Abstract

In Taipei many elementary school students go to the socalled

child language centers to learn English. Many parents

prefer that their children start learning English earlier 1n

the hope that an early start will ensure the success of

English learning later on.

This study is a cross-sectional investigation of the

relationships between early start in English learning and the

achievement in English learning at junior high school using

grade 1 and grade 2 junior high school students as the

subjects. The language assessment 1S a test including

grammar, reading, and writing sections in written form. The

statistical methods employed are mean, percentage, standard

deviation, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, one-way ANOVA,

Scheffe multiple range tests, two-way ANOVA, two-tailed test

( t-test), and multiple stepwise regression. The major

findings are as follows:

1. Of both grades the ELC subjects surpassed the non-ELC

subjects on all the tests.

2. The impact of ELC decreased on the results of grade 2 test.

3. The length of ELC was the most important determining variable.

4. Of both grades, the correlations between the length of ELC and the grammar tests were less strong than those with the reading and writing tests.

5. Age of early start had no significant correlations with the grammar test for grade 2 subjects.

6. Compared with the other factors, age of early start showed no tangible effects on all the tests for each of the grades.

7. The ELC subjects of both grades could not gain advantage from the similarity of the teaching content of early English class to that in the English course at junior high school.

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