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

1.4.1 Assessment of Outcomes

The final NFER report (Burstall et al., 1974) presented the following findings to
the Schools Council's original questions (the phrasing of these questions in the
1974 report has been retained):

Question One: Do other aspects of education and general intellectual
development gain or suffer from the introduction of French teaching in the
primary school?

There appeared to be neither profit nor loss in answer to this question.

Children's development of basic literacy and numeracy skills in the
mother-tongue was not adversely affected by the learning of French, neither
was there any increased proficiency in first language skills because of the
learning of French:

"The evidence does not lend support to the view that the introduction of a
foreign language at the primary level must inevitably retard the acquisition of
basic skills, nor does it encourage the belief that teaching a foreign language
to primary school children will necessarily stimulate the development of verbal
skills in their mother tongue." (Burstall et al., 1974: 42)

It was also reported that the introduction of French did not have any significant
influence on achievement in other areas of the curriculum. However, the
original question would seem rather 'naive' in light of the methodology applied at
the time and these findings should not have come as a surprise. How
'methodology' can influence first language development will be discussed
further at a later stage. It was also reported that at secondary school level the
early teaching of French had a negative effect on the provision of other

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