Frequenly Asked Questions about ESL
We will try to answer some of your FAQ’s about ESL in our blog. If you have any general ESL questions you would like us to address please leave a comment for us or email me at maria@ise.ac.th
If you have any questions about your own child’s progress in learning English, please contact his or her ESL teacher or main class teacher.
1. How long does it take to learn a second language?
This is a little like trying to answer the proverbial English question: How long is a piece of string? Or the more similar question: How long does it take to learn how to play the piano? The answer depends on what you mean by learning a language or learning to play the piano, and the point at which you decide that your learning is at an end. A sensible answer to the question requires that you first define your learning purpose. Do you want to learn English so that you can communicate effectively, or because you would like to be as proficient in English as you are in your own language?
Let us assume that the goal is to learn sufficient English in ISE to be ready to exit from the ESL programme and join the full mainstream. How long will this take? Now it is possible to answer: on average students need about three years in ESL before they have sufficient English to function independently in the mainstream. But even here it is necessary to stress the words “on average”. The actual time needed will depend on a number of learner variables, such as the native language of the learner, his language learning ability, how motivated he is, how many other languages he already knows and so on.
(It is important not to assume that exiting from the ESL programme means that the child is now able to function on the same level as a native-speaker. Researchers into second language acquisition have estimated that it takes between 5 to 7 years for an ESL student to catch up with his native-speaking peers as far as academic English is concerned. *)
* This estimate is based on the following article: “How long: A synthesis of research on academic achievement in a second language.” Collier, V. (1989) TESOL Quarterly 3/23
