A Critical Examination of the Beliefs about Learning a Foreign Language at Primary School

language learning (see Naiman et al., 1978) and Schumann's theory is not
supported by much of the research on age which has shown that young children
are not the more efficient learners. The link between being able to empathise
and to acculturate and learning a language successfully therefore remains
questionable. The relative importance of empathy in learning a foreign
language successfully in the classroom will be discussed in more detail in
Chapter Four.

2.5.3 Natural Characteristics

Young children are said to be generally curious, responsive, receptive,
uninhibited, spontaneous, flexible and open-minded. These natural
characteristics are assumed to stand them in good stead in the acquisition of a
second language. Whether young children tend to display the same natural
characteristics in a formal learning context at school will be followed up in later
chapters within the context of the two case studies.

2.6 Quantity and Quality of Exposure Time

A number ofthe studies discussed earlier suggested that 'older is faster but
younger is better in the long run' simply because it leads to increased total
exposure time. As it takes a long time to learn a language successfully, it would
seem desirable that children should start learning early. Carroll (1969,1975)
and Burstall (1978) claimed that the amount of learning time spent rather than
age was the crucial factor in determining achievement in formal settings:

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