How Does a Healthy Interactive Environment Sustain Foreign Language Development? An Ecocontextualized Approach.

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Second Language Acquisition
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Conflicting views on context's role in foreign language development (FLD) impede progress.
• An ecocontextualized approach is proposed to address these inconsistencies.
• This approach emphasizes aligning early learning with implicit sound-meaning mapping and concrete contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a sound-meaning mapping prioritizing (SMMP) route for healthy and sustainable FLD.
• To investigate the long-term effects of SMMP versus non-SMMP (NSMMP) learning on oral and written proficiency.
• To provide empirical evidence for an effective FLD strategy within the Chinese context.

Main Methods:

• Development of an ecocontextualized approach focusing on implicit sound-meaning mapping for early FLD.
• Implementation and testing of the SMMP route through questionnaires and oral assessments.
• Comparison of SMMP early starters with non-SMMP (NSMMP) early starters (simultaneous skill acquisition).

Main Results:

• SMMP early starters demonstrated superior oral proficiency in the late stage compared to NSMMP learners.
• NSMMP learners exhibited underdeveloped oral, particularly listening, abilities at the late stage.
• Both SMMP and NSMMP learners could develop written proficiency at a later stage.

Conclusions:

• The SMMP route offers a more effective pathway for developing oral proficiency in FLD, especially for early starters.
• Explicit, abstract learning through written language is best introduced after foundational oral skills are established.
• The findings support the SMMP approach for fostering healthy and sustainable FLD in the Chinese context.