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Making The Case For Exploratory World Language Instruction In Catholic Elementary Schools, Eric Howard

Honors Projects

Little research is being conducted to understand early WL learning. Students in Catholic elementary schools were provided with WL instruction every week. CLT methods were employed and lessons addressed state and national standards. The research questions were: How does exploratory instruction 1) affect children’s attitudes toward learning WL and about cultures? 2) affect children’s WL acquisition? Similar to what Navarro-Villarroel (2011) and Yao (2002) found, this program allowed for a more positive and expressive outlook on learning languages and cultures. Children found learning to be challenging, but enjoyed it because “it made them smarter.” Children believed they would be able …