A survey of Israeli parents revealed 73% believe that Israeli elementary schools aren’t properly preparing their children to speak English in the real world.
The study, conducted by Novakid, involved panels of roughly 500 parents of children aged 6 to 12.
The new survey showed that almost 70% of parents are not confident that their children can speak English, despite their children having learned ESL in school from as early as grades 1 to 3.
English is taught as a compulsory subject in Israeli schools from grade 3 onwards, but due to time constraints, teachers may struggle to dedicate as much time as necessary to the subject.
Novakid noted that “Parents in Israel, as around the world, recognize that strong English skills empower their children and boost their future prospects.”
Despite 71% of children beginning English lessons before the end of grade 3, 57% have only three hours of English class a week, with only 15% receiving four or more hours.
Such limited exposure may explain why children struggle to use English outside of the classroom, as they are not being given enough time with the language to learn it. Research suggests that to become fluent in a second language, a child should be exposed to it for around 25 hours per week, which is about 30% of the child’s waking hours.
When schools provide only three hours a week, the remaining 22 hours fall on parents. This means that if the children are in school for 30 hours each week, the family would need to spend around 40% of their waking time at home speaking English for the children to achieve fluency.
The survey also highlighted parents’ lack of faith in the ESL education their children were receiving. Only 28% of parents surveyed described their child’s ESL education as good or excellent. On top of this, 57% of parents think the quality of teaching has worsened in the last three years.
ESL tutors rise in popularity
The survey found that parents are increasingly turning to external resources to fill gaps in their children's education. Novakid found that 28% of parents arrange private English lessons for their children outside school hours, and 42% intend to arrange these supplemental lessons in the future.
The survey also found that the majority of parents prefer in-person tutoring from a native English-speaking private tutor. At the same time, 30% opt for digital solutions, such as online platforms with a variety of teachers.
“When the school system does not deliver, parents refuse to compromise. Increasingly, they turn to digital alternatives, which have become more advanced in recent years,” said a Novakid spokesperson.
Novakid is one of the world-leading English as a Second Language (ESL) learning platforms for children aged 2 to 14. Founded in 2017, Novakid has more than 1 million students across 50+ countries, with Israel as its third-largest market worldwide.
It’s a tailored online tutoring service to teach ESL to each student in the best way for them. Novakid says it uses gamification, AI, virtual reality, and natural language processing to create an engaging, interactive learning environment. Novakid aims to help children achieve fluency in ESL.