Academic literature on the topic 'EFL young learners'

In the last decades the number of English language teaching materials for young language learners on the market has increased substantially. Even though there has been considerable research about ELT materials, little is known about textbooks for young language learners in the EFL context. The objectives of this study were to explore and compare the perceptions of EFL textbooks from the viewpoints of parents, teachers and young learners. The present study employed mixed methods in an exploratory sequential design. Data collection and analysis consisted of two phases. Data were gathered from semi-structured interviews with 58 participants in Phase 1. The results of Phase 1 were developed and expanded in Phase 2. In the second phase, 325 participants were involved. Participants in the study were young learners who are primary school-aged children and participate in private English education, parents and teachers in South Korea. The results of Phase 1 identified nine themes relating to EFL textbooks: (1) Language learning; (2) Non-language outcomes; (3) Appropriateness; (4) Variety; (5) Appeal to learners; (6) Ease of teaching; (7) Quality and content; (8) Imported vs. local textbook; and (9) Concerns. The results of Phase 2 suggested attitudinal commonalities among the three groups such as overall language learning, and variety of genre. Dissimilarities in the three groups were also found such as vocabulary learning and written in English only. The results of the research add to the growing body of knowledge on the development of EFL materials, providing insight into the perceptions of parents, teachers and young learners. Implications for future research, teaching practice, teacher education and material development are discussed.

Four factors were examined to investigate English vocabulary learning among 9-year-old elementary school children in Taiwan. The four factors were use of their native language, length of English instruction, and two phonological processing capabilities-phonological memory and phonological sensitivity. Apart from a series of paper-and-pencila nd computerized vocabulary assessmentst,w o nonword repetition tasks along with five detection and production tasks of rimes and phonemes were used to measure phonological memory and phonological sensitivity. The young learners' scores on all vocabulary tests were positively correlated with phonological memory and phonological sensitivity, as was also evidenced in studies by Gathercole et al. (1997) and Bowey (1996). A similar pattern of association was found between the learners' vocabulary performance and their length of English instruction. However, neither of the two phonological processing capabilities was associatedw ith English instruction length. The reaction times of the two online vocabulary tests suggest that an extra input of Ll gloss in explicit vocabulary teaching might have resulted in faster aural recognition of single English words. This supports Kroll and Stewart's (1994) revised hierarchical model of bilingual representation,w hich postulatest hat beginning L2 learners have their two languages interconnected at the lexical level. Results of stepwise and hierarchical regression analyses confirmed that English phonological sensitivity was the best predictor of young learners' English vocabulary performance and contributed uniquely to their vocabulary scores after age, English instruction length, vocabulary knowledge from school textbooks, Chinese phonological sensitivity, and phonological memory were statistically controlled.

Learning an additional language, either as a second or a foreign language, is complicated and requires extensive support. Learning English in Thailand is especially tough, as there is a lack of support in the wider social context as well as in schools and classrooms. This research study centres on the young children's achievement in learning English as a second or a foreign language. The theoretical framework of this study is based on claims about young learners' positive characteristics that facilitate language learning. It draws on Vygotsky and Bruner's concepts about children's learning, which are the reflections on Piaget's theory of development, especially in terms of sociocultural theory, as well as some relevant concepts on second language acquisition, task-based language teaching (TBLT), and interactions in learning. This study investigates the implementation of this EFL program instruction with English as the only medium of instruction delivered to these early-years learners in a late kindergarten level who are limited in capacity to communicate with other people even in their own first language. The focus is on language learning policy and language use. In the area of language learning policy, it explores how the formulated policy turns into the curricular focuses to promote English language acquisition. In the area of language use, it investigates the . classroom activities and how the teacher and the learners play roles in promoting or impeding the language learning in this classroom practice. This research study is conducted in interpretive/naturalistic paradigm to collect qualitative data authentically emerging during the instructional process in the 'natural setting' (Richards 2003: 10), through three major kinds of instruments: document reviews; observations; and interviews.

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras/Inglês e Literatura Correspondente.<br>Made available in DSpace on 2013-07-16T00:38:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 222337.pdf: 1034091 bytes, checksum: 67ce03aa753daea5b33f5c3c395c9021 (MD5)<br>This study reports on an ethnographic investigation about the interaction between a teacher and her very young learners in the foreign language (FL) classroom. I focus specifically on this FL teacher#s discourse as a facilitator of interactions through the analysis of her discursive practice. In order to carry out this study, data were collected in a private kindergarten school, by means of video recordings of classes in which both teacher and learners are engaged in interaction, and field notes from the teacher and from an observer. Data were analyzed through the lights of Halliday#s Systemic Functional Linguistics Mood choices and Bernstein#s pedagogic discourse regulative and instructional registers. Besides analyzing the way the children addressed the FL teacher and her use of the mother tongue, I also tried to evince the Mood structures and modality choices involved in this study, more specifically the choices made by the teacher in order to promote interactions. Moreover, the realization of the frequent use of the regulative register in terms of the teacher#s directions, suggesting acceptable behaviours was also investigated. The study is intended to contribute to make teachers of VYL aware of the role teachers# discourse to promote interactions and facilitate pedagogic practices.

Children today encounter the English language on a wide scale, even outside the school walls. As they are exposed to various forms of English language input, they inevitably pick up a certain level of proficiency, which they can later use on their own. This study aims to more precisely research through which mediums English learners in primary school worldwide tend to encounter English the most, as well as how engaging in English activities outside the classroom might affect their English proficiency. By studying prior research on the subject through content analysis, it was found that, while there are some regional differences in terms of prevalence, children mainly encounter English through television, music, and computer games. It was also found that many children who had never before received any English training still possessed a level of English proficiency. These findings shed light on the importance of input for language acquisition as well as how children’s extramural interests can be of importance in the classroom setting.

The general aim of this study is to contemplate the effects of interactive multimedia English story program in relation to its support in English learning. Thus, the research includcs the design, implementation, and evaluation ofthe software in an EFL situation. Evidence from neuroscience suggests that cognitive and socio-emotional factors are not separate but intertwined and importantly contribute to learning. i investigated this possibility in the context ofICT in English language teaching in Korea. I designed an interactive multimedia English story program based on one ofthe Oxford reading tree story books using user centred design model. The underlying design structure of the software is the integrated view of learning which has abundant opportunities to interact with the characters in the story based on the sociocultural theory.The simulation of human support in learning using computer software is intended to provide support for English learning in terms of both cognitive and emotional aspects. I tested the software with 73 children in South Korea. The data collection tools used in the study is test, questionnaire, observation and interview. The children were assessed twice in pre and post tests to evaluate the effects of the software in relation to English learning. The questionnaire is designed to collect the children's general impression on the software. I observed and interviewed 20 children in the group for more specific information on their - -- ------------feelings aild English learriirirfin-rel<iti6n-to-tne soft\vaie-:--~-~-------------- - The results from test and interview data analysis indicate that the interaction and the animations in the software appear to have positive effects in relation to supporting the children's understanding of the meaning of English. In addition, they also show their contribution to support recognising and understanding of English words and sentences of children in reading and '''Titing. The results from questionnaire and interview provide positive influence on children's emotion and engagement in relation to the characters' action in the story. The study concludes that more frequent interaction could enhance the quality of interactive multimedia English story software in terms of its effect on learning result. In addition, the use of computer support for difficult English words could help learners in both cognitive and emotional factors. However, this result needs more research for its generalization since the scale of the research is not large enough. Further research on this topic could create effective, motivational and realistic computer simulated English learning environment in EFL situation. Key words: CALL in EFL context, Life~like pedagogical agent, cognitive and socioemotional aspects oflearning.

This research study explores to what extent reading aloud is beneficial for vocabulary acquisition. Based on research statistics provided by Eurostat (2020) the majority of students in Sweden learn English as a foreign language. Therefore, the focus of the study is based on investigating the EFL classroom in Sweden. The research question this study is based on is to what extent reading aloud is beneficial for teaching English as a foreign language in the Swedish school from grade one to three in terms of children's ability to learn vocabulary. The method used for this research to collect scientific journals, dissertations and related research that can contribute to this discussion and result of this study is collected through different electronic databases. The access to studies conducted in an EFL classroom was rather restrictive and therefore the majority of the studies used were conducted on children who studied English as a first language in preschool and grade one to three in primary school. Whilst the selected studies target groups differed in age, findings indicate that the benefits of only reading aloud have little influence on children’s vocabulary acquisition. However, findings also presented that using word explanation and repetition during read aloud is shown to be more beneficial for vocabulary acquisition.

L’objectiu d’aquesta tesi és analitzar els efectes d’un programa AICLE d’exposició mínima (1 hora setmanal) en la producció oral en anglès d’un grup d’alumnes catalans de primària i traçar-ne el seu desenvolupament durant un període de dos anys acadèmics. Gran part dels estudis que han investigat l’impacte de l’AICLE en la competència lingüística anglesa com a llengua estrangera indiquen que els alumnes que han rebut aquest tipus d’instrucció obtenen millors resultats que els alumnes que han estat exposats a classes d’anglès tradicionals. Malgrat això, cal esmentar que la majoria d’estudis sobre AICLE presenten una sèrie de limitacions metodològiques que podrien haver afectat els resultats obtinguts. Així doncs, amb l’objectiu de superar algunes de les limitacions trobades en estudis previs, aquesta tesi presenta un estudi longitudinal en el que el número d’hores d’exposició a l’anglès que han rebut el grup control (N=20) i el grup AICLE (N=32) s’ha mantingut constant durant els tres temps (T1, T2 i T3) en els que les dades del grup control i el grup AICLE s’han comparat. Els instruments emprats per a la recollida de dades són una entrevista personal i una narració. Les dades orals han estat analitzades analíticament per mitjà de mesures de complexitat proposicional, sintàctica i lèxica, correcció gramatical i fluïdesa. Els resultats obtinguts en aquestes mesures han sigut sotmesos a tests estadístics basats en un model regressiu logístic longitudinal en el que s’analitza, per una banda, el grau d’assoliment dels alumnes control i AICLE en les diferents mesures al T1, T2 i T3, i per l’altra, el progrés dels dos grups d’un temps a l’altre (T0-T1, T1-T2, T2-T3 i T0-T3). Aquests dos tipus d’anàlisis també s’han portat a terme tenint en compte el nivell de proficiència en anglès dels alumnes, per tal d’explorar si la metodologia AICLE beneficia o perjudica aquells alumnes que tenen un nivell de proficiència baix en anglès. A més dels anàlisis comparatius realitzats entre alumnes control i AICLE, aquest estudi també ofereix un anàlisi més qualitatiu en el que la llengua produïda per una selecció d’alumnes control i AICLE amb diferents nivells de fluïdesa ha estat descrita a fi de poder determinar les característiques mofosintàctiques més rellevants de la producció oral en anglès dels alumnes de primària. Els resultats obtinguts dels anàlisis comparatius entre alumnes control i AICLE mostren un efecte positiu de l’AICLE cap al final de l’estudi (després de dos anys d’exposició) en els nivells de fluïdesa principalment. Malgrat això, els resultats no assoleixen un nivell estadísticament significatiu. La falta de resultats significatius en aquest estudi és atribuïda al tipus de programa AICLE implementat (1 hora setmanal), a la falta d’atenció a la llengua en contextos AICLE i a la manca d’activitats per al desenvolupament de la competència oral en anglès. Aquests resultats són similars als resultats obtinguts en contextos d’immersió francesa al Canada en tant que el desenvolupament de les destreses productives dels alumnes semblen rebre poca atenció. Per últim, amb l’objectiu de contribuir a una millora en la implementació de programes AICLE, l’estudi presenta una sèrie d’implicacions pedagògiques per fomentar el desenvolupament de la competència oral en anglès en contextos AICLE.<br>This thesis aims at analysing the effects of minimal CLIL exposure programmes (1 hour a week) on Catalan young learners’ oral output in English to trace its development over a period of two academic years. Most studies investigating the impact of CLIL on the linguistic competence in English as L2 point out that learners who have been exposed to CLIL instruction outperform learners who have received regular EFL lessons. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that the majority of CLIL research presents a series of methodological limitations which might have affected the results obtained. Thus, in an attempt to overcome some of the limitations found in previous research, this thesis presents a longitudinal study in which amount of English exposure between control and CLIL groups is kept constant at the times in which data from the two groups is compared (T1, T2 and T3). The data collection instruments are a personal interview and a narrative task. The oral data has been analysed analytically using propositional, syntactic and lexical complexity, accuracy and fluency measures. The results obtained in these measures have been submitted to statistical analyses based on a longitudinal logistic regression model, in which control and CLIL learners’ degree of achievement in the different measures at T1, T2 and T3 and degree of progress from one time to another (T0-T1, T1-T2, T2-T3 i T0-T3) have been analysed. These two analyses have also been conducted considering the learners’ proficiency level so as to explore whether low achievers in English benefit or are at disadvantage in CLIL settings. In addition to the comparative analyses between control and CLIL learners, this study also provides a more qualitative analysis in which the oral output in English produced by a selection of control and CLIL learners with different fluency levels has been described with the objective of determining the most relevant morphosyntactic characteristics of young learners’ oral output in English. The results obtained from the comparative analyses between control and CLIL learners show a positive effect of CLIL at the end of the study (after two years of exposure) in their fluency levels, mainly. However, the results do not reach statistical significance. The lack of significant results in this study is attributed to the type of CLIL programme implemented, the lack of attention to linguistic form and the lack of tasks to develop the learners’ oral production skills in English. These results resemble those obtained in French immersion contexts in Canada inasmuch as the development of the learners’ productive skills seems to receive little attention. Finally, this study presents a series of pedagogical implications to promote the development of oral productive skills in CLIL settings in an attempt to contribute to the improvement in the implementation of CLIL programmes.

Although there is a wealth of literature exploring the benefits of annotations on vocabulary learning and reading comprehension, very little exists on whether this tool is useful to young learners. Studies with adult learners show that annotations are, by and large, beneficial but, nevertheless, can be problematic for those learners with a lower working memory capacity. For these reasons it is necessary to establish whether hypermedia annotations are suitable for young learners who naturally have a lower working memory capacity than adults. The effects of annotations must be examined using a theoretical framework and research design that are suitable for this age group. This study investigates the impact of annotations on young learners’ immediate vocabulary recall and reading comprehension. The research was conducted on 112 Kuwaiti EFL learners studying in public schools at year 4. An experimental research approach was adopted using two treatment groups and one control. A within-subjects design was set in place with a counterbalance method whereby all participants sat for three reading conditions: Treatment A (Picture + L2 audio), Treatment B (Picture + L1 translation) and control (no annotations). Quantitative data were gathered using pre-tests, post-tests and software log files. Qualitative data were gathered through focus groups which took place during the last week of the experiment. The findings suggest that reading with annotations promotes immediate vocabulary recall but does not affect reading comprehension either positively or negatively. No significant differences were found between the two treatments for vocabulary recall and reading comprehension. Qualitative data from the focus group indicated that the participants may have experienced some disorientation as they reported difficulty concentrating on both annotations and text. The quantitative data, however, from pre-tests and post-tests did not substantiate these claims. It was, therefore, hypothesised that participants exerted an extra mental effort which compensated for any disorientation. Further research is needed to verify whether this is indeed the case and to determine what, if any, are the long-lasting effects.