This project investigates early learning and teaching of English in Danish primary schools. Specifically, it examines the age factor by collecting and comparing proficiency test data from children introduced to English in the 1st grade and the 3rd grade, respectively.
In addition, the project sustains 3 separate PhD projects which investigate a variety of factors possibly affecting the children's proficiency; one investigating contextual factors (the quantity and quality of exposure to English inside the classroom (e.g., pedagogical methods and practices), one investigating the children's access to and use of English outside the classroom, and one investigating socio-affective factors (children’s motivation and attitudes towards learning, and parents’ education, (perceived) proficiency in the FL, their attitudes towards language learning, and their use of the foreign language professionally).
We investigate the extent to which each of these factors contributes to children’s rate of L2 learning and L2 proficiency over a two-year period.
http://www.sdu.dk/en/Om_SDU/Institutter_centre/C_selc/FKK_projekt
The project is supported by the Danish Research Council.