Seven years later, children who start learning English in the first grade achieve poorer results in this subject than children whose first English lesson isn’t until the third grade. The researchers evaluated data gathered in a large longitudinal study in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that was carried out between 2010 and 2014.
Consequences and recommendations
With their findings, the researchers do not question early English lessons as such. On the contrary, it is an important factor contributing to the European multilingualism we aspire to, as it paves the way for further language acquisition in secondary schools. Early English lessons might help make the children aware of linguistic and cultural diversity. "But it would be wrong to have unreasonably high expectations," says Jäkel. "A reasonable compromise might be the introduction of English in the third grade, with more lessons per week." And it is just as important to better coordinate the didactical approaches on elementary and grammar school levels. Here, teachers at these two different types of school could learn from each other.
