Global Challenges Facing Early Language Teaching Exploring English Language Learning in Diverse Plurilingual Contexts

Foreword: children, teachers and languages in context

Marianne Nikolov

Introduction: challenges in introducing early language learning

Joanna Rokita-Jaśkow and Melanie Ellis

Part I  Setting the scene: challenges in early pluri/multilingual development in education across the globe

Chapter 1. Navigating multilingual education: challenges, solutions, and collaborative success

Victoria A. Murphy 

Chapter 2. Diversity in English as Foreign Language classrooms in Germany: L2 and L3 learners' attitudes towards English

Nils Jaekel, Nadine Kolb and Luz de la Paz de la Garma  

Chapter 3. The challenges of introducing EFL in early childhood multilingual settings: insights from Catalonia

Alexandra Bos-Solé and Julie Waddington

Chapter 4. English for young learners (EYL) in Indonesia: challenges and innovations in a superdiverse context

Subhan Zein

Chapter 5. Foreign language learner self-concept in the transition period from lower- to upper-primary level

Werona Król-Gierat 

Part II Challenges and solutions in early foreign language teaching and teacher education

Chapter 6. Language specialists and generalist teachers of EFL to young learners: two sides of the same coin?

Mirna Erk and Ksenija Benčina 

Chapter 7. Institutional challenges in teacher development in private early childhood English education: the case of English Kindergartens in South Korea

Jinsuk Yang and In Chull Jang

Chapter  8. Dual language tandem teaching: teachers’ cross-language collaborations to promote ESL learning

Sunny Man Chu Lau,  Zeina Maatouk and  Geneviève Brisson 

Chapter 9. Project-based learning as a tool for enhancing primary CLIL teacher training

Tomáš Kos and Grit Bergner

Chapter 10. Preparing pre-service teachers for integrating virtual exchange into early language teaching  

Mateja Dagarin Fojkar, Katarzyna Brzosko-Barratt, Žan Korošec, Nurjona Pinguri and Tina Rozmanič 

Part III: Insights from the early language classroom

Chapter 11. The role of pre-task planning in developing young learners’ grammar accuracy

María Luquin and María del Pilar García Mayo

Chapter 12. The effectiveness of local instructional strategies for early reading: An exploratory study in Japan

Yuko Goto Butler and Eiichi Okazawa

Part IV: Looking Ahead

Chapter 13. Mapping the routes for future solutions in effective early language learning and teacher education

Melanie Ellis and Joanna Rokita-Jaśkow

Biography

Joanna Rokita-Jaśkow is Associate Professor and Head of the Faculty of Linguistics at the University of the National Education Commission, Poland. She is a founder member of the Early Language Learning Research Association (ELLRA).

Melanie Ellis is Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Linguistics and Law, Faculty of Organization and Management, Silesian University of Technology, Poland. She is a founder member of the Early Language Learning Research Association (ELLRA).

'This timely volume offers an in-depth view into latest developments in researching English language learning and teaching to young and very young learners. It brings new research-informed insights into major changes prompted by new realities in different contexts across the globe, ranging from insistence on intensive teaching by English native speakers to "trolley teaching" in contexts where English is perceived as a threat to the official language. The interested reader will find convincing evidence for the need to reevaluate the roles of familiar approaches such as focus on form or pre-task planning as well as novel ideas for dealing with new realities of teaching English in increasingly multilingual classes. New teacher competences necessary to meet diverse needs of plurilingual young learners are suggested based on insights from novel studies on English language teacher education. This is a must-read for both researchers and practitioners engaged in the young language learners field.'

 

- Jelena Mihaljević Djigunović, Retired Full Professor, University of Zagreb

 

'The editors have put together a rich and insightful collection of papers discussing globally persisting challenges in our field. The chapters take the reader on a world tour of contexts highlighting some globally shared challenges but also focusing on specific issues and questions unique to individual contexts. This volume raises awareness about how the rapid changes happening in our societies impact language classrooms around the world and it also makes some excellent recommendations about how stakeholders can collaborate and begin to address these challenges.  This is a "must-read" not just for researchers and teacher educators but also for policy makers and administrators interested in early language learning and teaching.'

Annamaria Pinter, University of Warwick, UK

 

'This volume addresses multilingualism as a defining feature of language teaching to young learners, illuminating the complex status of the English language in a globalised world. It is thus a timely addition to current research in the field of Early Language Teaching. Taking a global perspective, the contributions in this book explore longer-standing as well as new challenges in both theoretical depth and with a view to practical relevance. Positioning practitioners and learners at the centre, this volume highlights the interconnectedness of empirical research, teacher education, policy making, and classroom experiences. Covering aspects such as CLIL, grammar and literacy instruction, Virtual Exchange, learners’ self-concepts, tandem teaching, and institutional challenges, this book is a must-read for researchers, practitioners, and teacher educators alike who seek to better understand and navigate multilingual environments.'

Karen Glaser, University of Leipzig, Germany