The Development of English Language Teaching Methods

Foreign language provision pre-primary, primary, secondary and higher education

“The extent to which children whose parents were born abroad speak the language of instruction at home should be considered when discussing issues relating to teaching languages in schools in Europe. Firstly, however, it is important to ascertain how many of these students are present in schools across Europe. The PISA study gathers extensive background information about the students who respond to the surveys, including information about their parents’/guardians’ country of origin. According to the study, a student is defined as an ‘immigrant’ if both his/her parents/guardians were born abroad. According to this definition, on average, 9.3% of 15-year-old students were immigrants in the participating EU-27 countries in 2021. Luxembourg had the highest proportion of immigrant 15-year-old students, namely 40 %. Approximately 20-30 % of students were immigrants in the French and German-speaking Communities of Belgium as well as Liechtenstein. In contrast, in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey, the proportion of 15-year-old students whose parents were born abroad was very low (less than 1%) and therefore these countries are not considered in the following discussion. Having parents who were born abroad does not necessarily mean that the student does not speak the language of instruction at home” [4,121]. “In 2009, on average in participating EU-27 countries, there were 4.1% of 15-year-old students whose parents were born abroad and who spoke the language of instruction at home. Similar proportion of 15-year-old students (4.1%) had parents who were born abroad and who did not speak the language of instruction at home. In other words, half of 15-year-old students whose parents were born abroad indicated that they spoke the language of instruction at home. However, in some countries, the number of immigrant students who did not speak the language of instruction at home was higher. In Luxembourg one in four 15-year-old students were classed as immigrants and did not speak the language of instruction at home. In the French and German speaking Communities of Belgium, Germany, Austria, Sweden and Liechtenstein, there were between 7 and 13 % of 15-year-old students whose parents were born abroad and who indicated that they did not speak the language of instruction at home. Usually, these students were born in countries where the official language(s) was different to the language of instruction in the country where they currently attended school. For example, in Luxembourg, the immigrant students who did not speak the language of instruction at home were born in Portugal, one of the former Yugoslav Republics or in Italy. In Austria most of these students were born in Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro. In contrast, in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Portugal and Croatia there was approximately 1% or less of 15-year-old students whose parents were born abroad and did not speak the language of instruction at home. In Estonia and Latvia this was related to the prevalence of school instruction in another language than the official language of the country. The majority of immigrant students in these countries were speaking Russian at home and at school. In Portugal, most immigrant students come from former colonies, such as Brazil or African countries where Portuguese is an official language” [4,122-24]. The age at which students must begin learning their first foreign language as a topic ranges from 6 to 9 years old in many nations. All pupils in Belgium, a country with a large German-speaking population, begin learning a foreign language when they enter preschool at age 3. In the majority of the autonomous Communities in Spain, students begin studying a foreign language in the second stage of preschool education at the early age. The UK (England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) is at the other end of the spectrum, where all students begin studying a foreign language as a required subject when they begin secondary education at age 11. The introduction of foreign language as a required topic in the first grade is up to the schools in Estonia, Finland, and Sweden.
Most nations require all general education pupils to study two foreign languages at some time during their academic careers. The minimum age at which students must begin acquiring a second language differs greatly between nations, generally falling between 10 and 15 years of age. Luxembourg sticks out because starting at age 7, all pupils are required to study a second language. In Estonia, central education officials mandate schools offer this instruction within a specific age range, just like they do with the first foreign language. (10-12 years old). “In several countries, the learning of a second foreign language as a compulsory subject starts three or less than three years after the beginning of the first compulsory language. This is notably the case in Luxembourg and Iceland where students start learning the second language one year after they started learning the first. “Reforms are currently taking place in two countries. In Slovenia, the requirement for all students aged 12 to 15 to learn a second foreign language was, in 2020/21, in the process of being introduced in schools. However, following a decision taken in November 2011, this reform has been put on hold. In Slovakia, all students attending general education should learn two foreign languages between 11 and 19 years of age. This requirement, however, is still being implemented in classes for students aged 13 and 14” [5,21]. Only in Luxembourg and Iceland are all general education pupils required to take three languages. However, the length of education varies greatly: five years (between the ages of 14 and 19) in Luxembourg and one year in Iceland. (between 17 and 18 years old).
It is provided that details on how long it takes to acquire the first and second foreign languages as required courses. Some nations require students to learn extra foreign languages, sometimes starting at a younger age, as part of certain educational pathways or kinds of schools. Additionally, in some nations, schools' authority allows them to include more foreign languages in their curricula. The length of required foreign language instruction has increased in Europe over the past twenty years. Lowering the age at which this teaching starts has been the only method used to accomplish this rise. In fact, with the exception of Malta and the United Kingdom, all general education pupils have been required to learn a foreign language through upper secondary level for the past 20 years. To make this study mandatory for all pupils until the conclusion of secondary level, Italy implemented a reform in 2010. Since all schools in Malta and the United Kingdom (Scotland) are required to give at least one language course, all students have the choice of taking a language course in upper secondary education. It is only in the United Kingdom (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) that the education authorities have reduced the number of years of compulsory foreign language learning for all students. When legislation introducing compulsory curricula was passed in England and Wales (1988) and Northern Ireland (1989), compulsory language learning was specified for all 11- to 16-year-olds. Subsequent changes in 1995 (Wales), 2004 (England) and 2007 (Northern Ireland) increased flexibility in the curriculum for 14 to 16 years old, allowing students to choose whether to study languages. In Belgium (Flemish Community), a reduction in the number of years’ study can be observed in Brussels, which now applies the same legislation as everywhere else in the Community. Initial Language Teaching in State Primary Education 2 Language Teaching Policies and Practices in State Education Systems:
Promoting Effective Foreign Language Teaching Practices for Young Learners Starting foreign language learning in primary school is said to have many benefits. These benefits are evident over the service life.
While our children are in school, when they leave the world of work and enter professional life, and even in life afterward. Learning another language in elementary school itself can have a positive effect on overall educational success. Taylor and Lafayette (2010) Learning a Foreign Language (FL) in American Schools Comparing 4th grade students with those not learning a foreign language, ``FL students score better on each test (English, art, math, 4th grade LEAP Louisiana State Education Assessment Program] science, and social studies''. “Once children leave school, knowing a foreign language can help them stay competitive in finding jobs and securing higher pay levels, especially in information technology and other engineering or technical occupations. You can gain an edge. Acquiring multiple languages ​​later in life may even help prevent dementia” [17,89]. Furthermore, learning another language at any stage of life offers opportunities to explore the cultures to which they are connected, thereby allowing learners to reflect on their own cultures from a new perspective. In, this process can facilitate the development of cross-cultural competencies. This ability is acquired and applied by children in their own immediate communities, national communities, or in relation to others internationally''. Cross-cultural competence is becoming increasingly important in a "globalized" world. However, other factors play a role in determining whether the opportunity to learn a foreign language in primary school actually provides these benefits. Whether there are primary school teachers, whether the teachers themselves have enough teachers, etc.
Foreign Language Teaching in State Elementary Schools Availability of three language skills and sufficient resources to support teaching and learning in the classroom. Beyond school, the place of language in the environment is also an important factor.
“Do children understand the usefulness and value of language? Other non-system variables may also play a role. Socioeconomic factors influence a child's success in learning a foreign language in school, and educational success in general, as "students' social class background and neighborhood characteristics continue to be the strongest indicators of achievement." and non-school factors. Specifically, for English education, a survey of primary schools in Mexico by Sayers stated that the provision of English programs "support economic mobility". With this in mind, this article examines English education in primary schools in South Korea and Thailand, and examines the level of achievement, curricula, and teacher quality in primary school English education in the respective education systems” [16,89], intended to create a proposal. for effective policy and practice. South Korea, on the one hand, is an economic powerhouse, and Thailand on the other, a middle-income country, but both are highly integrated with the United States.
“In many countries around the world, including South Korea and Thailand, English is the first foreign language in the educational system. The alleged socioeconomic benefits of language proficiency in a globalized economy are an important part of government debate in many countries” [17,17]. This discourse has permeated society as well, with parents of young children most strongly advocating learning English in the lower grades of elementary school "in order to participate in a situation called linguistic 'parenting'." This is despite evidence suggesting that the benefits of starting young are dubious at best, and that children who start learning a foreign language in secondary school and beyond do better than those who start in primary school/. Unfortunately, the "younger is better argument in foreign language learning has gained a legitimacy despite many attempts to refute it. About 20 years ago Marinova-Todd, Marshall, and Snow wrote about three misconceptions about age and L2 learning. H. Misunderstandings, Misunderstandings, and False Emphasis. They criticize the "misunderstanding" of research and cite evidence that young learners do not learn as easily as they are often claimed. Conclusion of the 'discordance' between verbal ability and brain function. and "downplay" examples of failure in older learners while ignoring examples of successful learning in adulthood. There is also a misunderstanding of research on immigrant children in semi-natural settings, inappropriately extended to include children in classroom settings. In the long run, immigrant children learn the host country's language better in their natural environment than their adult families, and their success is used to justify foreign language instruction in primary schools. . Arguments are maintained even when the foreign language is not spoken outside of school and children have neither
Foreign Language Teaching in Public Primary Schools 5 For immigrant children, the foreign language is the language of the new community or, in most cases, the same strong integrative social motivation. Research has shown that the learning conditions that correlate with learning success are important, not the age at which learning begins.
Differences in age reflect differences in learning status, not learning ability. They show that there is no limit to the potential of adults to become highly competent native speakers of, there is increasing evidence that learning outcomes cannot be attributed solely to age at onset of learning