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

some continental children have already 'acquired' more than a modest amount
of the target language from sources outside the classroom. Edelenbos & Suhre
(1996) state that in Holland, for example, 'pupils' environment is very much
oriented towards the English language, that the media and magazines offer an
overwhelming exposure to the English language and that this enriched
environment might be of major importance' in what they achieve. Studies by
Vinje (1993) summarised in Edelenbos & Suhre (1996) suggest that:

"...the mastery level of English is satisfactory, especially with regard to listening
performance. The strikingly good results for listening raise the suggestion that
pupils learn English outside of school as well. More than 50% of the children
say they learn the same amount of English outside the school as inside it."
(Edelenbos & Suhre, 1996: 55)

Additionally, it is important to bear in mind that children in Holland attend
primary school up to the age of 12 when discussing achievement in English at
Dutch primary schools. Comparing children in other countries learning English
at primary school with children in this country learning a foreign language is
therefore not comparing like with like. Formal as well as social or affective
language distances or similarities would have to be taken into account as well
as quantity and quality of language input and output. For speakers of Dutch, for
example, English might be a relatively easy language to Ieam at least at the
beginning stages. The conceptual 'leaps' the young English-speaking Ieamer of
French or German has to make in comparison would seem greater.

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