Open Access
Lost in translation? Translation as a valid tool for the EFL classroom
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2011) Antón Remírez, Susana; Lázaro Ibarrola, Amparo; Filología y Didáctica de la Lengua; Filologia eta Hizkuntzaren Didaktika
El uso de la traducción en las clases de lenguas extranjeras parece haber caído en el olvido. Incluso se ha escrito mucho en contra de su uso. No obstante, estudios recientes indican que la L1 puede ser una herramienta muy útil en el aprendizaje de una nueva lengua extranjera. El presente estudio pretende ser una aportación a este debate comprobando la eficacia de una actividad de traducción inversa (castellano a inglés) en el aprendizaje de inglés de un grupo de 15 estudiantes de lengua materna castellano que cursan 4º de E.S.O. Para ello, se diseñó una prueba de traducción centrada en varias estructuras gramaticales y en una serie de palabras y se comprobó su eficacia mediante un diseño de tratamiento y post-test. También se pidió a los estudiantes cumplimentar un cuestionario indicando sus impresiones sobre la actividad. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que la traducción fue una actividad muy útil tanto para la adquisición de vocabulario como de estructuras gramaticales, con la única excepción de la estructura “be used to”. Las opiniones de los estudiantes sobre el ejercicio dejaron claro que, para ellos, fue una actividad motivadora. A la vista de los resultados, es posible debatir el valor del uso de la traducción en la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras en los institutos, por lo que se indican posibles líneas de investigación.
Open Access
El Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior y la fonética del inglés
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Lázaro Ibarrola, Amparo; Filología y Didáctica de la Lengua; Filologia eta Hizkuntzaren Didaktika
Open Access
La forma ‘is’ y la transferencia sintáctica en la adquisición del inglés por niños bilingües (euskera-castellano)
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2004) Lázaro Ibarrola, Amparo; Filología y Didáctica de la Lengua; Filologia eta Hizkuntzaren Didaktika
Open Access
Procedural repetition in task-based interaction among young EFL learners: does it make a difference?
(John Benjamins Publishing, 2017-12-30) Lázaro Ibarrola, Amparo; Hidalgo Gordo, María Ángeles; Filología y Didáctica de la Lengua; Filologia eta Hizkuntzaren Didaktika; Institute for Advanced Social Research - ICOMMUNITAS
Interactive tasks are valuable tools for L2 learners and have long made their way into language lessons. Among the different task conditions, only few studies have dealt with procedural repetition, which consists of repeating the same task type with different contents and which is frequently used in schools. In this study we explore the effects of procedural repetition on the oral interactions of ten pairs of English learners (age 11) who had to repeat a task three times. Their negotiation strategies and general performance (accuracy, fluency and complexity) were analysed. Results show that, in the third repetition, the amount of confirmation checks and repetitions decreased significantly and accuracy timidly improved. All other aspects remained unaffected. The pedagogical implications of these results are also discussed.
Open Access
Talking to write: insights into the oral interactions of young EFL writers repeating a collaborative task
(De Gruyter Brill, 2025) Hidalgo Gordo, María Ángeles; Lázaro Ibarrola, Amparo; Ciencias humanas y de la educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
Writing and speaking, being considered the productive skills, have been traditionally studied in isolation in second language acquisition research. However, these two skills are interwoven in collaborative writing (CW) tasks. In CW, the process of writing a text, which had been traditionally considered a solitary task (Lázaro-Ibarrola, 2023; Storch, 2005), is carried out in collaboration, with two or more learners talking to each other to decide what to write and how to write it. Thus, CW tasks enable the very desirable integration of skills, in this case of writing and speaking, for teaching and research purposes (Hirvela & Belcher, 2016; Lázaro-Ibarrola, 2023).
Open Access
Intensity matters inside and outside primary school: evidence from high-CLIL, low-CLIL, and non-CLIL learners
(Georgetown University, 2024-11-28) Lázaro Ibarrola, Amparo; Ciencias humanas y de la educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Social Research - ICOMMUNITAS; Universidad Publica de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Research involving secondary school EFL learners has demonstrated that greater intensity of exposure, via CLIL lessons, yields notable benefits. However, studies in primary school are scarce and less optimistic. Furthermore, little is known about the effects of different degrees of CLIL intensity and of learners' exposure to Extramural English (EE) through formal or informal out-of-school activities. To address these gaps, this study examines the impact of CLIL and EE on the proficiency of 180 primary school learners of English (aged 10-11 years) divided into a high-CLIL (N = 78), a low-CLIL (N = 56), and a non-CLIL (N = 46) group. Results showed some advantages among high-CLIL learners, including higher scores and less intragroup variability, while no significant differences were observed between low-CLIL and non-CLIL learners. EE activities were common, with several weak but positive correlations found between EE and proficiency, particularly involving watching TV and reading, and mainly affecting non-CLIL learners.
Open Access
Collaborative writing among young EFL learners in a school context: product and process
(Taylor and Francis, 2022) Lázaro Ibarrola, Amparo; Hidalgo Gordo, María Ángeles; Institute for Advanced Social Research - ICOMMUNITAS
The recent surge in studies on collaborative writing (CW) has providedvaluable insights into the product and process of writing. When writingtogether, adults tend to produce better texts and generate and resolvea large number of language-related episodes (LREs). Also, analyses ofthe dialogues of collaborative writers show that learners are able toco-construct knowledge and mainly focus their attention on thegeneration of ideas. As for young learners (YLs), the very few studiescomparing jointly and individually written texts have not identified anyadvantages in the use of collaboratively written drafts.Furthermore,while YLs also produce and resolve LREs in CW tasks, no study to datehas provided a thorough analysis of their dialogues. To address thesegaps, this study compares the products of primary school learners ofEnglish as a foreign language (EFL) aged 11–12 writing in pairs (n= 20)and individually (n= 19) and provides a thorough analysis of pair talk(process). Results suggest that collaborative writers produced moreaccurate texts and focused most of their efforts on the generation ofideas and on the discussion and successful resolution of LREs. In light ofthese results the implementation of CW with YLs is encouraged.
Open Access
Motivation towards the foreign language (English) and regional language (Basque) in immersion schools: does CLIL in the foreign language make a difference?
(SAGE Publications, 2021) Lázaro Ibarrola, Amparo; Azpilicueta Martínez, Raúl; Institute for Advanced Social Research - ICOMMUNITAS; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua
Motivation to learn languages strongly correlates with language achievement, and the school context has a great influence on the motivation of young learners (YLs). A key rationale for the implementation of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) programs, therefore, was pupil motivation. Very few studies have measured motivation in this context, especially in primary schools. Even fewer have done so in bilingual areas, where the continuation of widespread use of the regional language often depends on its presence in the school system and where CLIL reduces this presence. To address these gaps, motivation towards the foreign language (FL), English, and the regional language, Basque, was measured in 399 YLs of English (aged 10–12 years) in Basque immersion schools. The learners were divided into a CLIL group (n = 230), with English as a foreign language (EFL) and CLIL lessons, and a non-CLIL group (n = 169), which received only EFL lessons. Results showed that the CLIL learners had a more positive attitude towards English and a slightly lower motivation towards Basque. This suggests that increasing the amount of exposure to the foreign language (FL) via CLIL lessons improves the motivation towards English but could decrease the instrumental motivation towards the regional language.
Open Access
Intensity of CLIL exposure and L2 motivation in primary school: evidence from Spanish EFL learners in non-CLIL, low-CLIL and high-CLIL programmes
(De Gruyter, 2023) Azpilicueta Martínez, Raúl; Lázaro Ibarrola, Amparo; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Social Research - ICOMMUNITAS; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, PJUPNA05-2022; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, PJUPNA2023-11401
Preliminary studies suggest a positive effect of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) on young learners' (YLs) L2 motivation. However, much more research with larger samples is is necessary to gain a more detailed understanding of the interaction between CLIL exposure and L2 motivation. This study specifically explores the effect of different levels of CLIL exposure on YLs’ L2 motivation. To do so, five measures of motivation were analysed in 895 L1-Spanish YLs of English (mean age= 10.61) comprising a non-CLIL group (n=289) who had received five EFL weekly lessons; a low-CLIL group (n =152) who had received five EFL and two CLIL weekly lessons, and a high-CLIL group (n =454) who had received five EFL and seven CLIL weekly lessons. Normality, Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn-Bonferroni post-hoc tests were conducted. The results revealed significantly higher motivation levels for the high-CLIL learners over the low-CLIL group in all five measures, and higher motivational levels of the high-CLIL group over the non-CLIL group in four of the measures. The study provides evidence of the motivational benefits of high-CLIL exposure and underscores the need for further research on the motivational implications of low-CLIL programmes.
Open Access
The reading rainbow of young multilingual learners: reading comprehension in the majority (Spanish), regional (Basque) and foreign (English) language
(Elsevier, 2025-03-31) Lázaro Ibarrola, Amparo; Luquin Urtasun, María; Roothooft, Hanne; Ciencias humanas y de la educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
Reading comprehension is crucial in education, serving as the foundation for acquiring knowledge. In multilingual settings, children must develop these skills in multiple languages. However, there is limited understanding of comprehension levels across languages and of the role of influencing factors such as language exposure, non-verbal intelligence (NVI), socioeconomic status (SES), and extramural reading (ER). This study explores how these variables impact the reading comprehension of young learners (aged 10–11) in English (foreign language), Spanish (main language), and Basque (regional language for Basque-immersion participants). The participants were divided into a high-intensity (HI) group (N = 118) and a low-intensity (LI) group (N = 81) within Basque-immersion programs. Results showed correlations among reading comprehension scores in Spanish, English, and Basque. While both groups demonstrated similar Spanish comprehension levels, the HI group excelled in English, particularly among high-NVI learners. LI learners scored lower in Basque compared to Spanish. Regression analyses indicated that NVI and, to a lesser extent, SES influenced reading comprehension across languages. Also, HI learners engaged more in English ER, whereas LI learners favored Basque. However, ER did not have a significant impact on their reading scores. Based on these findings, pedagogical implications for multilingual education contexts will be discussed.