Motivation and gender effect in receptive vocabulary learning: An exploratory analysis in CLIL primary education

Authors

  • Almudena Fernández-Fontecha Author University of La Rioja

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5294/4171

Keywords:

, motivación, tamaño de vocabulario receptivo, género, aprendizaje integrado de contenidos y lengua extranjera (AICLE), inglés como lengua extranjera (ILE).

Abstract

The present paper seeks to address the connection between the receptive vocabulary size and motivation towards EFL of a group of CLIL primary graders by paying special attention to learners’ gender variation. In particular, our goal is to probe into (1) gender variation in EFL receptive vocabulary size, (2) gender variation in motivation towards the foreign language, and (3) the relationship between motivation towards the foreign language and scores in a receptive vocabulary test. No statistically significant differences are found on gender variation neither in EFL receptive vocabulary size nor in motivation, both boys and girls follow quite similar patterns; finally, we have identified a positive correlation between boys’ levels of intrinsic motivation and the number of words they know receptively. The waning effect of CLIL on gender variation, as shown in previous research, is adduced here as one of the possible sources of lack of differences both in vocabulary achievement and motivation.

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Author Biography

Almudena Fernández-Fontecha, University of La Rioja

Almudena Fernández-Fontecha is a lecturer at the University of La Rioja (Spain). She is a member of the Applied Linguistics Group at the UR (GLAUR). Her main research interests include L2 vocabulary learning, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), and individual factors such as creativity and motivation.

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Published

2014-10-22

How to Cite

Fernández-Fontecha, A. (2014). Motivation and gender effect in receptive vocabulary learning: An exploratory analysis in CLIL primary education. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning, 7(2), 27–49. https://doi.org/10.5294/4171

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