Teaching English to Very Young Learners

Abstract

This diploma thesis deals with teaching English to very young learners in the Czech republic. The theoretical part commences contextualization of very early English teaching, followed by characterization of very young learners', their language acquisition and development. Next section discusses advantages and potential drawbacks of very early English teaching, based on foreign as well as Czech researches. Subsequently, the author formulates underlining theoretical input relevant for very early English teaching, focused on didactic principles. The practical part consists of an empirical research, which with the help of structural observation and semi-structured interview, aims on finding out how and to what extent are the chosen principles for teaching English language to very young learners followed in the practice in chosen nurseries and basic schools.