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Are internal or external factors more important to young English language learners’ (YELLs’) learning of English as a foreign language? According to previous studies internal factors are more important than external ones for YELLs’ English vocabulary knowledge (Paradis, 2011; Sun, Steinkrauss, Tendeiro & de Bot, 2016). These studies have measured vocabulary knowledge at one moment in time, but did not investigate whether the contribution of internal and external factors to English vocabulary knowledge changes over time. In our longitudinal study we assessed Dutch YELLs (N = 250) receptive vocabulary knowledge with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test in grade 4, grade 5 and grade 6 (from age 9 to age 12). The measured internal factors were age, gender, abstract reasoning, English phonological awareness, English phonological short-term and verbal working memory, Dutch vocabulary knowledge, motivation and linguistic self-confidence. The external factors were experience with formal English education, home language(s) and extramural English exposure. Latent growth curve models will be computed to analyze to longitudinal contribution of the internal and external factors to the students receptive English vocabulary knowledge. The results will be presented and will show whether the role of internal and external factors changes over time for YELLs learning English as a foreign language.

The role of motivation and extramural English exposure in explaining individual differences in young English language learners’ (YELLs’) English performance is unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that different types of extramural English exposure predict YELLs’ (Dutch, N = 262, 10 years old, grade 4) oral and written English receptive vocabulary knowledge, and that motivational factors act as mediators. A distinction was made between YELLs learning English only informally through extramural English exposure and YELLs learning English also formally at school. A path analysis showed that the total impact of familial extramural English exposure and extramural English exposure through entertaining media was greater for the YELLs learning English informally, compared to YELLs learning English also formally. While the sources of extramural English exposure were directly predictive of performance with regard to both oral and written English receptive vocabulary tests for YELLs’ learning English informally, linguistic self-confidence fully mediated these relationships for YELLs learning English formally. Our findings call for further development of theoretical frameworks explaining the relationship between YELLs’ motivation and exposure.