ORGANIZATION
CALL FOR PAPERS
THE DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS IS EXTENDED UNTIL 29 JANUARY
Abstracts for 20-minute presentations followed by a 10’ question period. Maximum: 300 words + 200 words of references.
Deadline: 29th January, 2023. Notification: 28th February, 2023.
Deadline: 29th January, 2023. Notification: 28th February, 2023.
Research into grammar instruction (i.e. interventional efforts to direct learners’ attention to particular grammatical forms) has been a central topic in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) due to its importance in assisting second language (L2) learners to develop communicative competence. Over the last three decades, the role of grammar instruction in second/foreign language contexts has been reconsidered on the basis of findings in SLA research with adult learners. Research points to the need to identify effective instructional procedures to focus on formal aspects of language that may help learners notice the mismatch between their interlanguage and the target language. Moreover, there is currently a broad consensus that pedagogical intervention is facilitative and may even be indispensable in foreign language (FL) learning contexts as they offer no more than minimal L2 input of a few hours per week. One pedagogical framework proven to be effective for grammar learning is form-focused instruction (FFI).
A population that has clearly been underexplored regarding this issue is that of children (ages 6-12) precisely in FL learning contexts. Considering that research on this population should be a priority in coming decades, the main aim of this conference would be to bring together researchers that consider pedagogical perspectives to foster the learning of grammar by primary school children.

Topics for the conference focus on research conducted with children between the ages of 6-12 and include (but are not limited to) the following:
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Collaborative dialogue and grammar learning
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Explicit grammar instruction
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Grammar learning strategies
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Individual differences (engagement, metalinguistic awareness, willingness to communicate) and their impact on grammar learning
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Learners’ attitudes to grammar learning
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Pre-task planning in L1 vs. L2
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Technology-mediated attention to form
- Written corrective feedback
The conference is organized by the Language and Speech (LASLAB) research group (www.laslab.org) of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). It is funded by a four-year research grant by the Basque Government (IT1426-22) and by the project ‘Balancing interaction and L2 grammar learning by children in an EFL context’ granted by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2020-113630GB-I00).
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