Download - EnglishAgenda - British Council

Contextual factors presented themselves not only as relevant but often as keyvariables in explaining this phenomenon. The interactions they entered withindividual learner characteristics and with linguistic outcomes threw more light onboth the processes and outcomes of early EFL learning. Of special significance isthe finding that all the examined factors and their interactions changed with time,thus creating highly dynamic relationships.Extending such studies to other contexts and including larger samples wouldmake it possible to form research-based generalisations that could inform EFLteachers, policy-makers and young EFL learners’ parents worldwide about whatcan realistically be achieved in early EFL learning and how to go about it.Notes1. This research has been supported by a European Commission grant under theLifelong Learning Programme, Project n°. 135632-LLP-2007-UK-KA1SCR. Anadditional British Council grant supported the Croatian team.2. The scoping year was partly sponsored by the British Council.3. Project schools were number coded (for coding consult Table 1). The samenumbers are used for teachers and classes (groups) in respective schools.4. This score was calculated on the basis of scores for seven-country ELLiEsample in 2008 and 2010.ReferencesBialystok, E. (2001) Bilingualism in development: Language, literacy, and cognition.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Birdsong, D. (2005) Interpreting age effects in second language acquisition. In:J. F. Kroll and A. M. B. De Groot (eds.), Handbook of Bilingualism: PsycholinguisticApproaches, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 109-127.DeKeyser, R. and Larson-Hall, J (2005) What does the critical period really mean?In: J. F. Kroll and A. M. B. De Groot (eds.), Handbook of Bilingualism: PsycholinguisticApproaches, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 88-108.Hyltenstam, K. and Abrahamsson, N. (2001) Age and L2 learning: the hazards ofmatching practical ‘implications’ with theoretical ‘facts’. TESOL Quarterly 35, 151-170.Johnstone, R. (2002) Addressing ‘The Age Factor’: Some implications for languagespolicy. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.Larsen-Hall, J. (2008) Weighing the benefits of studying a foreign language at ayounger starting age in a minimal input situation. Second Language Research 24/1,35-63.Long, M. (2005) Problems with supposed counter-evidence to the Critical PeriodHypothesis. IRAL 43/4, 287-318.180 | Early EFL Learning