The Code-Switching Dimension of Guided Fantasies in Young Learner L2 Classroom

The paper reports on a study of young L2 （second language） English learners＇ dual code use as activated through a series of specially designed guided fantasies. The original concept of guided fantasies as a monolingually organised relaxation technique was extended to the area of bilingual reception and production. The goal was to examine the relationship between child imaginative faculty and a tendency to transfer understandings across the L1 （first language） and L2. The research consisted in exposing a class of I 0 nine-year-old children to eight guided fantasies expected to playfully attract their conscious attention to language properties and enable them to profit from L1 knowledge in L2 learning. The data were collected through the heuristically oriented qualitative study drawing on participant observation accompanied by field notes and recordings of student behaviours. The findings highlighted guided fantasies in their redefined form as a useful tool for encouraging young learners to rely on L 1 competence in making sense of L2 underlying principles.