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?

Conventionally, students have commenced their foreign

language

studies in the later stages of their educational journeys;

nonetheless

, some experts maintain that it could be beneficial to introduce them earlier: at primary school.

While

there are both pros and cons associated with

this

proposition, the benefits take precedence over the drawbacks, as discussed in the forthcoming paragraphs. It is evident that children who are introduced to a foreign

language

at the early stages of their academic career are better positioned to graduate with a superior command of the

language

. Children—with their intrinsic curiosity—absorb a foreign

language

quickly and effectively when compared to teenagers, as their brains are more adaptable to phonetic nuances and grammatical structures of the

language

. A study by cognitive psychologists at Columbia University, showing that children aged 8 to 12 outperformed those in the 13 to 16 age group by almost two-to-one in correctly pronouncing a unique foreign world, perfectly exemplifies (serves as a compelling example

to

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) why

earlier

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introduction of

foreign

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a foreign

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language

can potentially lead to efficient learning.

Additionally

, as these children grow up, minimal efforts are sufficient to help them attain the desired level of expertise by the time they graduate, which will not only help achieve the objectives of foreign

language

instruction

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but will

also

provide enough time for students to focus on other subjects they intend to pursue at university.

However

, on

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dimmer side, primary school teachers may lack

the

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language

proficiency in the target foreign

language

, and senior instructors may not always be equipped with specialized skills for age-appropriate instruction, both leading to inadequate/suboptimal teaching.

This

could potentially lead to negative learning

experience

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and risk demotivating students.

Moreover

, adding an extra burden to children’s portfolio, which is already crammed with enough academics, without them being able to make an informed decision

of

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their choice of foreign

language

, does not seem practical.

Nevertheless

, these drawbacks can be effectively addressed/attended to by recruiting qualified teachers who can make learning fun and seamless

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and establishing a carefully researched uniform

language

curriculum devoid of any electives. In conclusion,

while

issues like instructor’s qualifications and additional responsibility on children’s

shoulder

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shoulders

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may warrant additional planning and

further

discourses, appreciating and fostering the children’s innate abilities to help them graduate with a better command of foreign

language

, and the

overall

academics as well, is undeniably essential and outweighs (assumes primacy over) the challenges.