This study sets out to explore the effect of proficiency and modality of interaction on code-switching (CS) amongst two groups of Spanish-Catalan learners acquiring English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Primary school (grade 3, n = 24 and grade 6, n = 21). Data was retrieved from audio-taped oral activities (peer interaction and learner-teacher interaction) in real class situations and analysed for the number of switches, their types and functions, as well as for the source language of the switch. Results show differences in the total number of instances of CS and their types and functions according to both proficiency and modality of interaction, although with no statistically significant differences between the groups. As to the source language, Spanish was found to be the preferred language for students when working in groups, whereas Catalan was used to interact with the teacher. Results are discussed in the light of the new plurilingual approach recently proposed for the teaching of additional languages in the school curriculum and some pedagogical implications are drawn as to the need to redefine teaching methodologies and adapt them to current trends in education.

In line with the directions of the Council of Europe on the teaching of foreign languages to young learners and in view of recent waves of immigration in Europe, special emphasis is nowadays being placed on plurilingual and pluricultural practices in the school system. This paper describes the change towards embracing plurilingualism in a primary school in Barcelona (Spain) to try to cater for the students’ home languages and for cultural diversity in the EFL classroom. Results show that both the cohesion between the school and the families, and respect for and understanding of diversity were favoured, and that the level of competence in English at the end of primary education in this school was higher than the average of schools in the same context.

The present longitudinal study analyses the emergence and development of syntactic patterns in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) written production. Data were elicited by means of a paper and pencil task from sixteen school learners at three different times over a time span of 6 years. Studies in the area of Second Language Writing (SLW) have mainly focused on English as a second language and very few longitudinal studies have been carried out with low proficiency learners in a school context. To further contribute to the field, we have tried out a new measure of analysis, namely, the production of syntactic patterns. The results show that most learners produce both a wider variety and a higher number of patterns from one time to another, although statistically significant differences vary across patterns in relation to the times of data collection; secondly, it was found that the behaviour of two of the learners differed from that of the rest of the participants. It is concluded that in an instructional setting, the development of syntactic patterns in EFL writing as proficiency increases does not always show progression towards complexity and that it may be learner dependent.

This study explores how Spanish/Catalan bilinguals acquire requests in Greek as a Foreign Language (FL), focusing on the role of proficiency in different communicative contexts. Fifty-four learners of Greek from different proficiency levels and fifty-three native Greek speakers participated in this study. Data was collected via role plays featuring varied social parameters (+/−Power, +/−Social Distance, +/−Imposition). Retrospective verbal reports were also employed to gain insights into learners’ use of requests, providing an overall view of their self-perceptions and pragmatic concerns across different proficiency levels. The findings revealed differences between native and non-native speakers in request types and the number of modifications, highlighting that increased proficiency does not necessarily result in target-like pragmatic performance. Additionally, social parameters clearly influenced learners’ requesting behavior, although their ability to interpret and appropriately respond to these variables developed inconsistently across different contexts and proficiency levels. Ultimately, the findings of this study may contribute to a better understanding of L2 pragmatic development in Greek as an FL and, in turn, inform pedagogical practices aimed at enhancing learners’ pragmatic competence.

Analyzing the effects of multimodal input in the acquisition of second/foreign language (L2) pragmatics is a recent area in research. In this line, the use of eye-tracking to investigate L2 pragmatics remains limited (Godfroid, 2019). This study aimed to explore the effects of multimodal input on L2 requests among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, while monitoring them with a webcam eye-tracker. The study used a multiple-choice discourse completion test at pre and posttest to evaluate the effects of viewing audio-visual material with or without captions. Additionally, a subset of participants was interviewed regarding pragmatic perception. Findings indicate that participants exposed to captioned videos performed better in the posttest and relied on captions when viewing, a result corroborated by retrospective interviews.