Input and language competence in early-start foreign language classrooms

Dahl, Anne

doi:10.1515/9783110378528-008

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 34 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This observed influence of exercise type on linguistic development processes is important for future measurements of MWU knowledge and, more generally speaking, communication abilities, because it indicates that linguistic development processes are inevitably context dependent, as suggested by UBL (Eskildsen, 2009). As demonstrated in previous work (e.g., Dahl, 2015), Kostka (2020) demonstrates that authentic and relevant contexts can stimulate young students' communicative scopes. Having partly predetermined contexts motivates students to ‘play’ with the learned MWUs and seems to create a fruitful catalyst for self‐initiated abstraction and generalisation processes (Kostka, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

The impact of multi‐word units in early foreign language learning and teaching contexts: A systematic review

Schulz

Hamilton

Wonnacott

et al. 2023

Review of Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This systematic review reports on research investigating the impact of multi‐word unit (MWU) input on young learners' second language (L2) attainment in instructed settings. Recent findings suggest that L2 learners can generalise from MWU input, abstract patterns and employ such schemata productively via slot‐filling, indicating that MWUs are key catalysts of learners' L2 development. Simultaneously, primary school L2 instruction is on the rise worldwide and the importance of MWUs is acknowledged in curricula, teacher education and teaching materials. Therefore, the incentive of this review is to systematically report the state of the art of research regarding the impact of MWU instruction in early L2 teaching contexts. The review covers English, German and French research into typically developing monolingual children aged 5–12 learning an L2 in instructed teaching settings. Only two of the total results (n = 2233) met the inclusion criteria. Following quality assessment using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and based on a narrative synthesis of available results, we cannot report trustworthy evidence of the effectiveness of teaching MWUs to young L2 learners. We highlight the lack of research evidence and conclude that existing research lacks robust evidence that MWU input already established in teaching contexts has a measurable effect on specific aspects of students' L2 attainment, such as productive skills. Although we promote MWU's potentially facilitating role in L2 development, we call for more classroom‐based intervention research on MWUs in primary school contexts to enable much‐needed evidence‐based recommendations for L2 teaching to support L2 learning outcomes in primary schools. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyResearch has shown that multi‐word units (MWUs) are key catalysts for L1 and L2 learning. MWUs are crucial to current primary school L2 teaching and their importance is acknowledged in curricula. This review systematically examines the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of MWU instruction on L2 attainment.Why the findings matterOur review cannot report trustworthy evidence of the effectiveness of teaching MWUs to young L2 learners. This lack of evidence is striking since early L2 instruction is on the rise worldwide and MWUs are already integral parts of L2 curricula, teacher education and teaching materials.Implications for the research community and policy makersGiven our findings, we call for more research in instructed settings to better understand the impact of MWU input on specific aspects of students' L2 attainment, such as productive skills. Based on such work, researchers could provide policy makers and practitioners with evidence‐based recommendations that help integrate MWU input into L2 curricula and teaching in such a way that is most beneficial for young students' L2 attainment.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

The impact of multi‐word units in early foreign language learning and teaching contexts: A systematic review

Schulz

Hamilton

Wonnacott

et al. 2023

Review of Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As demonstrated in previous work (e.g. Dahl, 2015), Kostka (2020) demonstrates that authentic and relevant contexts can stimulate young students' communicative scopes. Having partly predetermined contexts motivates students to 'play' with the learned MWUs and seems to create a fruitful catalyst for self-initiated abstraction and generalisation processes (Kostka, 2020).…”

Section: Effectiveness Of Mwu Inputmentioning

confidence: 55%

The impact of multi-word units in early foreign language learning and teaching contexts. A systematic review.

Schulz¹,

Hamilton²,

Wonnacott³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This systematic review reports on research investigating the effectiveness of multi-word unit (MWU) input in instructed foreign language (FL) settings on young learners’ L2 attainment. Recent findings suggest that L2 learners can generalise from MWU input, abstract patterns and employ such schemata productively via slot-filling, indicating that MWUs are key catalysts of learners’ L2 development. At the same time, primary school L2 instruction is on the rise worldwide. Congruously, the importance of MWUs in L2 development is acknowledged in primary school curricula, teacher education and teaching materials: MWUs are considered crucial in the L2 classroom. Therefore, the incentive of this review is to systematically report the state of the art of research regarding the impact of MWU instruction in early L2 teaching contexts. The review covers English, German and French research into typically developing monolingual children aged 5 to 12 learning FLs in instructed teaching settings. Only two of the total results (n=2,233) met the inclusion criteria. Following quality assessment using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and based on a narrative synthesis of available results, we cannot report trustworthy evidence of the effectiveness of teaching MWUs to young L2 learners. We conclude that the extant research lacks robust evidence that MWU input already established in teaching contexts has a measurable effect on specific aspects of students’ L2 attainment, such as productive skills. While we promote MWU’s potential facilitating role in L2 development, we call for more classroom-based intervention research on MWUs in primary school contexts to enable much needed evidence-based recommendations for L2 teaching to support L2 learning outcomes in primary schools.

show abstract

“…Such approaches align with a budding trend within the field of foreign language pedagogy, wherein an increasing number of studies have showcased the benefits of applying functional, usage‐based approaches to foreign language instruction in both formal and informal contexts. Such studies have included research with a focus on L2 English (e.g., Dahl, 2015; Eskildsen, 2012), L2 Japanese (e.g., Barraja‐Rohan, 2015), and L2 Spanish (e.g., Kissling et al, 2018; MacWhinney, 2015), as well as many others.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deconstructing the myth of Standard German: Navigating language ideologies in the L2 German university classroom

Milojičić

2022

Foreign Language Annals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Challenge Public university foreign language curricula often place an emphasis on grammar and correctness in their navigation of language teaching. Yet, such an emphasis fails to account for the nuanced ways languages are actually spoken in their countries of origin. How does the mismatch between prescribed teaching curricula on the one hand and actual language use on the other hand play out for L2 German instructors and students in the public university classroom? More particularly, how do such instructors and students negotiate the tension between standard academic German on the one hand and German and Austrian dialects on the other?

show abstract

Input and language competence in early-start foreign language classrooms

Cited by 5 publications

References 34 publications

The impact of multi‐word units in early foreign language learning and teaching contexts: A systematic review

The impact of multi‐word units in early foreign language learning and teaching contexts: A systematic review

The impact of multi-word units in early foreign language learning and teaching contexts. A systematic review.

Deconstructing the myth of Standard German: Navigating language ideologies in the L2 German university classroom

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About