Primary-school teachers’ beliefs about the effects of early-English education in the Dutch context: communicative scope, disadvantaged learning, and their skills in teaching English

Abstract

We investigated whether primary-school teachers’ beliefs towards early-English education are related to the type of English education they are involved in (early- or later-English schools), their English language skills and whether they teach English. Ninety-nine Dutch teachers filled in a questionnaire with 25 statements about early-English education, and assessed their own English speaking proficiency. Their beliefs were based on the effects of three distinct components: Communicative scope, Disadvantaged learning, and their own skills for teaching English. Regression analyses showed that teachers working at an early-English school generally hold more positive beliefs about the effects of early-English education than teachers working at a later-English school. Furthermore, teachers who taught English lessons themselves and teachers who assessed their own English speaking proficiency at a higher level, showed less negative beliefs about the effects of early-English education for Disadvantaged learning, and had more positive beliefs about their own English teaching skills. Teachers with a higher self-rated speaking proficiency showed more positive beliefs about the effects of early-English education on Communicative scope development. This study shows that teachers’ beliefs and skills concerning English education are related to each other. Pre- and in-service training on providing English lessons should thus pay attention to both.