Seminar I Learning English in primary school: Insights from research

The early learning of English in school settings has grown exponentially in the past twenty years, with estimated figures of half a billion primary-aged children around the world (Enever, 2018). Evidence coming from theoretically-informed research about these children’s foreign language learning process is crucial to maximize their opportunities for learning in settings where access to input is restricted. Findings from research are also essential for policymakers to make decisions about adequate educational provision. In this talk I will focus on current research with children (age range 8-12) learning English as a foreign language while they perform several collaborative tasks (García Mayo, 2021). On the basis of data analyzed from cognitive-interactionist (Long, 1996) and sociocultural (Vygotsky, 1978) perspectives, I will show how children are able to negotiate for meaning with age- and proficiency-matched peers and to focus on formal aspects of the language without the teacher’s intervention. Issues related to the impact of some implementation variables on the children’s output will also be considered. I will conclude by highlighting both ethical and methodological challenges in this type of research and by pointing to interesting topics for the future research agenda.