Middle School Foreign Language Instruction
A Missed Opportunity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8936232 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Scott Kissau (0000-0002-7480-8729, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, corresponding author), Mary Jo Adams (Providence Day School), Bob Algozzine (0000-0002-7936-1612, University of North Carolina at Charlotte) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 284-303 |
| Publication date | 2015-05-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Foreign Language Annals (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0015-718X • E-ISSN: 1944-9720 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/flan.12133 |
| OpenAlex | W2151377388 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 32 |
Multiple studies conducted over the past decade have suggested the motivational and proficiency‐related benefits of commencing language instruction at an early age. Limitations in many of these studies, however, have prevented their results from being applied to the teaching of foreign languages in the United States. In response to calls for further studies examining the possible benefits of early‐start foreign language instruction, the researchers used a mixed methodology to compare the oral proficiency and motivation of two groups of foreign language learners studying Level II French, German, Spanish, or Mandarin. One group consisted of primarily 14‐year‐old students who began their foreign language studies in middle school, and the other included 15‐ and 16‐year‐olds who postponed the onset of their foreign language instruction until high school. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from student surveys, tests scores, and individual interviews suggested both proficiency‐related and motivational benefits of commencing language instruction at an early age. Equipped with these much‐needed results, foreign language stakeholders should renew their argument to expand early‐start foreign language programs in K–12 schools in the United States and to remove the optional nature of foreign language instruction at the middle school level
Argument (complex analysis · First language · Foreign language · German · Language assessment · Language proficiency · Linguistics · Mandarin Chinese · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Medicine · Multilingual Education and Policy · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development
Lexical Priming
A Neurolinguistic Theory of Bilingualism
Sequencing in SLA
The Robustness of Critical Period Effects in Second Language Acquisition
Principles of language learning and teaching
Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes
Weighing the benefits of studying a foreign language at a younger starting age in a minimal input situation
The Personal Fable and Risk-Taking in Early Adolescence
The Effect of Age on the Acquisition of Second Language Prosody
A new self-report scale of intrinsic versus extrinsic orientation in the classroom
Learner Performance in Mandarin Immersion and High School World Language Programs
Early Versus Late Start in Foreign Language Education
Language Votes
Does Beginning Foreign Language in Kindergarten Make a Difference? Results of One District's Study
Foreign Language Instruction in U.S. Schools
Age of Onset and Nativelikeness in a Second Language
Age Effects in Second Language Learning
Why Are You Learning a Second Language? Motivational Orientations and Self-Determination Theory
Sex and Age Effects on Willingness to Communicate, Anxiety, Perceived Competence, and L2 Motivation Among Junior High School French Immersion Students
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2025 (8) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |