engleski

Adding new hues to the ELL rainbow

Early language learning (ELL) is currently a very active field in both education and research. According to Johnstone (2009), it has re-emerged for the third time (first in the 1960s-1970s and then again in the 1990s). This third wave is characterised by having many different stakeholders, who have vested interest in the outcomes of ELL. Emerging changes can be observed in approaches to (1) early foreign language learning, (2) teaching processes, (3) accountability and (4) research methodology. In this talk the authors offered a critical overview of the findings gathered in a growing number of studies that have looked into various aspects of ELL. They considered the field of ELL from a number of perspectives. At the young learners' level the focus was on individual learner characteristics and language behaviour as they impact children's foreign language development. The teachers' perspective was considered in terms of their contributions to classroom processes that have been shown to be most beneficial to young learners' proficiency development. Through analysis of the existing ELL curricula, especially in terms of the set achievement targets and how the expected learner outcomes are being assessed in different contexts, the authors discussed the currently present trends on the international ELL scene. They argued that the findings of new empirical studies of early foreign language learning slowly but consistently demand a reinterpretation of the value of ELL, and that ELL has now become a research field in its own right.

early language learning; young learners; EFL

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