ABSTRACT

Digital technologies are increasingly finding their way into young learner EFL classrooms worldwide. Research has identified many advantages for technology integration in this context, such as increasing learner motivation and emotional engagement, enhancing cultural awareness and autonomy, and providing opportunities for authentic target language use. A number of challenges and issues have also been identified in relation to integrating technology in this context, including a lack of communicatively oriented teaching materials, limited teacher education in both technical and pedagogical domains, and the restricted linguistic resources of young EFL learners. The chapter begins with a review of the literature in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) on the advantages and challenges of employing a variety of new technologies (e.g., interactive whiteboards, tablets, telecollaboration) in the young learner classroom. We then focus on three aspects of classroom technology which have been identified in CALL research as key dimensions of technology integration: classroom interaction and digital interactivity, the design and implementation of teaching and learning tasks and the challenges of orchestrating complex technology-mediated interaction with young beginners. After presenting and analyzing several classroom studies on these themes, we offer recommendations for the effective integration of new technologies in the primary EFL curriculum.