Abstract
The present research focuses on parents’ decision to raise children with more than one language. Bilingualism in this article is considered to be not a result of environmental pressure or linguistic situation but the conscious choice made by the child’s parents. The article concentrates on three main steps in planning the child’s linguistic development: the choice of the language of pre-school (kindergarten) institution, the choice of the language of schooling, and parents’ choice to include non-formal language learning activities into the child’s daily routine. The research states that parents’ attitude towards teaching their children a non-native language depends on the linguistic group they belong to and their educational background. The results of the research confirm that lack of methodological knowledge prevents parents from or limits their ability to teach the child. The survey also proves that children whose parents do teach them non-native languages are more motivated and more successful at school than their peers. Therefore, careful planning of the child’s linguistic development is of primary importance and needs professional support from educational institutions.
Highlights
People able to speak two or even more languages are not a new phenomenon in Lithuania
Every year pressure to learn more than one language at a very early age is being put on children, with reasons varying from family to family
The choice of schools was based on the presumption that in this area of Vilnius parents would be able to choose the school for their children according to the language of teaching they prefer, but not because of other factors important for young children’s parents: the distance from home, and the environment. (Some parents prefer more “home-like” atmosphere of primary schools, while others are in favour of “more formal” environment of basic and secondary ones.) The schools participating in the research were the following: Lithuanian-medium: “Vyturio” primary school, “Taikos” basic school, “Sietuvos” secondary school (441 children)
Summary
The present research focuses on parents’ decision to raise children with more than one language. Bilingualism in this article is considered to be not a result of environmental pressure or linguistic situation but the conscious choice made by the child’s parents. The article concentrates on three main steps in planning the child’s linguistic development: the choice of the language of pre-school (kindergarten) institution, the choice of the language of schooling, and parents’ choice to include non-formal language learning activities into the child’s daily routine. The research states that parents’ attitude towards teaching their children a non-native language depends on the linguistic group they belong to and their educational background. The survey proves that children whose parents do teach them non-native languages are more motivated and more successful at school than their peers. Careful planning of the child’s linguistic development is of primary importance and needs professional support from educational institutions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
