Supporting early oral language skills for preschool ELL in an EFL context, Mauritius: possibilities and challenges

Abstract

In Mauritius, Kreol is the home language of the majority of school children, while English is the main language of literacy and the main written medium of instruction as from the first year of primary schooling. This has had a backwash effect on the preschool sector, where English is introduced. A cross-sectional study of local preschools revealed that while English number names are systematically taught, there is less planning in the teaching of general English vocabulary. This article reports on a comparative study of a 'regular' English preschool class and an Oral English Intervention Programme in two local preschools over 2005. The comparison between pre-test and post-test results showed that the children in both programmes improved significantly in receptive English vocabulary, with the experimental subjects unsurprisingly outperforming the 'regular' group. However, the implementation of the intervention programme revealed the many potential challenges of teaching English to pre-schoolers in an English-poor environment.

PROTOCOL: Language interventions for improving the L1 and L2 development of dual language learners in early education and care: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…These approaches use small groups or individual lessons. They can either be (A) structured with a manual and material (Sachse et al, 2012 ) or (B) unstructured/flexible without fix content (Auleear Owadally, 2015 ). Integrated, interaction‐based strategies in classrooms The teacher has a special focus on language supporting interaction strategies (e.g., open questioning, expanding and extending ideas and utterances, corrective feedback, etc.)…”

“…These approaches use small groups or individual lessons. They can either be (A) structured with a manual and material (Sachse et al, 2012) or (B) unstructured/flexible without fix content (Auleear Owadally, 2015). …”

“…(2b) “Additive small group interventions” often address a specific group of children (e.g., DLLs) as well as different linguistic abilities like vocabulary or grammatical knowledge within more or less structured sessions. These sessions take place on one or several days per week (Auleear Owadally, 2015 ). Findings on the impact of additive language promotion programs with or without curriculum and standardized material are quite heterogeneous (e.g., Fricke et al, 2013 ; Hofmann et al, 2008 ; PCERI, 2008 ).…”

Teacher-level and context-level barriers to using English as a medium of instruction: A systematic review

“…Moreover, suitable instructional textbooks and materials that utilize the familiar culture of Malaysia should be developed to further the goal of more effective English language teaching and English language use in the classroom (Gultekin, 2006;Ntumi, 2016). Suitable programs at appropriate levels, times, durations and intensities should be set for preschool children to meet realistic needs and to stimulate, maintain and promote motivation (Auleear, 2015). c) Administrative support Without both good administrative support and whole-school resources, teachers cannot be expected to overcome the barriers preventing them from using the language.…”

Deconstructing and Re-Inventing the Concept of Multilingualism: A Case Study of the Mauritian Sociolinguistic Landscape

“…Schools constitute another institutionalised domain of language use and have been important research sites for sociolinguists (Tirvassen 1991(Tirvassen , 2003Auleear Owodally 2010, 2015aand 2015b. The education sector is thought to offer a microscopic view of the local linguistic context, where the hierarchical rapport among languages is more apparent as languages are categorised based on the functions assigned to them.…”