How Does a Healthy Interactive Environment Sustain Foreign Language Development? An Ecocontextualized Approach

Abstract

Recent inconsistent empirical findings on the impact of context on foreign language development (FLD) are related to some conflicting context views, which hinders healthy FLD. Given this, an ecocontextualized approach/perspective is presented as a ”recipe”, holding that inter-intrastratally interactive context-oriented learning starts with the alignment of implicit sound-meaning mapping (phonic listening and speaking only) with the low cognitive levels of early starters and physical objects/visual realia in the proximate context, and only when the learners’ cognitive levels develop several years later can it turn to explicit formal learning through abstract written language and contents. Based on this view, a sound-meaning mapping prioritizing (SMMP) route to healthy/sustainable FLD is proposed and testified via questionnaires and an interview/oral test. Results showed: (1) SMMP early starters surpassed the non-SMMP (NSMMP) early starters (learning reading, listening, speaking, and writing simultaneously) in oral proficiency at the late stage despite their homogeneity at the early stage; (2) oral, especially listening abilities, could not be well developed at the late stage by NSMMP learners; (3) written proficiency could be developed later by both types. These findings reveal the SMMP route to healthy/sustainable FLD in the Chinese context.