SLA-Informed microlearning design for the EFL classroom: developing and evaluating video-based materials for 8th-grade learners

Abstract

Today’s adolescents learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in Estonia grow up in an environment shaped by short-form media and multitasking, which affects attention and engagement with traditional teaching materials. Microlearning offers one possible response, but existing microlearning literature rarely connects systematically to second language acquisition (SLA) theory. This thesis develops and evaluates nine video-based microlearning worksheets for 8th-grade EFL learners, drawing on the textbook I Love English 6 and the Estonian basic school national curriculum, and addresses three research questions concerning the theoretical framework and teacher and student perceptions of the materials. The study proposes five design principles linking SLA research to video-based microlearning design and applies them to materials targeting formulaic sequences. Feedback was collected from 21 teachers and two groups of 8th-grade learners. Overall, both teachers and students perceived the materials positively in terms of accessibility, clarity, engagement, and curriculum fit, although several revisions were made following the evaluation process. Keywords: EFL, microlearning, SLA theories, I Love English 6