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

to understanding and all children, regardless Oflevels Ofachievement, strongly
disliked the tape recorder which they associated with 'enforced passivity,
repetition and incomprehension' (Burstall et al., 1974: 244). Those pupils who
were 'successful' in learning French appeared to retain a more favourable
attitude towards speaking the language. Burstall (1970) and Burstall et al.

(1974) reported that an early successful experience in learning French seemed
to affect later attitudes and achievement more than early positive attitudes:

"In the language-learning context, nothing succeeds like success."
(Burstall etal., 1974: 244).

Burstall et al. (1974: 244) reported that where pupils appeared to gain was not
in 'mastery' but in attitude 'if they were successful in their efforts'. A more
positive attitude, however, was not reflected in a correspondingly higher level of
achievement. It was also reported that for those children who experienced a
sense offailure, the experiment led to very negative attitudes. These children
decided that French was not for them and dropped the subject at the earliest
possible opportunity.

Burstall et al. also reported that pupils generally seemed to display positive
attitudes towards other cultures but that the capacity for empathy appeared to
reach a peak around the age of 10 and then go into steady decline, especially
amongst boys. The prospect of a visit to France seemed a most powerful
incentive for pupils; the absence of such a prospect, however, had a highly
demotivating effect on children who, as a result, thought that learning French

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