Learning EFL from Year 1 or Year 3? A Comparative Study on Children's EFL Listening and Reading Comprehension at the End of Primary Education
Do primary school children achieve better listening and reading skills when they start learning EFL in year 1 instead of year 3? Addressing this question this chapter sums up an empirical study investigating the EFL achievements of more than 6,500 primary school children in Germany. Data was collected in 2010 and 2012 as part of the interdisciplinary longitudinal research study Ganz In allowing for the comparison of two cohorts who differ in the length and quantity of early EFL instruction due to curricular changes: Whereas the 2010 cohort learned EFL for 2 lessons per week over 2 years (beginning at the age of ~8) the 2012 cohort learned EFL for two hours per week over 3.5 years (beginning at the age of ~6) In summary the findings show that children with three and a half years of early EFL education demonstrated higher receptive achievements than children with 2 years of early EFL education. Independent of their mono or multilingual backgrounds all learners seemed to benefit from extending EFL education. The results of a multilevel regression analysis indicate that the language background of young learners cannot explain any variance in their receptive EFL achievements. Instead, their reading skills in German (the language of schooling) in addition to their socio economic status and gender were identified as factors.