Introduction

Genre-based approaches are widely used in the pedagogy of academic writing in both first- and second-language contexts (Paltridge, 2014). They focus on the analysis and teaching of specific genres, such as research papers, and are considered particularly suitable for novice academic writers (Wingate, 2012). However, there is ongoing debate about how explicitly genres should be taught. Critics of explicit genre teaching (EGT), the traditional approach to genre instruction, argue that it may be overly prescriptive and insufficiently prepare students to adapt their writing to new contexts, potentially limiting transferability across genres (Johns, 2008). As an alternative, the genre awareness approach (GAA) emphasizes developing students’ rhetorical flexibility and their ability to analyze, adapt to, and negotiate genres across diverse and evolving academic contexts, rather than reproducing fixed textual forms. Despite this debate, robust empirical evidence comparing these approaches from a developmental perspective is still lacking. To address this gap, the present longitudinal intervention study investigates the effectiveness of EGT and GAA in fostering academic writing skills and academic writing motivation among upper secondary students in Austria.

The study addresses, among others, the following research questions, which are the focus of the present talk:

RQ1: What longitudinal effects do different genre-based writing interventions have on academic text quality?

RQ2: What longitudinal effects do different genre-based writing interventions have on academic writing motivation?

Methods

The study comprises six measurement points. Following a pre-test in grade 9 (t1), students (N=240, n=80 per condition) participate in three genre-based interventions once per semester (each including three instructional units and a post-test; t2–t4) reflecting the principles of EGT or GAA. A control group follows an implicit genre acquisition approach (IGA) and receives feedback only. Two follow-ups assess longer-term effects (t5) and transferability across genres (t6).

The main dependent variable is academic text quality, assessed using the genre Kontroversenreferat (Feilke & Lehnen, 2011) based on ten criteria. Academic writing motivation is measured with the Questionnaire for Academic Writing Motivation in Secondary Education (QAWMS; Akbulut & Krammer, in review), covering attitudes towards writing, self-efficacy, mastery goals, and performance goals. Control variables assessed at t1 include reading comprehension, general intelligence, and linguistic background. The initial findings reported in the present talk, based on the first two measurement points, were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models estimated via maximum likelihood.

Results and Discussion

For academic text quality, significant differences between instructional approaches (p = .0002), a main effect of time (p < .0001), and a significant interaction effect (p < .0001) are observed. Improvements from t1 to t2 are largest for EGT (ΔM = 1.01), compared to GAA (ΔM = 0.48) and IGA (ΔM = 0.30), suggesting that explicit genre instruction is particularly effective for improving academic text quality among novice academic writers.

Regarding academic writing motivation, self-efficacy remains stable, while small declines are observed in attitudes towards writing, mastery goals, and performance goals (all ps < .0006). These changes are independent of the instructional approach, indicating that they are not attributable to differences between EGT and GAA. A tentative interpretation is that repeated engagement with the same genre, rather than the instructional approach itself, may negatively affect writing motivation.

Educational Significance of the Research

The study’s contribution to the field lies in its longitudinal and contrastive intervention design. It extends existing writing research by examining long-term effects of genre-based writing instruction beyond the higher education context and by enabling differentiated conclusions about the role of specific genre-based instructional components (e.g., explicit instruction, metacognitive reflection, feedback) in the development of academic text quality and writing motivation.

Acquiring vocabulary is essential for foreign language learning but often presents a challenge. This study aims to evaluate a learning environment that facilitates vocabulary acquisition, grounded in neurodidactics (Arndt & Sambanis, 2017; Caine & Caine, 1990; Folta-Schoofs & Ostermann, 2019; Friedrich, 2005). While neuroscience informs optimal learning, successful implementation requires consideration of the school context (Stern, 2005). Research suggests that understanding brain function can explain effective learning environments. As Stern notes, neuroscience can "help structure the future classroom" (Stern, 2005, p. 745), although concrete implementation of some neurodidactic suggestions remains unclear (Caine & Caine, Sousa 2001).

This study investigates the practical application of neurodidactic principles through learning and memory research. Four factors were integrated into an experimental learning situation: music (Cheah et al., 2022; Husain et al., 2002; Thompson et al., 2001; Vigl et al., 2023; Vincenzi et al., 2022) to enhance cognition and mood; learner choice (Cheng et al., 2023; Fujiwara et al., 2013; Han, 2021; Koh, 2020; Patall et al., 2008) to increase motivation; contextualized learning (Boddaert et al., 2021; Borovsky et al., 2010; Nagy et al., 1985) for better retention; and movement (Doherty & Forés Miravalles, 2019; Fischetti et al., 2024; Ludyga et al., 2016; Martin-Martinez, 2023; Müller et al., 2021; Moreau & Chou, 2019) to improve performance. These elements were tested for their impact on English vocabulary acquisition. The experimental group learned with these interventions, while the control group learned the same vocabulary without music, choice, context, or movement (using colouring instead).

While controlled laboratory experiments offer methodological rigor, they often lack ecological validity – relying heavily on WEIRD samples (i.e. psychology students) and not fully representing real-world classroom conditions (Churches, 2020). Conducting research in schools presents practical challenges related to structure and regulations. To bridge this gap, we designed both a laboratory experiment and a school-based intervention to test neurodidactic methods in settings ranging from controlled to realistic learning environments. The goal was to determine if findings from behavioural and neuroscientific studies could be applied to a practical English vocabulary learning situation, testing this both in a laboratory and a natural school setting. In both studies, we investigated whether the experimental group (learning with neurodidactic interventions) outperformed the control group on post-tests, including a delayed post-test. Specifically, the laboratory study examined differences in reaction time and accuracy on a vocabulary recognition task. We also explored the relationship between extracurricular English activities and vocabulary test scores.

The neurodidactic principles were applied to the experimental group and compared with a control group in a laboratory and a school experiment in a post-test and delayed post-test on learning English vocabulary list. These were integrated into a learning situation of the experimental group with music played at the beginning whereas the control group learned the same vocabulary but without music to increase mood and arousal, without the option to choose a story to read, without the vocabulary being in context in a story and with colouring exercise in the break instead of movement. 90 Students participated in the laboratory experiment and 140 pupils in six Austrian schools. In both samples, participants completed a language learner questionnaire, language proficiency test (C-test) and were divided into experimental and control group. Material used were the PANAS (LAB), SAM (SCHOOL) to test arousal and valence, a vocabulary post-test (LAB, SCHOOL), delayed post-test (LAB, SCHOOL), and recognition task (LAB) and delayed recognition task (LAB) on learned words and distractors.

To compare experimental and control groups a Mann-Whitney U test will be applied for vocabulary test scores, immediate and delayed post-test in the school setting. To find relationships between the variables (school grades, C-test results, immediate and delayed vocabulary test results, extramural English activities, musical abilities) a spearman correlation and multiple regression analyses will be applied. Main findings of both studies will be presented and compared at the conference to discuss the applicability of laboratory results in school settings.

Research findings can be misinterpreted in practice; psychology can bridge this gap and support educational application. More experimental research in schools is needed to provide teachers with practical support and ensure the transition from the laboratory.

Introduction

Foreign language education makes a worthwhile contribution to the internationalisation of education as well as to the promotion of critical thinking, particularly when it is not reduced solely to the acquisition of linguistic structures but is complemented by an internationalist and plurilingual perspective. In this context, Byram (2012) emphasises that internationalisation represents a significant opportunity to highlight the relevance of language teaching and language learning.

At the European level, the importance of multilingualism and language education is also strongly emphasized. For many years, the European Commission has pursued the objective that all citizens should master at least two additional languages alongside their first language. This goal aims not only to promote mobility within Europe, but also to strengthen social participation, intercultural understanding and equal opportunities (Tracy & Brügelmann 2017). Against this background, plurilingual education is increasingly understood as a key competence for living in linguistically and culturally diverse societies. The European Centre for Modern Languages (2010) highlights that plurilingual and intercultural competences are necessary for all individuals to participate actively in cultural, professional and democratic life.

Children in particular need access to language education that considers and values their entire linguistic repertoire. Plurilingual approaches in foreign language teaching address this need by integrating learners’ existing language knowledge and relating different languages to one another. Reckermann and Frisch (2023) emphasize that tasks in plurilingual teaching must be age-appropriate, motivating and designed to promote language awareness in order to enable sustainable learning processes. Especially at the primary level, such an approach can contribute to the early development of positive attitudes towards languages and cultures and help learners experience linguistic diversity as a valuable resource.

Design / Methods

Therefore, the question arises as to whether a plurilingual approach within the framework of an international collaboration can also provide linguistic and intercultural added value in teacher education. The European platform eTwinning enables teachers and students to collaborate virtually across national borders and supports project-based, cooperative learning. Studies show that digital European encounters enrich classroom practice and can foster digital, intercultural and linguistic competences (Gilleran 2019). While research in this area already exists at the secondary level, there is still a research gap, particularly in the field of primary education and in the education of future teachers.

This is where the present contribution is situated. Its aim is to present the results of a joint eTwinning project on multicultural storytelling conducted by students from the Université de Picardie and the Private University College of Teacher Education Augustinum. In total, 24 students participated: 12 students from France attended a course entitled “French for non-native speakers” (Allophonie), while 12 Austrian students participated in the course “French as a Foreign Language in Primary Education”. As part of the project, the students worked together in international tandems and collaboratively developed a picture-based story, which they wrote in French. In the process, they were asked not only to consider linguistic aspects, but also to reflect on the diverse educational, linguistic and cultural backgrounds of their future pupils. The evaluation is based on a questionnaire (n = 24) and a subsequent online discussion conducted after the joint narrative production.

Results and Discussion

The analysis of the data illustrates the linguistic and intercultural challenges encountered by the students during the collaborative process and identifies the learning processes that were initiated. Furthermore, the findings show to what extent the students perceive these experiences as relevant for their future teaching practice and how they implement plurilingual and international approaches in their own foreign language teaching.

Educational Significance

The topic of international virtual collaboration is rather new in primary education and should be addressed more intensively due to the new Austrian curriculum and compulsory foreign language teaching.