Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the academic, cognitive, social, and cultural benefits of foreign language education at the elementary level. Modern research shows that to prepare students to compete in a global economy, teachers need to start introducing a second language at a young age, and students that are proficient in a second language score higher on standardized tests conducted in English (Narsdeen, 2001). Also, research displays that students who are introduced to foreign language instruction at the elementary level are shown to gain problem-solving, critical thinking, and listening skills as well as memory and concentration improvement (Stewart, 2005). Nevertheless, research has also exhibited that foreign language programs led to immediate benefits for students, such as fostering a sense of humanity and friendship, increasing students’ adaptability to different environments and modes of acting and thinking, and furnishing the key to thinking patterns, cultures, and social institutions of other peoples (Morales-Jones, 2001). The bulk of modern research studies children of all ages, although the elementary age is examined closely. Due to the lack of foreign language education at the elementary level nationwide, it is seen as a phenomenon rather than a core concept. This was a qualitative study that used the phenomenological approach. Participants included eighteen elementary level classroom educators, forty-two elementary school students from grades kindergarten through fifth, and two administrators located in a school district in the Greater Boston area. Data was acquired using two methods: 1. educator and student surveys and 2. administrator interviews. The data exhibited that foreign language education at the elementary level can lead to a higher level of academic achievement, cultural awareness, and self-confidence. The data also demonstrated that the majority of student participants enjoy learning a foreign language. The results of this research propose that foreign language programs are extremely beneficial for elementary-aged students and students nationwide would succeed academically, cognitively, socially, and culturally if foreign language programs were seen as a priority.

Link To Thesis

"The achievable outcome of our current foreign language program is that when our students reach high school, they should be able to feel comfortable speaking, writing, reading, and listening to the target language and by the time they graduate, they should be able to use the language as a lifelong skill."

"One goal of a foreign language program is to create skills that transfer beyond the content."

"Language and culture are interconnected.”