Introduction

Teaching modern foreign languages (MFL) to learners with special educational needs (SEN) remains one of the most complex and under-researched challenges in the secondary curriculum. SEN encompasses a wide spectrum of difficulties, but a significant proportion of students in MFL classrooms struggle specifically with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) — a category that includes dyslexia, ADHD, working memory impairments, and slower processing speeds. These learners often face disproportionately high barriers to success in languages due to the heavy cognitive demands of decoding new phonologies, processing unfamiliar syntax, and memorising vocabulary and verb paradigms.

Despite national calls for inclusion and a more equitable MFL curriculum, too many pupils with SpLDs are still withdrawn from language study or pushed through a watered-down version of the curriculum. This is often because many mainstream teachers, through no fault of their own, lack specialist training and rely on traditional instructional approaches that simply don’t work for this group. Unsurprisingly, this exclusionary dynamic feeds into the broader problem of declining motivation, poor self-efficacy, and reduced uptake at KS4.

Against this backdrop, Selina Marshall’s 2022 study, carried out at Hull University, makes a timely and much-needed contribution to our understanding of how inclusive MFL pedagogy might evolve. Her study investigates teacher perceptions of the lexicogrammar approach, a model increasingly adopted across UK classrooms and rooted in Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction and the MARS EARS framework. Crucially, Marshall’s study focuses specifically on its impact on learners with SpLDs.

The findings are striking: teachers consistently report that the lexicogrammar approach enhances motivation, independence, self-efficacy, and attainment among SpLD learners. Sentence builders, peer retrieval activities, and scaffolded practice emerged as key tools in reducing cognitive load and building confidence. By chunking grammar and vocabulary into meaningful units, the approach not only aligns with cognitive science but also levels the playing field — giving SpLD learners a chance to experience genuine success in MFL.

Yet the study is not without limitations. The sample size is modest, based on a small cohort of teachers and schools, and relies on self-reported perceptions rather than longitudinal attainment data. Moreover, concerns were raised around potential over-scaffolding and the need for more structured CPD. Still, the implications are far-reaching — pointing toward a future in which inclusive language instruction isn’t an afterthought, but the starting point of curriculum design.

Summary of Selina Marshall’s Dissertation

Title: The Lexicogrammar Approach and Supporting Students with SpLDs in Secondary Modern Foreign Languages

Author: Selina Marshall

Type: MA Dissertation

Institution: University of Hull

Context and Rationale

This dissertation addresses the under-researched area of how modern foreign language (MFL) teaching in secondary schools can better support learners with specific learning difficulties (SpLDs), such as dyslexia, ADHD, or working memory impairments. Given the decline in MFL uptake in the UK and the additional challenges faced by SpLD learners, the study explores how a lexicogrammar approach — which integrates vocabulary and grammar instruction — can benefit both the inclusion and attainment of these students.

The research was prompted by three key concerns:

1. MFL departments often lack adequate knowledge of SpLDs.
2. SpLD learners typically find language learning disproportionately difficult.
3. Lexicogrammar may offer a more structured, cognitively manageable framework than traditional MFL instruction.

Methodology

The study adopts a qualitative case study approach within a UK state secondary school. Data were gathered through:

• Semi-structured interviews with five MFL teachers and two SENDCOs.
• Lesson observations focusing on SpLD learners in Year 8 and Year 10 French classes.
• Document analysis of lesson materials and policies.

The researcher triangulated these sources to investigate both teacher perceptions and classroom practices related to the lexicogrammar approach.

Theoretical Framework

The lexicogrammar approach is grounded in Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday), which views grammar and lexis as inseparable. This contrasts with traditional MFL pedagogies that treat vocabulary and grammar as discrete entities.

The approach aligns with Rosenshine’s principles of instruction and the MARS EARS framework (Conti, 2021), focusing on high-frequency structures, spaced retrieval, and sentence builders that lower cognitive load — strategies particularly suitable for SpLD learners.

Key Findings

1. Perceived Benefits for SpLD Learners

• Teachers observed improvements in motivation, confidence, independence, and self-efficacy among SpLD students using sentence builders.
• The chunking of language into meaningful, reusable segments facilitated better retention and reduced anxiety.
• Lexicogrammar tasks supported scaffolding, allowing gradual release of responsibility in line with Vygotsky’s ZPD.

2. Reduced Cognitive Load

• Sentence builders helped SpLD learners by minimising the demand on working memory.
• The predictable structure allowed students to focus on meaning-making rather than decoding individual elements.

3. Enhanced Teacher Understanding

• The lexicogrammar approach inadvertently led to greater teacher awareness of SpLD-friendly strategies, even among staff without specialist SEND training.
• Staff felt more confident differentiating for SpLDs and saw this approach as more inclusive than conventional grammar-heavy or textbook-driven methods.

4. Tensions and Limitations

• Some concern emerged that over-scaffolding could limit creativity or mask deficits.
• A few teachers initially struggled with transitioning from a more traditional curriculum model to one driven by sentence builders.
• There was a lack of formal training in either the lexicogrammar model or SpLD pedagogy, and more CPD was requested.

Conclusions

Marshall concludes that the lexicogrammar approach is highly effective in supporting SpLD learners in MFL classrooms by:

• Lowering the cognitive barriers to language learning.
• Enhancing student motivation, independence, and confidence.
• Increasing teacher capacity to meet the needs of diverse learners without relying on individualised, labour-intensive differentiation.

The research calls for greater integration of SpLD training in ITT and CPD, and recommends wider adoption of lexicogrammar across MFL departments.

Recommendations

1. Curriculum Design: Schools should restructure MFL curricula around lexicogrammar principles to foster inclusion.
2. Teacher Training: Include SpLD-specific strategies and lexicogrammar in initial and ongoing MFL teacher development.
3. Resource Development: Invest in lexicogrammar-based materials, including sentence builders and retrieval grids.
4. Research Expansion: Further longitudinal and quantitative studies are needed to measure long-term outcomes for SpLD learners.

Implications

Marshall’s findings make a compelling case for rethinking how language is taught in UK schools — not just to include SpLD learners, but to improve outcomes for all. The lexicogrammar approach provides a principled, research-aligned method of reducing barriers to success in MFL and should be considered not just as a SEND strategy, but as best practice for universal design in language education.

Final thoughts

What makes this research so powerful is that it doesn’t just echo abstract claims about inclusive education — it grounds them in a coherent and evidence-aligned framework. In fact, one could argue that Marshall’s findings implicitly validate the core tenets of Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI). The EPI model, like the lexicogrammar approach it inspired, is built on principles of high-frequency input, scaffolded production, delayed error correction, and long-term proceduralisation — all of which are deeply aligned with what we know works for SpLD learners.

Research in cognitive psychology and SEN pedagogy has long shown that these students benefit from explicit modelling, repetition with variation, low-stakes retrieval, and gradual release of responsibility. EPI does precisely that. It provides a structured pathway through which all learners — not just the most able — can experience success and build fluency. For learners with SpLDs, this isn’t just beneficial; it’s essential.

If inclusion in MFL is to be more than a slogan, approaches like EPI and lexicogrammar must become the norm rather than the exception. And studies like this remind us that when we teach in ways that benefit the most vulnerable, we improve learning for everyone.