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Perspective of the country
There is a great deal of variation in government policy from one country to another and even within
the same country (Brock-Utne and Holmarsdottir, 2004; Ho, 2003; Y. Hu, 2007; Kapur, 2009; Mihaljević
Djigunović, J. (2009)). Moreover, while in some countries, such as South Korea or Oman, the government
maintains close central control over the implementation of policy (Al-Issa, 2007; Butler, 2009; Lee, 2009;
Mitchell and Lee, 2003) , in others, such as Brazil, few or no guidelines are offered (Gimenez, 2009).
Regarding approaches to language teaching, in response to global demand for communication in English,
new curricula of teaching English to young learners have emphasized communicative competence. In many
countries, particularly in East Asia (Ho, 2003), this has led to the introduction of some form of Communicative
Language Teaching (CLT) or Task-Based Learning and Teaching (TBLT). This is the case, for example, in
Korea (Li, 1998; Mitchell and Lee, 2003), Hong Kong (Carless, 2003, 2004), China (G. Hu, 2002), Turkey
(Kirkgo
̈
z, 2009), and Thailand (Prapaisit de Segovia and Hardison, 2008), to name just a few.
In regards to the Uzbekistan context, preschool organizations lack a national curriculum and methodology
on teaching English, however, they are included in the chain of life-long education “preschool - school -
higher education” and recommended to develop methods for learning a foreign language (Uzbek Agency of
Technical Regulations, 2021). In addition, the National Curriculum Framework created by the Republican
Education Center and UNICEF in 2021 states that English as a language of global trade and culture should
be assessed in relation to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Level
C1 and B2 serve as an ultimate outcome and interim target, respectively (NCF, 2021). It sets a quite
high standard of language proficiency for an ordinary student. Taking into account numerous subjects
and extracurricular activities to be learned by a modern child, early start of learning English or other
foreign languages seems more than timely and rational. By the time children start school, they will become
equipped with language fluency which will definitely improve their learning. Moreover, communication in
a foreign language will become possible that will open wide perspectives for our children to participate in
international educational events such as olympiads and conferences. The National Curriculum Framework’s
recommendation to adopt the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach to second and foreign
language education (NCF, 2021) is aligned with the general intention of the government to introduce
young representatives of the country to the international community and provide their sustainability.
Overall, various studies on Critical Period Hypothesis illustrate both advantages of starting learning L2
at this period as well as its futility. However, opponents agree that younger learners have an advantage
in phonetic/ phonological performance and long run sustainable motivation for learning L2. Krashen’s
theories of Second Language Acquisition and Affective Filter have been fundamental for teaching L2
for young learners although it has been constantly criticized for simplifying the theories. However, even
opponents of Krashen admit Krashen’s huge influence on teaching methodology (Liu, 2015).
In conclusion, in conditions of globalization and openness of our country to the international community,
early start of learning English has gained a new meaning. Now it is more than parents’ initiative that is
motivated by striving for future success for their child. Now it is one of the main strategies of the country
that is open to the world and pursues constructive integration. Early start of learning English contributes
to raising specialists with high English proficiency, capable of becoming a worthy representative of
Uzbekistan on the international stage as well as a mediator of new knowledge, discoveries and experiences
for development of their own country.
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