Abstract
This
article discusses several aspects related to the early introduction
of English as a third language in bilingual educational contexts. Specifically,
it focuses on the effect of the early introduction of English on cognitive
development, linguistic development, communicative competence in English
and attitudes towards languages. The article highlights the growing
importance of English as a language of international and intraEuropean
communication and the need to examine the acquisition of English as
related to the context in which it takes place. English is a third language
in many European bilingual communities both for native speakers of minority
and majority languages (Cenoz & Jessner, 2000).
The article
also describes the results of some research studies conducted in the
Basque Country and refers to research carried out in other contexts.
The early introduction of English in the second year of kindergarten
was initiated on an experimental basis in several Basque schools 'ikastolak'
in 1991. This article focuses on i) the influence of the early introduction
of English on cognitive and linguistic development and ii) the effect
of the early introduction of English on English proficiency and attitudes
towards learning English.
The studies
conducted in the Basque Country indicate that the early introduction
of English has no negative effect of general cognitive development and
the acquisition of the community official languages, Basque and Spanish.
On the other hand, research on the effects of bilingualism on the acquisition
of English as a third language clearly indicates that higher levels
of proficiency in Basque and Spanish are positive associated with a
higher level of proficiency in English. These results confirm the positive
outcomes of additive bilingualism in other contexts. Regarding the effect
of the early introduction of English on English proficiency and attitudes,
the article reports the general findings of a longitudinal study in
which learners who started learning English at different ages have completed
tests of oral and written proficiency. The results indicate that when
the number of hours of instruction is controlled older learners progress
faster than younger learners. These results confirm the findings of
other research studies and can be explained as related to cognitive
development, the specific stage of the acquisition process or bilingual
competence.
In the
case of attitudes, younger children present more positive attitudes
towards not only towards learning English but also towards learning
Basque and Spanish. The findings reported in this article confirm the
results of other research studies conducted in other contexts. Finally,
the author considers some basic conditions for the teaching of English
in kindergarten and other possibilities to improve competence in English
and highlights the need to assess the development of English proficiency
at different stages.
Reference
Cenoz,
J. & U. Jessner (eds) (2000a) English in Europe: The Acquisition
of a Third Language. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
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Learning
english in kindergarten: cognitive, linguistic and affective effects,
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