Learners between Childhood and Adulthood: Assessing Writing Competences of Teens Learning French as a Foreign Language
Abstract
The article introduces learners between two age groups: childhood and adulthood. The aim of the author is to analyse the writing skills of French primary school learners – mostly 14 years old – and to determine which descriptors could be used to assess them. The article begins with a presentation of the learners’ characteristics and continues with a review of the position of the French language in Slovenian primary schools, where French is taught as a second foreign language and an elective subject. Since French is a rather infrequent subject in primary schools, it is difficult to obtain comparable materials. Finally, 36 written compositions from the national French competition serve as the basis for analysis. The detailed analysis is accompanied by a presentation of the CEFR and AYLLIT descriptors for writing, as well as reflection on which descriptors are appropriate for assessing compositions and placing them on the CEFR levels. The AYLLIT descriptors seem more relevant, as they are more explicit and appropriate for the target group.
Downloads
References
Brumen, M., Čagran, B., & Rixon, S. (2005). Assessment of Young Learners’ Foreign Language in Slovenian Primary Schools. Elope, 2(1-2), 167-184.
Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching Languages to Young Learners. Cambridge: CUP.
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (2001). Strasbourg: Language Policy Unit. Retrieved 10.08.2015 from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf
Copland, F., & Garton, S. (2014). Key themes and future directions in teaching English to young learners: introduction to the Special Issue. ELT journal, 68(3), 223-230.
Czura, A. (2013). Implementing Portfolio Assessment in Lower Secondary School. Elope, 10(1), 83-94.
Dagarin Fojkar, M. (2009). Modeli pouÄevanja tujega jezika v otroÅ¡tvu – pregled stanja v Evropi in drugje po svetu. In K. Pižorn (Ed.), UÄenje in pouÄevanje dodatnih jezikov v otroÅ¡tvu (pp. 154-176). Ljubljana: Zavod Republike Slovenije za Å¡olstvo.
Drew, I., & Hasselgreen, A. (2008). Young Language Learner (YLL) Research: An Overview of some international and national approaches. Acta Didactica Norge, 2(1), 1-18.
Ellis, G. (2014). ‘Young learners’: clarifying our terms. ELT journal, 68(1), 75-78.
Gaonac’h, D. (2006). L’apprentissage précoce d’une langue étrangère. Paris: Hachette Éducation.
Hasselgreen, A., Kaleidate, V., Maldonado-MartÃn, N., & Pižorn, K. (2011). Assessment of young learner literacy linked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Graz: ECML.
Jereb, E. (2009). Francoska slovnica po naše. Ljubljana: Cankarjeva založba.
Enever, J., & Moon, J. (2010). A global revolution? Teaching English at Primary school. Retrieved 15.08.2015 from https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/MoonEnever%20BC%20paper.pdf
Lah Å uster, A. (2013). UÄenje tujega jezika v otroÅ¡tvu – stopnja osebnostne razvitosti in razvitost strategih v 2. triadi OÅ . Vestnik za tuje jezike, V(1-2), 95-113.
MarjanoviÄ Umek, L. (2009). Razvoj otroÅ¡kega govora: uÄinek pouÄevanja in uÄenja tujega/drugega jezika. In K. Pižorn (Ed.), UÄenje in pouÄevanje dodatnih jezikov v otroÅ¡tvu (pp. 71-80). Ljubljana: Zavod Republike Slovenije za Å¡olstvo.
Newport, E. L. (1999). Maturational Constraints on Language Learning. Cognitive science, 14, 11-28.
Oh, S. (2011). Classroom-based Language Assessment for Young Language Learners. Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, 11(1), 55-56.
Phillips, S. (1993). Young learners. Oxford: OUP.
Pinter, A. (2006). Teaching Young Language Learners. Oxford: OUP.
Pevec Semec, K., KaÄ, L., Å eÄerov, N., LesniÄar, B., Lipavic OÅ¡tir, A., Cajhen, S., & StrmÄnik, L. (2013). UÄni naÄrt: Drugi tuji jezik v 4. do 9. razredu. Neobvezni izbirni predmet. Retrieved 15.06.2015 from http://www.mizs.gov.si/fileadmin/mizs.gov.si/pageuploads/podrocje/os/devetletka/program_razsirjeni/Drugi_TJ_izbirni_neobvezni.pdf
Pižorn, K. (2009). Raziskave na podroÄju preverjanja/ocenjevanja tujejezikovnega znanja v otroÅ¡tvu. In K. Pižorn (Ed.), UÄenje in pouÄevanje dodatnih jezikov v otroÅ¡tvu (pp. 304-322). Ljubljana: Zavod Republike Slovenije za Å¡olstvo.
Pižorn, K. (2014). The Development of a CEFR-based Scale for assessing Young Foreign Language Learners’ Writing Skills. Linguistica, 54, 241-259.
Raaen, G. (2010). A comparison of basic English skills in 7th and 10th grade. In FoU I Praksis 2009 Rapport fra konferanse om praksisrettet FoU i llærerutdanning. Trondheim: Tapir.
SeÅ¡ek, U., & Pižorn, K. (2009). Uporabnost evropkega jezikovnega okvira za mlajÅ¡e uÄence. In K. Pižorn (Ed.), UÄenje in pouÄevanje dodatnih jezikov v otroÅ¡tvu (pp. 290-303). Ljubljana: Zavod
Republike Slovenije za Å¡olstvo.
Skela, J., SeÅ¡ek, U., & Dagarin Fojkar, M. (2009). Opismenjevanje v drugem/tujem jeziku na zgodnji stopnji. In K. Pižorn (Ed.), UÄenje in pouÄevanje dodatnih jezikov v otroÅ¡tvu (pp. 290-303). Ljubljana: Zavod Republike Slovenije za Å¡olstvo.
Sundqvist, P. (2014). Review of ‘The Young Language Learning: Research-based Insights into Teaching and Learning‘ (Hasselgreen, Drew, & Sørheim, 2012). KAPET, 10(1), 15-23.
Vanthier, H. (2009). L’enseignement aux enfants en classe de langue. Paris: CLE International.
In order to ensure both the widest dissemination and protection of material published in CEPS Journal, we ask Authors to transfer to the Publisher (Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana) the rights of copyright in the Articles they contribute. This enables the Publisher to ensure protection against infringement.