Szülői attitűdök vizsgálata a korai idegennyelv-tanulásra és az óvodai játékos idegen nyelvi foglalkozásra vonatkozóan

Abstract

Nowadays it is inevitable to speak foreign languages especially English as it is a lingua franca in Europe and all over the world. Whether it is a good idea to start learning English at an early age, has been under a constant debate. Previous research indicates that playful learning is the most important for a preschoolaged child in every field. Research has shown that several factors may lead to succesful language learning such as age, methods as well as the quality and quantity of the L2 input. There is an increasing evidence on the importance of the first years of life from the perspective of effective language learning. This study advances our understanding of parents’ attitude, expectations and opinion concerning Early English. We carried out our research in an institution in Debrecen in 2020. Using a sample of 65 children (N=65), we collected data from two sources: questionnaires filled in by parents whose children take part in English activities in the kindergarten and questionnaires filled in by parents whose children don’t take part in them. As predicted, the parents believe the point of Early English activities is to provide them a positive experience during the activities, enjoy them and feel free to say at least words int he target languae. Contrary to our expectations, parents involved in our research do not find it necessary to use ICT tools in English activities in preschools. Our study confirmed that there is a need for English activities in Hungarian preschools. The findings address a controversial belief among parents in terms of the ideal age to start learning a second language. The findings support the prediction that playfulness and intercultural competence are important for parents. We conclude that ECEC professionals need to find balance between using ICT tools and traditional props and tools in the second language activities.