Ist jünger immer besser?: Frühes Fremdsprachenlernen in der Grundschule

Within the last two decades almost all European educational systems have moved up foreign language teaching from secondary to primary school level. This policy of early foreign language learning is based on the assumption that starting at a young age is beneficial for children’s language learning. The early start is supposed to increase the amount of exposure through additional instruction. Furthermore, it promises higher eventual achievement due to the low age of onset that is associated with a superior capacity for language learning. This paper summarizes the current state of research and describes relevant empirical studies that deal with the effects of early onset in foreign language learning. The findings prove to be disillusioning: Younger learners show neither medium- nor long-term benefits over older learners. Even though their performance at the end of primary school is satisfactory, the higher learning rates of late-onset students can, in most cases, fully compensate for the additional early-onset time of exposure. The findings are discussed with regard to possible explanations such as the quality of foreign language teaching and the training of primary school teachers and the transition to secondary education.