Public education in Quebec is expensive and finding ways to improve the effectiveness of instruction without increasing the cost continues to be a priority. An essential first step is to examine carefully the various components involved in the instruction process so as to determine net only where change is possible but which changes are most likely to lead to improvement. Applying this analytical approach to second language instruction is relatively straightforward. Three principal components, or resources, interact within the second language classroom: the teacher, the syllabus and the learner. Changes can be made, even initiated, by the teacher; he can alter his teaching style, improve his overall competence and so on. Changes can be made to the content of the syllabus, or to the methodological emphasis which it favours; these changes are usually initiated by administrators or pedagogues. But it is important to bear in mind that few changes, perhaps only those dealing with attitude, are initiated by the learner. His reaction to the second language syllabus and to the way it is taught is determined by a set of factors which are fixed. Age, intelligence, experiential knowledge, first language background and many other factors which affect learning cannot be altered, but their importance can be better understood. What the teacher does, and what the syllabus contains, will prove effective only in so far as they complement what the learner brings to the learning process. Our best guidelines to the content, organization and teaching of an effective second languaqe syllabus, therefore, should come from our knowledge of the learner himself. In considering ways to improve second language instruction we shall consider all three components, but our bias will be towards the learner. In this study we first consider the classroom teacher, how his role has evolved over the past few years and what further changes can be expected. We then discuss changes in syllabus design before we turn our attention to the learner. The second language learner has become the focus of interest only recently. The emphasis on a 'communicative approach1, based on an assessment of the learner's second language needs, is a recent development in syllabus design. Despite differences in emphasis or in approach, the content of many new syllabuses and the methodologies proposed to implement them remain largely a matter of ad hoc intuition or precedent. This seems particularly true of much second language material prepared for the young learner. The material fails to reflect contemporary reality, in particular the opportunities for informal second language contact which are available to many young learners and which result in measurable learning. There has been little support for the idea that some ability 1n English as a second language (ESL) may have been gained prior to formal ESL instruction, which, in Quebec, now begins at grade Four. Yet, it is not an unreasonable assumption that children who have contact with ESL, however mediated, will be affected by that contact, and that the greater the degree of contact, the greater will be the effect. The main objectives of our study are to examine whether this assumption is warranted and, if so, how the ESL syllabus can take advantage of the fact. We discuss the phenomenon of informal language learning and its role in the development of the second langage grammar, and we consider the learner's age and the minimum conditions necessary for second language skills to develoD. We describe how a conjunction of conditions and circumstances allows many young learners in Quebec to make considerable progress in ESL before the start of formal instruction in the subject. Two research projects are described and the major one is analyzed in detail. The results of the major study provide clear evidence of informally learned ESL and the analysis points to some of the sources which account for it. In the light of our findings we examine the new primary ESL syllabus recently introduced by the Quebec Ministry of Education (MEQ) and we discuss its value as a pedagogic instrument. We outline how we would set about designing an effective primary ESL syllabus for Quebec pupils and we conclude by suggesting ways by which the present research can be extended. We are confident that this study will make a significant contribution to the future design of primary ESL syllabuses in Quebec. / Québec Université Laval, Bibliothèque 2015