Primary modern foreign language teaching: a picture of one county

Naysmith, John

doi:10.1080/09571739985200211

Cited by 3 publications

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“…In England primary languages were to become compulsory with the new primary national curriculum (QCDA 2010) but the new government did not pass the law and there is currently a question mark over the future of foreign languages. Research findings on primary language learning have demonstrated that it increases children's self-esteem, enhances their motivation and enthusiasm for language learning and contributes to the development of positive attitudes towards other cultures (Blondin et al 1998;Kubanek-German 1998;Naysmith 1999;Pufahl et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing children's language learner strategies at primary school

Kirsch

2012

Education 3-13

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Developing children's language learner strategies at primary school This article discusses the strategy repertoires and strategy development of six English children who learned foreign languages at primary school. My study differs from mainstream research in that it focuses on young children and on the development of their strategies, draws on sociocultural theory and uses ethnographic methods. My findings show that the six children developed a range of strategies over the course of a calendar year in spite of receiving no direct strategy instruction. The primary classroom encouraged learner autonomy and stimulated children to reflect on their learning which, in turn, enabled them to refine their strategies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing children's language learner strategies at primary school

Kirsch

2012

Education 3-13

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Primary modern foreign languages: an overview of recent research, key issues and challenges for educational policy and practice

Hunt

Barnes

Powell

et al. 2005

Research Papers in Education

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There has never been a UK-wide policy for primary modern foreign language provision.Scotland, which has for many years managed its educational affairs autonomously, introduced foreign languages into its primary schools over a decade ago. Wales has formulated its own primary and secondary curriculum with due respect for Welsh, tending to give greater priority to its national language than other languages. Northern Ireland, similarly, has had to take account of its indigenous language and has never developed a foreign language programme for young learners. Recent government documents relating to England (DfES 2002), however, have outlined an entitlement for all primary school children in England to learn a language by 2012. In order to achieve this the DfES has provided additional funding for 19 LEA-led Pathfinder projects to identify sustainable and replicable models. It is appropriate at this point to review the current situation in order to gauge progress and development. This article, written by a research team funded by the DfES to evaluate the Pathfinder projects, outlines the national and international research context, the current national context and the key issues and challenges facing these local education authorities.Keywords: primary modern foreign languages, early foreign language learning, 2 'A nation's fate will depend, in the end, on the quality of the education its children get in language'. (Comenius, 1630) National and international research context Age and L2 learningThere has been considerable research into the relevance of age in foreign language (L2) learning. The critical period hypothesis (CPH) which has given birth to the "younger the better" claim maintains that young children have a special instinctive capacity including both speech and morpho-syntactic development, that their brain has plasticity before it lateralises and that they can acquire L2 in similar ways to their mother tongue (L1). As a result, it is a common assertion by those promoting early foreign language learning 1 'It should be obvious that, given the conflicting evidence and contrasting viewpoints that still exist, parents, educational institutions or ministries of education should be exceedingly cautious about translating what they read about the CPH research into personal practice or public policy' (Scovel, 2000).(EFLL) that age is an important factor contributing to success at school due to this special capacity. Indeed, this argument is used regularly, for example, by elementary schools in the USA, to justify and advertise their foreign language programmes and has no doubt contributed to the rapid growth of such provision. For example, a survey by Rhodes and Branaman (1999) concluded that 31% of elementary schools there are offering some form of EFLL, an increase of 10% over the decade since the previous survey. However, researchers today are more critical about this hypothesis and recent publications advise caution about the CPH as a valid basis for early language learning policies:There remain, however, widely a...

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