Comparison of Primary School Foreign Language Curricula of Turkey, Germany and the Netherlands

Abstract

Foreign language education at early ages involves a broad spectrum of communication skills using communication, culture, connections, comparisons and community. The aim of this study is to compare the primary foreign language curricula of Turkey, Germany and the Netherlands in terms of objectives, content, teaching processes and evaluation systems. This is a comparative education research and most of the data, taken from official sources of the country, was obtained by the document analysis. Turkish Primary School English program is found to be more comprehensive and elaborate while the program in Germany and the Netherlands are quite flexible. The curricula of Germany and the Netherlands not only provide more freedom with teachers in planning lessons but also meet the needs and interests of students. In all three countries, the programs vary in terms of content presentation. Turkey has a detailed content of the English curriculum, and teachers are obliged to follow the program. On the other hand, teachers in the Netherlands are given the opportunity to make the choice of content.