The Grupo de Investigación de Enseñanza de Lenguas (GIEL) (Spanish for Language Teaching Research Group), as a Language Didactics group, studies the relationships between the elements of the didactic system (teaching, learning, contents) in the teaching of first and foreign languages, in multilingual contexts and in the different stages of the educational system (Pre-school, Primary, Secondary, University). Its main research focuses on the teaching of written language, understood as a process and as a social practice, and the teaching and learning of grammar, from the perspective of the impact of reflection on languages on the development of learners' meta- and interlinguistic competence and on the improvement of language use. In both cases, attention is paid to the integrated treatment of languages in multilingual contexts and to the role of ICT in the classroom in relation to language learning. From the methodological point of view, special attention is given to research in natural classroom situations and to the informed design of intervention devices (didactic sequences for learning to write and for learning grammar), which in turn constitute macro contexts for research.

GIEL has researchers in first, second and foreign language teaching (Spanish, Catalan, English and French). Its precedent was the Agora group (GR00-75), which began its trajectory in 1997 with a first project "Ensenyament de llengües i interacció comunicativa" (Valencian for Language Teaching and Communicative Interaction) (GR2001-101), in which they laid the foundations for didactic research centred on communicative approaches and on the study of the interactions of the different elements of the didactic system (teaching-learning-content).

GIEL's preferred lines of research are:

1. Didactics of the written language in multilingual contexts
   1. Desde la perspectiva de los géneros discursivos, mediante el diseño y la implementación de secuencias didácticas como dispositivo metodológico de investigación didáctica. A esta línea corresponden los proyectos del grupo: "Consecucions i dificultats en l'escriptura d'una autobiografia lingüística" (UV-AE-08_2442); "Análisi de l'escriptura d'una autobiografia lingüística i d'un text d'opinió en estudiants de diferents nivells educatius en distintes llengües" (GVA/2009/105), "Dificultats d'escriptura amb textos argumentatius i explicatius i intervenció didàctica" (UV-INV-AE11-42019) y el proyecto "Ara l'escriptura! Millorar l'expressió escrita per garantir l'equitat de l'alumnat" (Recercaixa-ACUP, proyecto 2015ACUP00175), en colaboración con el grupo GREAL de la UAB. From the perspective of discursive genres, through the design and implementation of didactic sequences as a methodological device for didactic research. The group's projects correspond to this line: "Consecucions i dificultats en l'escriptura d'una autobiografia lingüística" (Valencian for Achievements and Difficulties in Writing a Linguistic Autobiography) (UV-AE-08_2442); "Análisi de l'escriptura d'una autobiografia lingüística i d'un text d'opinió en estudiants de diferents nivells educatius en diferents llengües" (Valencian for Analysing the writing of a linguistic autobiography and an opinion text in students of different educational levels in different languages) (GVA/2009/105), "Dificultats d'escriptura amb textos argumentatius i explicatius i intervenció didàctica" (Valencian for Writing difficulties with argumentative and explanatory texts and didactic intervention) (UV-INV-AE11-42019) and the project "Ara l'escriptura! Millorar l'expressió escrita per garantir l'equitat de l'alumnat" (Valencian for Writing now! Improving written expression to ensure student equity) (Recercaixa-ACUP, project 2015ACUP00175), in collaboration with the GREAL group of the UAB.
   2. In relation to the teaching-learning of reading comprehension, the group has developed two projects focused on the practices of novice teachers on non-fictional reading: "Análisis de las prácticas de los maestros noveles en relación con el desarrollo de la competencia lectora de los alumnos en Educación primaria" (Spanish for Analysis of the practices of novice teachers in relation to the development of reading competence of students in primary education) (UV-INV-PRECOMP13-115492) and (Spanish for Reading comprehension and content learning in the classroom: analysis of the practices of novice teachers) (GV2015-058). From the perspective of reading behaviour, the project "El papel de los signos de puntuación (comas) durante la lectura" (Spanish for The role of punctuation marks (commas) during reading) (GV/2020/074) addresses the incidence of these syntactic-discursive elements in students' reading comprehension.
2. Teaching and learning grammar, from a double perspective:
   1. School grammar, as a meta- and interlinguistic reflection and in relation to written language proficiency, the group is developing the project "La elaboración de una gramática escolar interlingüística: hacia una enseñanza reflexiva de las lenguas en contextos multilingües (EGRAMINT)" (Spanish for The development of an interlinguistic school grammar: Towards a reflexive teaching of languages in multilingual contexts) (MCIN-AEI-PID2019-105298RB-I00), which aims to build an interlinguistic school grammar that brings together the object of teaching and learning with the methodological procedures necessary for teachers and professors to develop a reflexive teaching of languages in the classroom and thus promote the development of multilingual competence. In other words, we aim for an interlinguistic school grammar that brings together what and how to teach grammar with what grammar is learned and how basic grammatical notions are constructed. The precedent of this work has been the research on students' metalinguistic activity, in collaboration with the Greal group (UAB) in the projects "La actividad metalingüística en situaciones plurilingües" (Spanish for Metalinguistic activity in multilingual situations) (MEC-SEJ2006-10417-EDUC); "La incidencia de la reflexión sobre la lengua en la construcción de la competencia escrita" (Spanish for The incidence of reflection on language in the construction of written competence) (MCINN-EDU2011-26039) and "Enseñar a escribir: reflexión gramatical y estrategias de autorregulación" (Spanish for Teaching how to write: grammatical reflection and self-regulation strategies)(MEconomía y Competitividad-EDU2015-64798-R.
   2. Historiography of grammar teaching, a line developed in collaboration with the University of Cadiz in the project "Ideas lingüísticas y pedagógicas en la prensa española del siglo XIX" (Spanish for Linguistic and pedagogical ideas in the 19th century Spanish press) (PGC2018-098509-B-I00) and with the University of Buenos Aires, in the projects "La configuración de la gramática escolar argentina (1863-1922)" (Spanish for The shaping of Argentinean school grammar (1863-1922)) (Conycet, PIP 11220100100218) and "Los inicios de la gramática escolar en La Argentina (1863-1922)" (Spanish for The beginnings of school grammar in Argentina (1863-1922)) (UBACyT 20020170200203BA). In relation to this line of research, GIEL is the promoter and organiser of the "International conferences on grammar teaching", of which three editions have been held (Congram 2014 and 2016, Valencia; Congram 2019, Barcelona).

To these two main lines, we must add the teaching and learning of foreign languages in relation to the acquisition of grammatical and pragmatic aspects ("Contrastive and intercultural pragmatic competence", R&D PB96-0773) and in relation to the study of identity and anxiety).

Contributors

• Alejandro Caro Carmona - Universitat de València  
• Andrea Carolina Rivera Ávalos - University of Antofagasta (Chile) 

Work Group

• Alexia Larchen Costuchen - Universitat Politècnica de València 
• Elisa Amparo Tormo Guevara - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 

• Pre-primary education
• Post-secondary non-tertiary education
• University education
• General secondary education
• Primary education