The Critical Role of Play in Teaching a Foreign Language: Considerations in a Catalan School, Barcelona Spain

Authors : İnma Piquer VİVES, Georgianna DUARTE

Pages : 15-36

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Publication Date : 2018-06-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :For many children in first language and second language settings, monolingual teachers carry out all the educational activities. There is a lack of public school support for bilingual programs, often parents who lack the dominant language are often misunderstood, judged, or excluded in the formal school or early childhood setting. Given the global migration across Europe, this article presents a play-based approach to foster the acquisition of English for young children in a state school in a village near Barcelona, Spain. The current study revealed that play based approaches provide young children context, opportunities for practice, safe emotional spaces to practice language, and exposure to positive feedback in the mode of play
Keywords : Foreign language  Public schools  Play based approaches