An ever-increasing trend of early foreign language teaching requires adequate responses to the university training of future kindergarten teachers. However, research in this area, including policies, ...suggests that the situation is not entirely satisfactory. This paper aims to determine the level of preparation of future teachers for teaching English to pre-primary children at individual universities in the Czech Republic. It presents findings obtained through quantitative content analysis of the syllabi of eight universities that provide education in the field of teacher training for kindergartens and focus on the preparation of future teachers for English tuition. The results show that courses for English tuition in kindergarten are not implemented by every university. Universities differ in their emphasis on foreign language tuition in kindergarten, which is reflected in the number and content of provided courses.
This study assesses the impact of internal and external factors on very young EFL learners in an instructional setting. 71 child English learners in China (onset age: 2;0 - 5;6) were involved: their ...receptive vocabulary, productive vocabulary and receptive grammar were taken as outcome variables, and age of onset, short-term memory, nonverbal intelligence, English input quantity and quality, English use, and maternal English level were taken as predictive variables. Multiple regression analyses, verified by Bayes factor comparisons, revealed that the total amount of school input and home English media environment were significant predictors for all of three aspects of English proficiency, with each aspect having different additional significant predictors. Both internal factors (e.g., age of onset) and external factors (e.g., English input quantity) played an important role, but in contrast to similar studies (e.g., Paradis, 2011) focusing on a L2 naturalistic setting, external factors explained more variance of English proficiency measures.
This paper presents the introduction of a new instructional tool for Initial Teacher Education in Early Childhood language at “St. Kliment Ohridski” University of Sopa in Bulgaria. The aim of the ...study was to train university undergraduate students in the Narrative Format model of foreign language teaching and learning, and to conduct research into their opinions and evaluation of the course at the end of the academic year. Our belief was that students’ evaluation of the course that was onered to them would conprm its value as an educational tool. The results proved that Bulgarian students are in search of, and open to new working methodologies and classroom practices. As a result of the positive outcomes and students’ extremely positive evaluation of the model, it has been incorporated into their university studies and nursery practice for another consecutive year.
Die Rolle des Fremdsprachenunterrichts im frühen Alter erweist sich heutzutage aus verschiedenen Gründen als sehr wichtig. In der Fachliteratur gibt es verschiedene Ansätze zu diesem Thema, wobei ...vielerorts hervorgehoben wird, dass man in der Entwicklung des menschlichen Gehirns auf bestimme Phasen hinweisen kann, die beim Fremdsprachenerwerb beachtet werden sollten. Diese Phasen werden in der Fachliteratur mithilfe der Metapher des Zeitfensters bezeichnet. Die verschiedenen Aspekte des Fremdsprachenerwerbs von jungen Lernenden werden in dem 2019 erschienenen Band thematisiert, deren Ergebnisse in dem Beitrag präsentiert werden. The role of foreign language teaching at an early age is proving very important today for a variety of reasons. There are various approaches to this topic in the literature, many of which point out that in the development of the human brain, certain phases can be identified that should be taken into account in for-eign language learning. These phases are referred to in the literature using the time window metaphor. The various aspects of language learning by young learners will be addressed in the volume published in 2019, the results of which will be presented in the paper.
The shift to an earlier start in foreign language teaching in Finland took place nationwide in 2020. Both class teachers and subject teachers faced a new situation. They would be teaching children ...younger than before, or they would be teaching a completely new subject for them. This article examines teachers' conceptions of the skills and competencies, including required language skills, that are important for a teacher in early foreign language teaching. The data for this study were gathered through essays that teachers (n=44, subject teachers, class teachers, and double qualified teachers) turned in as tasks during an in-service teacher training for early teaching of foreign languages. The essays were analyzed with content analysis. The findings show that teachers found it the most essential that early foreign language teachers have enthusiasm for the job and are able to inspire learners. They also considered it important that teachers focus on learners and the learning environment, as well as have skills for early years pedagogy. The teachers did not consider foreign language education or language skills as important as the other skills but yet wished for teachers to be able to communicate in the target language in the class.
This book examines which factors lead to success in foreign language learning at an early age in instructional settings. The studies investigate learners aged between three and ten, their parents and ...teachers, and focus on the development of speaking and reading skills and how attitudes and motivation impact on the teaching and learning process.
The case study aims to provide insights into how a Hungarian EFL teacher used tests, assessed her young learners and gave feedback to them in the classroom. This qualitative, exploratory study was a ...follow-up to a large-scale project. In this single-case study, data were collected from an EFL teacher and five of her seventh graders on what tasks she used to assess them and how. The participants were interviewed. For the purpose of triangulation, the students were also audio- and video-recorded while doing four speaking tasks, and two classes were observed. The results revealed that for the teacher with decades of teaching experience there was room for improvement in her knowledge of age-appropriate teaching methodology and that some of her beliefs and practices reflected a lack of understanding how children develop. She had difficulty diagnosing her students’ strengths and weaknesses. The learners were rarely provided with feedback on their performance and language development; therefore, they did not see how much they had progressed. Low achievers had a hard time catching up with their peers; and they lagged further behind. The teacher seemed to be more interested in what her students did not know rather than focusing on what they could do.
This paper presents results of a research into the importance of attitude of Slovenian public elementary school management toward the learning and teaching of English as the first foreign language in ...the first triad. The first foreign language (FL 1) was introduced into the second grade of some elementary schools in the beginning of the school year 2014/2015. This was done on a trial basis as part of a three-year project that has been prolonged for another two years in June 2015. FL 1 teaching ought to be carried out in the target language which is in accordance with the CLIL approach that integrates content and language learning (CLIL). The purpose of the research was to carry out a survey into the attitude of the school management towards the introduction of FL 1 into the second grade, since it shares a certain attitude towards the introduction of FL 1. A letter has been sent to the elementary schools which have introduced FL 1 at the beginning of school year 2014/2015, accompanied by an 18 item survey in form of a 5-point Likert scale. Statistically significant differences in attitudes were proven as regards the age, years in service and education of the respondents, especially among those with completed postgraduate education.
The article presents the phenomenon of very early foreign language teaching (i.e. in the preschool years) from the linguistic and pedagogical perspective. It begins with dispelling the myth about the ...necessity of ‘an early start’ for ensuring future competence, pointing at the relevance of cognitive, affective and social factors influencing the outcomes. Then it presents the possible achievements and crosslinguistic influences in language acquisition of a very young child. Finally, it outlines the critical aspects of FL methodology that are necessary for progress in early FLL.
Le monde, depuis des millénaires, est bâti sur les fondations de sociétés bilingues. Or, ce « parler multiple » semble depuis toujours être source de conflit. Loin d’être considéré comme une ...richesse, le bilinguisme (ou plurilinguisme) semble plutôt représenter un problème auquel on tâcherait de trouver une solution. « La multiplicité » dit Louis-Jean Calvet (1999), « est chose mauvaise, on lui préfère de façon toute jacobine un bon gros Etat monolingue bien cerné dans ses frontières politiques et linguistiques ».La région caraïbe occupe une place tout à fait intéressante sur cette scène en perpétuel mouvement qu’est la mondialisation. Ces pays/îles doivent continuellement chercher l’équilibre entre appartenance locale, régionale et internationale, grand nombre d’entre eux luttant toujours aujourd’hui pour concilier leur statut d’anciennes colonies et le rythme rapide de la mondialisation. Cette thèse porte sur la place des langues vivantes dans les écoles du premier degré à la Martinique et à la Dominique et sur les enjeux d’un enseignement bilingue pour ces deux îles qui appartiennent à la fois à la Caraïbe et au monde. Nous proposons, dans un premier temps, une étude de la situation actuelle de l’enseignement des langues dans les deux îles : quelles sont les politiques linguistiques dans les deux contextes? Dans quelle mesure sont-elles mises en œuvre? L’enseignement des langues répond-il aux exigences des textes officiels ? Les politiques linguistiques sont-elles adaptées aux réalités sociolinguistiques de ces îles ? Dans un deuxième temps, nous interrogeons la possibilité d’un enseignement bilingue dès l’école préélémentaire dans les îles de la Martinique et de la Dominique et nous expérimentons des approches d’enseignement des langues en milieu institutionnel et en contexte périscolaire. Nous nous interrogeons sur des modes de fonctionnement différents : ne pourrait-on pas imaginer d’autres manières de faire ? Que pouvons-nous proposer comme solutions complémentaires et/ou alternatives à l’existant ?Enfin, dans un troisième temps, dans une perspective plus globale, nous posons la question de l’éducation bilingue, par une approche comparée, en analysant les faits éducatifs dans deux systèmes différents et en nous intéressant à la question de l’altérité. La compréhension de l’Autre peut-elle améliorer l’existant dans le cas de la Martinique et de la Dominique ? Nous revenons ainsi à la question de l’intérêt et des enjeux d’une comparaison de l’enseignement des langues dans ces deux systèmes, en prenant en compte les identités locales, régionales et internationales à travers des analyses historiques et sociolinguistiques. A la suite de cette analyse, nous faisons des propositions concrètes en faveur d’un enseignement bilingue intégré dans ces deux îles. Ces propositions concernent les domaines tels que la didactique, la planification en éducation et le curriculum bilingue, la formation des enseignants et la politique linguistique de la Caraïbe. Notre question centrale est la suivante : comment enseigner aujourd’hui pour mieux préparer les citoyens caribéens au monde de demain ?
The Caribbean region occupies an interesting space in the perpetually changing scene of globalisation. Caribbean countries or islands must continually seek to balance their sense of belonging to a local, regional and international community. This is sometimes a difficult task as any of them are still fighting to balance their evolution as old colonies with the fast pace of globalisation in a new world.This thesis focuses on language teaching at primary level in the islands of Martinique and Dominica. It examines the many issues surrounding language teaching and questions the role of bilingual education in the development of these two Caribbean islands as they evolve within the Caribbean and the world. Firstly, we propose a careful study of the current situation of language teaching in Martinique and Dominica. What are the language policies of these islands? How and to what extent are they implemented? Does language teaching truly reflect the objectives of official texts? Are the present language policies adapted to the sociolinguistic reality of each island?Secondly, we raise the question as to the possibility of the implementation of bilingual education at the pre-primary level in the islands of Martinique and Dominica. We examine the question through the experimenting of different language teaching methods within a school setting and as part of an extracurricular bilingual program. Can we envision alternative approaches to the present situation? What complementary or alternative solutions can we propose to improve on what already exists?Lastly, we look at the subject from an overall perspective and we address the question of bilingual education. We analyse how comparative education, the study of other education systems and the understanding of others play a major role in developing solutions to present day situations. This analysis takes into account issues relating to local, regional and international identities through a study of the historical and sociolinguistic context of the islands of Dominica and Martinique.Based on our analysis and on the literature, we put forward concrete proposals for holistic bilingual education on the islands of Martinique and Dominica. These proposals focus on areas such as language teaching pedagogy, education planning, the bilingual curriculum, teacher training, and language policy for the Caribbean. The main question underlying this thesis is: how do we teach today to better prepare Caribbean citizens for the world of tomorrow?
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