Document Type
Thesis
Publication Date
2000
Disciplines
Education
Advisor
Lois Wedl, OSB
Abstract
Research in the field of second language acquisition has existed for decades, proclaiming that children who are pre-pubescent are at the optimum age to start learning a new language. Why, then, do most American educational systems insist on delaying second language acquisition until high school? Why is there such a big gap between the research and the common practices in the American educational system? The answer to these questions stem from both a lack of resources and a lack of knowledge on how students learn a target language best. Research on second language acquisition still remains a little known body of information, an area that is often forgotten when school districts are planning their curricula. Most school districts lack the resources, both financially and faculty-wise, to implement widespread foreign language classes. Currently, there is a shortage of qualified people to teach world languages in the classroom. This paper discusses why it is vitally important for school districts to change their policies and to commit to second language instruction, especially in the primary grades.
Copyright Statement
Available by permission of the author. Reproduction or retransmission of this material in any form is prohibited without expressed written permission of the author.
Recommended Citation
Wetzel, Suzanne G., "The Benefits of Teaching a Foreign Language to Students in the Primary Grades" (2000). Honors Theses, 1963-2015. 679.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/honors_theses/679