Grammar in primary school EFL textbook activities: A corpus-driven study of their teaching nature and related cognitive implications
Abstract
Abstract – One of the fundamental goals of Foreign Language Teaching might be the attainment of implicit knowledge, which underlies oral and written fluency. Textbook activities reflect different explicit and implicit teaching loads following the type of knowledge they are targeted at (explicit, implicit or both). EFL teachers’ implementation of activities can thus help or become a hindrance for the development of implicit knowledge. This study aimed to explore the explicit and implicit teaching nature of 100 activities taken from 10 EFL textbooks used in Spanish primary school teaching. The ultimate goal was to examine whether activities are designed taking into account young learners’ idiosyncratic way of learning. Findings revealed that most primary school EFL textbook activities tend to contain a lower number of activities mostly focused on explicit teaching.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Agustín-Llach, María Pilar. 2015. Age and type of instruction (CLIL vs. traditional EFL) in lexical development. International Journal of English Studies 16/1: 75–96.
Alcón-Soler, Eva and María del Pilar García-Mayo. 2008. Incidental focus on form and learning outcomes with young foreign language classroom learners. In Jenefer Philp, Rhonda Oliver and Alison Mackey eds. Second Language Acquisition and the younger learner: child’s play? Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 173–192.
Alizadeh, Khodaverdi. 2011. The advantages of active English teaching, emphasizing at active teaching to EFL child students. Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods 1/1: 80–87.
Azkarai, Agurtzane and Ainara Imaz Agirre. 2015. Negotiation of meaning strategies in child EFL mainstream and CLIL settings. TESOL Quarterly 50/4: 844–870.
Azkarai, Agurtzane and Rhonda Oliver. 2016. Negative feedback on task repetition: ESL vs. EFL child settings. The Language Learning Journal, 1–12.
Baars, Bernard J. 1997. In the theatre of consciousness: the workspace of the mind. Journal of Consciousness Studies 4/4: 292–309.
Bialystok, Ellen. 2001. Metalinguistic aspects of bilingual processing. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 21/1: 169–181.
Bialystok, Ellen. 2007. Cognitive complexity and attentional control in the bilingual mind. Child Development 70/3: 636–644.
Bialystok, Ellen, Michelle M. Martin and Mythili Viswanathan. 2005. Bilingualism across the lifespan: the rise and fall of inhibitory control. International Journal of Bilingualism 9/1: 103–119.
Cameron, Lynne. 2001. Teaching languages to young learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Carol, Read and Ana Soberón. 2004. Bugs 1 (Student Book). London: Macmillan
Carol, Read and Ana Soberón. 2004. Bugs 2 (Student Book). London: Macmillan
Carol, Read and Ana Soberón. 2005. Bugs 5 (Student Book). London: Macmillan
Carol, Read and Ana Soberón. 2009. Bugs World 2 (Student Book). London: Macmillan
Cekaite, Asta. 2008. Developing conversational skills in a second language. Language learning affordances in a multiparty classroom setting. In Jenefer Philp, Rhonda Oliver and Alison Mackey eds. Second Language Acquisition and the younger learner: child’s play? Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 105–129.
Charrington, Mary, Charlotte Covill and Paul Shipton. 2014. Great Explorers 2 (Workbook). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Corbett, Jeanette and Roisin O’Farrell. 2011. Quest 2 (Student Book). London: Macmillan.
Corbett, Jeanette and Roisin O’Farrell. 2011. Quest 3 (Workbook). London: Macmillan.
Corbett, Jeanette and Roisin O’Farrell. 2012. Quest 4 (Workbook). London: Macmillan.
Council of Europe. 2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Covill, Charlotte, Mary Charrington and Paul Shipton. 2011. Explorers 2 (Workbook). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Criado, Raquel, Aquilino Sánchez and Pascual Cantos. 2010. An attempt to elaborate a construct to measure the degree of explicitness and implicitness in ELT materials. International Journal of English Studies 10/1: 103–129.
DeKeyser, Robert. 2015. Skill acquisition theory. In Bill VanPatten and Jessica Williams eds. Theories in Second Language Acquisition, 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 94–112.
DeKeyser, Robert and Raquel Criado. 2013. Automatization, skill acquisition, and practice in Second Language Acquisition. In Carol A. Chapelle ed. The encyclopedia of applied linguistics. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 1–5.
Ebbels, Susan. 2007. Teaching grammar to school-aged children with specific language impairment using Shape Coding. Child Language Teaching and Therapy 23/1: 67–93.
Ellis, Rod. 2009. Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing and teaching. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Ellis, Rod. 2015. Form-focused instruction and the measurement of implicit and explicit L2 knowledge. In Patrick Rebuschat ed. Implicit and explicit learning of languages. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 417–442.
Escribano, Teresa and Reyes Ventosa. 2006. Sunshine (Student Book). Harlow: Pearson Longman.
Escribano, Teresa and Reyes Ventosa. 2006. Sunshine (Workbook). Harlow: Pearson Longman.
Evans, Shana, Paul Shipton and Suzanne Torres. 2014. Great Explorers 4 (Workbook). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Freeman, Donald. 1989. Teacher training, development and decision making: a model of teaching and related strategies for language teacher education. TESOL Quarterly 23/1: 27–45.
Goldstein, Ben and Ceri Jones. 2015. Smart Planet 1 (Student Book). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Goo, Jaemyung, Gisela Granena, Yucel Yilmaz and Miguel Novella. 2015. Implicit and explicit
instruction in L2 learning: Norris and Ortega (2000) revisited and updated. In Patrick Rebuschat ed. Implicit and explicit learning of languages. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 443–482.
Goorhuis-Brouwer and Sieneke and Kees de Bot. 2010. Impact of early English language teaching on L1 and L2 development in children in Dutch schools. International Journal of Bilingualism 14/3: 289–302.
Gris, Joaquín. 2015. Categorization of activities used in English as a Foreign Language: a corpus-based study with pedagogical materials. Procedia–Social and Behavioral Sciences 198: 165–173.
Hulstijn, Jan. 2002. Towards a unified account of the representation, processing and acquisition of second language knowledge. Second Language Research 18: 193–223.
Hulstijn, Jan. 2005. Theoretical and empirical issues in the study of implicit and explicit second-language learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 27: 129–140.
Kang, Dae-Min. 2008. The classroom language use of a Korean elementary school teacher: another look at TETE. System 36: 214–226.
Kelly, Curtis. 2017. The brain studies boom: using neuroscience in ESL/EFL teacher training. In Tammy Gregersen and Peter D. Maclntyre eds. Innovative practices in language teacher education. Berlin: Springer, 79–99.
Lázaro-Ibarrola, Amparo and Raúl Azpilicueta-Martínez. 2014. Investigating negotiation of meaning in EFL children with very low levels of proficiency. International Journal of English Studies 15/1: 1–21.
Leow, Ron. 2015. Explicit learning in the L2 classroom: a student-centered approach. New York: Routledge.
Malpas, Susannah. 2012. Islands 2 (Student Book). London: Pearson.
Malpas, Susannah. 2012. Islands 2 (Workbook). London: Pearson.
Mohamed, Sue. 2013. Big Surprise 6 (Workbook). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Montijano-Cabrera, María del Pilar. 2014. Textbook use training in EFL teacher education. Utrecht Studies in Language and Communication 27: 267–286.
Ormerod, Mark and Donna Shaw. 2007. Find Out 3 (Student Book). London: Macmillan.
Ormerod, Mark and Donna Shaw. 2007. Find Out 3 (Workbook). London: Macmillan.
Papiol, Elisenda and Maria Toth. 2005. Bugs 6 (Workbook). London: Macmillan.
Paradis, Michel. 2009. Declarative and procedural determinants of second languages. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Phillips, Sarah and Peter Redpath. 2008. Incredible English 5 (Student Book). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Phillips, Sarah and Peter Redpath. 2008. Incredible English 5 (Workbook). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Phillips, Sarah and Paul Shipton. 2011. Explorers 5 (Student Book). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Phillips, Sarah and Paul Shipton. 2015. Great Explorers 6 (Student Book). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Phillips, Sarah and Paul Shipton. 2014. Great Explorers 6 (Workbook). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Phillips, Sarah and Paul Shipton. 2014. Oxford Rooftops 3 (Workbook). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Philp, Jenefer, Rhonda Oliver and Alison Mackey. 2008. Second Language Acquisition and the younger learner: child’s play? Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Read, Carol. 2009. Footprints 3 (Student Book). London: Macmillan.
Read, Carol. 2009. Footprints 3 (Workbook). London: Macmillan.
Read, Carol. 2009. Footprints 4 (Student Book). London: Macmillan.
Read, Carol. 2009. Footprints 4 (Workbook). London: Macmillan.
Read, Carol and Mark Ormerod. 2013. Team Tiger 4 (Workbook). London: Macmillan.
Rebuschat, Patrick. 2015. Implicit and explicit learning of languages. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Reilly, Vanessa. 2013. Big Surprise 5 (Student Book). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sánchez, Aquilino. 2009. La enseñanza de idiomas en los últimos cien años. Madrid: SGEL.
Scott, Wendy and Lisbeth Ytreberg. 1990. Teaching English to children. London: Longman.
Shaw, Donna and Mark Ormerod. 2007. Find Out 2 (Workbook). London: Macmillan.
Shaw, Donna and Joanne Ramsden. 2014. High Five! 1 (Workbook). London: Macmillan.
Shin, Joan Kang. 2006. Ten helpful ideas for teaching English to young learners. English Teaching Forum 44/2: 2–13.
Van den Branden, Kris. 2008. Negotiation of meaning in the classroom. Does it enhance reading comprehension? In Jenefer Philp, Rhonda Oliver and Alison Mackey eds. Second Language Acquisition and the younger learner: child’s play? Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 149–169.
White, Joanna. 2008. Speeding up acquisition of his and her: explicit L1/L2 contrasts help. In Jenefer Philp, Rhonda Oliver and Alison Mackey eds. Second Language Acquisition and the younger learner: child’s play? Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 193–228.
Worrall, Anne. 2004. English Adventure 3 (Student Book). Harlow: Pearson Longman.
Worrall, Anne. 2004. English Adventure 3 (Workbook). Harlow: Pearson Longman.
Wright, Lyn F. 2008. Home-school connections for international adoptees: repetition in parent-child interaction. In Jenefer Philp, Rhonda Oliver and Alison Mackey eds. Second Language Acquisition and the younger learner: child’s play? Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 279–301.
Zanatta, Theresa. 2007. Mega Zoom 3 (Student Book). London: Richmond.
