I grew up in a middle-class family in a small city. Although my dad was not a PhD holder, he nurtured my love for education and I learned from a young age the importance of speaking my mother tongue correctly as well as the second language I learned later and the third one and so on. I remember he talked to me and my siblings about learning to communicate and how language can help or be a discrepancy if it is not delivered correctly.
Later on, I discovered that a second language was also a requisite for job seeking. Back in the 80s, English was not prevalent among people of my dad’s generation. So, he couldn’t help us in any other way except by offering us the chance to go to a Foreign Language School, as he believed in the importance of knowing how to speak a foreign language well. What Dad was actually doing was empowering and motivating us to learn a skill that we might otherwise have overlooked. We were more concerned with athletics, technical skills, and psychology without understanding that the English language would matter in all these areas after all.
As a teacher, I have often noticed, or as I think, realized the parents' involvement in a student’s language learning. I am sure you, fellow teachers, can identify with me. We have all seen in schools:
- The young student eager and easily focused on learning the language (the parent has guided the child to make a mature choice about language learning).
- The young student overwhelmed but easily discouraged (the parent is also overwhelmed that the child learns English and influences the child).
- The young student easily discouraged when making errors (the parent interferes in the language learning by aiming for perfection and high marks).
- The young student who doesn’t like it but feels they have to stay in the classroom (sometimes they even admit it) (the parent has decided on this choice).
- The young student who feels overstressed and cannot deal with it because they are not aware of why they are in the foreign language classroom (probably due to a complete lack of communication between parent and child, leading to the child's disorientation).
In my classes, I have seen parents asking about their 6-year-old child’s performance with such worry as if the child is to sit for a C2 exam in English. I have also noticed the use of “we” when referring to the child’s effort in learning, e.g., “We were studying the days of the week all weekend!” But there have also been cases where parents ask if it’s helpful for them to speak English at home so that the child gets accustomed to it or what extracurricular activities, such as books or movies, can be further used.
A study on the subject of “parental involvement in English learning as a foreign language” was carried out with Emirati parents of learners from kindergarten to elementary school. Parents of different educational backgrounds were asked about:
- The challenges they encounter when involving themselves in the child’s EFL learning.
- How they deal with these challenges and those that arose from online learning.
- What solutions they would suggest to overcome the problems.
The challenges parents faced are:
- Since English was taught to them as a second language too, they were not confident enough to practice it with their children. For some of them, it was a hard subject and that had a negative impact on their effort to support their children.
- Lack of familiarity with English made parents and children alike switch from L2 to L1 when encountering difficulties.
- Lack of children’s motivation was also stated by 40% of the participants, especially for kindergarten learners who are more inclined to playing than studying.
- Some parents fear that L2 will overshadow L1, making them hesitant to practice it with children or to make children understand the importance of learning English at this age.
So, it is obvious that the parents’ mentality and set of principles can help or hinder the ESL process. However, the parental role is vital for the young learner to build confidence and be enthusiastic about taking up the new language. As mentioned on the Cambridge English Language Assessment site, parents with young learners should do short, frequently repeated activities together, based on the child’s interests. Parents shouldn’t worry about their pronunciation as kids tend to change pronunciation over time. Most important of all: better to guide than instruct. A learner can find answers to the language problems that arise on their own, and this is the cornerstone of learning. To be an autonomous and independent learner can be taught from a very young age. It is an asset for a person’s academic and personal development.
My dad was not an educator nor an English speaker, but he was willing to trust his children with his knowledge, set examples of real life, and motivate learning. I can only feel gratitude for his stance on life as it was an inspiration for me!
[1] Ghadah Al Murshidi, Sumaya Daoud, Ruwaya Al Derei, Hebat Alhamidi, Waheeda Jabir, Neama Sayed,
Parental involvement in English as foreign language learners’ education: Challenges and solutions in a post-pandemic era, International Journal of Educational Research Open, Volume 5,2023,100297,ISSN26663740, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100297.
