Speaking skills related issues in an early language education from the perspective of recent empirical studies based on the German language

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to evaluate recent empirical studies
conducted in the German environment which concern the
processes of foreign language acquisition by young children in
their early school education. The results of these new studies led to
the development of new teaching strategies based on the interaction
between the teacher and the young learners. Different aspects
of the studies reported in the paper are now subject to a widespread
debate and they deserve attention in our educational context
as well, since Polish schools resemble German ones in many
respects. Therefore, the critical overview presented here can be
seen as an inspiration for a new research agenda in the area of
second language research and teaching methodology for that age
group. Moreover, from the practical point of view, it opens new
options in developing new teaching methods and teaching materials
for young foreign language learners in Polish schools.