Teaching And Learning Vocabulary In Context: Examining Engagement In Three Prekindergarten French Classrooms

Keywords

early childhood foreign language programs; foreign language exploratory (FLEX) program; learning language in context; special needs students; vocabulary

Abstract

Studies have documented the contribution of vocabulary knowledge in second language acquisition and have shown the benefits of repetition, creating context, and the use of multimodal instruction across visual and verbal modalities. This study examined instructional strategies used to teach French vocabulary in an inclusive, prekindergarten foreign language exploratory (FLEX) program using data from observations, videorecordings, and assessments of student learning. Results showed that students of all ability levels were able to learn French vocabulary, although students’ scores varied across the three classrooms. Assessment results were highest in the classroom in which students received the most opportunities for repetition, engagement, and use of language in context where meaning was constructed through a community of practice. Implications of this study highlight the importance of the teacher and student engagement and the role of meaningful input.

Publication Date

6-1-2018

Publication Title

Foreign Language Annals

Volume

51

Issue

2

Number of Pages

472-483

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12338

Socpus ID

85048377485 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85048377485

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