Working on the identification and expression of emotions in primary schools for better oral production: an exploratory study of links between emotional and language skills

ABSTRACT

The main aim of this study was to test the effect of an emotionally-focused educational program on the language and emotional skills of children aged 9–11. Sixty seven pupils were divided randomly into an experimental group who received teaching on emotions in an oracy context, and into a control group who completed a learning sequence unconnected with the emotions and in a traditional educational oral context. The emotional and non-emotional language skills of the two groups were assessed in the pretest and the posttest. While it is noticeable that levels of vocabulary and comprehension improved for all pupils in the post test, only those who had completed the education programme on emotions displayed significantly improved skills in general oral production. The results highlight the fact that educational practices encouraging oracy in natural situations contribute to the development of oral language and listening and empathy skills.

KEYWORDS:

• Emotional skill
• language skill
• oracy
• teaching

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the school teachers who welcomed us as well as the students and their parents for agreeing to participate in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 This education program is intended to provide personal education (moral) and education in citizenship (civic). It has been amended several times since 2015. At the time of the study, the 2018 text was applicable.

2 The two years which precede entry into secondary education in France.

3 This concern is still present in the French educational programmes published on 30 July 2020.

4 Oral production refers here to the ability to produce oral statements in situations of inter-individual exchange.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Federative Structure for Research in Education of Provence (SFERE-Provence, FED 4238, France) and the Academic Delegation for Training and Educational Innovation (DAFIP) of the Aix-Marseille Academy (France).