The Effects of Age Factor on Learning English: A Case Study of Learning English in an Online Chinese School

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of age on EFL learning in an Online English school based in China for the students of Chinese nationality. The importance of the early start is larger especially when the structure and the origin of their native language is greatly different from the foreign language they aim to learn. The populations of the study are primary and middle school Chinese students and English language teachers of different backgrounds and nations. This study found that the age factor has an important effect on the learner’s acquisition. The results confirm that the early start of learning L2/FL intensifies the process of developing the learner’s language skills. The aim of this study is to encourage parents and students to start learning English, or another foreign language, as early as possible, as this will enhance their chances of a high level of fluency and proficiency in the target language.