Cover not available
Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 27:1 (2004) ► pp.104–119

A contextualised examination of target language use in the primary school foreign language classroom

| Hong Kong Institute of Education

This article discusses an issue which is of longstanding and central importance to foreign language teachers in a variety of contexts, namely teacher use of classroom language. It uses detailed qualitative case study data to explore how and why an expert practitioner uses English in her Hong Kong Primary school language classroom. Through the interplay between teacher beliefs, experiences and classroom transcript data, the paper develops a contextualised picture of classroom language use with young foreign language learners. The paper suggests that it is not necessarily the language proficiency of the learners which plays a major role in the quantity of target language use, but the teachers’ own proficiency, experience and beliefs.

Published online: 1 January 2004
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.27.1.08car
References
Adamson, B., & Morris, P.
(1998) Primary schooling in Hong Kong. In J. Moyles & L. Hargreaves (Eds.) The primary curriculum: learning from international perspectives (pp. 181-204). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Atkinson, D.
(1993) Teaching in the target language: a problem in the current orthodoxy. Language Learning Journal, 81, 2-5. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Auerbach, E.R.
(1993) Reexamining English only in the ESL classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 27(1), 9-32. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cameron, L.
(2001) Teaching English to young learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Canagarajah, S.
(1999) Resisting linguistic imperialism in English teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Carless, D.
(2002) Implementing task-based learning with young learners. English Language Teaching Journal, 56(4), 389-396. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2003) Factors in the implementation of task-based teaching in primary schools. System, 31(4), 485-500. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Carless, D., & Wong, P.M.
(2000) Teaching English to Young Learners in Hong Kong. In M. Nikolov & H. Curtain (Eds.) An early start: young learners and modern languages in Europe and beyond (pp. 209-222). Graz: European Council for Modern Languages.Google Scholar
Cheng, K.M., & Wong, K.C.
(1996) School effectiveness in East Asia: concepts, origins and implications. Journal of Educational Administration, 34(5), 32-49. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Clandinin, J., & Connelly, M.
(1994) Personal experience methods. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.) Handbook of qualitative research (pp.413-427). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Connelly, M., & Clandinin, J.
(1990) Stories of experience and narrative inquiry. Educational Researcher, 191, 2-14. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Connelly, M., Clandinin, J. & He, M.F.
(1997) Teachers‘ personal knowledge on the professional knowledge landscape. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13(7), 665-674. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Curriculum Development Council
(2002) English language education: Key learning area curriculum guide (Primary 1-Secondary 3). Hong Kong: Hong Kong SAR.Google Scholar
Education Commission
(1994) Report of the working group on language proficiency. Hong Kong: Government Printer.Google Scholar
Education and Manpower Bureau
(2002) Teacher survey. Hong Kong: Government Printer.Google Scholar
Eldridge, J.
(1996) Code switching in a Turkish Secondary school. English Language Teaching Journal, 50(4), 303-311. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Evans, S.
(1996) The context of English language education: the case of Hong Kong. RELC Journal, 271, 30-55. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2000) Hong Kong‘s new English language policy in education. World Englishes, 19(2), 184-204. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fu, G. S.
(1987) The Hong Kong bilingual. In R. Lord & N. H. L. Cheng (Eds.) Language education in Hong Kong (pp. 27-50). Hong Kong: Chinese University Press.Google Scholar
Glenwright, P.
(2002) Language proficiency assessment for teachers: the effects of benchmarking on writing assessment in Hong Kong schools. Assessing Writing, 81, 84-109. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Harbord, J.
(1992) The use ofthe mother tongue in the classroom. English Language Teaching Journal, 46(4), 350-355. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hong Kong Government
(2000) Syllabus specifications for the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers (English Language). Hong Kong: Government Printer.Google Scholar
Kelly, C.
(2002) Training Japanese elementary school teachers to teach English. The Language Teacher, 26(7), 1-3.Google Scholar
Kim, S-Y.
(2002) Teachers‘ perceptions about teaching English through English. English Teaching, 57(1), 131-148.Google Scholar
Krashen, S.
(1987) Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Lai, M.L.
(1996) Using the L1 sensibly in English Language classrooms. Journal of Primary Education, 6(1/2), 91-99.Google Scholar
Lin, M.Y.A.
(2000) Deconstructing “Mixed code”. In D.S.C Li, A. Lin & W.K. Tsang (Eds.) Language and education in postcolonial Hong Kong (pp. 179-194). Hong Kong: Linguistic Society of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Medgyes, P.
(1994) The non-native teacher. London: MacMillan.Google Scholar
Miles, M., & Huberman, M.
(1994) Qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook. (Second edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Mok, A.
(2001) The missing element of rational pedagogical reform: a critical analysis of the task-based learning English syllabus. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education and Development, 4(2), 189-211.Google Scholar
Monbukagakusho
(2001) Practical handbook for elementary school English activities. Tokyo: Monbukagakusho.Google Scholar
Nation, P.
(1997) L1 and L2 use in the classroom: a systematic approach. TESL Reporter, 30(2), 19-27.Google Scholar
Ng, S. M.
(1994) Language teaching and bilingual literacy at pre-Primary and Primary levels in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Report to Education Commission.Google Scholar
Nunan, D.
(2003) The impact of English as a global language on educational policies and practices in the Asia-Pacific region. TESOL Quarterly, 37(4), 589-613. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pennington, M.
(1997) Projecting classroom language use in a group of bilingual graduates of a BATESL course. Language, culture and curriculum, 10(3), 222-235. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pennington, M., & Richards, J.
(1997) Re-orienting the teaching universe: the experiences of five first-year English teachers in Hong Kong. Language teaching research, 1(2), 149-178. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Shin, E.
(2001) Evaluation of the MOE (Ministry of Education) Primary school English teacher training program. English Teaching and Learning, 26(1), 86-108.Google Scholar
Slattery, M., & Willis, J.
(2001) English for Primary teachers: a handbook of activities and classroom language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Van Manen, M.
(1997) Researching lived experience: human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. (Second edition). Ontario: Althouse Press.Google Scholar
(2002) Researching the experience of pedagogy. Education Canada, 42(4), 24-27.Google Scholar
Woods, D.
(1996) Teacher cognition in language teaching: beliefs, decision-making and classroom practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 10 other publications

Butler, Yuko Goto
2015. English language education among young learners in East Asia: A review of current research (2004–2014). Language Teaching 48:3 ► pp. 303 ff. DOI logo
Yuko Goto Butler
2014. Current Issues in English Education for Young Learners in East Asia. English Teaching 69:4 ► pp. 3 ff. DOI logo
Jungmin Ko
2016. Amount and Function of L1 in A Middle School TEE Class. Journal of Education & Culture 22:2 ► pp. 183 ff. DOI logo
Kang, Dae-Min
2008. The classroom language use of a Korean elementary school EFL teacher: Another look at TETE. System 36:2 ► pp. 214 ff. DOI logo
Kang, Dae-Min
2013. EFL teachers' language use for classroom discipline: A look at complex interplay of variables. System 41:1 ► pp. 149 ff. DOI logo
Lindberg, Rachael, Kim McDonough & Ahlem Ammar
2022. The sociocognitive functions of English use during L2 French collaborative writing tasks. Language Teaching Research ► pp. 136216882211276 ff. DOI logo
Mireya Garcia Cortés, Olga & Susan Parks
2019. Teachers’ Perceptions and Use of Code-Switching in Core ESL Classes in Quebec Elementary Schools. The Canadian Modern Language Review 75:1 ► pp. 23 ff. DOI logo
Nguyen, Hoa Thi Mai
2011. Primary English language education policy in Vietnam: insights from implementation. Current Issues in Language Planning 12:2 ► pp. 225 ff. DOI logo
Scheffler, Paweł & Anna Domińska
2018. Own-language use in teaching English to preschool children. ELT Journal 72:4 ► pp. 374 ff. DOI logo
Shin, Sang‐Keun
2012. “It Cannot Be Done Alone”: The Socialization of Novice English Teachers in South Korea. TESOL Quarterly 46:3 ► pp. 542 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 23 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.