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

There is, as yet, little evidence that what was achieved at primary school ∞uld
not have been achieved at a later stage more effectively and within less time.

The Scottish Office for Education and Industry Department has since invited
tenders for a research project on Modem Languages in the Primary School

(MPLS). The research specification states that:

"It is probably too soon to evaluate the outcomes in terms of pupils'
achievement in language learning, however, anecdotal evidence indicates that
a number of problems has arisen regarding other factors, in particular
choice of language, articulation with languages offered in se∞ndary schools,
and availability of trained teachers. More information about the pattern of
implementation of MLPS across S∞tland is now required."

(Ref: TRR∕5∕4(98∕99), 17 April, 1998, p:1)

The writer would like the reader to draw his or her own conclusion from the

above statement. Stern, an international expert in the area of early language
learning who became, intentionally or not, an instigator of the 1960s movements

later expressed serious reservations about the benefits of an early start:

"Some educators and also groups of parents are not aware of the lack of
evidence for the dictum the earlier the better¹. They believe it is 'obvious' that
early is better, and they are so ∞nvinced of this that they regard any
questioning of this view as flying in the face of 'scientific' evidence or as a
smoke screen for retro-grade policies on the part of educational authorities.

They automatically applaud an early start as right and 'progressive'...if one
wishes to base policy on the evidence of research, there is little support in the
available literature for regarding an early start as imperative."

(Stem 1982: 13, quoted n Hams, 1992: 17)

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