Young People’s English Language Skills Decreasing

2024 · VOA Learning English

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Transcript

1. A recent index that measures English language ability around the world finds that young people’s English language proficiency is

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2. decreasing. The 2023 EF English Proficiency Index (EPI) ranks countries and areas by English proficiency.

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3. The index is based on test results from 2.2 million people in 113 countries.

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4. The test is published by EF Education First, a private company based in Switzerland.

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5. VOA Learning English has a partnership with EF Education First to provide the online test to English learners.

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6. The EPI found that while young people's English skills are decreasing, working adults continue to increase their proficiency in English.

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7. There are different opinions about why the difference exists.

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8. Some people blame the COVID-19 pandemic, but others say artificial intelligence (or AI) tools could also be a reason.

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9. EF Education First released the 2023 index last November.

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10. EF EPI author Kate Bell warned that the 2023 index gives a false sense of global stability meaning English speakers’ proficiency

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11. But the truth is that gains in some countries are being offset by losses in others, Bell said in an EF Education First press release

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12. Since that time, the English proficiency of young people has decreased by 89 points.

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13. The EPI defines young people as being 18 to 20 years of age.

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14. However, the EPI notes that the 18 to 20 group was mostly stable with big decreases in a few large countries.

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15. India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Japan showed the largest proficiency decreases among youth.

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16. Kansuke Ikebe is a 21-year-old student from Shiga, Japan. He told VOA Learning English that the results are “really surprising.

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17. In my opinion, I’ve never felt it is decreasing. It is maybe because there are many youth who can speak English in my university.”

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18. The EPI report noted that the decrease appears to have taken place when the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with normal education.

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19. The report said, “It is not yet clear if learning loss due to Covid will self-correct over time,” but increased scores are expected in the future.

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20. The EPI said the problem is more difficult in countries where proficiency has been decreasing over time and “where education systems are teaching English less well than before.”

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21. There has been a decrease in proficiency in Japan for nearly 10 years.

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22. Ikebe said he could believe the EPI results because of the way English is taught in Japan. “It makes nobody want to learn English more.

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23. It is not practical at all and really boring

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24. However, working adults, people 26 years old and older, have been improving their English since 2015.

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25. The EPI said this might be because the value of a shared language is most recognized in the workplace.

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26. English creates possibilities for individuals and productivity for organizations.

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27. Men’s proficiency has improved by 14 points since 2015, while women’s has decreased by 19 points.

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28. The lack of women in international jobs could be one reason for the gender gap the EPI said.

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29. But the gender gap among those aged 18 to 25 might demonstrate “a problem engendered by educational systems themselves or a societal problem schools are failing to address,”

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30. the report said. An exception was the Middle East.

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31. The average score for women in that area has increased by 44 points, placing them ahead of men there.

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32. average scores than in 2022. This could be a possible effect of the pandemic on learning, travel and in-person communication.

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33. The Czech Republic is one country whose score dropped in 2023. Sabina Wyrob is with the Czech office of EF Education First.

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34. She told the Czech News Agency online teaching during the pandemic affected children’s English skills.

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35. Schools and students are trying to catch up on what was missed, she told the news organization, but they are still not moving forward.

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36. These skills, the report said, remain beyond the reach of AI, or artificial intelligence.

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37. But Ikebe said in Japan: “now AI and translation are being developed well. So, they don’t need to learn English if they just do their homework.

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38. I think they don’t use it as a tool to communicate, just a subject to pass the entrance exam.” Jeannie Tse is a country manager at EF Hong Kong and Macau.

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39. She spoke to The Standard newspaper in Hong Kong.

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40. Tse said that while AI has changed the way young people work and learn, the importance of schools, teachers, and face-to-face instruction remains.

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41. "I do not believe that AI can completely replace language learning,” Tse said, “but educators can harness AI to enhance language learning methods.”

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