The Growing Popularity of English Education for Preschool Chi ...
Abstract
This article provides a survey of the current scholarship surrounding the phenomenon of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten English language instruction in east Asia. First, it describes the “the earlier, the better” myth motivating a large and growing private industry in English language education. Second, it surveys the three major kinds of programs making up the majority of this new private education market, with particular attention to South Korea. Third, it surveys the academic scholarship on the relationship between age and second-language acquisition. Based on this survey, the preschool English education industry is predicated not on science but on a popular myth, and in fact could be detrimental to young learners.