The main purpose of this thesis was to investigate the parents' views on the early teaching of a foreign language and whether there is an interest in enrolling their child in a private kindergarten with a bilingual program (Slovene-English). In the theoretical part, we focused on legal and formal aspects of the establishment and operation of private kindergartens in Slovenia and presented the teaching of a foreign language in early childhood.
In the conducted empirical research, we were particularly interested in the parents' views about early teaching of a foreign language (the competence of the teacher, when to start learning, methods and forms of learning and teaching foreign language, etc.). We distributed anonymous and voluntary questionnaires in the waiting rooms of the health center Ajdovščina, more specifically in June 2019. The survey involved 119 respondents. From the results of the empirical work, it is evident that parents from Ajdovščina are unanimous in the opinion that the acquisition of a foreign language in the pre-school period is quick and easy and has a positive impact on the child's development. Most respondents believe that children should start learning a foreign language between 3-6 years of age and be taught by preschool teacher with a completed English language study. Almost all of them would also want their children to learn foreign languages through fairy tales, games, poems, rhymes and chants. Most respondents chose not to enrol their child in a private kindergarten with a bilingual program. The most common reasons that they have stated are: prematurely, overburdening, emphasis should be on the mother tongue and teaching foreign languages should be enabled in a public kindergarten. Among parents and future parents who would enrol their child in such a kindergarten were the most important reasons that in the pre-school period children quickly, subconsciously and in a relaxed manner adopt the foreign language as well as the learning of the second language in kindergarten is an excellent basis for further English learning in elementary school.
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