An Application of the Distar Language 1 Programme in an Infants E.S.L. setting: Comparison with a current E.S.L. Programme

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Abstract
Programmes for teaching English as a second language (E.S.L.) to infant school aged migrant children in Australia have not been systematically evaluated. With the exception of the Tate “Oral English” Course, no other programmes have been specifically designed for this very young age group, and programmes designed for use with primary aged children and even adults have been adapted and used by E.S.L. teachers in Infants’ Schools. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate an E.S.L. programme currently operating in some Infants’ Schools as well as to implement and evaluate the use of the Distar Language 1 programme in an E.S.L. Kindergarten group, and to compare outcomes from this programme with those obtained by the currently operating programme.Results indicate that the Distar Language 1 programme was more effective than the standard programme for all language structures other than vocabulary development and phonological discrimination. The superior outcome of the Distar programme may be due to either a programme effect, a behavioural teaching technology, or both.

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