The AERO research project, which draws on data from 110,000 English as an additional language (EAL) students in NSW public schools over the course of nine years, found it took approximately 5 to 7 years for children to learn English from beginner levels.
Researchers have said that until now, little was known about how long these students take to learn English in Australia, but the findings clearly indicate they need ongoing and targeted language support well beyond their initial schooling years.
Jennifer Hammond, an honorary professional fellow at UTS and part of the research team, told EducationHQ that without longer-term intervention EAL students are put at risk of underachieving or being labelled as having learning difficulties.
The findings have critical significance for schools, she says.
“What tends to happen is that when students arrive at school, at the beginning (English language) level, it’s very obvious.
“Everyone knows that they don’t speak English, and they usually have access to initial support programs and initial English programs and so on. But within a year or so, they sound fluent.”
As these students now appear to understand teachers’ instruction and might be interacting well in the playground with friends, it can often be assumed that their English language skills are proficient, when in fact this may be far from the reality, Hammond suggests.
“The significance of this research is that it emphasises that the process of continuing to learn academic English is a slow process … and that we need programs that go beyond the initial support for students who are learning an additional language.
“The support needs to be embedded within mainstream classes so that it’s not just a case of providing support for EAL kids and then they’re ‘fixed’ and they can go into the mainstream and they’re fine.”
Hammond says the study supports the push for the teaching English language within core subjects, so “you’re looking at the language of science and the language of maths and the language of history, et cetera”.
The academic says unless teachers have a ‘reasonable understanding’ of the nature of the English language and the complexities involved in learning it, they may interpret EAL students’ slow progress as evidence of a learning difficulty when what they are actually seeing is an ongoing language development issue play out.
Around 30 per cent of Australian students come from language backgrounds other than English, with approximately 25 per cent actively learning English as an additional language.
Facing the task of learning English while simultaneously learning the curriculum through English, EAL students need ‘targeted, systematic and explicit instruction’ based on their language needs, the report warns.
“Without appropriate instruction and support, EAL/D students are at risk of academic underachievement and plateaus in their English language and literacy skills”.
AERO CEO Dr Jenny Donovan said the study highlighted the diverse needs within the nation’s classrooms.
“We know from NAPLAN data that students from diverse language backgrounds can thrive in Australia’s education system and, in many cases, outperform students from English-speaking backgrounds,” Donovan said.
“However, for those learning English, further support is needed.
“This research provides valuable insights that support teachers and school leaders to understand the needs of EAL/D students, develop realistic expectations of their progress, and plan for providing targeted, explicit instruction for them to learn English so they can successfully participate in the school curriculum.”
Phases of English language learning – EAL/D Learning Progression: Foundation to Year 10. Source: AERO.
The study found students starting school at the ‘Emerging’ and ‘Developing’ phases took four years and three years on average, respectively, to develop the language proficiency needed to participate on par with their peers in the curriculum.
And as students progressed in English language proficiency, each successive phase took longer to reach than the one before.
The research gives schools an idea about how long they can expect each child’s progress trajectory to take, Hammond said.
“It also points to the increasing complexity of language as you become more and more proficient.
“As you engage further with academic English, it becomes more complex. The vocabulary becomes more complex, it’s more technical and abstract.
Hammond explained the kinds of grammatical patterns, the text that students need to engage with, become more complex as they engage with more complex curriculum concepts [and] work their way through school.
“Every child needs to learn that academic English – it’s not native to any child – but with EAL students, it’s particularly important that they get the ongoing support that will help them to develop to their full academic potential,” she said.
Other key factors influenced the time it took for students to learn English.
Students with socio-educational disadvantage were found to progress 22 per cent slower than advantaged students, while students from refugee backgrounds progressed 14 per cent slower than their EAL/D peers.
Boys also took 6 per cent longer than girls, and EALD students starting school in Kindergarten progressed around 9 per cent slower compared to those who started in later primary year levels.
Dr Lucy Lu, AERO’s senior manager of analytics and strategic projects and the report’s lead author, said the findings show that once EAL/D students reach parity with their monolingual peers, they generally continue on a faster learning trajectory.
“This suggests that a bi- or multi-lingual experience can be of benefit in developing an explicit understanding of language structures,” Lu said.
“This linguistic flexibility represents a strength that, when properly supported, contributes to academic achievement and enriches the educational environment for all students.”
