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Effective Language Teaching: a Synthesis of Research

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Effective Language Teaching: a Synthesis of Research Research Report No. 13 Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research John Harris and Pádraig Ó Duibhir Boyd Freeman Design www.boydfreeman.ie [email protected] + 353 (0)87 2442506 Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research John Harris School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, Trinity College Dublin Pádraig Ó Duibhir St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra February 2011 Research conducted on behalf of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research © NCCA 2011 ISSN 1649-3362 National Council for Curriculum and Assessment 24, Merrion Square, Dublin 2. www.ncca.ie Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research Acknowledgements The Centre for Language and Communication Studies in Trinity College Dublin and the Education Department in St. Patrick’s College, Dublin City University thank the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment for commissioning and supporting this project. In addition, we are indebted to Hal O’Neill and Marie Riney of the NCCA for providing detailed feedback on an earlier draft of the report which led to a number of improvements in its content and structure. We also benefited greatly from the observations and comments of members of the NCCA Early Childhood and Primary Language Committee during a presentation of the initial findings in November 2010. Finally, we would like to thank our academic colleagues in CLCS and St Patrick’s College for advice on many specific points as we compiled the report. Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research Contents Glossary of acronyms and initialisms 9 Executive Summary 11 Section 1 Introduction 21 1.1 Synthesising research on effective language teaching . 22 1.2 Language learners and programmes relevant to the synthesis study . 25 1.3 The link between data-extraction and synthesis in the present study . 26 Section 2 Methodology 27 2.1 Inventory of sources and search processes . 28 2.2 Search sources and terms . 28 2.3 Inclusion and exclusion criteria . 29 2.4 Results of database searches . 30 2.5 Hand searches . 33 Section 3 Synthesis of key studies: emergent themes for effective language teaching 35 3.1 Corrective feedback . 38 3.2 Content and language integrated learning . 41 3.3 Intensive language programmes . 46 3.4 Teacher factors and orientation of language programmes . 51 3.5 Development of L2 literacy skills . 53 Section 4 Process - type research: additional general principles for effective language teaching 59 4.1 Task-based interaction . 60 4.2 Listening . 62 7 Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research 4.3 Early start . 63 4.4 Use of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) . 63 4.5 Target language use . 65 4.6 Using stories . 65 4.7 Developing Learner strategies . 65 4.8 Balancing form-focused and meaning focused activities . 66 Section 5 Conclusion and discussion 67 5.1 Implications for the classroom: instructional options which lie within the teacher’s remit . 69 5.2 Implications for policy: options requiring school and system level decisions . 71 5.3 Implications for research on effective language teaching . 76 Section 6 References 79 Appendix 1 Synthesising research on effective language teaching 95 Appendix 2 Electronic database searches 115 Appendix 3 Description of 13 key studies selected for in-depth analysis 137 8 Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research G l o s s a r y o f a c r o n y m s a n d initialisms 9 Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research BES Best Evidence Synthesis CLIL Content and Language Integrated Learning CLT Communicative Language Teaching COGG An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (translates as The Council for Gaeltacht and Gaelscoil Education) DES Department of Education and Skills (previously Department of Education and Science) EFL English as a foreign language ELP European Language Portfolio ESL English as a second language L1, L2, L3 First language, second language, third language (of learner) MFL Modern Foreign Language NCCA National Council for Curriculum and Assessment SLA Second language acquisition 10 Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research E x E c u t i v E s u m m a r y 11 Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research BackGround In June 2010, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) signalled a move from review of the Primary School Curriculum (Department of Education and Science [DES], 1999) to reconstruction of the area of language in the curriculum. A significant consideration in this regard was the publication of Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework (NCCA, 2009). Although both the Primary School Curriculum and Aistear were informed by the research of their time, Aistear has drawn on research and theory in the past decade to highlight aspects of early childhood education such as the importance of play and the role of the adult in supporting children’s learning. During the same time, findings from curriculum reviews and research informed our understanding of children’s lives today and how they learn in primary schools, including the areas of reading, writing and oral language, and how these elements of language interact for children.In developing the language curriculum, it is important to draw upon up-to-date research in this regard. In December 2009, the NCCA commissioned a desktop study to synthesise research in the area of language teaching and learning. The purpose of the research was to identify, evaluate, analyse and synthesise evidence from Irish and international research about language teaching and learning in order to inform discussion about language in the Primary School Curriculum, and in particular the teaching of Irish and additional languages. The invitation to tender called for a distinct focus on classroom practice rather than on theoretical approaches, in order to generalise to key principles for successful language teaching. 12 Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research mEthodoloGy The research was envisaged as a desk-top study which would have some, but not all, of the features of a Best Evidence Synthesis (BES), drawing together research findings most relevant to second language teaching in primary schools in Ireland, for which there is evidence showing their effectiveness. However, one of the key features of BES is that an advisory group of experts work with the authors at all stages of the research process, locating and assembling data, evaluating and synthesising evidence and interrogating the emerging themes (Ministry of Education, New Zealand, 2004). An advisory group of this kind was not a feature of this synthesis study. In the search for best evidence strict criteria were applied to evaluate evidence, and only studies in which a clear causal link and objectively determined improvement in learner competence were present were included. This resulted in considerable limiting of the number of studies considered in the first phase of the synthesis. The themes that emerged describe a number of practices that can be said to be effective for second language learners in contexts similar to primary schools in Ireland. Due to the limited number of studies included in the synthesis, however, the emergent themes give only a partial picture of practice in language teaching. The addition of a further chapter which brings together findings from descriptive (process- type) research adds significantly to the completeness of the report in answering the original research questions – what works for language learners, and why? 13 Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research synthEsis of kEy studiEs: EmErGEnt thEmEs for EffEctivE lanGuaGE tEachinG The key findings relating to effective practice in language teaching that emerged from the synthesis study are • corrective feedback • Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) • intensive language programmes. • orientation of language programmes – communicative or analytical approaches – and the importance of teacher factors • the importance of second language (L2) literacy development Corrective feedback There is evidence to show that corrective feedback, in the form of prompts to students, would be effective in improving second language development for primary school children in fourth to sixth classes. Prompts are more effective than recasts (recasts are when the teacher repeats the utterance with the error corrected) which in turn are more effective than ignoring errors. Care should be taken that any corrective feedback given to young learners should not undermine their self-esteem or confidence. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Evidence shows that language learning is more effective when it is combined with content learning in another subject other than the language being learned. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has been shown to improve students’ language proficiency, without negatively impacting on the development of either the students’ first language, or their performance in the subject area being taught. CLIL enables learners to encounter language in context and 14 Effective Language Teaching: A Synthesis of Research use it for authentic communication, and challenges them to use the target language for cognitive purposes to acquire knowledge, skills and information. The report notes that the context of Irish primary schools is particularly favourable to using CLIL in teaching Irish as a second or additional language, as all primary teachers need
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