How long does it take to achieve academically in a second language? Comparing the trajectories of EAL students and first language peers in Queensland schools

For the past four decades, the question of how long it takes to achieve academically in a second language has been the subject of research. It is a key policy question informing the allocation of resources for the support of English language learners in schools, with the existing research from the United States (US), Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) showing it takes varying lengths of time depending on a range of variables. Until this present study, no research had been done on the trajectories of English language learners in the Australian context, where increasing numbers of English learners form the student population. As part of a broader mixed-methods study designed to address this gap in the research, we present quantitative analyses of longitudinal school data on NAPLAN reading results for two large regions in Queensland from the years 2009 – 2015. Using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures, we identified the academic trajectories of EAL students as compared with the trajectories of the same age cohort, most of whom are English as a first language speakers. The findings show that EAL students who had been in schools long enough to sit four NAPLAN tests reached parity by Year 7, suggesting that it takes the whole of primary school for them to achieve at the same level as their English-speaking peers. Those who entered between Year 3 and Year 5 reached parity within two to four years of arrival in Australia. For older learners entering school between Year 5 and Year 7, reaching parity took much longer. The implications of these findings are far reaching for policy, teacher preparation, and the provision of high quality language support programs in Australian primary and secondary schools.