The role of bilingualism in foreign language acquisition: Learning English in the Basque country

Abstract

Abstract This paper deals with the acquisition of a third language (English) and its relationship to psychosocial and socio‐educational variables in a bilingual educational context, the Basque Country. Subjects were 321 secondary school students from two linguistic programmes: models A (Spanish, vehicular language) and D (Basque, vehicular language). The subjects answered questionnaires which measured both dependent and independent variables. The dependent variables were those related to English achievement, including the four language skills (reading, listening, speaking, writing) and a test of vocabulary and grammar. The independent variables were four dimensions of bilingual‐ism (early bilingualism, competence in Basque language, family bilingualism and linguistic model) and four measures of social motivation (attitude towards learning English, effort, residence in English speaking countries and English language instruction outside school). Manova analyses showed a significant positive effect of bilingualism on English achievement. Using a Structural Equations Program, the relationship among the variables was tested and a causal model proposed. This model showed that the relationship between bilingualism and L3 acquisition was indirect, social motivation being the mediating variable. These results are discussed with respect to the association between bilingualism and third language acquisition in different contexts.