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

"This slightly negative view was exacerbated by mild dislike of the structured
homework, vocabulary learning, grammar and writing that followed transition to
the secondary." (Low et al., 1995: 81)

It is difficult to see how those children who dislike some of the most essential
aspects of foreign language learning will manage to maintain their initial
enthusiasm. Enthusiasm therefore would seem to be a question of experience
as much as one of age.

3.5.3 Changing Attitudes

An early successful experience in the Pilot Scheme seemed to affect later
attitudes and achievement more than early positive attitudes:

"Attitudes towards learning French are, in any case, less reliable
predictors of later achievement in French than early achievement is:
in the language-learning context, nothing succeeds like success."
(Burstall et al., 1974: 244).

Burstall et al. had also reported that the prospect of a visit to France was a most
powerful incentive for pupils and that the absence of such a prospect had a
highly demotivating effect on children who, as a result, thought that learning
French was a waste of time. This finding was ∞nfiπned through findings in
Scotland where the perceived 'usefulness' of French was also found to be very
much a reflection of pupils' background.

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