Parental expectations and conceptions about foreign language learning for young learners

Main aim of this study is to examine the expectations and thoughts of parents about foreign language learning for young learners. It is important to take into consideration the expectations and thoughts of parents in terms of language education process as well as young learners' learning styles. It must be noted that adult learners and young learners have different cognitive developmental traits. Literature review in the area of foreign language learning of young children is conducted. The research was carried out across 5 international private pre-schools and primary schools in İstanbul. This study analyzes conceptions and expectations of 153 parents about foreign language learning for their children via survey research. The data of the questionnaires was analyzed by the SPSS computer programme and descriptive statistics. Then, ANOVA is applied to reveal differences between parents' opinion about foreign language learning for young learners. According to results of statistical analysis; there are not significant statistical differences between parents' demographic features and their opinion about learning foreign language for young learners. Key Words : Foreign Language Learning, Young Learner, Education, Thoughts of Parents about Foreign Language Learning