Perspectives on Early Education - Case Study Example

May 12, Perspectives on Early English Education With the increasing globalization the ability to speak other languages is becoming a necessary and an important factor for success in the present days. As a result many parents are encouraging their children to learn foreign languages from their younger years as it is widely believed that young children are able to learn languages more quickly and effectively. According to a recent statistical report from Korea, Korean parents spend about 10 billion dollars a year on teaching English language for their children (Kim). Many children are also admitted in private English speaking kindergartens where they are tutored by native speakers of the language, or go to English-speaking countries and learn the language effectively. In extreme cases some parents have also made their children undergo a tongue operation in order to improve their pronunciation of the English language. This is enough proof to show the crazy attitude of the Korean people towards the English language. However, despite the consistent efforts taken by the parents to make their children learn the language some children tend to become depressed, abusive and suffer from insomnia when they are forced to learn a foreign language. For instance, the MBC News broadcast in Korea reported a story about an eleven year-old Korean boy whose parents forced him to learn English in an international school. Unable to cope with the pressure the boy began to show symptoms of a mental disorder as at one point he refused to go to school, suffered from insomnia and depression and did not prefer to talk to anybody. Though parents are aware about the importance of learning foreign languages like English for their child’s future successes, they do not know when it is best to teach the language and the correct way of helping the child learn the language. Ever since the issue of early English education was raised, there have been strong arguments, both for and against it. Some experts have warned about the negative effects associated with learning a foreign language at an early age based on several reported cases. These reports have revealed that when children are made to learn under stress right from an early age, it becomes impossible for them to learn effectively as is expected from their parents. Exerts also believe that children should only be allowed to learn the language levels which are appropriate for their age and knowledge levels. It is only when they try to learn more than what is ideal for their age all the negative effects associate with such learning will occur when the children begin to lose interest in learning the language and would not be able to talk fluently among other people (Woo). On the contrary many others believe that children will be able to easily grasp languages at an early age and hence should be exposed to an English speaking environment right from their young age. Proponents of Early English education believe that learning the language at a young age would improve the language pronunciation at a later stage. When adults learn the English language they are often unable to effectively pronounce the language during conversations as they would constantly have an accent of their native language. And as children would not mind being teased about their speaking skills by other kids compared to adults, their interest in learning the language and effectively communicating in it is understandable. Before proceeding to the methodology, early foreign language education needs to be defined for clearer understanding. According to many studies for early language education, children below six years of age are usually chosen as participants for the studies. Therefore, in this paper, early foreign language education is defined as the language learning ability of children under age of six. (Clarke 8p.) Methodology Taking into account both the contrasting viewpoints this paper focuses on how Koreans perceive the English language and whether they would agree or disagree about an early English education for their children. Hence this paper is an analysis of the people’s perspective of early English education. It is based on a similar case study from which the primary data has been taken - the Perspectives of Parents and Teacher on Early English Education by Yoon, Sei Yeong - and also on the survey conducted for this paper. For the survey a questionnaire was posted on the Korean community site – www.kiwidisk.com/amigo/ -- from May 9 to May 11. Below is a comparative account of Yoon’s case study and the internet survey that was conducted for this paper. Yoon’s study case Yoon’s case study shows two distinct perspectives: perspective of parents and perspective of teachers. From the parents perspective the study data showed that 79.9 percent (358 people) of the respondents replied that early English education was needed (the total number of respondents were 448 people). Also, parents who had a higher level of academic background perceived that early English education was required compared to those parents with a lower academic background (70.2 percent of parents who were high-school graduates, 83.7 percent of parents who were college graduates and 83.3% of parents were postgraduate or higher degree). In addition, they answered the reason why early English education was need. The most common reasons which were provided for why parents felt that English education was needed included: younger child can learn English naturally (39.4%), and it’s more effective to learn as a child (26.5%). When questioned about why early English education was effective, 52.2 percent of parents replied that it developed an early interest towards the English language. On the other hand, the answers provided by parents who felt that early English education was not needed included: they didn’t want to push their child (30%), tuition fee was expensive (18.5%) and children didn’t need to learn English before entering school (17.8%) (Yoon, p.44-48). From the perspective of teachers, 44 teachers (57.9%), from a total of 76 teachers, said they agreed with early English education, while 32 teachers (42.1%) said they did not agree with it. The most common answer for the why they felt that early English education was needed was almost similar to that from the parents: younger children can learn English naturally (65.9%), and it’s more effective to learn as a child (20.5%). Also, 50 percent of teachers replied that children develop an interest in the language through early English education. Those teachers who did not agree with early English education replied that children often get confused between English and their native Korean (native language). Thus both parents and teachers believed that early English education was effective and was needed for various reasons. Internet survey about perspectives of people on early English education In order to obtain the opinion of the general public about the need for early English education, the survey was conducted on the Korean community website – www.kiwidisk.com/amigo/, from May 9 to May 11. A total of 11 participants responded to the survey. Their ages ranged from 20-30. The two questions posed in the survey was whether they thought early English education was needed and if they would teach their child English from an early age. Study findings From the survey result 2 respondents agreed with early English education, whereas 9 respondents disagreed with it. However, most of them agreed with bilingualism for teenager and not for early children. One of the respondents replied that exposure of a child at an early age to many stimuli increased the activity of the brain cells and hence learning both native as well as foreign languages like English at an early age was effective. However, though the respondent agreed with early English education, s/he also added that the form of early English education had to be more fun filled and joyous rather than put pressure on the child. Most of the other respondents disagreed with early English education. One respondent stated that children should be made to learn their native language first and only when they have their own self-identity (around 10 to 12 olds), should they be allowed to learn a new language. Another respondent replied that it was too soon for children less than 6 years of age to learn English as it would only increase the burden and stress on the child. However, the respondent also added that s/he would teach her/his child when the child becomes a teenager. The result of this survey was quite interesting as it gave a different perspective compared to Yoon’s case study. Many respondents of Yoon’s study case agreed with early English education, while many respondents of this survey disagreed with it. However, nobody denied English education as by now all have realized the importance of the language in order to live in a global world. Conclusion In conclusion, both educators and parents will have to devise an effective plan to teach English to their children and take into account the optimum ages to learn English, and the various methods and ways by which the language can be taught to them. As the saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”, it is not possible for others to make someone learn. In addition, parents will also have to be aware that high expectations from their wards could bring negative side effects to the children; though they might have special abilities to learn. In this regard, providing a good atmosphere in which children can learn English as a new language with fun and interest is important. First of all, parents have to know when their children would be ready to learn a new language. Also, they have the responsibility to give their children a chance and encourage them to learn English in better environment that is helpful to the child’s capabilities. Then, they will be able to learn English more quickly and productively. Read More