Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
It is thought by some specialists that studying a foreign language at elementary school is better for pupils than learning it at secondary school. Although introducing a new language to children earlier has some drawbacks, I believe that there are far more benefits.
The main drawback of this is the increasing pressure put on young children. The addition of a new subject to the education would be heavy for primary pupils and, therefore, would lead to tension or even mental illness like autism. Furthermore, the teachers at primary school may not have the essential language skills to teach them. If the teaching methods used are wrong, they will vastly affect children's fundamental knowledge of languages, which can be serious in the later life.
However, once the education authorities overcome those disadvantages, the benefits gained from this policy can be huge. Firstly, young children learn languages more easily than adolescents. This is mainly because they are in the stage of language development. which is a great opportunity to study another language beside their mother tongue. Another advantage is that early exposure contributes to children's enthusiasm for foreign languages, resulting in success in learning languages afterwards. Finally, unlike teenagers, who usually have a high level of consciousness of themselves, young children are not limited by self-awareness, so they are not afraid of making mistakes. As a result, they are more willing to learn new knowledge, especially knowledge about languages.
In conclusion, I once again reaffirm the statement that it is a positive development for pupils to study a new language at primary school.