Research has shown that English proficiency that enables quality engagement with academic subjects takes up to seven years to acquire, even when a student’s English appears functional under other circumstances. (Suárez-Orozco, Qin, & Amthor, 2008)
As the rapid economic growth in China, sending children to study in the U.S. has become popular and affordable for many Chinese families. According to the report of US Department of Homeland Security (2014), by January 15, 2014, China contributes almost 29% of the total number of 991,915 active nonimmigrant students in America, up to nearly 300,000. At the same time, the percentage of younger age (13-16 years old) international students from China has been significantly increasing. Although the general trend of sending adolescents studying in the U.S. is obvious, most parents are still not quite sure what is the best age for their children to go abroad. As a number of studies on adolescent psychology have showed, beginning their overseas study from around 12 to 15 years old (starting from 7th to 9th grade) might be more beneficial to Chinese students’ linguistic, academic, and social ability development.
First, for the future international talents who are aiming to master at least two languages, coming to the U.S. at the beginning of their adolescence with fully developed Mandarin ability and not yet closed Critical Period for Second Language Acquisition (SLA), they will be more likely to acquire native-like English proficiency than those who come to pursue higher education. Moreover, in an English speaking environment, it will take an English Language Learner (ELL) about 2 years to obtain Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS), but 5 to 10 years to reach the Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). As a result, in terms of SLA, the longer the ELLs are exposed to the SL environment, the better their language mastery will be. Of course, we cannot say that they should come as a child because as international students without their parents’ companionship, they need to become mature enough to go abroad. Therefore, living here for at least 8 years—4 years in high school and 4 years in college—they will have plenty of time to improve their academic English development.
In addition to the language improvement, another important reason for Chinese students coming to the U.S. is to realize their academic achievements. Chinese education tends to pay more attention to the establishment of a solid knowledge base, whereas American education emphasizes more the development of critical thinking and innovation capabilities; consequently, starting their study in the U.S. from 7th -9th grade will allow Chinese students to take the advantages of both education systems. Thus, for young students from China, combining academic trainings from both countries will provide them more flexibility to achieve academic success in the future.
Finally, going abroad early might to the most extent help facilitate Chinese students’ cultural assimilation and social development. Psychologically, teenagers are mature enough to live far away from parents but still rather open to new cultures and social networks. Around this age, most students choose to live in a host family, and this experience will largely accelerate their language acquisition and cultural assimilation. Moreover, in secondary schools, international students are more likely to built friendship with not only international students but also native speaker classmates than in higher education settings.
In conclusion, although 12-15 years old is a relatively good age for Chinese students to start studying in the U.S. if their families could afford it, it will not automatically guarantee a good outcome for them. Instead, students’ initiative and positive attitudes are crucial for their holistic development.
References
Suárez-Orozco, C., Qin, D. B., & Amthor, R. F. (2008). Relationships and adaptation in school. In M. Sadowski (Ed.), Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity, and Education (2nd Ed., pp. 51-74). Cambridge: Harvard Education Press.