scholarly journals Challenges of students discipline in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes: A case of primary schools in Dembi Dollo and Nekemte towns of Oromia Region, Ethiopia

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 13-21
Author(s):  
Geleta Aliye
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary Schools

scholarly journals Motivation towards the foreign language (English) and regional language (Basque) in immersion schools: Does CLIL in the foreign language make a difference?

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110317
Author(s):  
Amparo Lázaro-Ibarrola ◽  
Raúl Azpilicueta-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
School System ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
School Context ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Motivation To Learn ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
Regional Language

Motivation to learn languages strongly correlates with language achievement, and the school context has a great influence on the motivation of young learners (YLs). A key rationale for the implementation of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) programs, therefore, was pupil motivation. Very few studies have measured motivation in this context, especially in primary schools. Even fewer have done so in bilingual areas, where the continuation of widespread use of the regional language often depends on its presence in the school system and where CLIL reduces this presence. To address these gaps, motivation towards the foreign language (FL), English, and the regional language, Basque, was measured in 399 YLs of English (aged 10–12 years) in Basque immersion schools. The learners were divided into a CLIL group ( n = 230), with English as a foreign language (EFL) and CLIL lessons, and a non-CLIL group ( n = 169), which received only EFL lessons. Results showed that the CLIL learners had a more positive attitude towards English and a slightly lower motivation towards Basque. This suggests that increasing the amount of exposure to the foreign language (FL) via CLIL lessons improves the motivation towards English but could decrease the instrumental motivation towards the regional language.

scholarly journals Bilingual advantage in early EFL pronunciation accuracy of German 4th-graders

2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692199681
Author(s):  
Teresa Kieseier
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Social Background ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Error Sources ◽  
Common Error ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Background Factors ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Error Types

Aims and Objectives: We compared speech accuracy and pronunciation patterns between early learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) with different language backgrounds. We asked (1) whether linguistic background predicts pronunciation outcomes, and (2) if error sources and substitution patterns differ between monolinguals and heterogeneous bilinguals. Methodology: Monolingual and bilingual 4th-graders ( N = 183) at German public primary schools participated in an English picture-naming task. We further collected linguistic, cognitive and social background measures to control for individual differences. Data and Analysis: Productions were transcribed and rated for accuracy and error types by three independent raters. We compared monolingual and bilingual pronunciation accuracy in a linear mixed-effects regression analysis controlling for background factors at the individual and institutional level. We further categorized all error types and compared their relative frequency as well as substitution patterns between different language groups. Findings: After background factors were controlled for, bilinguals (irrespective of specific L1) significantly outperformed their monolingual peers on overall pronunciation accuracy. Irrespective of language background, the most frequent error sources overlapped, affecting English sounds which are considered marked, are absent from the German phoneme inventory, or differ phonetically from a German equivalent. Originality: This study extends previous work on bilingual advantages in other domains of EFL to less researched phonological skills. It focuses on overall productive skills in young FL learners with limited proficiency and provides an overview over the most common error sources and substitution patterns in connection to language background. Significance/Implications: The study highlights that bilingual learners may deploy additional resources in the acquisition of target language phonology that should be addressed in the foreign language classroom.

scholarly journals Pragmatics in Teacher Talk: The Case of Pre-Primary Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
Júlia Barón ◽  
Helena Roquet ◽  
Natalia Evnitskaya ◽  
Noelia Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Primary Teachers ◽  
Teacher Talk ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Efl Classrooms ◽  
L1 English

This study aims to explore how the speech act of requesting is performed in Catalan (L1), English (L1) and EFL classrooms by pre-primary teachers. The study examines transcripts of 40-minute video-recorded lessons (six in Catalan/L1, six in English/FL, and three in English/L1) collected in several pre-primary schools in Catalonia, Spain. Recall interviews with the teachers were also conducted in order to examine their perceptions of their pragmatic performances in the classroom. Results show that teachers predominantly use imperatives in the three groups (Catalan L1, English L1 and EFL); however, a wider variety of requesting strategies is used in the L1 lessons. The study concludes with reflections on the pedagogical implications of the findings and calls for the need to raise teachers’ awareness about the effect their language use might have on the development of learners’ pragmatic competence both in the L1 and the foreign language.

scholarly journals CLIL teachers in Finland

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 79-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sotiria Pappa ◽  
Josephine Moate ◽  
Maria Ruohotie-Lehty ◽  
Anneli Eteläpelto
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
The One ◽  
Intuitive Sense

Research on emotions has yielded many theoretical perspectives and many concepts. Yet, most scholars have focused on how emotions influence the transformation and maintenance of teacher identities in the field of teacher education and novice teachers, with little research being conducted on either experienced or foreign language teachers. This study explores emotions in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) teachers’ work and their role in identity negotiation. The data is based on interviews with thirteen CLIL teachers working at six different primary schools around Finland, while the analysis draws on Meijers’ (2002) model of identity as a learning process. According to this model, a perceived boundary experience usually generates negatively accented emotions, which are negotiated in light of one’s professional identity by means of two complementary processes, i.e. intuitive sense-giving and discursive meaning-giving. The predominant emotional experiences that were identified were, on the one hand, hurry and frustration, and on the other hand, contentment and empowerment. Intuitive sense-giving mostly entailed reasoning, self-reliance, resilience, and empathy. Discursive meaning-giving mostly entailed the ideas of autonomy and of the CLIL team. This study highlights the need for sensitivity toward teachers’ emotions and their influence on teacher identity. It concludes with suggestions for theory, further research and teacher education.

scholarly journals Digitally-supported language exchanges in primary school: The AlpConnectar project

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 795-843
Author(s):  
Luca Botturi ◽  
Daniela Kapler ◽  
Lucio Negrini
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
The Third ◽  
Swiss Cantons ◽  
Silver Bullet

This article presents the design, implementation and outcomes of AlpConnectar, a Swiss project that exploits technologies for digitally-supported language exchange (LE) in primary schools. Launched in 2013, the project involves three Swiss cantons where different languages are spoken (namely German, French and Italian) and respectively taught as foreign languages since the third grade of primary school. In the first section of the paper the linguistic composition of Switzerland is briefly presented and the current methodologies and approaches in foreign language teaching in the country are introduced. After a literature review of online LE practices, the AlpConnectar project is presented, along with a LE example to illustrate how it works. The final sections present the results of the project, based on data collected from both pupils and teachers. The results seem to suggest that while digital technologies offer significant benefits for LEs, they are no silver bullet, and their impact depends on a number of contextual variables.

English language learning and teaching styles in two Turkish primary schools

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1117-1128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilknur Pekkanli Egel
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
Teaching Styles ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students

Foreign language learning styles are aimed at facilitating students' learning and therefore the teaching style used is important in terms of matching learners' styles to their educational needs. The present study was aimed at investigating several dimensions of primary school students' language learning styles and the ways in which certain styles are shaped and favored by teachers' teaching styles. The primary aim was to find out whether or not the measures taken by the Turkish Ministry of Education regarding rectifying the shortage of teachers of English as a foreign language have had an effect on the learning styles of primary school students. The secondary aim was to examine the varying learning styles of EFL students in two primary schools and to establish whether or not there has been a change in these learning styles. Finally, the researcher examined whether or not the economic conditions of the schools had an influence on the students' learning styles.

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