Papers by María Ángeles Hidalgo
System , 2024
The implementation of L2-medium education, exemplified by Content and Language Integrated Learnin... more The implementation of L2-medium education, exemplified by Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), is becoming increasingly popular in primary schools (García Mayo, 2021). While previous research highlights CLIL's positive impact on linguistic competence (Jiménez-Catalán & Ruiz de Zarobe, 2009), differences in linguistic achievement are often associated with varying exposure hours (Pladevall-Ballester & Vallbona, 2016). Despite CLIL's growing popularity, studies examining linguistic achievement in varying-intensity CLIL programs remain scant. We address this gap by comparing low and high-intensity CLIL programs, alongside a standard English as a foreign language (EFL) program in primary schools. Focused on 11-year-olds' receptive skills, our results show that high-intensity programs significantly enhance proficiency in listening and reading when compared to their lower-intensity counterparts. Distinctions between low-intensity and EFL programs are non-significant. These findings underscore the critical role of the intensity of exposure in shaping the effectiveness of CLIL programs and contribute insights for refining CLIL program design guidelines.
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2020
Individual differences (IDs) have long been considered one of the most important factors explaini... more Individual differences (IDs) have long been considered one of the most important factors explaining variable rates and outcomes in second language acquisition (Dewaele, 2013). While traditional operationalizations of IDs have, explicitly or implicitly, assumed that IDs are static traits that are stable through time, more recent research inspired by complex dynamic systems theory (Larsen-Freeman, 1997, 2020) demonstrates that many IDs are dynamic and variable through time and across contexts, a theme echoed throughout the current issue. This study reports the initial semester of a diachronic project investigating the dynamicity of four learner IDs: motivation, personality, learning and cognitive styles, and working memory. In the initial semester, data from 323 participants in their first year of university-level Spanish were collected and analyzed to determine what type of variability may be present across learners with respect to the four IDs studied at one time point and to discer...
The Language Learning Journal
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2020
Research into the potential of collaborative writing is relatively new. Similarly, task repetitio... more Research into the potential of collaborative writing is relatively new. Similarly, task repetition (TR), which has been claimed to be a valuable tool for language learning, has been rarely explored in the context of writing. Therefore, little is known about the potential of combining TR and collaborative writing, and even less if we focus on young learners (YLs), who constitute a generally under-researched population. With these research gaps in mind, the present study examines the compositions of 10 pairs of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) (aged 12) who write the same text in response to the same picture prompt three times over a three-week period. Our analysis includes the language-related episodes (LREs) that learners generate while writing collaboratively and, also, a thorough analysis of the three drafts that students produce, including quantitative (complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF)) and holistic measures. Results show that learners’ compositions improve w...
Language Teaching Research, 2019
Task repetition (TR) is a valuable tool to direct learners’ attention from meaning to language fo... more Task repetition (TR) is a valuable tool to direct learners’ attention from meaning to language form. The first time learners perform a task their focus is on conveying meaning, whereas during the second enactment they tend to focus on the form of their message. Collaborative writing also promotes learners’ focus on form, allowing extra time to pay attention to language use, and providing multiple opportunities for learners to pool their linguistic resources and co-construct meaning. Despite the increasing body of research on young learners’ (YLs) second language acquisition process, few studies have addressed the effect of the repetition of collaborative writing tasks on this population’s output. The present study aims to fill this gap by analysing the impact of TR on YLs’ (age 11–12) attention to form, operationalized as language-related episodes (LREs). Forty ( n = 40) beginner learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) worked with two types of TR: exact TR (ETR), where the p...
ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2017
Interactive tasks are valuable tools for L2 learners and have long made their way into language l... more Interactive tasks are valuable tools for L2 learners and have long made their way into language lessons. Among the different task conditions, only few studies have dealt with procedural repetition, which consists of repeating the same task type with different contents and which is frequently used in schools. In this study we explore the effects of procedural repetition on the oral interactions of ten pairs of English learners (age 11) who had to repeat a task three times. Their negotiation strategies and general performance (accuracy, fluency and complexity) were analysed. Results show that, in the third repetition, the amount of confirmation checks and repetitions decreased significantly and accuracy timidly improved. All other aspects remained unaffected. The pedagogical implications of these results are also discussed.
System, 2017
A growing body of research suggests that a balanced use of the first language (L1) in the foreign... more A growing body of research suggests that a balanced use of the first language (L1) in the foreign language classroom yields beneficial effects for second language (L2) learning. Still, the extent to which young learners in foreign language contexts actually make use of their L1 while completing tasks is in need of further research, especially in an approach that has become prevalent in Europe: Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The current longitudinal study analyzes the oral interactions of 32 young Spanish learners (ages 8e10) when performing a communicative task twice in two consecutive academic years. We have analyzed the learners' L1 use and the functions it serves, the differences between two foreign language instructional settings (mainstream foreign language lessons and CLIL) and the changes over a year. Our findings confirmed the facilitative role of the L1 which mainly served to assist learners as they coped with unknown vocabulary. CLIL learners used their L1 significantly less than mainstream learners, and, interestingly, the L1 was more frequently used the second time the learners carried out the task. The findings shed light on the facilitative role of the L1 for task completion by young learners in foreign language settings.
International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 2019
The benefits of task-supported interaction are especially noticeable when negotiation of meaning ... more The benefits of task-supported interaction are especially noticeable when negotiation of meaning (NoM) occurs. Despite the large amount of research on interaction, children’s ability to collaborate and to understand their partners’ needs remains under-researched. This capacity has been questioned, and has been claimed to develop with age. From an interactionist perspective, we have analysed the oral interactions of 80 Spanish young learners (YLs) of English as a foreign language (EFL) from two age groups (8–9 and 10–11), when performing a collaborative task. Specifically, we have examined the nature of NoM and the strategies YLs use. Significant differences between the groups were identified: whereas younger children negotiate mostly to repair communication breakdowns, older YLs show a greater concern about their interlocutor’s needs. As in previous research addressing this population, focus on form strategies are rare. This study sheds light on our understanding of how young EFL le...
Collaborative writing (CW) and task repetition have been claimed to aid language acquisition. Stu... more Collaborative writing (CW) and task repetition have been claimed to aid language acquisition. Students produce better texts when writing with a peer and their drafts improve if they write the same composition twice (same task repetition, STR). However, little is known about young learners, about the effects of combining both constructs and, finally, about a more common type of repetition in language lessons: repeating the same procedure with different content (procedural task repetition, PTR). This study analyses the effects of CW (vs. individual writing) and of PTR (vs. STR). To do so, the writings of 59 Spanish young learners (aged 11) of English divided into four groups were analysed. Two of these groups (N = 9, N = 10) wrote a composition individually while two (N = 20, N = 20) wrote a composition in pairs. A week later, one individual (N = 9) and one collaborative group (N = 20) wrote the same composition again (STR) while the other individual (N = 10) and collaborative (N = 20...
System
She is the convener of the research group Language and Speech (http://www.laslab.org) and the aca... more She is the convener of the research group Language and Speech (http://www.laslab.org) and the academic director of the MA in Language Acquisition in Multilingual Settings. Her research interests include the second/third language acquisition of English morphosyntax, the study of conversational interaction and task-based language learning.
Different task types have been hypothesised to affect the type and amount of Negotiation of Meani... more Different task types have been hypothesised to affect the type and amount of Negotiation of Meaning (NoM) generated in learner-learner interactions. However, studies specifically addressing the impact of the task variable on the NoM in child-child interactions in foreign language contexts are virtually non-exixtent. This study analyses the amount and type of NoM operationalised as conversational adjustments (CAs) present in the interactions of primary education L1-Spanish young learners (YLs) of English on two different tasks. Participants were 40 eight-year-old children enrolled in a partial immersion Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) program. Ten pairs took part in a two-way pictureplacement jigsaw, while the other ten participated in a one-way picture-placement storybased task. The results indicate that the impact of task type on the amount and type of CAs produced by participants is more far-reaching than expected, revealing a significantly greater amount of CAs in...
Learning Foreign Languages in Primary School
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2020
Research into the potential of collaborative writing is relatively new. Similarly, task repetitio... more Research into the potential of collaborative writing is relatively new. Similarly, task repetition (TR), which has been claimed to be a valuable tool for language learning, has been rarely explored in the context of writing. Therefore, little is known about the potential of combining TR and collaborative writing, and even less if we focus on young learners (YLs), who constitute a generally under-researched population. With these research gaps in mind, the present study examines the compositions of 10 pairs of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) (aged 12) who write the same text in response to the same picture prompt three times over a three-week period. Our analysis includes the language-related episodes (LREs) that learners generate while writing collaboratively and, also, a thorough analysis of the three drafts that students produce, including quantitative (com-plexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF)) and holistic measures. Results show that learners' compositions improve with repetition when measured by holistic ratings although CAF measures fail to grasp this improvement. As for the LREs, a great amount was found, most of the episodes were focused on form, most were successfully resolved and their amount declined with TR. In light of these results we argue in favor of the inclusion of holistic measures when analyzing students' productions and discuss the positive effects of collaborative writing in the context of TR with YLs.
IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 2019
The benefits of task-supported interaction are especially noticeable when negotiation of meaning ... more The benefits of task-supported interaction are especially noticeable when negotiation of meaning (NoM) occurs. Despite the large amount of research on interaction, children’s ability to collaborate and to understand their partners’ needs remains under-researched. This capacity has been questioned, and has been claimed to develop with age. From an interactionist perspective, we have analysed the oral interactions of 80 Spanish young learners (YLs) of English as a foreign language (EFL) from two age groups (8–9 and 10–11), when performing a collaborative task. Specifically, we have examined the nature of NoM and the strategies YLs use. Significant differences between the groups were identified: whereas younger children negotiate mostly to repair communication breakdowns, older YLs show a greater concern about their interlocutor’s needs. As in previous research addressing this population, focus on form strategies are rare. This study sheds light on our understanding of how young EFL learners negotiate in task-supported interactions.
ITL
Interactive tasks are valuable tools for L2 learners and have long made their way into language l... more Interactive tasks are valuable tools for L2 learners and have long made their way into language lessons. Among the different task conditions, only few studies have dealt with procedural repetition, which consists of repeating the same task type with different contents and which is frequently used in schools. In this study we explore the effects of procedural repetition on the oral interactions of ten pairs of English learners (age 11) who had to repeat a task three times. Their negotiation strategies and general performance (accuracy, fluency and complexity) were analysed. Results show that, in the third repetition, the amount of confirmation checks and repetitions decreased significantly and accuracy timidly improved. All other aspects remained unaffected. The pedagogical implications of these results are also discussed.
System, 2017
A growing body of research suggests that a balanced use of the first language (L1) in the foreign... more A growing body of research suggests that a balanced use of the first language (L1) in the foreign language classroom yields beneficial effects for second language (L2) learning. Still, the extent to which young learners in foreign language contexts actually make use of their L1 while completing tasks is in need of further research, especially in an approach that has become prevalent in Europe: Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The current longitudinal study analyzes the oral interactions of 32 young Spanish learners (ages 8–10) when performing a communicative task twice in two consecutive academic years. We have analyzed the learners’ L1 use and the functions it serves, the differences between two foreign language instructional settings (mainstream foreign language lessons and CLIL) and the changes over a year. Our findings confirmed the facilitative role of the L1 which mainly served to assist learners as they coped with unknown vocabulary. CLIL learners used their L1 significantly less than mainstream learners, and, interestingly, the L1 was more frequently used the second time the learners carried out the task. The findings shed light on the facilitative role of the L1 for task completion by young learners in foreign language settings.
Porta Linguarum, 2015
Teaching vocabulary in semantically related sets is common practice among EFL teachers. The prese... more Teaching vocabulary in semantically related sets is common practice among EFL teachers. The present study tests the effectiveness of this method by comparing it to the alternative technique: presenting vocabulary in an unrelated way. In the study two intact classes of Spanish learners of English in high-school were presented with a set of unrelated and related words and were then asked to complete a post-test to measure the imPact of both techniques on learning. The results indicate that, while both techniques successfully help the learners to acquire new words, presenting words in unrelated sets seems to be more effective.
Peer interaction is an essential part of human communication. However, it was not until Long (198... more Peer interaction is an essential part of human communication. However, it was not until Long (1985) proposed the Interaction Hypothesis that it was considered a valuable tool to promote learning. Within the cognitive-interactionist approach to second language learning (SLA), interaction is considered not only a facilitator of language practice but also the means by which learning takes place (Gass, 2007). To date, a large body of research has demonstrated that interaction facilitates language learning by raisings learners’ awareness of language forms, providing interactional feedback and creating opportunities for the modification of non-target-like utterances.
While engaged in interaction, language learners will produce an initial utterance which might not be target-like and will sometimes elicit corrective feedback from the interlocutor. This reaction will at the same time encourage the speaker to focus on the form of what is being said and lead them to produce a more comprehensible, and most likely target-like, version of their initial contribution to the conversation.
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Papers by María Ángeles Hidalgo
While engaged in interaction, language learners will produce an initial utterance which might not be target-like and will sometimes elicit corrective feedback from the interlocutor. This reaction will at the same time encourage the speaker to focus on the form of what is being said and lead them to produce a more comprehensible, and most likely target-like, version of their initial contribution to the conversation.
While engaged in interaction, language learners will produce an initial utterance which might not be target-like and will sometimes elicit corrective feedback from the interlocutor. This reaction will at the same time encourage the speaker to focus on the form of what is being said and lead them to produce a more comprehensible, and most likely target-like, version of their initial contribution to the conversation.