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This book synthesises research on very early language learning in pre-primary organised instruction settings such as kindergarten, nursery or afternoon classes. Using a framework of ecological development, it investigates the nested systems in which very young learners operate, the other agents involved in each of these systems and the influence these agents have on children’s foreign language learning. It explores the ecosystems of the individual learner and their family, educational institutions, general social climate and language education policies, resulting in a holistic view of early language learning and the key transitions into and out of pre-primary formal instruction settings. This is the first book to gather research to date on very young learners in formal settings, offering a comprehensive state of the art to researchers and graduate students in early language learning, second language acquisition and early years pedagogy.
Joanna Rokita-Jaśkow uses a critical ecological perspective in her exploration of foreign-language programs in pre-schools, presenting research that both supports and challenges their implementation. The book offers valuable guidance to policymakers, parents, and teachers, outlining contextual conditions that they must consider. The key takeaway is that very young children’s progress is slow, and early exposure to a new language does not necessarily ensure long-term success.
Joanna Rokita-Jaśkow is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Head of ELT at the University of the National Education Commission (UKEN), Poland. Her research explores foreign language education at pre-primary and primary levels, multilingualism in schools and teacher education, and she is the Vice-Chair of the Early Language Learning Research Association.
Acknowledgement
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Child’s Biosystem: How Children Learn to Communicate in Their First and Foreign Languages
Chapter 2 Microsystem: The Educational Institution
Chapter 3. Mesosystem: Family Environment
Chapter 4. Exosystem: The Affordances of the Linguistic Landscape
Chapter 5. Macrosystem: Early Language Learning Policy and Planning
Chapter 6: The Chronosystem
Concluding Remarks
References