Learning English is hard! Perspectives and realities of first year Primary Education Degree students

Abstract

It is often stated that English is an “unresolved issue” in the Spanish Education system however, the importance of having a minimum level of English language competence is evident. One study points out that Spain is one of the top countries in the world for Cambridge exam centres (Cambridge, 2015a). Another recent study by Cambridge (2015b) revealed that 77% of those surveyed between the ages of16-24 thought that in order to find a job, it was more important to speak English than to have a university degree. The introduction of English at all levels of education from Early Childhood to Secondary inSpain (Eurostat, 2013) highlights the priority of English in the curriculum. In fact, nowadays, students in the Comunidad Valenciana who finish Bachillerato should have a B1 level of English. As the importance of English in the curriculum is undeniable, especially for future Primary Education teachers, a study was proposed to take a closer look the following issues: student experiences of learning English, their attitudes toward the English language, their knowledge of an English B1 level based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and lastly, the language level of first year Primary Education degree students. The idea was to help students realize where they are in their English language development and make them aware of their attitudes and stumbling blocks to encourage them to continue progressing in their English language competence. Three groups of students (a total of 126 students) on the Didáctica del Inglés course at the University of Alicante participated in the study during this year (2016-17) which was divided into three phases. The first two phases were done in the same class session, the third phase was done in one session three weeks later. The first phase was an open questionnaire with six questions on issues such as: attitudes and experiences on learning, the implications of having a CEFR B1 level and the CEFR level they need to be able to teach in the future and lastly, if they had a language certification from an organisation such as Cambridge or Trinity. In the second phase, students who did not have any certification (98 students) were asked to take a sixty question multiple choice test that covered grammar, vocabulary and sentence word organisation based on the English language curriculum up to and including third year of ESO. The third phase was a discussion in groups of their test results and an in depth look at the answers to the six open-ended questions. Almost 76% of the studentsfailed the multiple choice test. The group discussions showed that many students had an ambivalent or even negative attitude towards learning English and many stated that the only reason for learningEnglish was to be able to get a job. In addition, their English language learning experiences were often expressed negatively. Students, in almost all cases, were unaware of the correlation between the CEFRB1 level and the implication for language competence. In conclusion, it can be said that it is essential for future Primary Education teachers to become aware of their language competence using the CEFR asa framework. It is also necessary for them to overcome previous set attitudes about learning English in order to further develop their English language competence to teach in English in the future.