Multisensory Language Teaching

This study aims to investigate the effects of multisensory vocabulary teaching (MSVT) on 4th-grade learners' English vocabulary knowledge. Accordingly, the experimental group was taught through MSVT while the control group was given mainstream coursebook-based instruction. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments were used. The non-parametric Wilcoxon tests yielded statistically significant differences regarding pupils' vocabulary achievement in favor of the experimental group both in the immediate post-vocabulary test and in the delayed post-vocabulary test. Furthermore, content analysis of the learners' diaries, teachers' blogs, and interviews revealed mostly positive views about learning words through MSVT compared to coursebook-based learning.

The Role of Delayed Output on Second/Foreign Language Pronunciation in Children

Effective language teaching can provide children with the satisfaction of succeeding in the challenge of learning a foreign language. All these issues must be taken under consideration when researching children and their teachers. Production training is under-investigated in L2 training studies, and despite the small number of studies with adults, there are very few studies of children. Even fewer attempts have been made to compare classroom instruction with computer-assisted training. The results show that output practice has an advantage over delayed production after only three weeks of training particularly in less marked sounds. Findings also show that learning English before the age of puberty does not warrant accent-free pronunciation.

Source-Based Writing in Secondary School

This chapter examines the instructional intervention aimed at enhancing source-based compare-contrast writing in the secondary school students. Conceptually, it relies on the schema theory as a cognitive basis for integrated reading-writing instruction. The theory asserts that writing and reading both generate meaning using similar cognitive processes and types of knowledge: meta-knowledge of reading and writing strategies in relation to communicative goals, domain and textual knowledge, procedural knowledge that involves integrating writing and processing information while reading the text. Methodologically, the instruction is based on read-write cycle and was carried out in a secondary public school of Kyiv, with the 10th-grade students being the participant (n=22). The general hypothesis about a positive impact of read-write cycle instruction is partially confirmed in the research, which is an indication of the necessity to give further insight into the issue.

Assessing Young Language Learners

In Chile, as in other countries that have been following an international trend the past decades, the age children start learning English has lowered. So, it has become imperative that teachers acquire the proper knowledge to instruct these young learners. However, it is common to find in language classrooms across the country teachers who do not have such training. This reality creates challenges in areas such as assessment, materials design, and professional development. This chapter presents a study that explores how Chilean teachers of English without previous experience or training in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) assess children in primary schools. Through an online survey, data was collected from 56 participants from the central zone of the country. The findings of this study are in line with those of previous studies conducted in different countries over the world, which suggests that the main issues regarding TEYL are cross-cultural.

Introducing CLIL Modules to Primary School Learners

The first steps in bilingual education are often taken in schools by introducing CLIL modules in content subjects. The present study is a longitudinal mixed methods study that explores the perspectives of all relevant stakeholders as well as the learning and teaching perspective at a German primary school that has introduced English CLIL modules. Data was gathered from questionnaires with parents after a year of CLIL instruction (n=120), learner questionnaires (n=240), teacher interviews (n=7), transcribed lessons, as well as parts of a large-scale test that was used for learners at the end of year 4 (n=63), which is the end of primary school in the German context. The data were triangulated in order to make inferences about the perspectives of the different stakeholders in a teaching development process that affects the entire school.

Enriching Teacher Motivation by Improving Teacher Education

Teacher motivation plays a crucial role in the learning and teaching of languages. Despite its importance, research on language teacher motivation is limited. On a different note, research on teacher education (TE) has exposed the ineffective preparation of teachers for the reality of the classroom. This chapter will discuss implications for language teacher training programs by establishing a link between teacher motivation and TE. This qualitative investigation was conducted in secondary state schools in Spain, and 23 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers participated. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore teacher demotivation to teach EFL, which in turn was associated to teachers' lack of training in inclusive and reflective practices. The findings revealed the demotivating influence of these two areas and explored how these could be tackled in TE while accounting for teachers' needs. By enhancing teacher training, the language classroom could become an inclusive and reflective space for young learners and teachers.

Craft and Project Work for Young Language Learners

Most young learners love craft projects, whether it's drawing, coloring, or creating. For this reason, many language teachers have incorporated craft projects into their classes. Although craft activities are enjoyable, there is a real risk that very little language acquisition may take place, if the planning and realization of the craft in class is not carefully carried out with language as a priority. This chapter will explain the benefits of incorporating craft projects within a second language learning curriculum and how these activities can be adapted to maximize language acquisition. There will be a clear explanation of the pedagogical background to incorporating craft projects as well as detailed descriptions of the types of craft projects that might be the most effective, and how to adapt craft projects to incorporate some of the best practices of teaching English to young learners.

The PETaL Approach to Bilingual and Intercultural Education in Early Childhood Education

García and Flores state that new pedagogies must respond to the complex bilingualism of students and to the heterogeneous classes of the 21st century. The main goal of this chapter is to describe the theoretical foundations of a new approach to bilingualism and interculturality in Early Childhood Education (ECE) called “the PETaL approach”, whose acronym stands for “Play, Education, Toys, and Languages”. PETaL is an approach and not a methodology in that it is a flexible model of bilingual implementation that adapts its key methodological principles to the particular context in which it is developed. Moreover, it is an approach that entails intercultural education as a constitutive axis of accommodation and plasticity, which are sine qua non conditions of it. The PETaL approach is framed in the European space, which offers a suitable international and socio-educational context where it has begun to be experimented and which has already attached itself to incipient research.

Equitable Assessment and Evaluation of Young Language Learners

This chapter discusses major contributions in research and professional assessment development and reviews key classifications in young language learner assessment (YLLA). Using the five-level metric (close, immediate, proximal, distal, and remote) by Ruiz-Primo et al., the authors classify assessments as curriculum aligned or non-aligned. Inequalities limiting access to learning and to opportunities for achievement (economic status, pre-primary education, digital environment) are linked to the five metrics. They review international examinations for YLLs (Cambridge, TOEFL, Pearson) and measure their alignment with an interactive and performative-enacted curriculum. Recommendations are given for separating external assessments as local or international in washback phenomena, for the inclusion of national assessment specialists in the research paradigm, and for greater attention to language assessment literacy in teacher training. The authors predict that increases in distance and digital learning will determine future forms of YLLA and exacerbate existing inequities.

Breaking the Stereotypes

Creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration are 21st-century skills that prepare individuals to succeed in the changing world. Therefore, there is a strong pedagogical need to promote these skills in EFL classrooms, given that meaningful language learning enables learners to use English as a tool for effective communication. However, the Chinese learning culture has long been criticised for being reluctant to develop thinking skills. Hence, this study aims to break the stereotypes and to find out how teachers promote thinking skills in Chinese primary EFL classrooms. The key finding reveals the use of silence as an opportunity to promote thinking, whereas challenges, such as insufficient pedagogical knowledge, are also identified from classroom interaction. Pedagogical suggestions are put forward for teacher educators and teachers in the field of language education.