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

Burstall had highlighted the introduction of reading as a 'critical period' in the

learning process. For some pupils the introduction of reading in French
provided a welcome stimulus for others it constituted a stumbling- block:

"To judge both from the test results and from the pupils' own comments, the
introduction of reading constitutes a critical period in the language learning
process. For some pupils, it provides a wel∞me return to a familiar medium of
achievement; for others, it presents an almost insuperable obstacle to further
progress. Pupils accustomed to a high level of achievement in their written
work are often frustrated and uneasy during the purely oral phase of learning
French and press for the earlier introduction of reading and writing."
(Burstall, 1970: 27)

The place Ofwritten language in an early scheme, when and how written
language is introduced, would very much depend on the language pairs
involved and on the aims of a scheme. The crucial issue of written language in
successful foreign language learning within the constraints of the classroom will
be discussed further in Chapter Four.

3.7.2 TeacherCompetence

What if there had been an adequate supply of properly qualified, educated and

trained teachers? The dangers of inadequate methods in the hands of

inexperienced and poorly trained teachers was highlighted by Williams (1970)
within the context of the Pilot Scheme. He argued that teachers' lack of fluency
in French combined with the fact that they did not have the competence or skills
to supplement the available materials was one of the weakest aspects of the
project.

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