Bilingual Education Model Research Articles

Dr. Lucinda Lee Katz, Kinney Lau’s first teacher: Reflections on Lau v. Nichols (1974): Bilingual education, advocacy, and parent engagement

ABSTRACT Dr. Lucinda Lee Katz was born and raised in North Beach, San Francisco, CA adjacent to Chinatown proper, where she spent her K-12 years attending San Francisco’s public schools. Throughout her K-12 education, her peers were primarily Chinese, but she never had a Chinese teacher. She attended Chinese school every day after school and on Saturdays through her senior year in high school, yielding a higher level of Cantonese proficiency. As a member of the National Teacher Corps (1965–1968), she earned a Master’s degree in teaching while also serving as a teaching intern at a public elementary school. Stationed at Jean Parker Elementary in San Francisco’s Chinatown for her first teaching assignment, she was thrust into running parent-teacher conferences that semester as her master teacher was ill. She met Mrs. Lau, the mother of Kinney Kimmon Lau, who was the main plaintiff in Lau v. Nichols (1974). At the time, the language of instruction at the school was English only. Throughout this interview, Lucinda illuminates how the advocacy of Mrs. Lau led her to be transformed by the justice orientation of a bilingual education model.

Bilingual Education Models: Comparative Analysis of Efficacy and Outcomes

This study conducts a comprehensive comparative analysis of three bilingual education models: Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE), Dual-Language Immersion (DLI), and Maintenance Bilingual Education (MBE). It examines their efficacy in enhancing language proficiency, cognitive development, and cultural competence. Through a combination of quantitative data and qualitative insights from interviews and case studies, the findings reveal that DLI and MBE models are particularly effective in promoting bilingualism, cognitive advantages, and cultural understanding. The study provides policy recommendations and strategies for funding and sustaining these programs, emphasizing the need for comprehensive support and community engagement.

Bridging STEM and linguistic gaps: A review of multilingual teaching approaches in science education

This paper examines how multilingual education strategies can be applied within STEM classrooms to bridge linguistic gaps and enhance learning outcomes. It reviews various teaching approaches incorporating multiple languages in conveying scientific concepts, aiming to improve accessibility, and understanding for students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The analysis includes case studies of schools successfully implementing multilingual STEM programs, highlighting the benefits and challenges of such educational practices. Multilingualism presents challenges and opportunities in science education, particularly in bridging the gap between STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects and linguistic diversity. This review provides an overview of the key themes and findings from a review of multilingual teaching approaches in science education. The review highlights multilingual students' challenges in STEM education, including language barriers that may impede their understanding of complex scientific concepts. It also examines the importance of addressing these challenges through innovative teaching approaches that leverage students' linguistic diversity as a strength rather than a limitation. Key findings from the review include the effectiveness of bilingual education models, such as content and language-integrated learning (CLIL), in enhancing students' scientific literacy and language proficiency. These models allow students to develop their STEM knowledge and language skills in tandem, leading to improved academic outcomes. The review also discusses the role of culturally responsive teaching in engaging multilingual students in STEM subjects. By incorporating students' cultural and linguistic backgrounds into the curriculum, educators can create more inclusive and effective learning environments that cater to the diverse needs of learners. Overall, the review highlights the importance of adopting a multilingual approach to teaching STEM subjects, which recognizes and values students' linguistic diversity. By embracing multilingualism in science education, educators can help bridge the gap between STEM and linguistic gaps, ultimately promoting more significant equity and inclusivity in STEM education.

О ВОЗМОЖНОСТЯХ И ПРЕИМУЩЕСТВАХ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ БИЛИНГВАЛЬНОЙ МОДЕЛИ ОБУЧЕНИЯ В ШКОЛАХ АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНА

On the Possibilities and Advantages of Using a Bilingual Education Model in Azerbaijani Schools Summary The transition to a bilingual (multilingual) model of education in classes with foreign languages of education in Azerbaijan meets modern requirements and the national interests of the country, corresponds to the spirit and calls of reforms, as well as the content and structural renewal of the educational system of the republic. In classes with Russian or English as the language of education, the state language of the country should also have the status of the language of education, which will expand the opportunities for learning and using the Azerbaijani language in the educational environment. Key words: bilingual education model, classes with foreign languages of education, status of the language of education, state language, learning environment

Beyond Colonization: Reimagining English And Indigenous Voices In Africa’s Linguistic Landscape

This paper explores the enduring legacy of British colonization on the proliferation of English in Africa. It also critically examines dual role of the colonizers as both a catalyst for global integration and a relic of colonial hegemony. Through a meticulous review of both historical and contemporary academic literature, including seminal contributions from scholars such as Albaugh, Brock-Utne, and Makoni, this study illuminates the complex dynamics between English and indigenous African languages within socio-political, economic, and educational contexts. The analysis foregrounds the historical evolution of English from a language of commerce to its present-day stature as a global lingua franca, while also highlighting the nuanced challenges it poses to linguistic diversity and cultural heritage. The methodology employed integrates a critical examination of linguistic imperialism, the socio-economic implications of English dominance, and the potential of bilingual and multilingual education models to foster linguistic equity and cultural preservation. Findings indicate that English, deeply rooted in colonial history, remains a pivotal force in shaping contemporary African identity, governance, and access to global discourse. However, this influence is twofold; it facilitates international communication and opportunity, yet also risks overshadowing indigenous languages and cultures. The article supports the implementation of language policies that are sensitive to the complexities of linguistic variety. It promotes the idea of a multilingual African identity that recognizes the worldwide importance of English, while also actively protecting and revitalizing indigenous languages. This article advocates for a rebuilt linguistic landscape in post-colonial Africa that combines the advantages of English literacy with the rich cultural and intellectual heritage represented by Africa’s indigenous languages.??

Decolonizing education in Latin America: critical environmental and intercultural education as an indigenous pluriversal alternative

Following an argument that the 2030 Agenda consolidates a neoliberal hegemonic ‘development’ system, we analyze how SDG4 deepens an instrumental and utilitarian ‘education for sustainable development’. Alternatively, the Epistemologies of the South are presented as ways of knowing that are capable of accommodating a critical environmental and intercultural education (CEIE). Under a qualitative methodology, two extensive ethnographic studies were carried out, based on convivial individual and collective interviews with indigenous peoples. In addition, documentary analysis was carried out. This strategy made it possible to analyze two different cases of intercultural education (one of ‘that which is’ and the other of ‘that which is not’) in Latin America: the model of intercultural bilingual education of the schools for the qom in Rosario, and the autonomous education model of the Zapatista schools in Chiapas. We show how the experience of Zapatista’s ‘true education’ allows us to look beyond ‘development’ and ‘schooling’, to where life is a melding of ecosystem(s) and culture(s).

Exploring teachers’ language attitudes in the context of a bilingual primary educational system: The case of the Greek-Turkish minority schools in Thrace, Greece

ABSTRACT Minority schools in Greek Thrace implement a model of bilingual education in primary and secondary education, where half of the lessons of the curriculum is taught in Greek and the other half, in Turkish. Although, at an institutional level, the bilingual character of the minority schools in Thrace is clearly defined regarding both legal operational dimensions, and teachers have been trained in a special tertiary school, their teaching ideologies and practice – reflecting actually their linguistic attitudes as well as their politico-ideological placements – do not seem to be consistent with contemporary perceptions and theories of managing bilingualism and translanguaging in teaching practice. The aim of the present paper is to shed light on minority (Turkish speaking) teachers’ beliefs toward the schools’ aims and their own teaching aims and practices, which are linked to their ideologies cοncerning bilingual development and translanguaging. The present study is based on semi-structured interviews with 21 educators, who teach at minority primary schools. The results show that there are different approaches inside the group of participants in relation to how they perceive and manage their student’s multilingual and bilingual profiles. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more support and training in new teaching approaches of how collaboration across languages could enhance students’ language learning.

The Enlightenment of US Bilingual Education Model to Ethnic Minority Preschool Bilingual Education in China

Two-way immersion (TWI) bilingual education, as a model of strong bilingual education with distinctive characteristics and a unique way of implementation, has been widely practiced in many multi-ethnic, multilingual and multicultural countries, such as the US, and has achieved positive results. This article summarizes and analyzes the implementation mode, characteristics and limitations of the TWI program. In the light of the local conditions of ethnic minority areas in the country, this article also puts forward suggestions on the trial implementation of TWI program in pilot kindergartens in ethnic areas: strengthen national policy support and ensure the vigorous development of preschool bilingual education; stabilize and enhance the quality of bilingual teachers; promote the integration of Han nationality and ethnic minorities as well as realize the sharing of high-quality educational resources; encourage Han children to learn minority languages; develop preschool bilingual teaching resources and facilitate the construction of preschool bilingual teaching materials; and foster a good family and community environment for preschool bilingual education. In a word, bilingual education plays a pivotal role in the long-term competition of the country bearing a special function of cultivating bilingual talents. It is undoubtedly a beneficial exploration and bold innovation to attempt to pilot TWI preschool bilingual education in ethnic minority areas of China

Bilingual education in China: a qualitative synthesis of research on models and perceptions

Abstract Bilingual education has become increasingly popular in China, with a subsequent growth in research, particularly research with a qualitative component that examines learners’ and teachers’ experiences and perspectives. These studies have mostly been conducted in individual classroom settings where contexts and learners differ, making findings less transferrable to other educational settings. To address this need, we conducted a qualitative synthesis of research that aims to provide a holistic and rich description of bilingual education in China. Our focus is on the implementation of bilingual education in different educational contexts, learners’ and teachers’ perceptions of bilingual education, and the research instruments used for the evaluation of bilingual education. Following a discipline-specific methodological framework for conducting qualitative research synthesis (Chong, Sin Wang & Luke Plonsky. 2021. A primer on qualitative research synthesis in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly 55(3). 1024–1034), we identified suitable studies using a pre-determined search string within various databases. Search results were screened based on a set of inclusion criteria and relevant information was extracted from the included studies using a piloted data extraction form. The extracted data were synthesised using grounded theory to identify new themes and sub-themes. Our findings point to the need for more fine-grained classifications of bilingual education models, despite the fact that Chinese learners generally show positive attitudes towards bilingual education. The study ends with an analysis of limitations, as well as recommendations for future research and practice.

Bilingual Education in Shaanxi Province of China: a Critical Analysis of the Educational Policy in Practice

The development of bilingual education model has been influenced by the emergence of bilingualism and bilingual education. This paper analyzes and explains the relationship between bilingual education model, language policy and school practice from multiple perspectives. The focus of this article is to study the bilingual education model in Shaanxi Province, China, to analyze the types of bilingual education in Shaanxi and the advantages and disadvantages of applying this model. Based on the national conditions of our country, the promulgation of language policies, and the differences and problems in school practice, we will critically discuss and put forward some feasible suggestions on these problems.

Spanish language proficiency in dual language and English as a second language models: the impact of model, time, teacher, and student on Spanish language development

ABSTRACT In this study, we examine the Spanish proficiency progress of elementary Spanish-English bilinguals in three types of language program models: a dual language bilingual education (DLBE) model with a 90/10 language allocation, a DLBE model with a 50/50 language allocation, and an English as a Second Language (ESL) model over an academic year. In the domain of speaking, individual student characteristics were most predictive of progress. For listening and reading, time had the greatest impact on their Spanish language growth. With writing, the most impactful moderator was the teacher, and this was most predictive in the DLBE 90/10 model. Implications point to the need to provide immersive writing instruction and to arrange DLBE schedules to ensure the inclusion of writing. Oftentimes in 50/50 DLBE models, the domain of writing is least covered within the partner language with English taking precedence due to testing accountability. As provisions for dual language bilingual education are increasing, this study holds important implications for this model's impact on Spanish-English bilinguals’ Spanish proficiency. Future studies will examine outcomes across time among emergent bilinguals in their native language, along with the potential influences of the student, the teacher, and the demographics of the school and community.

Blended Bilingual Education Model in Chinese-Foreign Cooperatively-Run Programs in Higher Vocational Colleges With Foreign Language Other Than English as the Target Language

Bilingual teaching modules are commonly seen in Chinese-foreign cooperatively-run classes with English as the foreign language. In Chinese-foreign cooperatively-run classes with foreign languages other than English, blended bilingual education model is suggested with different bilingual education models applied in different courses and terms. This model may also face the challenges like comparatively high learning objectives and inefficient learners as well as limited bilingual teaching resources. To ensure its quality, both external and internal quality assurance schemes are suggested.

Orthographic literacy of Russian-speaking schoolchildren in Latvia

The research is devoted to one of the current problems of speech development of Russian-speaking schoolchildren of the diaspora (grades 4, 6 and 9) - orthographic literacy and is intended to contribute to the research on this problem. The topicality of the problem is substantiated by the necessity to explore the issues related to the quality of written speech, including orthographic knowledge and skills in the Russian (native) language of bilingual schoolchildren living outside Russia. The topic has not been sufficiently studied. The aim of the research is to describe the orthographic literacy of Latvian Russian-speaking schoolchildren of grades 4, 6 and 9 in 2015-2021. The research is based on the analysis of written works of 11 938 schoolchildren that were developed by the author of the article and specia- lists of education and science of Latvia. The methods of research include comparative, statistical, focus-group discussion. The research results: 1) the level of orthographic literacy of Latvian Russian-speaking bilinguals remains low; 2) the same typical spelling mistakes are found in the speech of schoolchildren of all ages, but the mistakes rate depends on the bilingual education model; 3) schoolchildren have difficulties in spelling arguments; 4) the main reasons of schoolchildrens spelling mistakes in Russian include the low motivation of school- children to develop literacy in written speech, interlanguage interference, insufficient amount of school hours on studying spelling material of the Russian language at school; 5) the literacy in Russian is less important than in English and Latvian in the value paradigm of schoolchildren. According to the new educational reform of Latvia (Skola2030), the number of Russian language lessons in schools for national minorities is significantly reduced. It is possible to predict a further decline in the level of spelling in schoolchildren in the coming years. Therefore, understanding objective orthographic difficulties encountered of bilingual schoolchildren open prospects for further exploration of effective orthography strategies in teaching the mother tongue to bilingual schoolchildren in a changing environment.

Worldwide Trends in Bilingual Education Research: A Half-Century Overview

Despite the wealth of studies on bilingual education, there is a dearth of meta-research on the worldwide development and trends of this area of investigation over the past few decades. The occupation of this gap allows scholars to take stock of current states of research, get overviews of the contributions made to the field, foresee future research trends, and identify research needs and gaps that may be addressed in future investigation. This study analyses the evolution and trends of bilingual education research during a 50-year period (1969–2018) from a bibliometric perspective. The results show a steady increase in the number of publications, and was exponential in the last decade, mainly in the form of research articles, which makes bilingual education a truly consolidated and increasingly evolving research field. The US is the leading country with respect to the number of publications, affiliations, and sponsors, followed, primarily, by some other North American (e.g., Canada), European (e.g., UK and Spain), and Asian (e.g., China) countries, as well as Australia. There is a large research network cluster led by the US involving intercontinental interaction among institutions from Europe, Asia, and, to a lesser extent, South America. However, a scant level of internationalisation of scholars publishing works on bilingual education was observed, with most author collaboration being limited to different US institutions. The most influential authors belong to institutions from the US, Canada, Spain, and Israel, and, to a lesser extent, Australia. The main research topics in the field depend on the contexts and include regulations of language institutions, bilingual education models, language skills, pedagogical strategies, education levels, and ages, among others. These results may contribute to the identification of new research needs and therefore, to the development of future directions in bilingual education research.

Dual Language as White Property: Examining a Secondary Bilingual-Education Program and Latinx Equity

This critical race ethnography examines a secondary-level dual-language (DL) program, a bilingual-education model thought to provide Latinxs educational equity. Drawing from a three-stage recursive analytic approach, I present evidence that a DL program’s policies and practices valued offering Latinx youth biliterate schooling only so long as DL was available and advantageous to Whites—which ultimately excluded some Latinx students from bilingual education and/or accessing its benefits. I theorize DL functions as white property when DL perpetuates racial hierarchies and preserves the value of a white racial identity, thereby maintaining Whites’ inequitable material accumulation. I problematize the logic of DL—highlighting that DL has the elitist tendencies of world-language education—and assess DL’s potential to deliver educational justice to Latinxs.

Prospects and Challenges of Bilingual Education in the Light of Pakistan’s Language Policy

This research study explores prospects and challenges of bilingual education in the light of language policy of Pakistan. It directs the scholars and policymakers to revisit the notion of language and norms of traditional bilingual education. However, the researcher brings in light that translanguaging as a particular model facilitates for understanding dynamic multilingualism to promote social justice to languages and their speakers. The implementation of this model is viable in both theory and practice. The issue of monoglossic model of bilingual education in Pakistan is yet to be dealt with. Moreover, the researcher employed qualitative empirical method and used secondary data from previous studies to investigate the problem. Additionally, the findings reveal that the subtractive language policy, linguistic hegemony, politicians’ monolingual politics are challenges to the dynamic bilingual education. On the other hand, multilingual reality and its practice, speakers’ multilingual repertoire, transcultural interaction of students are important prospects of dynamic bilingual education policy in Pakistan. The study also highlights the research gap in Pakistani bilingual classrooms from the latest approach of translanguaging and dynamic model of bilingualism which can direct a multilingual language policy of Pakistan.

Learning English as a second language through translanguaging in early years

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how preschool children learn English a second language and literacy in early years. English as widely spoken language has prestigious in many societies. Thus, parents and teachers have appetite for their children and students to learn English. This study was conducted between October and January in a private nursery in Siirt, Turkey. The participant children are 5 and 6 years old. There are different bilingual education models applied in early year education. This paper will discuss these models by focusing on the concept of translanguaging on which recently scholarships have focused. This will be used to examine the children’s language learning and their interactions with teacher and peers in the classroom. Ethnography was the research methodology of this paper. The findings show that flexible language use allow the children to develop their second language learning. The paper suggests a flexible language model for learning English as a second language.

Initiatives on preserving the Inuktitut language in Nunavut

The subject of this research is the main initiatives undertaken in Nunavut aimed at preservation and development of the Inuktitut, which is the language of one of the three indigenous peoples of Canada – the Inuit. According to UNESCO, the Inuktitut alongside the majority of languages of the indigenous peoples of Canada, is currently classified as “definitely endangered”, and its preservation requires new solutions of the government. Indigenous languages are not only a means of communication, but also represent a complex system of the centuries-old knowledge, play a significant role in the identity of indigenous peoples, conservation of their culture, worldview, and self-determination. The problem of preservation of language as the crucial element of ethno-cultural heritage becomes increasingly important in the modern era of globalization, which has captured all countries and continents. The novelty of this study consists in analysis and assessment of the experience of the Canadian region Nunavut in implementation of bilingual education models in the regional educational institutions, as well as in the use of information technologies for popularizing the Inuktitut language. Despite the fact that the overall language situation in Nunavut remains complicate, immersion into the language on the levels of preschool and school education, development of media, television and radio broadcasting, the last two decades mark positive trends in the number of Intuits with the command of Inuit language. The experience of Nunavut is of practical importance for the development and implementation of federal and regional programs aimed at supporting the languages and cultures of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of Russia.

Bilingual education and beyond: how school settings shape the Chinese Yi minority’s socio-cultural attachments

ABSTRACT Bilingual education policy in Liangshan, China, has been implemented since the end of the 1970s using two bilingual school models. This study examines how mainstream and bilingual education are correlated with the Yi population’s social attachment to the larger social system, and their cultural attachment to ethnocultural maintenance. The student-reported survey data collected from ten junior high schools in Liangshan were analysed using a multinomial logistic regression model that produced three findings. Firstly, family socioeconomic status is determinant in the Yi minority’s school setting choices. Secondly, school settings are significantly associated with Yi students’ educational achievements and occupational expectations. Lastly, Yi minority’s cultural attachments to their mother tongue has become significantly reduced among those attending Chinese-only schools, yet no significant discrepancy has been noted among students attending schools with two models of bilingual education.

Matching Contemporary Linguistic Realities in Multilingual Societies: An Analysis of Nigeria’s Language Education Policy

The major rationale behind bilingual education is that native languages are resources that can be used to make learning accessible to all learners in bilingual contexts, and that also deserve to be developed for learners to be bilingually skillful for 21st century global competitiveness. While there exist different bilingual education models that have been used to serve bilinguals in different contexts, recent scholarship suggest that dynamic bilingual education is more approximate to achieving the goals of bilingual education. This article aimed at reviewing the various provisions that Nigeria, a typical multilingual society, has made to utilize and expand the linguistic resources that its linguistically diverse students bring to school. A critical analysis of its national language education policy and its implementation revealed that Nigeria has partially taken a resource-oriented approach to language by welcoming and recognizing the resourcefulness of native languages in fostering school learning. However, it has a systemic aim to transition students to all-English instruction. Developing and using students’ native languages for instruction last only at the lower primary school level and become optional afterwards. It was also found that what is spelt out in the nation’s language policy is far from what is implemented in schools. Such findings necessitate that the nation gives primacy to its rich linguistic resources, devise accountability measures for states and schools, and consider developing a comprehensive dynamic bilingual education policy that matches its linguistic realities. Keywords: language policy, multilingual societies, linguistic pluralism, dynamic bilingual education DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-5-03 Publication date: February 28 th 2021