Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Phenninger & Singleton (2019): Making the most of an early start to…
Phenninger & Singleton (2019): Making the most of an early start
to L2 instruction
2. The role of language learning motivation
Belief
: A common view is that younger learners show markedly better attitudes toward
learning foreign languages than older learners
enthusiasm, challenges
primary school beginners demonstrate more positive attitudes to L2 use than secondary learners
the quality of early instruction might negatively affect motivation
Early learners may begin with enthusiasm, but the teaching approach and/or skills experienced may not be such as to sustain such enthusiasm (see Csizér & Dörnyei, 2005)
certain activities can bore students --> reduced motivation to L2 learning
Negative attitudes can be developed due to
large groups
class size was a strong predictor of FL outcomes
2 lessons per week
serious risk that students
will have difficulty in seeing any progress over time
BUT it is not impossible for students
to maintain high motivation levels over a long period of time
unqualified teachers
damaging long-term consequences
Adolescence:
flux – a period when learners “struggle
to achieve a coherent sense of self ”
Sometimes older learners are less motivated due to the use of more traditional methods used in high school
secondary school students
increasingly higher levels of instrumental motivation, seeming to be more aware of the importance of English as an international language
the first contact with the L2 may
permanently influence learners’ attitudes and motivation
learners’ age has an effect on the type of motivational orientation that students
social and educational school context played
an important role in attitude formation
challenges: adjusting to the new teaching style
the motivation
of the early starters was predominantly influenced by (present and past) cumulative experiential factors
Older learners: a faster rate of learning
cognitive advantages: testing
Late
starters seem to feel the urge to achieve proficiency quickly
greater academic demands placed on them by schools
higher level of motivation
biological age is a more determinant factor than amount of instruction received
main benefits of early L2 learning lie in the development of positive attitudes
and motivation
all motivational orientations received higher values at the end of secondary
Late starters were able to catch up within six months of secondary school with the early
motivation was more
strongly goal- and future-focused
able to profit
from their orientations
attitudes and beliefs, e.g., preconceived ideas about the age factor and early vs. late FL programmes, affected
learners’ approach to language learning
The popular assumption that primary school L2 learners are generally better motivated than older learners is not borne out by research.
One interesting finding: the type of motivation many change, with secondary school students evidencing more instrumental motivation
1.
the role of (bi)literacy skills
difficulties encountered by multilingual
children <--> the possibilities that multilingualism
enables
potential of transfer and strategies of language learning and use
text competencies are acquired by an L1-user, and then applied to L2 text,
this can be seen as an example of transfer
a strong relationship between L1 and L2 writing proficiency
interdependence of different languages in the individual multilingual speakers’
repertoires
Heritage language instruction:
reducing the ‘language gap’ between
migrant students and non-migrants
beneficial for in literacy development for the school language
positive effect on mastering the L2 but negative effect on mastering the writing of the L1 (in some cases)
In sum, the evidence of L1 effects on L2 proficiency is not overwhelming
Quality in the home environment seemed to be important
simultaneous bilinguals without
biliteracy skills and sequential bilinguals
The beneficial
effects of parental sensitivity connect well with the bilingualism literature.
family circumstances in which bilingualism is valued -->enhance the executive functions of children since they can switch between the two languages
significant correlations between memory measures and performance on linguistic tasks in L1 and L2
widespread belief
: L1 needs to be developed to a certain
level in order to guarantee successful cognitive and linguistic development
If the L1 is not sufficiently developed, this will purportedly result in low levels of L2 proficiency
metalanguage builds rather slowly during
the elementary school years in relation to students’ L1 for literacy
The idea of the thresholds:
there is no empirical evidence in favour of
discontinuous bilingual development
unless thresholds are defined independently, they do not yield predictions that can be proven
wrong
he threshold cannot be defined in absolute
terms – i.e. it is impossible to identify a common threshold for all learners. F
Parental support
very
positive, active role in their children’s learning and multilingualism
When parents intensely encourage and support school learning of an additional language, the child must have a
similar sense of this learning having family relevance and integration.
Some very recent research found:
an earlier starting experience in an additional language proved beneficial for a very specific learner group: simultaneous bilinguals who were already biliterate and who received substantial parental