Understanding bilingual education: an overview of key notions in the literature and the implications for Chinese university EFL education

Abstract

This article starts with a review of definitions of bilingualism. It then discusses the definition of bilingual education with its focus on the analysis of bilingual competence. It is subsequently suggested that a theoretical hard nut to be cracked in today’s bilingual research is to establish the scope of discussion of bilingualism models meeting the specific needs in a specific context instead of simple acceptance of the current EFL teaching models learned from other countries or regions.