Early Childhood English Language Education In China

In children, the development of communication through language is a seemingly instinctive process.Experts in linguistics and the behavioral sciences have proposed theories to explain the process of language acquisition in humans for over half a century. While most researchers can now agree that human beings acquire language through a complex process that involves collaboration between biology and environment, many aspects of this interaction have remained shrouded in mystery. New research in the area of developmental neuroscience, aided by advances in non-invasive brain imaging technology, is now offering new insights into how human infants and young children acquire and develop language. The implications of this research are profound and can only enhance a students’ learning experience. Yet, as our knowledge of the developing brain grows rapidly, language-learning policies (LLPs) in the People’s Republic of China have been slow to catch up.The purpose of this research was to review and suggest opportunities for the obstacles, varying theories of language acquisition, and economic factors surrounding the language- learning environment in China. There are a number of competing theories on language acquisition that have impacted the Chinese education system. Stemming from the theoretical work of Skinner and Chomsky, British American experts cancelled all English language programs below the secondary level in China during the 1980s, leading to many of the challenges and impediments in the contemporary English education environment. Standing in contrast to the work of Skinner and Chomsky who, respectively, argued for early childhood language acquisition as a ’blank slate’ and a system of ’universal grammar’,Dr. Jean Piaget asserted and demonstrated that an infant and young child’s learning experience is a "progressive reorganization of mental processes as a result of biological maturation and environmental experience." This paper closely followed and supported the tenets of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and recognition of play as a crucial mechanism for early childhood education. The scope of this project was to examine the education policy of China based on its administrative program design, classroom implementation of curriculum, and individual teaching techniques. The objectives of this thesis were to:(1)Identify some of the obstacles standing in the way of effective English language instruction in China, (2) Review the current research on language acquisition, and (3)Discuss and address some of the implementation challenges associated with early childhood education. This thesis identified the political, economic, and cultural factors motivating LLPs in China whilst addressing the practical obstacles and inherent flaws that hinder effective implementation of these policies including the far-reaching repercussions for China’s continuing economic growth.Among China’s workforce, proficiency in English is an increasingly desirable qualification for advancement in various fields and professions. Improving English language education at the primary and elementary levels can have a positive impact on furthering China’s integration into global industries and trade, and the focus of this research was centered on this critical period of language acquisition (age zero to age seven). A mixed- methods approach of informal and anecdotal evidence,semi-structured interviews,personal observation, key-informant interviews, and literature on the topic from peer-reviewed authors and experts in the field of language acquisition and early childhood education was employed in an effort to yield a more confident array of information to help facilitate a greater understanding. By drawing on diverse research in fields falling under the categories of ’cognitive neuroscience’and’applied linguistics’,policy-makers, parents, and educators can begin to improve overall English proficiency by introducing second language learning(SLL) in the critical periods of language acquisition.Furthermore, an understanding of how the brain develops and acquires language can enable educators to identify what developmental level the child is (physically, mentally, socially, and cognitively) and this can aid in determining the appropriate teaching techniques and activities that will maximize language acquisition.While some critics of SLL view bilingualism as an unnecessary burden for children, linguists at the Hong Kong University espouse that, under optimal conditions, children are biologically equipped to acquire multiple languages.The researchers don’t contest a certain degree of’code-mixing’involved with the acquisition of a second or even third language, however, there is a growing body of research that illustrates the host of advantages associated with multilingual language development:advanced thinking and reasoning skills, increased communication abilities, higher self-esteem, enhanced cognitive development, and preliminary evidence towards enhanced abilities in math. Concurrently, from a neurological perspective, there are signs that indicate a connection between expedited cognitive development and language acquisition during the different stages of infant development; with second language acquisition, the neural’hard-wiring’of the brain forms a stronger foundation for communication and cognitive development. This notion further supports Piaget’s assertion that early childhood education must occur through social interaction-such as through the direct instruction of a native-level teacher in the classroom. This type of exposure to the language in the first years of life has a strong impact on neural circuitry and directly impacts an infants’ ability to ’pick up’a language. Furthermore, according to a growing body of research, the ability of the brain to create these neural connections begins to steadily decline between the ages of seven and ten.Early childhood education in China has gone through a century-long development process and has made great progress in the past two decades. Contemporary early childhood education is becoming diverse in its forms and educational approaches, and is aligning itself with an increasingly open and diversified society. The impact of this research was to inform the policy decisions for China’s future education system and training of both native and foreign teachers. It is the hope that the Ministry of Education’s Basic Requirement for Primary School English will endorse a specific teaching method that encourages an activity based-approach in all schools on a more consistent level to avoid the challenges associated with the open interpretation of classroom implementation currently in practice under the National English Teaching Guide.I recommend that the MoE move towards a learning environment that has a more defined curriculum, a stronger focus on student-centered learning, and a more consistent implementation. These findings can be used to help create better policies, methods, and curriculum in the Chinese education system to facilitate a child’s innate predisposition for language acquisition. The presence of a native-level teacher in the classroom is preferable to passive computation because, as studies have shown, the absence of this crucial social interaction severely limits a child’s language acquisition. It is clear that early childhood education in China is strongly influenced by sociocultural changes that reflect the hybrid of traditional, communist, and Western cultures. We can now begin to re-evaluate what has happened in the past few decades and continue to promote reform and development in early childhood education.