondary school classrooms in Germany","authors":"Tomas Kos","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00039.kos","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00039.kos","url":null,"abstract":"This article reports a small classroom-based study that has explored task-based peer interactions among grade 9 secondary school students (N = 14) of middle and low relative proficiency. Drawing primarily on audio recordings of peer interactions, oral presentations, and post-task interviews, and conducted by the teacher-researcher, it investigated how students interacted on an output task that was embedded in regular EFL lessons and designed to wrap up the unit work centered around the topic Down Under. A particular focus was on exploring to what extent and how students used the language that the task was meant to trigger, namely future tense and unit-related vocabulary. The aim was to inquire whether the task worked in the way it was designed for. The findings have shown that although students were involved with the task and with each other’s contributions, the use of the targeted structure elicited by the task remained limited. Pedagogical implications are discussed.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139264939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Raphaela Porsch, Stefan Schipolowski, Camilla Rjosk, Karoline A. Sachse
Abstract For years now, all over Europe a debate has been ongoing concerning the effectiveness of an early start in learning a foreign language. This paper presents findings from a representative large-scale assessment study from Germany and seeks to examine the relationship between receptive skills in English as a foreign language (EFL) of students in Year 9 and their EFL learning onset age. We examined the differences in achievement of early starters – i.e., students who started learning English either before Year 3 or in Year 3 – in comparison with late starters defined as students instructed in EFL from Year 4 or 5 using a sample of more than 30,000 students. The results from multilevel regression modelling point to long-term advantages in reading and listening comprehension for students with an early onset of English instruction in primary school compared to students who began later. The paper finishes by discussing the results and suggesting further research in this field.
{"title":"Effects of an early start in learning English as a foreign language on reading and listening comprehension in Year 9","authors":"Raphaela Porsch, Stefan Schipolowski, Camilla Rjosk, Karoline A. Sachse","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.22017.por","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.22017.por","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract For years now, all over Europe a debate has been ongoing concerning the effectiveness of an early start in learning a foreign language. This paper presents findings from a representative large-scale assessment study from Germany and seeks to examine the relationship between receptive skills in English as a foreign language (EFL) of students in Year 9 and their EFL learning onset age. We examined the differences in achievement of early starters – i.e., students who started learning English either before Year 3 or in Year 3 – in comparison with late starters defined as students instructed in EFL from Year 4 or 5 using a sample of more than 30,000 students. The results from multilevel regression modelling point to long-term advantages in reading and listening comprehension for students with an early onset of English instruction in primary school compared to students who began later. The paper finishes by discussing the results and suggesting further research in this field.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":"67 9","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135933791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract This article discusses research that was carried out in Barcelona, Spain which explored plausible facets for introducing pluralistic approaches in the English as an Additional Language classroom. The research triangulates data collected from administrative personnel, teachers, and students aged 7–8 years in order to identify plausible approaches to synthesize the instruction of teaching English with the development of plurilingual concepts and skills. Methodological approaches included interviews with the administrators, questionnaires with both students and their teachers and a multimodal activity done in the EFL classroom. Through the discussion of the results we highlight specific techniques, such as Intercomprehension, that facilitate language instruction for Additional Language Learners in a linguistically diverse community that has various languages in the social and learning environments. Through the data analysis, we identify aspects that could help facilitate the instruction of English as an additional language in multilingual settings.
{"title":"Introducing plurilingualism in the English as an Additional Language classroom through plurilingual approaches","authors":"Kevin Randall Steil, Encarnación Carrasco Perea","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00037.ste","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00037.ste","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article discusses research that was carried out in Barcelona, Spain which explored plausible facets for introducing pluralistic approaches in the English as an Additional Language classroom. The research triangulates data collected from administrative personnel, teachers, and students aged 7–8 years in order to identify plausible approaches to synthesize the instruction of teaching English with the development of plurilingual concepts and skills. Methodological approaches included interviews with the administrators, questionnaires with both students and their teachers and a multimodal activity done in the EFL classroom. Through the discussion of the results we highlight specific techniques, such as Intercomprehension, that facilitate language instruction for Additional Language Learners in a linguistically diverse community that has various languages in the social and learning environments. Through the data analysis, we identify aspects that could help facilitate the instruction of English as an additional language in multilingual settings.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":"57 9","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135933275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Pre-task planning has been shown to improve fluency and complexity in adult learners’ speech in monologic tasks. Previous work considered pre-task planning in interactive tasks with young children in an ESL setting and reported that, in general, it had an impact on the amount of talk. However, no study so far has considered the impact of planning on the production of language-related episodes (LREs) by young children. This study examined the relationship between planning time and the accurate production of three target form-focused LREs (FFLREs) by thirty-three dyads of 11–12-year-old EFL learners who took part in a longitudinal experiment in which they narrated picture-prompted stories four times under one of three conditions: unguided planning (12 dyads), guided planning (12 dyads), or no-planning (9 dyads). Results showed that no significant improvement in target feature production was observed across weeks or conditions. Regarding accuracy, a notable difference emerged between the pre-test and delayed post-test in the unguided planning condition. Regarding between-group comparisons, although the guided planning group initially demonstrated higher accuracy than their counterparts, this distinction was not maintained. Thus, planning had limited benefits when considering FFLREs. Methodological and pedagogical implications will be discussed.
{"title":"Does repeated pre-task planning have an impact on form-focused LREs?","authors":"María del Pilar García Mayo, María Luquin","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00038.may","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00038.may","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Pre-task planning has been shown to improve fluency and complexity in adult learners’ speech in monologic tasks. Previous work considered pre-task planning in interactive tasks with young children in an ESL setting and reported that, in general, it had an impact on the amount of talk. However, no study so far has considered the impact of planning on the production of language-related episodes (LREs) by young children. This study examined the relationship between planning time and the accurate production of three target form-focused LREs (FFLREs) by thirty-three dyads of 11–12-year-old EFL learners who took part in a longitudinal experiment in which they narrated picture-prompted stories four times under one of three conditions: unguided planning (12 dyads), guided planning (12 dyads), or no-planning (9 dyads). Results showed that no significant improvement in target feature production was observed across weeks or conditions. Regarding accuracy, a notable difference emerged between the pre-test and delayed post-test in the unguided planning condition. Regarding between-group comparisons, although the guided planning group initially demonstrated higher accuracy than their counterparts, this distinction was not maintained. Thus, planning had limited benefits when considering FFLREs. Methodological and pedagogical implications will be discussed.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135729846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review of Winston (2022): Performative Language Teaching in Early Education: Language Learning through Drama and the Arts for Children 3–7","authors":"Faidra Faitaki","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00036.fai","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00036.fai","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43907878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A noteworthy change in China’s newly released national English language curriculum standards is the inclusion of ‘viewing’ ability, i.e., the skill of acquiring information conveyed in multimodal discourses like graphics, photos and animation (MOE, 2022a). To investigate how ELT textbooks are compiled to foster learners’ viewing ability, we conducted a descriptive content analysis of two ELT textbook series (N1 = 12, N2 = 6) for young learners. Informed by Fingeret’s classification of graphics (2012) and Martinec and Salway’s framework of image-text relations (2005), we coded a total of 7182 visual images to examine how different types of visual images and image-text relations were utilised in terms of frequency and distribution in the two textbook series. Results show that both textbook series feature the use of diverse visual images and the Chinese ELT textbook series exclusively use cartoons, whereas the global ELT textbooks use photos in addition to cartoons. Regarding image-text status relations, equal relations constitute a larger percentage than unequal relations, and the expansion logico-sematic relations appear much more frequently than the projection relations. Implications for dealing with visual images and image-text relations in ELT textbooks for young learners are suggested in the conclusion section.
{"title":"Visual images and image-text relations in ELT textbooks for young learners","authors":"Yan Zhu, Nan Yang","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00035.zhu","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00035.zhu","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 A noteworthy change in China’s newly released national English language curriculum standards is the inclusion of\u0000 ‘viewing’ ability, i.e., the skill of acquiring information conveyed in multimodal discourses like graphics, photos and animation\u0000 (MOE, 2022a). To investigate how ELT textbooks are compiled to foster learners’\u0000 viewing ability, we conducted a descriptive content analysis of two ELT textbook series (N1 = 12,\u0000 N2 = 6) for young learners. Informed by Fingeret’s classification of graphics (2012) and Martinec and\u0000 Salway’s framework of image-text relations (2005), we coded a total of 7182 visual\u0000 images to examine how different types of visual images and image-text relations were utilised in terms of frequency and\u0000 distribution in the two textbook series. Results show that both textbook series feature the use of diverse visual images and the\u0000 Chinese ELT textbook series exclusively use cartoons, whereas the global ELT textbooks use photos in addition to cartoons.\u0000 Regarding image-text status relations, equal relations constitute a larger percentage than unequal relations, and the expansion\u0000 logico-sematic relations appear much more frequently than the projection relations. Implications for dealing with visual images\u0000 and image-text relations in ELT textbooks for young learners are suggested in the conclusion section.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47129220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review of Hayes (2022): Early Language Learning in Context: A Critical Socioeducational Perspective","authors":"S. Rixon","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00034.rix","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00034.rix","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42362044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial","authors":"J. Enever","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00033.edi","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00033.edi","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47150794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}