{"title":"‘It’s like having a test but in a fun way’","authors":"L. Courtney, S. Graham","doi":"10.1075/LTYL.18009.COU","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/LTYL.18009.COU","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Assessment is a central challenge within classroom-based early language learning, where there is a need to employ\u0000 assessment methods which, as well as being valid and reliable for a range of learners, protect rather than diminish motivation.\u0000 The motivational properties of digital or serious games within language learning are increasingly recognised in the literature,\u0000 yet the value of digital game-based assessment (DGBA) remains underexplored. This study used a questionnaire to examine how 3437\u0000 young language learners of English, Spanish, German, Italian and French perceived a DGBA tool and the extent to which their\u0000 perceptions were modulated by age, gender and performance levels on the game.\u0000 Learners perceived the DGBA tool as fun to play, worth playing again, helpful for telling them about their\u0000 progress and of moderate difficulty level. Girls were more positive than boys about the game but for all learners levels of\u0000 positivity were not related to age. There was a significant but weak relationship between positivity and game scores, suggesting\u0000 that learners liked the game regardless of their attainment levels. The study’s findings are discussed in relation to theories of\u0000 motivation associated with digital game-based tools and their practical implications for the teaching of early language\u0000 learners.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2019-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45283854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The relative effects of metalinguistic explanation and direct written corrective feedback on children’s grammatical\u0000 accuracy in new writing","authors":"M. Gorman, R. Ellis","doi":"10.1075/LTYL.00005.GOR","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/LTYL.00005.GOR","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 There has been little research investigating the effects of form-focused instruction (FFI) on the second language\u0000 acquisition of children. This article reports a quasi-experimental study of integrated form-focused instruction for 33 children\u0000 aged 9–12 years. They completed four dictogloss tasks designed to elicit the use of the Present Perfect Tense and received\u0000 instruction consisting of either explicit metalinguistic explanation (group 1), direct written correction (group 2) or no\u0000 form-focused instruction (the comparison group) between performing the tasks. Accuracy in the production of the target structure\u0000 across the four tasks was variable and showed no improvement from the first to the last. Nor were there any statistically\u0000 significant differences in accuracy among the three groups. The results support some earlier studies of young children (e.g. Fazio, 2001) that have failed to show that FFI benefits young children. This may be\u0000 because children fail to make use of their metalinguistic knowledge of grammatical features when undertaking meaning-focused\u0000 writing tasks.","PeriodicalId":29728,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching for Young Learners","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2019-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46044983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}