This report was submitted March 5, 1998, as an independent study for Dr. Joan Safran in the College of Education at Ohio University. It was also submitted to the Honors Tutorial College for a university-wide undergraduate student research project contest. The research contained herein was gathered during a four-week internship in Cologne, Germany (an on-line report of which in German is available here) and during a 10-week student teaching experience at Athens High School in Athens, Ohio. 

Introduction

"When public education began, it had the egalitarian objective of supplying a social and intellectual melting pot that would ensure an equal education for everyone. It has succeeded in providing an equally bad education for too many."

Cal Thomas, "American Pupils Lagging Because Schools Are Awful," editorial article published March 3, 1998, in the Columbus Dispatch

In comparing both the German and the American school systems and their approach to foreign language teaching, Thomas puts his finger on what is perhaps the most striking difference between the two. He used the words "egalitarian" and "equal" to describe the goals of the American system, one in which all children are guaranteed the right to the same education as their neighbor, regardless of ability. But is this effective? By contrast, the German system sorts students at age 10. Parents and teachers decide whether the child will continue on the high-intelligence track (going to the elite Gymnasien) or be relegated to trade and professional schools much like our vo-techs. Without batting an eye, your typical German will happily tell you that this system is socialistic and discriminatory - but they'll also point to its effectiveness, to the higher standards it creates, and to the elevated academic expectations.

This paper will explore those key differences between the German and the American systems while spotlighting two specific schools, the Königin-Luise-Schule (in Cologne, Germany) and Athens High School (in Athens, Ohio). It's common knowledge that the Europeans do a better job educating their kids, and that when placed beside them in almost any subject, Americans do worse. But is this true? Does research support this? And are the measuring sticks the same betwen the cultures or or we comparing apples and oranges? These are the questions that will be explored.

Methodology

Over a four week period in December, I conducted on-site research during an internship at Königin-Luise-Schule (hereafter referred to as KLS). I created a survey for students and teachers. A total of 30 11th grade students at KLS filled out the form; surveys for teachers were administered to teachers in individual interviews. The goal of the survey was to determine attitudes toward homework, ideas and practical methods of teaching foreign language within the two different systems, and to determine, overall, which system (Germany's or America's) better prepares its students to be able to effectively communicate in the foreign language after graduation.

The same survey was administered at Athens High (AHS) during an 11-week student teaching experience, with 51 mostly 11th graders participating. Although the number of students at each school is unequal, the research (while far from scientific in its methodology) is still strongly representative, and is backed by personal first-hand experience in both locations.

System Descriptions

To better understand both school systems and to provide a relevant background for this report, a brief description of how each system works is needed.

In Germany, all students attend primary schools, called Grundschule. At age 10, students are tracked. (More on this in the next section.) About 70 percent go on to schools for trade, cooking, carpentry, or other basic service skills. The top 30 percent go on to Gymnasium, the elite college-track high schools. (This number has jumped in the last 30 years. Formerly it was only 10 percent.) From level 5 to level 13, students take their classes in a school to which they often must commute, as attendance is not at all based on geography but rather on interest. (For instance, KLS was considered the "international" Gymnasium and has a much higher international mixture than normal.)

Toward the end of their high school years, students must declare two majors and two minors, and their classes adjust accordingly. For example, if student Hilda Berner decides in 11th grade to specialize in French and history, she'll begin taking more classes in those subjects and less in other subjects such as science. At the end of her 13th year, she must pass the Abitur, a grueling three-day test of general knowledge administered by a panel of teachers. The sheer existence of this final test is perhaps one of the most powerful motivators to self-learning I have ever seen in a high school setting. Without the Abitur, you see, these students cannot advance to college, and university for those who are admitted is free and practically guarantees a good job even in Europe's depressed job market.

In America, attendance is determined based on geography. Students go to elementary school through grades 5 or 6, then middle school or junior high from 6-8, and finally high school from 9-12. Some tracking does exist at the high school level, with the more intelligent and college-bound students funneled into AP and honors classes. At the end of their high school years, they must take a college-entrance test (such as the ACT or SAT). As long as their score isn't too low, entrance to college is practically guaranteed, making these tests significant only for the most driven students determined to get into the best colleges. Whereas German students begin worrying about their Abitur as early as 9th grade, most American high schoolers don't even being thinking about the ACT or SAT until 10th grade at the earliest, and often not until later.

A big difference between the two systems is the school day. At KLS, classes ran from 8 a.m. until 1-5 p.m., depending on the day. Each day was not alike. For instance, students might have two hours of lit on Monday, one on Wednesday, and one on Thursday. Looking at a class plan can be very confusing for Americans used to cut-and-dried periods which don't change on a daily basis. This means students typically don't have more than five subjects a day, compared to the nine possible, in the life of an AHS student.

Then there's sports. School starts remarkably early (7:30 a.m.) at AHS to allow students to finish early (2:30 p.m.) so they can spend the afternoons/early evenings traveling to sports events, if necessary. All high school sports are coordinated through the schools themselves. Students in Germany who participate in sports, on the other hand, must do it on their own time, around their school schedule, and in a community club, one not based out of the school.

General conclusions

The bottom line is the German students are far more competent with foreign languages and have a much greater motivation to study and learn. this comes as no surprise, however, considering the following key factors:

All students begin with English in fifth grade (age 10-11), French in ninth grade (age 12-13), and a third language (typically Latin or Spanish) in eleventh grade. (There are 13 levels in the German secondary system.) Because they begin so early, their fluency and competency by the 11th grade, after they've been taking it for six years, is naturally much more fluent than their American counterparts, who by the end of 11th grade have had a maximum of only three years. Because of this, motivation to study a foreign language is low. "It's cultural," said Milagros Santoni, a Spanish teacher interviewed at AHS. "There's this apathy (toward foreign languages), and I think it starts in the home."

Due to their geographical location, Europeans have a much greater incentive to learn foreign languages. After all, in less than two hours by train, students in Cologne can be in France, Belgium, or Holland, where a combined four languages are official and many more are ubiquitous. With the growth of the European Union, people can now relocate to another country as easily as we do to other states. Thus, from an economic perspective, the job market motivation to learn other languages is strong.

Although it sounds ethnocentric to say it, English is everywhere. Evidence: It's the first foreign language required at KLS. Wrote one German student on the survey: "English is the language of the world." When German students were asked the purpose of studying a foreign language, they responded overwhelmingly: Work. When American students were asked, the answer was almost always: Recreational travel. That alone speaks volumes and explains much about each society's priorities regarding foreign language education.

However, the success of the German system is not entirely a foregone conclusion. I witnessed some remarkable differences in methodlogy and, more importantly, societal attitude toward foreign languages. Witness:

In KLS, it's required (not suggested) that all language instruction be in the target language from the very beginning. My experience in American high schools and in talking with other teachers (and other French student teachers in area high schools) is that immersion is impractical. Plus, this requires complete fluency on the part of the teacher - which is, unfortunately, never a guarantee in American schools. In KLS, on the other hand, every foreign language teacher had had extensive experience (at least a year) abroad studying and speaking the language in a complete immersion environment.

On a very practical level, immersion instruction means most observed German fifth graders who had only had four months of instruction could speak (but not necessarily read, write, or listen) better than 11th grade American students who'd had French for nearly three years.

Societal attitudes play probably the largest role of all. The purpose of this report is not to assign blame for what many see to be a failing American system but rather to illustrate the key differences between the two countries and to attempt to delve below the surface of the issue. The priorities of parents, teachers, and indeed the students themselves plays a huge role in what is taught and how.

Student survey results

First, a few stastics about each group of students surveyed:

German students. The nationality of 36% of the students was non-German. (Biggest group: Turkish.) Most plan to attend college, and almost all speak two additional languages (French and English). Because of the strong numbers of other ethnic backgrounds, a number also still speak their native languages.

American students. Only 8% were non-American, a testimony to the lack of nearby countries. Most also plan to attend college, and none speak any language except English.

Following are results from a number of specific questions posed to both groups:

What's the purpose of studying a foreign language? There was some overlap in the reponses: the ability to communicate with people from other cultures, to be able to knowledgably discuss other cultures, and international understanding.

But more Germans added comments such as this one: "It's best in today's time - for the sake of my career - to already have command of several languages before beginning work." Such a comment was typical. Compare to a typical American response: "So if you go to a country you can talk." And this American comment is very revealing: "So you can communicate with people who were too close-minded to learn English."

How many of your immediate family speak the language? As can be seen in the chart, Germans students have a much greater number of immediate family members who can speak the language they're studying - fully 74% of German students have at least one family member who can, as opposed to only 51% of American students. This is clearly significant. I've found students in my American classes with relatives who speak the language are more motivated and see more purpose to their studies. Plus, these family members are often role models and have provided the inspiration in the first place to study the language.

How often do you use the language outside the classroom? These results speak for themselves: Fully 68% of German students responded "often" or "occasionally," as opposed to 39% of Americans, almost half the amount.

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), how important is your foreign language to you? Admittedly a broad and subject question, the averages nonetheless were 7.28 for the German students and 6.18 for the Americans.

Foreign travel. This topic encompassed a range of questions. Without a doubt, as the chart shows clearly, European students are much better traveled than Americans. No judgments should be made, however, since the German students have much greater accessibility to foreign countries than do their stateside counterparts.

How many hours of foreign language homework do you have a week? Here we see a big difference, which is due partly to the double- or triple-language requirement. The biggest chunk of German students said three hours; Americans, one. The numbers are more consistent when comparing overall homework per week. German students averaged at 9.44, and Americans at 8.18.

Is homework an important part of your education? First off, a third of German students responded "no," as opposed to half of the Americans. Concurred several Americans: "Homework is frivolous ... a lot of it is a waste of time." On the positive side, students at both schools agreed that homework was a necessary reinforcement. "It reteaches us what we've learned," said one American. Concurs a German: It's good "in order to help me understand learned material and clarify questions which need to be asked in the next class session."

Do you have a part-time job? Surprisingly, a greater percentage of Germans (50%) than Americans (33%) work after school. While Germans students spend an average of 7.25 hours a week on the job, Americans spend 8.18.

How many extra-curricular activities are you involved in? 38% of American students are involved in three or more extracurricular activities, compared to only 2% of their German counterparts. The majority (98%) of Germans participate in two or less, compared to 62% of Americans. Clearly, the Americans are the more overcommitted group.

Do you have more or less homework than your counterparts? Not surprisingly, German students thought they have more than the Americans. Surprisingly, the American students agreed. 35% of German students said they had more, 25% said less, 11% said the same amount, and 29% didn't speculate. Of the Americans, 84% said they have less than the Europeans, compared to only 8% who said they more. The remaining 8% didn't respond.

Teacher survey results

Five foreign language teachers at each school were interviewed and posed the same set of questions. In this section, results from those interviews will be summarized. At KLS, interviewed teachers were: Evelin Weiss-Wright (English), Frau Frings (French), Lioba Kröger-Brenke (French and English), Herr Menden (English and German), and Hildegard Kissel (English). At AHS, interviewees were: Milagros Santoni (Spanish), Lana Jeffers (French and Latin), Rachel Sims (French), Debbie Lowe (Spanish), and Gloria Muntean (French).

Speaking ability. KLS teachers speak an average of 4.2 languages each (including their native tongue) and teach almost exclusively in the target language. AHS teachers speak an average of 2.2 and teach, for the most part, in English.

Reading. At AHS, three teachers interviewed actively read foreign language materials (books, magazines, etc.) outside the classroom. At KLS, all five teachers regularly read outside materials. Several have subscriptions to English magazines and newspapers, and one, Weiss-Wright, prefers to read and communicate in English (which she does which impeccable fluency), although her native language is German.

Why should foreign languages be learned? At AHS, the responses were: For increased cultural understanding, and for improving thinking processes. Half the students taking the language will never leave the state, said Jeffers, who teaches Latin and French. "In the practical picture of life, most of them will never use it." Agrees Gloria Muntean, her colleague and next-door neighbor at the school who teaches French: "For these kids, most of them feel they've never going to use it, so they're not highly motivated." In stark contrast, the teachers at KLS immediately rattled off half a dozen reasons for a second or third language's usefulness: Better understanding the cultures of Europe, flexibility in life, improved job chances, usefulness on vacation. "Languages have to do with life," said Frau Frings, a KLS French teacher. "It's absolutely vital," concurred Weiss-Wright. "It's one of the most important skills in life."

Which is most important in the classroom: Speaking, listening, talking, or writing? All five KLS teachers immediately responded that speaking was the most vital. Being able to communicate --and thus survive - in another culture, each argued, was key. At AHS, responses ranged from writing to reading to listening to a combination of all four. For no AHS teacher was speaking paramount - a revealing set of priorities. Of course, this ties directly in with geography, as mentioned earlier - America's location means travel isn't possible for many, and thus speaking survival skills not so important.

When should foreign language instruction begin? It may seem unnecessary to have this question, since the obvious answer is as early as possible - a view, not surprisingly, all teachers held. "My dream would be to have a foreign language at the elementary school," said Debbie Lowe, a Spanish teacher at AHS.

What do you think about the foreign language instruction in the Germany/America? This open-ended question asked teachers about the opposing culture, and the results were surprising. Regarding immersion teaching in the classroom, Hildegard Kissel of KLS said of American teachers: "Why should they? Everyone on the planet speaks English." And Frau Frings agreed that foreign language instruction is taken much more seriously in Germany than in America. The college-level instruction is not intensive enough, said Weiss-Wright. Student teachers in Germany, for example, have to teach for two years under the careful eye of not one but two supervisors, plus cooperating teachers. At Ohio University, on the other hand, students are in the classroom for 10 to 11 weeks (and are only expected to teach a meager minimum of five to six of those weeks) with limited, sporadic visits from only one supervising teacher. Many American teachers see and readily admit this flaw in their system.

Overall, teachers at KLS were better equipped to teach their subjects and had a firmer background in the language and culture. English textbooks used at KLS were packed with as much culture as grammar, giving students a firmer understanding of daily life in Britain and America. Backing this up, each KLS teacher has had (and continues to have) extensive experience abroad in the country or countries of the culture they teach. At AHS, the French textbook used has very little cultural information, and of the five teachers, only one teacher was a native speaker and only one other had had a year-long study abroad experience prior to entering the classroom. To their credit, all five AHS teachers keep in regular contact with the countries whose cultures they teach, including annual visits.

Conclusion

The data in the report points strongly to the German system as the better of the two in training students in foreign languages. Even American students hold this stereotype. When asked what they thought of the German system, their responses were uniform: Europe does it better. "They teach more languages, start at an earlier age, and do it more intensively," wrote one student. Added another: "Europeans study harder and catch on quicker."

Personal observation in both school systems leads me to believe that from a communicative perspective, Germany easily outstrips America. By the time they reach 11th grade, most German students are able to understand and participate in regular, everyday conversation. Even seventh graders, who have only had English for two years, were able to communicate much better in the target language than are the high schoolers with whom I currently work, who themselves have had French for two years. It's a simple matter of commitment - on the part of the teachers, the parents, the students, and most of all, the society. In America, simply put, foreign languages are not a priority, and thus for many students (while required for admission to many colleges) are viewed in the same category as electives, and thus not as essential as other core classes. In Germany, on the other hand, languages are essential. They're as much a core piece of the curriculum as science or history and are viewed by the multilingual society at large as an integral part of the educational experience. This is why, in a nutshell, Germany does a much better job of teaching its students foreign languages.