The paper aims to examine the syllabus for English, classroom activities at primary school level, and out of school exposure to English in different cultural contexts to see if there are any impact on learner outcomes. Based on all findings (Son, 2018), the author will discuss the multiple factors and its complexity which influence the young learner outcomes in different cultural settings.
Learning a second language is becoming a frequent requirement in an increasingly globalised world. But approaches to the teaching of a second language can differ. One of the most discussed topics in second language acquisition (SLA) research is the issue of the place of explicit grammar rules in language teaching and learning. The paper aims to examine the syllabus for English, classroom activities at primary school level, and out of school exposure to English in different cultural contexts to see if there are any impact on learner outcomes. Data collection was from Grade 5 English lessons in primary school classrooms in Sweden (N=5 lessons in 2 schools)and Vietnam (N=6 lessons in 3 schools) (Son, 2018). The findings show that there is more on a communicative approach in Swedish classrooms in spite of some small amount of implicit grammar teaching (Cabau-Lampa 1999ab; Malmberg, 2001; Tornberg, 2009; Lundahl, 2012; Son, 2018). Meanwhile, it is more on explicit grammar teaching an form practice in Vietnamese classrooms (Le 2000; Moon 2005, 2009; Nguyen & Nguyen 2007; Khuong 2015, Son, 2018). The difference found in the teaching practices in the classroom and out-of-school exposure is paralleled by a difference in the learner outcomes as measured in the elicitation instruments. Based on all findings (Son, 2018), the author will discuss the multiple factors and its complexity which influence the young learner outcomes in different cultural settings.
