Novel language teaching method requires further research, concludes project The FLIC project (Foreign Language Acquisition with the Instinct of a child) has published its final report, and found that this unusual system works. However, participants generally did not enjoy FLIC sessions, and that re-jigging of teaching techniques is required to make se... The FLIC project (Foreign Language Acquisition with the Instinct of a child) has published its final report, and found that this unusual system works. However, participants generally did not enjoy FLIC sessions, and that re-jigging of teaching techniques is required to make sessions more enjoyable. Further research is also needed to gauge the absolute effectiveness of the technique - study groups were too small to produce statistically significant results. FLIC was funded under the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5), and aimed to produce new methods for teaching foreign languages, based on techniques developed for students with dyslexia. The project had partners in Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Sweden and the UK, and was coordinated by mediTECH in Wedemark, Germany. Despite disinterest or dislike from some students, the FLIC technique was found to bring about greater improvements in foreign languages ability than traditional teaching methods, giving 'clear additional benefits for FLIC presentation in terms of language production', according to the final report. The test phase was dogged by some problems. 'We had planned groups of at least 12 for each group at each centre, but had to settle for six in each group at most centres. This led to a substantial loss of statistical power, and consequently few significant effects were found,' reads the report. But, results support the effectiveness of the FLIC technique. Students wear headphones, and listen to a training voice, which they repeat. The training voice moves from ear-to-ear. The student's repetition of the voice is blended with the training voice, so miniscule differences in pronunciation can be noticed. The researchers have found that the technique leads to large improvements in listening and in objective measures of language competence, known as DECEL, compared to traditional teaching techniques. Further research at the University of Sheffield's department of psychology looked at how the brain might be processing information, using electroencephalogram (EEG) readings. The team found that 'participants' brains registered the effect of the language FLIC training. However this wasn't always reflected in the participants' performances in the psychological tests. This in turn may highlight the presence of different neurological centres involved in the storage and process of auditory stimuli, at a cognitive level and at a much deeper level,' according to Dr Laurence Vignon, from the University of Sheffield's department of psychology. This means, in essence, that the FLIC training produced noticeable differences in the EEGs of students, but that these processes are not fully understood. Interestingly, one student 'seemed to have got bored and did not want to put in the necessary effort and commitment to perform the test', and his test scores actually dropped significantly during testing. However, even this student showed a small but noticeable improvement in his EEG readings. This final piece of evidence is perhaps the most compelling for FLIC. The project's ultimate objective would be to make language learning effortless. If a disinterested student is still able to learn, then this could open the door to do exactly that. One thing the team can agree on is that more research is necessary. 'More participants and data will need to be recorded and analysed in order to confirm the significance of the findings and provide a deeper insight into the data understanding,' reads Dr Vignon's conclusion. The report itself acknowledges that, 'The results of the tests consistently support the research predictions [...]. This is encouraging given the fact that all Centres were using FLIC for the first time, and one might expect stronger effects once optimal presentation methods have been determined. These results have implications for the wider use of the FLIC equipment.' Countries Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom
