ADDRESSING COGNITIVE PROCESSES AND BIASES IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE TO YOUNG LEARNERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35433/pedagogy.2(121).2025.6Keywords:
cognitive biases, young learners, ESL teaching strategies, second language acquisition, scaffolding in ESL, gamification in language learning, metacognitive strategiesAbstract
The acquisition of English as a second language (ESL) by young learners is a cognitively complex process influenced by developmental factors and shaped by systematic cognitive biases. While traditional ESL teaching approaches emphasize input comprehensibility and communicative interaction, they often overlook how cognitive distortions, such as confirmation bias, anchoring bias, cognitive dissonance and stereotyping affect the perception, processing, and internalization of linguistic material. These biases can lead to persistent errors, hinder corrective feedback effectiveness, and limit learners’ linguistic flexibility.
This article examines the intersection of cognitive development theories and cognitive bias research within the context of ESL education for young children. Drawing on foundational works by Piaget, Vygotsky, and Krashen, as well as recent empirical studies, the study analyzes how cognitive biases manifest in early language learning and reviews practical strategies for their mitigation. The particular attention is given to scaffolding, gamification, storytelling, metacognitive strategies, and differentiated instruction as tools for fostering cognitive flexibility and accurate language acquisition.
The article highlights current research gaps, including the lack of targeted bias-mitigation strategies in ESL curricula and limited longitudinal studies on this topic. It proposes a structured, bias-aware approach to ESL teaching for young learners, aiming to align instructional methods with cognitive realities and promote sustainable language development. The findings have direct implications for educators, curriculum designers, and researchers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of ESL instruction through cognitively informed practices.
References
Alanís, I. (2018). Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Activities and Structures in a Dual Language Preschool Classroom. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 12(1), 5. DOI: 10.24974/amae.12.1.375 [in English].
Barac, R., & Bialystok, E. (2012). Bilingual Effects on Cognitive and Linguistic Development: Role of Language, Cultural Background, and Education. Child Development, 83(2), 413-422. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01707.x [in English].
Bi, N.Z. (2021). Cognitive Processes of ESL Learners in Pragmatic Role-Play Tasks in Academic Settings. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 586588. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.586588 [in English].
Cojocnean, D. (2019). Developing Young Learners’ Oral Skills Through Storytelling With LEGO®. Revista de Pedagogie – Journal of Pedagogy, LXVII(1), 105-121. DOI: 10.26755/RevPed/2019.1/105 [in English].
Frank, P., Henkel, G., & Lysgaard, J.A. (2024). Between evidence and delusion – a scoping review of cognitive biases in Environmental and Sustainability Education. Environmental Education Research, 30(9), 1477-1499. DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2024.2371507 [in English].
Ghafar, Z. (2024). Storytelling as an Educational Tool to Improve Language Acquisition: A Review of the Literature. Journal Of Digital Learning And Distance Education, 2(10), 781-790. DOI: 10.56778/jdlde.v2i9.227 [in English].
Ghofur, E.H., & Nurhayati, S. (2023). Multimedia-Based Storytelling Learning Media Effectivity For Early Childhood’s Expressive Language Skill Development. Jurnal Obsesi : Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 7(6), 6677-6686. DOI: 10.31004/obsesi.v7i6.4446 [in English].
Gibson, D.J., Congdon, E.L., & Levine, S.C. (2015). The Effects of Word‐Learning Biases on Children’s Concept of Angle. Child Development, 86(1), 319-326. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12286 [in English].
Gordo, C., Moreno-Ríos, S., & Blank, H. (2022). Auditory hindsight bias in school-age children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 217, 105346. DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105346 [in English].
Helvich, J., Novak, L., Mikoska, P., & Hubalovsky, S. (2023). A Systematic Review of Gamification and Its Assessment in EFL Teaching. International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 13(1), 1-21. DOI: 10.4018/IJCALLT.322394 [in English].
Islahuddin, M. (2023). Teaching English to Young Learners: A Literature Review. International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 10(10), 500. DOI: 10.18415/ijmmu.v10i10.5127 [in English].
Listiani, N.K.M., Suwastini, N.K.A., Dantes, G.R., Adnyani, N.L.P.S., & Jayantin, I.G.A.S.R. (2021). YouTube as Digital Learning Resources for Teaching Bilingual Young Learners: Presented at the 2nd International Conference on Technology and Educational Science (ICTES 2020), Singaraja, Bali, Indonesia. DOI: 10.2991/assehr.k.210407.230 [in English].
Nguyen, T.T.P., & Phillips, L.G. (2022). How storytelling can work as a pedagogy to facilitate children’s English as a foreign language learning. Language Teaching Research, 13621688221135481. DOI: 10.1177/13621688221135481 [in English].
Nilsson, M. (2022). Examining the qualitative aspects of language use in English teaching for young learners. Nordic Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, 10(1), 84-105. DOI: 10.46364/njltl.v10i1.977 [in English].
Orchard, F., Apetroaia, A., Clarke, K., & Creswell, C. (2017). Cognitive bias modification of interpretation in children with social anxiety disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 45, 1-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.10.012 [in English].
Piaget, J. (1964). Part I: Cognitive development in children: Piaget development and learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 2(3), 176-186. DOI: 10.1002/tea.3660020306 [in English].
Samodra, O.A., & Faridi, A. (2021). The Correlation of Positive Reinforcement, Self-Confidence, and Speaking Performance of English Young Learners. English Education Journal, 11(3), 393-405. DOI: 10.15294/eej.v11i1.45463 [in English].
Uysal, N.D., & Yavuz, F. (2015). Teaching English to Very Young Learners. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 197, 19-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.042 [in English].
Vygotsky, L.S., & Cole, M. (1978). Mind in Society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press [in English].
Wang, X. (2021). Cognitive and Affective Learning in English as a Foreign Language/English as a Second Language Instructional-Learning Contexts: Does Teacher Immediacy Matter? Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 759784. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.759784 [in English].
Ye, L. (2024). Innovative Pedagogical Strategies in Second Language Acquisition. SHS Web of Conferences, 183, 03013. DOI: 10.1051/shsconf/202418303013 [in English].
Zhang, S., & Hasim, Z. (2023). Gamification in EFL/ESL instruction: A systematic review of empirical research. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1030790. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1030790 [in English].
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors published in this journal agree to the following terms:
a) The authors reserve the right to author their work and grant the journal the right to first publish this work under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows others to freely distribute the published work with a mandatory link to the authors of the original work and the first publication of the work therein magazine.
b) Authors have the right to enter into separate additional agreements regarding the non-exclusive distribution of the work in the form in which it was published by this journal (for example, posting work in an electronic repository of the institution or publishing as part of a monograph), provided that the reference to the first publication of the work is maintained therein. magazine.
c) Journal policy permits and encourages the submission of manuscripts by the authors on the Internet (for example, in repositories of institutions or on personal websites), both prior to submitting this manuscript to the editorial board and as it contributes to the emergence of productive scientific discussion, and has a positive impact on the promptness and dynamics of citing a published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
ISSN 
