Receptive English Vocabulary in a Foreign Language Context: A Case Study of Preschoolers in Mauritius

Autor/in	Auleear Owodally, Ambarin Mooznah
Titel	Receptive English Vocabulary in a Foreign Language Context: A Case Study of Preschoolers in Mauritius
Quelle	In: Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 14 (2014) 2, S.198-239 (42 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1468-7984
DOI	10.1177/1468798413478260
Schlagwörter	Vocabulary Development; Receptive Language; Foreign Countries; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Literacy; Language of Instruction; Preschool Education; Oral Language; Language Proficiency; Language Tests; Pretests Posttests; Number Concepts; Numbers; Linguistic Input; Longitudinal Studies; Ethnography; Literacy Education; Second Language Instruction; Mauritius + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Wortschatzarbeit; Rezeptive Kommunikationsfähigkeit; Ausland; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Alphabetisierung; Schreib- und Lesefähigkeit; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Pre-school education; Vorschulerziehung; Oral interpretation; Mündlicher Sprachgebrauch; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Language test; Sprachtest; Number concept; Zahlbegriff; Zahlenraum; Sprachbildung; Longitudinal study; Longitudinal method; Longitudinal methods; Längsschnittuntersuchung; Ethnografie; Fremdsprachenunterricht
Abstract	In Mauritius, English, the least socially used language, is the main language of literacy and the main written medium of instruction throughout the education system, starting from the first year of compulsory primary education. The importance of English as a school language is reflected in the 2003 Preschool Curriculum Guidelines, which mention the need for preschools to introduce children to English in preparation for compulsory primary schooling in English. The development of oral English proficiency as a basis for literacy instruction and education in English is in line with the extant evidence-based reading research which shows that oral language proficiency, often investigated and tested through receptive vocabulary, is a stepping stone to early literacy development. The aim of this study is to test the receptive English vocabulary of a group of preschoolers at the beginning and end of their final preschool year, in order to assess their developing English language proficiency. To do so, a contextually relevant test was designed and administered to a group of 4-year-olds using a pre-test/post-test design. The results indicate that during their final preschool year, preschoolers develop minimal English receptive vocabulary skills, characterized mainly by their knowledge of English number names and related number concepts, body parts and marginal familiarity with general English vocabulary items. This negligible and slow progress in English receptive vocabulary development is discussed in relation to the quantity and quality of comprehensible input being provided in the preschool classroom, as revealed by the data collected from a longitudinal study using ethnographic data collection tools. The paper ends with pedagogical implications for preschool education in Mauritius and other similar contexts. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10