Investigating cohort effects of early foreign language learning
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Investigating cohort effects of early foreign language learning. / Jaekel, Nils ; Schurig, Michael; Ritter, Markus.
In: Language Learning Journal, 2022.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating cohort effects of early foreign language learning
AU - Jaekel, Nils
AU - Schurig, Michael
AU - Ritter, Markus
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - With the rapid implementation of early foreign language programmes in the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, first for Grade 3 (ages 8–9 years) in 2003 and then from Grade 1 (ages 6–7 years) in 2008, primary school teachers had to adapt to teaching a foreign language in Grade 1 quickly. Teachers had little experience with language teaching to very young learners, and curricula and materials had not been tested prior to implementation. This study investigates the development of receptive English proficiency across three large cohorts (N = 7,289). The first cohort started in Grade 3, the second cohort was the first to start in Grade 1, and the third cohort started in Grade 1, six years after the initial implementation. Propensity scores were used to compare sampling weights of cohorts without the influence of confounding variables. Results confirmed a slight advantage for an earlier start in primary school for students’ receptive proficiency in Grade 5. The results further indicate that proficiency scores did not improve from the first cohort of students starting in Grade 1 to one six years later. Systemic changes in teacher education for language specialists in primary education may not yet have been able to affect student outcomes.
AB - With the rapid implementation of early foreign language programmes in the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, first for Grade 3 (ages 8–9 years) in 2003 and then from Grade 1 (ages 6–7 years) in 2008, primary school teachers had to adapt to teaching a foreign language in Grade 1 quickly. Teachers had little experience with language teaching to very young learners, and curricula and materials had not been tested prior to implementation. This study investigates the development of receptive English proficiency across three large cohorts (N = 7,289). The first cohort started in Grade 3, the second cohort was the first to start in Grade 1, and the third cohort started in Grade 1, six years after the initial implementation. Propensity scores were used to compare sampling weights of cohorts without the influence of confounding variables. Results confirmed a slight advantage for an earlier start in primary school for students’ receptive proficiency in Grade 5. The results further indicate that proficiency scores did not improve from the first cohort of students starting in Grade 1 to one six years later. Systemic changes in teacher education for language specialists in primary education may not yet have been able to affect student outcomes.
KW - Age on onset
KW - early foreign language learning
KW - listening skills
KW - propensity score matching
KW - reading skills
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126107467&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09571736.2022.2108124
DO - 10.1080/09571736.2022.2108124
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85126107467
JO - Language Learning Journal
JF - Language Learning Journal
SN - 0957-1736
ER -
ID: 362228337