The experimental study presented in this paper explores the emergence and development of foreign language learner self-concepts in young learners. The study was conducted in the linguistically rich yet politically complex context of Catalonia, in a rural primary school. Within an action research framework, the study focused on selfefficacy beliefs and learner attributions and set out to address two principal research questions: i) To what do young language learners attribute their self-efficacy in the domain of foreign language learning? ii) How do these attributions affect their foreign language learner self-concept? Results showed strong causal links between learner attributions, self-efficacy levels, and emerging self-concepts. They also highlighted debilitating attributions which may be impeding the emergence of positive foreign language self-concepts. The pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed, as well as the need to distinguish between subject-based self-concept (e.g. language selfconcept or mathematics self-concept) and subject-specific learner self-concept. A spectrum of foreign language learner positions is proposed as a pedagogical tool to identify learner positions as a step towards developing positive and situated foreign language learner self-concepts.

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Current foreign language education policies advocate plurilingual approaches to learning and teaching languages and call into question the 'ideal native speaker' as the ultimate model. Observations within a teacher training context indicate that this ideal still holds considerable weight among pre-service teachers. A study was carried out with students enrolled on the degree programme in Early Childhood Education at a university in Catalonia to explore the extent to which the 'ideal native speaker' model prevails within this community. The study analysed data from different instruments applied within the context of a core module which includes an innovative approach to embedding English as a foreign language in the early years. Findings confirm the prevalence of the model and reveal beliefs and assumptions which not only perpetuate the ideal itself, but also reinforce disempowering and discriminatory attitudes which are incongruent with current policies regarding language education. Changes reported in post-intervention findings highlight the need to develop reflective skills alongside linguistic and didactic competences in Early Childhood EFL Education. One of the main contributions of the study is its identification of deficit views of non-specialist teachers and its call for collaborative practice in which all linguistic abilities have a place.

This article explores how teachers understand and implement motivational strategies in an ELT context. A qualitative study was carried out with 26 experienced in-service primary school teachers. The study identified initial understandings of the concept of motivation and specific ways in which teachers aim to implement motivational strategies in their classrooms. The findings verified the hypothesis that teachers' understandings of motivation are limited and do not reflect the theoretical advances made over recent decades in ELT-related motivational research. The study traced the changes in understandings resulting from a 30-hour in-service staff training programme developing a process-oriented approach to motivation. The results show that significant changes in understandings can be achieved through focused training activities, with participants expressing clear intentions to apply their new understandings to their practice in a way which will shift the emphasis from current teacher-centred approaches to more learner-sensitive environments.