Awakening young children to foreign languages: openness to diversity highlighted

The study of how foreign languages affect the personality-building process has received considerable attention in early childhood research. A number of related projects implemented across Europe have been conducted to establish how such influence may contribute to active citizenship education. However, no echoes of this research line have reached scholarship concerned with education in developing countries. Within this purview, this paper reports on a study conducted in Tunisia to examine how awakening children to foreign languages/cultures might reinforce their sense of openness to diversity. A total 127 five-to-seven-year olds participated in a four-month experience where they were introduced to a number of foreign languages/cultures. Pre–post-test results from a questionnaire specifically designed for this study suggested that the participants’ receptivity to diversity increased quite significantly. Building on these results, much comparable research in developing countries is needed in an attempt to establish a discerning vision about foreign language education from pre-school onward.