English as a Third Language in Rural China: Lessons From the Zaidang Kam–Mandarin Bilingual Education Project

Abstract

This article explores the findings of a study that compared 2 groups of 5th-grade first-language Kam–Dong minority students as they learned English as a third language (L3) in the remote mountain village of Zaidang, in Rongjiang county, Guizhou Province, P.R. China. One group had previously been taught using Mandarin only (MO), whereas the other had received additive bilingual intervention in Kam–Dong and Mandarin. Pretests, posttests, t tests, and observational data suggest that students in the bilingual group performed better in English on written, oral, and listening measures than those who had MO instruction. These findings seem to indicate that participation in a well-designed bilingual education (BE) program can have a positive impact on learning a L3. The article gives an outline of the Kam–Mandarin BE project, with special emphasis on the English instruction facet. The teaching methodology and testing components used in the research are explained, and results and findings are reported. Further research is called for, and implications of the findings are briefly discussed.