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

The importance of learning strategies in the classroom has already been
discussed. It would seem important that some strategies, appropriate to
children’s developmental stage, such as basic dictionary skills and ways of
practising, for example, should figure prominently in any early scheme.

5.12 Summary of Findings in School One

Lesson observations and interviews with individual children in School One
suggest that they all respond very differently to the experience of learning
French. Most children seemed enthusiastic although it could be argued that
generally high levels of enthusiasm might be a reflection of background and
experience rather than one of age. Children in School One came from a more
advantaged background and the nature of the activities in the classroom was
generally 'playful'. Nevertheless, some were quite reserved in expressing
enthusiasm for the subject and some were simply not too sure about the whole
experience of learning French. Some children quite clearly would have liked to
learn a different language altogether. Classroom observations also suggested
that not all children found learning French easy and this was confirmed during
interviews where children commented on experiencing some difficulties such as
pronunciation and remembering language material. It is then, of course, difficult
for children to be enthusiastic and motivated about something they might have
difficulty understanding fully or something that might be of little immediate and
obvious relevance to them.

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