Proximidad verbal y no-verbal del profesor y ansiedad en el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras en un curso universitario de inglés como lengua extranjera

How teachers communicate to students is one of the crucial elements that enhance affective and cognitive learning in a foreign language learning class. This study explores the perceptions of three groups of university students on verbal and nonverbal teacher immediacy and how this might be related to a decrease in foreign language anxiety. Significant differences between the groups were found in terms of immediacy and anxiety but no direct correlations were established. However, a qualitative analysis of the students’ perceptions indicated that teacher immediacy is indeed a key factor to motivate students, ease their pressure and favour their willingness to learn and participate in class.La manera como los profesores se comunican con sus alumnos es un elemento crucial para incentivar el aprendizaje afectivo y cognitivo en una clase de lengua extranjera. Este estudio analiza las percepciones de tres grupos de estudiantes universitarios sobre la proximidad verbal y no-verbal de sus profesores y como estas percepciones se relacionan con un posible descenso de la ansiedad en el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los grupos por lo que respecta a proximidad y ansiedad pero no se encontraron correlaciones directas. No obstante, un análisis cualitativo de las percepciones de los alumnos indicó que la proximidad del profesor es un factor determinante para motivar a los alumnos, relajar la presión y favorecer su disposición a aprender y participar en clase

EFL child peer interaction: Measuring the effect of time, proficiency pairing and language of interaction

Child peer interaction in English as a foreign language (EFL) settings has recently received increasing attention with respect to age, instruction type and first language (L1) use, but longitudinal studies remain scarce and the effects of proficiency pairing and language choice on meaning negotiation strategies are still rather unexplored. Within a primary school EFL context, this paper aims to explore the amount and types of meaning negotiation, and the effects of time, proficiency pairing and language choice in a spot-the-differences task. Forty Catalan/Spanish bilingual children were paired into mixed and matched proficiency dyads, and their oral production was analyzed twice over the course of two years (i.e., 9-10 and 11-12 years old). The analysis included conversational adjustments, self- and other-repetition and positive and negative feedback in the learners’ L1 and second language (L2). Our data show that the amount of meaning negotiation is low, although L2 meaning negotiation is higher than L1 meaning negotiation, and all the strategies are present in the data except for comprehension checks. Time effects are hardly observed. However, proficiency pairing and language effects are more generally found, whereby mixed proficiency dyads tend to negotiate for meaning more than matched dyads and meaning negotiation instances are more frequent in the L2 than in the L1.The authors wish to acknowledge the research group EFLIC (2017SGR752) at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Alexandra Vraciu is a Serra Húnter Fellow at the Facultat de Ciències de l’Educació (Universitat de Lleida)

Students' English-medium instruction motivation in three English-medium instruction courses in China

English-medium instruction (EMI) has been spreading rapidly as the result of China's movement to internationalize its HEIs (higher education institutions). However, there is a dearth of research studies on students' motivation in EMI contexts, which should not only explore students' Foreign Language Learning (FLL) motivation in isolation but the highlights of integrating both content and language learning as a complex. This paper specifically reports on the development of students' EMI motivation and anxiety over one semester and compares three disciplines: International Trade, Film Production, and Project Management. Pre-post questionnaires and post focus group interviews were administered to students. Results showed that students generally had high EMI motivation and anxiety though the levels decreased from pre to post phases. The International Trade group had greater motivation, particularly instrumental motivation. Findings are discussed in relation to the existing literature and the local context. Pedagogical and institutional-level implications for policies are also provided

The Effects of Using L1 Translation on Young Learners’ Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning

In the field of foreign language (FL) vocabulary acquisition, there seems to be a growing awareness of the fact that the mother tongue (L1) might have a facilitating role for language learners. Research has found evidence to support the positive effects of using the L1 as an instructional tool, particularly at the initial stages of FL learning. The present study explores the role that the L1 plays in young learners’ retention of and access to English vocabulary. An experimental group and the corresponding control group of 10-11 year-old children in an EFL Catalan school context were recruited for the study. The experimental group was exposed to both the English input and the L1 translation of the target items, whereas the control group received just the English input. Differences between the groups in terms of lexical retention and lexical access were analysed. Results of the present study suggest that providing students with the L1 equivalents of the lexical items results in learners retaining more lexical items, accessing them with greater ease and recalling them for longer periods of time.En el campo del aprendizaje del vocabulario de una lengua extranjera, parece haber cada vez más conciencia del hecho que la lengua materna (L1) podría tener un papel facilitador para los aprendices de una lengua extranjera. La investigación ha evidenciado los efectos positivos del uso de la L1 como una herramienta de instrucción, sobre todo en las etapas iniciales del aprendizaje de la lengua extranjera. Éste estudio explora el papel que desempeña la L1 en la retención y el acceso del vocabulario inglés en estudiantes jóvenes. Para el presente estudio, se reclutaron un grupo experimental y el correspondiente grupo control de niños de 10-11 años escolarizados en un contexto en el que, siendo el catalán la lengua materna de los estudiantes, el inglés se enseña como lengua extranjera. El grupo experimental fue expuesto al input en inglés y a la traducción del vocabulario y, en contra partida, el grupo control solo recibió el input en inglés. Los resultados de éste estudio muestran que proveer a los estudiantes con la traducción del vocabulario hace que los alumnos retengan más elementos léxicos, accedan a ellos con mayor facilidad y los recuerden por períodos más largos de tiempo

LLINÀS I GRAU, Mireia: Primeres Paraules. Com aprenen a parlar els nostres fills?, Barcelona, Editorial Empúries, 2006

Obra ressenyada: Mireia LLINÀS I GRAU, Primeres Paraules. Com aprenen a parlar els nostres fills? Barcelona: Editorial Empúries, 2006.Llibre que reflexiona sobre les característiques del llenguatge infantil des de les primeres paraules i a través d'una col·lecció d'exemples a partir d'un diari lingüístic recopilat per la mateixa autora

THE EFFECTS OF USING L1 TRANSLATION ON YOUNG LEARNERS’ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VOCABULARY LEARNING

AbstractIn the field of foreign language (FL) vocabulary acquisition, there seemsto be a growing awareness of the fact that the mother tongue (L1) might have a facilitating role for language learners. Research has found evidence to supportthe positive effects of using the L1 as an instructional tool, particularly at theinitial stages of FL learning. The present study explores the role that the L1 plays in young learners’ retention of and access to English vocabulary. An experimental group and the corresponding control group of 10-11 year-old children in an EFL Catalan school context were recruited for the study. The experimental group was exposed to both the English input and the L1 translation of the target items, whereas the control group received just the English input. Differences between the groups in terms of lexical retention and lexical access were analysed. Results of the present study suggest that providing students with the lexical items results in learners retaining more lexical items, accessing them with greater ease and recalling them for longer periods of time.ResumenEn el campo del aprendizaje del vocabulario de una lengua extranjera, parece haber cada vez más conciencia del hecho que la lengua materna (L1) podría tener un papel facilitador para los aprendices de una lengua extranjera. La investigación ha evidenciado los efectos positivos del uso de la L1 como unaherramienta de instrucción, sobre todo en las etapas iniciales del aprendizajede la lengua extranjera. Éste estudio explora el papel que desempeña la L1 enla retención y el acceso del vocabulario inglés en estudiantes jóvenes. Para elpresente estudio, se reclutaron un grupo experimental y el correspondiente grupo control de niños de 10-11 años escolarizados en un contexto en el que, siendo el catalán la lengua materna de los estudiantes, el inglés se enseña como lengua extranjera. El grupo experimental fue expuesto al input en inglés y a la traducción del vocabulario y, en contra partida, el grupo control solo recibió el input en inglés. Los resultados de éste estudio muestran que proveer a los estudiantes con la traducción del vocabulario hace que los alumnos retengan más elementos léxicos, accedan a ellos con mayor facilidad y los recuerden por períodos más largos de tiempo

Implementing CLIL in a primary school in Spain : the effects of CLIL on L2 English learners' oral production skills

This study presents the results of implementing a CLIL programme in a Catalan primary school three years after the onset of the implementation. The main objective of this investigation was to determine the effects of CLIL on students' L2 English oral performance in terms of Complexity, Accuracy and Fluency (CAF). The results obtained suggest that CLIL learners outperform non-CLIL learners not only in fluency, but also in syntactic complexity. However, despite the encouraging results, the study concludes that further research which transcends the methodological limitations observed in the study is needed in order to confirm the resultsAquest estudi presenta els resultats de l'aplicació d'un programa AICLE en una escola a Catalunya tres anys després de la seva implementació. L'objectiu principal d'aquesta investigació va ser determinar els efectes del programa AICLE en les destreses orals en anglès dels estudiants, mitjançant mesures de complexitat, precisió i fluïdesa. Els resultats obtinguts suggereixen que els estudiants AICLE superen els alumnes no AICLE no només en fluïdesa, sinó també en complexitat sintàctica. Malgrat els resultats, però, l'estudi conclou amb la necessitat de portar a terme estudis que transcendeixin les limitacions metodològiques en aquesta investigació per tal de confirmar els resultats obtingut

Adult L2 Spanish development of syntactic and discourse subject properties in an instructional setting

Research has shown that adult learners of L2 Spanish whose L1 is a non-null subject language know from relatively early that null and postverbal subjects are allowed in Spanish. However, the properties that constrain the native use of subjects at the syntaxdiscourse interface tend to cause persistent difficulty. This study explores the development of both syntactic and discourse subject properties of three level groups of British adult L2 Spanish learners in an instructional setting through a contextualised judgement task. Results show that adult L2 learners of Spanish acquire the relevant L2 feature specifications which constrain purely syntactic contrasts but present a delay in the discourse subject properties, particularly in the interpretation of backward anaphora in null/overt pronominal subjects in embedded clauses and the presentational focus/neutral environment distinction in postverbal subjects with unergative and unaccusative verbs. Processing difficulties and lack of positive evidence in the type of input present in instructional settings might explain the results.Las investigaciones han demostrado que los estudiantes adultos de español L2 cuyo L1 es un idioma de sujeto no nulo saben desde relativamente temprano que los sujetos nulos y postverbales se permiten en español. Sin embargo, las propiedades que limitan el uso nativo de los sujetos en la interfaz sintaxis-discurso tienden a causar dificultades persistentes. Este estudio explora el desarrollo de las propiedades sintácticas y discursivas de tres grupos de nivel de adultos británicos que aprenden español L2 en un entorno educativo a través de una tarea de juicio contextualizada. Los resultados muestran que los estudiantes adultos de L2 de español adquieren las especificaciones relevantes de las características de L2 que limitan los contrastes puramente sintácticos pero presentan un retraso en las propiedades de los sujetos del discurso, particularmente en la interpretación de la anáfora en sujetos pronominales nulos o abiertos en las cláusulas integradas y en la distinción entre el enfoque de presentación y el entorno neutro en los sujetos postverbales con verbos no ergativos y no acusativos. Las dificultades de procesamiento y la falta de evidencia positiva en el tipo de input presente en los entornos educativos podrían explicar los resultados

EFL child peer interaction : Measuring the effect of time, proficiency pairing and language of interaction

Child peer interaction in English as a foreign language (EFL) settings has recently received increasing attention with respect to age, instruction type and first language (L1) use, but longitudinal studies remain scarce and the effects of proficiency pairing and language choice on meaning negotiation strategies are still rather unexplored. Within a primary school EFL context, this paper aims to explore the amount and types of meaning negotiation, and the effects of time, proficiency pairing and language choice in a spot-the-differences task. Forty Catalan/Spanish bilingual children were paired into mixed and matched proficiency dyads, and their oral production was analyzed twice over the course of two years (i.e., 9-10 and 11-12 years old). The analysis included conversational adjustments, self-and other-repetition and positive and negative feedback in the learners' L1 and second language (L2). Our data show that the amount of meaning negotiation is low, although L2 meaning negotiation is higher than L1 meaning negotiation, and all the strategies are present in the data except for comprehension checks. Time effects are hardly observed. However, proficiency pairing and language effects are more generally found, whereby mixed proficiency dyads tend to negotiate for meaning more than matched dyads and meaning negotiation instances are more frequent in the L2 than in the L1