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

the enthusiasm for foreign language learning and 'something new’ is still
present at the age of 11 or 12. They also suggest that enthusiasm might well
be a question of learning experiences such as games and play activities, rather
than one of age. In any case, as has already been argued in previous chapters,
while enthusiasm might be an important ingredient in the learning process,
especially amongst young children who cannot easily conceptualise long-term
goals, enthusiasm alone gives little indication of ultimate levels of success. Nor
does it follow that' younger is better¹ for learning a foreign language as such
because children are more 'enthusiastic'.

The remaining pages of this thesis will draw a conclusion based on the
investigation of the literature on age in second language learning dscussed in
Chapter Two, the examination of two large-scale empirical studies, the Pilot
Scheme and the Scottish National Pilot discussed in ChapterThree, the
theoretical considerations in Chapter Four and the two case studies that formed
the focus of Chapters Five and Six.

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