Time and Amount of L2 Contact Inside and Outside the School – Insights from the European Schools

Most research to date on instructed second language (L2) learning has been carried out within the contexts of (esp. college-level) ESL programs in North America and (Canadian-style) immersion programs. Several authors have pointed out how SLA theory, based on the knowledge generated in such a narrow range of contexts, has limited its validity (Nayar 1997; Siegel 2003). This situation warrants looking at processes and outcomes of L2 learning in other educational contexts. The specific context focused on in this chapter is that of the European School system of multilingual education (Baetens Beardsmore 1995; Baker 2006; Housen 2002). The European Schools (ES) have been in operation for nearly sixty years and have gained a firm reputation as successful institutes of scholastic excellence in general and of language education and learning in particular (Baker 2006; Wesche 2002). Recent years have also seen a growing interest in the ES as a model for developing bilingual education and second language education elsewhere (e.g. European Parliament 2010; Skutnabb-Kangas 1995). In this light, it is important to draw attention to the available research on processes and outcomes of language learning in these schools and to the lessons that can be drawn from their experience. To further this end, section 2 of this chapter presents necessary background information of the ES program, with special attention to the role of the L2 and the sequencing of and time devoted to L2 subject teaching and L2 content teaching throughout the ES curriculum. Section 3 reviews previous research on L2 learning in the ES. Sections 4 to 6 present two empirical studies which investigate the development of English L2 proficiency in the ES system. Section 7 discusses wider implications of this research for L2 learning and teaching.