This article reports on the findings of a comparative study on songs in four English coursebook series for primary school learners, with two published in China and another two in the UK. Detailed analysis focuses on the number, the coverage, the teaching purposes, and the instructional arrangements of songs. The findings show that although the total number of songs in coursebooks from China outnumbers that from the UK, no correlation exists between learners’ grade levels and the number of songs in each fascicle. The study further demonstrates that the purposes of songs in all four series are mainly to arouse learners’ interest, to improve pronunciation, and to enhance vocabulary and sentence structure understanding, revealing a lack of due attention to fostering learners’ intercultural awareness. Regarding the pedagogical approach and other instructional arrangements, British coursebooks feature a more diversified approach, highlighting the integration of learners’ physical, psychological and cognitive development, whereas Chinese coursebooks concentrate on providing simplistic and unified instructions which may pose a challenge for novice teachers but an opportunity for experienced teachers. Based on the findings, recommendations are offered to future coursebook writers.
{"title":"ELT coursebooks for primary school learners","authors":"Mei Peng, Yangyang Shi, Ping Zhang","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00031.pen","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00031.pen","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000This article reports on the findings of a comparative study on songs in four English coursebook series for primary school learners, with two published in China and another two in the UK. Detailed analysis focuses on the number, the coverage, the teaching purposes, and the instructional arrangements of songs. The findings show that although the total number of songs in coursebooks from China outnumbers that from the UK, no correlation exists between learners’ grade levels and the number of songs in each fascicle. The study further demonstrates that the purposes of songs in all four series are mainly to arouse learners’ interest, to improve pronunciation, and to enhance vocabulary and sentence structure understanding, revealing a lack of due attention to fostering learners’ intercultural awareness. Regarding the pedagogical approach and other instructional arrangements, British coursebooks feature a more diversified approach, highlighting the integration of learners’ physical, psychological and cognitive development, whereas Chinese coursebooks concentrate on providing simplistic and unified instructions which may pose a challenge for novice teachers but an opportunity for experienced teachers. Based on the findings, recommendations are offered to future coursebook writers.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46760867","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 Kolb & Schocker (2021): Teaching English in the Primary School. A Task-Based Introduction for Pre- and In-Service Teachers","authors":"David Valente","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00032.val","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00032.val","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42388645","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}
Research on L1 use among young EFL learners is scarce and has been mainly conducted with oral tasks, while collaborative writing (CW) tasks have been underexplored. CW provides learners with many opportunities for L2 development, especially when they work in collaborative patterns of interaction. In research with young EFL learners, the relationship between L1 use, CW and patterns of interaction has not been studied yet, and it is important to assess the extent to which the patterns of interaction formed in CW tasks play a role in L1 use by these learners, because these three factors have been claimed to impact L2 development. Thus, this study examines whether the patterns of interaction formed played a role in the L1 use and functions of 56 young EFL learners while they worked on a CW task at two different times. The findings indicated that these EFL learners showed mainly parallel/passive or collaborative patterns of interaction at both testing times, that the L1 was used mainly for metacognitive issues, although differences existed from pattern to pattern, and that a collaborative pattern of interaction resulted in more L1 use. The results are discussed following the pedagogical implications of these findings for the EFL classroom.
{"title":"L1 use and patterns of interaction of young EFL learners in a collaborative writing task","authors":"Agurtzane Azkarai","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.22010.azk","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.22010.azk","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Research on L1 use among young EFL learners is scarce and has been mainly conducted with oral tasks, while\u0000 collaborative writing (CW) tasks have been underexplored. CW provides learners with many opportunities for L2 development,\u0000 especially when they work in collaborative patterns of interaction. In research with young EFL learners, the relationship between\u0000 L1 use, CW and patterns of interaction has not been studied yet, and it is important to assess the extent to which the patterns of\u0000 interaction formed in CW tasks play a role in L1 use by these learners, because these three factors have been claimed to impact L2\u0000 development. Thus, this study examines whether the patterns of interaction formed played a role in the L1 use and functions of 56\u0000 young EFL learners while they worked on a CW task at two different times. The findings indicated that these EFL learners showed\u0000 mainly parallel/passive or collaborative patterns of interaction at both testing times, that the L1 was used mainly for\u0000 metacognitive issues, although differences existed from pattern to pattern, and that a collaborative pattern of interaction\u0000 resulted in more L1 use. The results are discussed following the pedagogical implications of these findings for the EFL\u0000 classroom.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45830663","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}
Textbooks are the main pedagogical resource used by teachers of English as a foreign language in many countries. Quantitative and qualitative differences in the lexicon and topics covered by ELT textbooks may generate inequalities in an objective diagnostic evaluation. This study examines the content words and topics included in four ELT textbooks in order to determine whether there are convergences or divergences in the learners’ input exposure and whether the topics adhere to the educational policies of primary education in Spain. The results showed differences in the amount of vocabulary input and significant variation in textbooks’ most frequently-used content words. Likewise, the representation of the topics differed from one textbook to another, and the common topics often differed in focus and, consequently, in the content words used to introduce the theme. The findings have implications for education and research since, depending on the textbook used, learners are exposed not only to a different amount of input but also to a diversity of ideas, facts, and ‘worlds’ projected by the different content words found in textbooks of the same course level.
{"title":"Words and topics in ELT textbooks for young EFL learners","authors":"María Isabel Toro Álvarez, R. J. Catalán","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.22002.alv","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.22002.alv","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Textbooks are the main pedagogical resource used by teachers of English as a foreign language in many countries.\u0000 Quantitative and qualitative differences in the lexicon and topics covered by ELT textbooks may generate inequalities in an\u0000 objective diagnostic evaluation. This study examines the content words and topics included in four ELT textbooks in order to\u0000 determine whether there are convergences or divergences in the learners’ input exposure and whether the topics adhere to the\u0000 educational policies of primary education in Spain. The results showed differences in the amount of vocabulary input and\u0000 significant variation in textbooks’ most frequently-used content words. Likewise, the representation of the topics differed from\u0000 one textbook to another, and the common topics often differed in focus and, consequently, in the content words used to introduce\u0000 the theme. The findings have implications for education and research since, depending on the textbook used, learners are exposed\u0000 not only to a different amount of input but also to a diversity of ideas, facts, and ‘worlds’ projected by the different content\u0000 words found in textbooks of the same course level.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45546899","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}
Despite increasing popularity of early heritage language (HL) education, the HL education system faces challenges, such as engaging young children and tailoring teachers’ pedagogical approaches. The aim of the study was to explore a particular pedagogical activity (“a trip to the enchanted wood”) that provides accessibility to HL, and to analyze children’s behavior while engaging in learning during this activity. We conducted the study in a bilingual preschool in Israel, where Russian was the heritage language and Hebrew the societally dominant language. We collected and documented the data using qualitative tools (ethnographic observations and interviews). A complex analysis of eight HL classroom observations focused on the application of a language-conducive strategy – teacher-led pretend play of “a trip to the enchanted wood.” We performed two types of coding: (1) coding information about elements of script structure and characteristics of props used; (2) coding children’s responsive behavior to the teacher’s suggestions during play. Drawing on an ecological approach to language productive use, we concluded that a complex two-way relationship exists between language accessibility and engagement in learning. Practical applications to support young language learners are suggested.
{"title":"Making heritage language accessible through “a trip to the enchanted wood”","authors":"Mila Schwartz, Miriam Minkov","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.22001.sch","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.22001.sch","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Despite increasing popularity of early heritage language (HL) education, the HL education system faces challenges, such as engaging young children and tailoring teachers’ pedagogical approaches. The aim of the study was to explore a particular pedagogical activity (“a trip to the enchanted wood”) that provides accessibility to HL, and to analyze children’s behavior while engaging in learning during this activity. We conducted the study in a bilingual preschool in Israel, where Russian was the heritage language and Hebrew the societally dominant language. We collected and documented the data using qualitative tools (ethnographic observations and interviews). A complex analysis of eight HL classroom observations focused on the application of a language-conducive strategy – teacher-led pretend play of “a trip to the enchanted wood.” We performed two types of coding: (1) coding information about elements of script structure and characteristics of props used; (2) coding children’s responsive behavior to the teacher’s suggestions during play. Drawing on an ecological approach to language productive use, we concluded that a complex two-way relationship exists between language accessibility and engagement in learning. Practical applications to support young language learners are suggested.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41656128","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}
Young children have often been shown to be highly motivated towards learning foreign languages in primary school, but for their enthusiasm to decrease during secondary schooling. Many reasons have been put forward, such as novelty wearing off, teaching styles, or societal and peer pressure. Little is known about changes in attitudes and motivation in primary school aged children when these factors are kept constant, the only variable being the age of the children. The present study investigated differences in attitudes and motivation at two different ages (5 and 7) in such a setting. Two intact classes in the same school (53 children with no prior knowledge of French), taught the same material by the same teacher, took part in focus groups and one-to-one interviews during the course of a larger longitudinal project investigating the role of age in early classroom learning. Results show that changes in motivation might occur earlier than previously thought, and be shaped by developmental changes in children’s cognitive, social and emotional growth. Children as young as 5 and 7 were shown to exhibit differences in levels of self-regulation, self-efficacy, and thought and beliefs frames which had a direct impact on their attitudinal and motivational profiles.
{"title":"Attitudes and motivation towards learning French in primary school","authors":"F. Myles","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.22005.myl","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.22005.myl","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Young children have often been shown to be highly motivated towards learning foreign languages in primary school, but for their enthusiasm to decrease during secondary schooling. Many reasons have been put forward, such as novelty wearing off, teaching styles, or societal and peer pressure. Little is known about changes in attitudes and motivation in primary school aged children when these factors are kept constant, the only variable being the age of the children. The present study investigated differences in attitudes and motivation at two different ages (5 and 7) in such a setting. Two intact classes in the same school (53 children with no prior knowledge of French), taught the same material by the same teacher, took part in focus groups and one-to-one interviews during the course of a larger longitudinal project investigating the role of age in early classroom learning. Results show that changes in motivation might occur earlier than previously thought, and be shaped by developmental changes in children’s cognitive, social and emotional growth. Children as young as 5 and 7 were shown to exhibit differences in levels of self-regulation, self-efficacy, and thought and beliefs frames which had a direct impact on their attitudinal and motivational profiles.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"58996363","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}
English has been introduced as a core subject in primary schools across Asia over the past decade. Besides aiming to improve the English proficiency of Japanese primary school students, Japan’s recent reforms also mandate the development of children’s awareness of cultures other than their own. However, relatively little is known about pedagogical strategies to achieve cultural awareness in the Japanese primary school classroom. The objective of this study was, therefore, to utilize an almost wordless picture book and examine the ways children interpret stories about people from cultures other than their own. This study explored the independent meaning-making practices and processes of six Japanese primary school students as they viewed, without teacher intervention, Mirror, an Australian almost wordless picture book about the daily lives of an Australian and a Moroccan family. Interview and observation data provided insights into the children’s meaning-making processes and the ways they interpreted the messages within the stories that led to a range of understandings and misunderstandings across the cultures. The paper concludes with a discussion about pedagogical implications for supporting the development of cultural awareness, for challenging cultural stereotypes, and for facilitating English language learning processes.
{"title":"“This side is the real world and the other one is like Minecraft”","authors":"Michael Burri, Jessica Mantei, L. Kervin","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.21013.bur","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.21013.bur","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000English has been introduced as a core subject in primary schools across Asia over the past decade. Besides aiming to improve the English proficiency of Japanese primary school students, Japan’s recent reforms also mandate the development of children’s awareness of cultures other than their own. However, relatively little is known about pedagogical strategies to achieve cultural awareness in the Japanese primary school classroom. The objective of this study was, therefore, to utilize an almost wordless picture book and examine the ways children interpret stories about people from cultures other than their own. This study explored the independent meaning-making practices and processes of six Japanese primary school students as they viewed, without teacher intervention, Mirror, an Australian almost wordless picture book about the daily lives of an Australian and a Moroccan family. Interview and observation data provided insights into the children’s meaning-making processes and the ways they interpreted the messages within the stories that led to a range of understandings and misunderstandings across the cultures. The paper concludes with a discussion about pedagogical implications for supporting the development of cultural awareness, for challenging cultural stereotypes, and for facilitating English language learning processes.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48497860","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.00027.edi","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00027.edi","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42946885","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 Britton (2021): Assessment for Learning in Primary Language Learning and Teaching","authors":"Gwenna Finikin","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00026.fin","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00026.fin","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48662196","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 Zein & Coady (2021): Early Language Learning Policy in the 21st Century. An International Perspective","authors":"Asier Calzada","doi":"10.1075/ltyl.00024.cal","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00024.cal","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44435091","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}
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