TABLE OF CONTENTS
Editorial
Rod Ellis | pp. 107–110
SURVEY ARTICLES
Making the most of an early start to L2 instruction
Simone E. Pfenninger & David Singleton | pp. 111–138
Agency and technology-mediated task repetition with young learners: Research and implications for primary classroom practice
Annamaria Pinter | pp. 139–160
ARTICLES
‘It’s like having a test but in a fun way’: Young learners’ perceptions of a digital game-based assessment of early language learning
Louise Courtney & Suzanne Graham | pp. 161–186
Disambiguating recasts with prosodic and extra-linguistic cues in task-based interactions among young learners
Amy Kong & Gavin Bui | pp. 187–206
BOOK REVIEWS
Janet Enever. 2018. Policy and Politics in Global Primary English
Reviewed by Ying Yue & Xiaotang Cheng | pp. 207–213
Andy Pozzoni, Laura Kateri Leung, Jennifer Hardingham Cole & Sarah Jarboe (Eds.). 2017. Ready
Reviewed by Jingjie Hao | pp. 214–217
Abstract
Making the most of an early start to L2 instruction
Simone E. Pfenninger | University of Salzburg
David Singleton | Trinity College Dublin
Research over more than forty years has shown consistently that earlier L2 starters do not in the long term maintain the linguistic advantage of an early start over older starters. What, then, in the light of the widespread setting aside of the evidence regarding the apparent uselessness of an early start, is one to advise in respect of early L2 instruction? In this paper we discuss four factors which emerge as perhaps having relevance in this regard: the role of (bi)literacy skills, the role of language learning motivation, the role of factors relating to the transition from primary to secondary school, and the role of intensity of L2 instruction. We suggest that there are a number of broader macro-institutional factors, such as the impact of classroom experiences, that may impede the goal sought by the offering of numerous years of continued FL instruction.
Keywords: age factor, young learners, intensity, L2 motivation, literacy, bilingual advantage
Agency and technology-mediated task repetition with young learners: Research and implications for primary classroom practice
Annamaria Pinter | University of Warwick
This paper offers a review of the TBLT literature for young learners with an aim to identify some gaps where future research and classroom practice could be targeted. The specific focus of this review is on procedural task repetition for children, arguing that in addition to the linguistic benefits, task repetition is associated with important gains in the affective domain. It is suggested that technology-mediated task repetition, via tablet devices, can further enhance both opportunities for learning and confidence building and enjoyment. Due to the technological affordances, the learners are firmly in charge of creating dynamic, fluid tasks through cycles of reflection and practice, polishing their performance along the way, stretching towards their ‘upper potential’. To date research within TBLT with children has not explored yet what types of tasks children enjoy working with and why and how task repetition is realised when using tablet devices to record their own performances. This paper suggests steps that can be taken in this direction both in research and classroom practice.
Keywords: TBLT, task repetition, tablet devices, learner agency, technology-mediated learning
‘It’s like having a test but in a fun way’: Young learners’ perceptions of a digital game-based assessment of early language learning
Louise Courtney | University of Reading
Suzanne Graham | University of Reading
Assessment is a central challenge within classroom-based early language learning, where there is a need to employ assessment methods which, as well as being valid and reliable for a range of learners, protect rather than diminish motivation. The motivational properties of digital or serious games within language learning are increasingly recognised in the literature, yet the value of digital game-based assessment (DGBA) remains underexplored. This study used a questionnaire to examine how 3437 young language learners of English, Spanish, German, Italian and French perceived a DGBA tool and the extent to which their perceptions were modulated by age, gender and performance levels on the game.
Learners perceived the DGBA tool as fun to play, worth playing again, helpful for telling them about their progress and of moderate difficulty level. Girls were more positive than boys about the game but for all learners levels of positivity were not related to age. There was a significant but weak relationship between positivity and game scores, suggesting that learners liked the game regardless of their attainment levels. The study’s findings are discussed in relation to theories of motivation associated with digital game-based tools and their practical implications for the teaching of early language learners.
Keywords: digital game-based assessment, motivation, gender, age, early language learning
Disambiguating recasts with prosodic and extra-linguistic cues in task-based interactions among young learners
Amy Kong | The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
Gavin Bui | The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
This study investigates the relative effects of enhanced and unenhanced recasts on young learners’ question development in L2 English, examining whether enhanced recasts can contribute to disambiguation. Forty-six Secondary One students in Hong Kong were evenly divided into an enhanced recast group and an unenhanced recast group. Each participant participated in a pretest, followed by three treatment sessions in three consecutive weeks. Participants in the enhanced recast group received enhanced recasts with prosodic (tonal stress) and extra-linguistic (gestures and facial expressions) cues from the teacher, whereas those in the unenhanced recast group received normal recasts when they made mistakes when asking questions. After that, an immediate post-test and a two-week delayed post-test were carried out to examine participants’ progress in L2 question formation. The results of the immediate post-test showed that both types of recasts contributed to L2 advancement, but the effects of enhanced recasts were relatively strong as compared with unenhanced recasts. Both groups performed significantly better in the delayed post-test than in the pretest, indicating the robust effects of recasts (enhanced or unenhanced) on learning L2 question formation. However, the differences between the two groups were significantly reduced in the delayed post-test. In addition, the enhanced group scored significantly lower in the delayed post-test than in the immediate post-test, suggesting a greater degenerating effect of enhanced recasts than unenhanced recasts.
Keywords: recast, ambiguity, salience, task-based interactions, young learners, question formation, grammatical accuracy
