Nik Peachey previews ReadTheWords.com (beta) online text-to-speech converter, prior to suggesting ways for EAL learners to use it for help "with their listening, reading and pronunciation" (¶2)
This was not a statistically controlled study: the subjects took a free test online and of their own accord.
But Philip Hult, the boss of EF, says that his sample shows results similar to a more scientifically controlled but smaller study by the British Council.
Several factors correlate with English ability. Wealthy countries do better overall. But smaller wealthy countries do better still: the larger the number of speakers of a country’s main language, the worse that country tends to be at English.
Export dependency is another correlate with English. Countries that export more are better at English (though it’s not clear which factor causes which).
Teaching plays a role, too. Starting young, while it seems a good idea, may not pay off: children between eight and 12 learn foreign languages faster than younger ones, so each class hour on English is better spent on a 10-year-old than on a six-year-old.
Teaching plays a role, too. Starting young, while it seems a good idea, may not pay off: children between eight and 12 learn foreign languages faster than younger ones, so each class hour on English is better spent on a 10-year-old than on a six-year-old.
R.L.G. (2011.04.05) suggests a large-scale study of an uncontrolled sample population "confirms ... stereotypes" (¶1), and "shows results similar to ... [an unspecified] study by the British Council" (¶3 [URL from original, retrieved 2011.04.14).