involved in any case and the so-called 'lower ability' learners were demotivated
from an early stage. The reader will remember that some of the evidence from
second language acquisition research suggested that younger might be better
as far as ’ultimate attainment' or 'attainment in the long run' was concerned.
The same cannot necessarily be claimed for learning a foreign language in a
school context where many learners drop-out early, mentally or physically. The
decline in the number of pupils studying a foreign language post-16 has already
been reported and this steady decline has been happening in Scotland despite
an early start. Comenius News reports that 'the state of modern languages in
Scotland has been described as 'a disgrace' by Scottish Office Minister Brian
Wilson:
"...after it was revealed that the number of S∞ttish pupils studying a modern
language at Higher Grade had dropped from 36 per cent in 1975 to 12 per cent
in 1996. This was despite the implementation of a 'languages for all' policy to
age 16 and the introduction in 1993 of a scheme to extend the teaching of a
foreign language to all pupils in primary six and seven."
(Comenius News, CILT, 1997, Issue 10: cover page)
The reasons for such a low take up could be manifold and are, as far as the
writer is aware, currently being investigated. However, if learners do not
continue with a foreign language at a time when it matters most, the assumption
that an early start makes a difference, either linguistically or with regard to
affect, remains questionable. What is st*ll lacking then is convincing evidence
that would support the claim that the Scottish projects show that 'an early start
does make a difference' (as claimed by CILT , 1997: 44).
195