I thought that I would take the opportunity to share my final project for my ESL Methods class that you might find interesting. It focuses on the effects of early bilingualism (before the age of 10) on future language learning experiences. Many cognitive studies have been conducted in this area of interest, studying the executive function (mostly with word recognition tasks) of early bilinguals compared to monolinguals. The results show a clear advantage for the bilinguals, though not a drastic one (sometimes a difference of .10 of a second). Nevertheless, it does have statistical significance.
I used these cognitive studies a basis for my personal question: how do early bilinguals perceive their aptitude in language learning? I conducted a basic survey with 16 participants that analyses their thoughts on the importance of bilingualism/language learning and their ability/ease of learning in past FLL experiences. As expected, most of the participants felt that learning language was relatively easy for them, and that being bilingual was a beneficial life skill for them.
This research has really imprinted in me the importance of learning a second language at an early age: the advantages are clear and strong. I am truly an advocate for FL education in elementary school.
Have you taught or known any early bilinguals and found them to be particularly proficient in LL? Do you support early FL instruction based on this research?
I definitely support elementary FL instruction, especially if it is well supported by the community, has a clear plan and curriculum, and continues some type of FL instruction that builds on it after elementary school in the middle and high school. As I have mentioned before in these blogs, in Rochester they started a Magnet School a few years ago where one of the big parts of it was French instruction everyday. Although there are many, many big factors playing into the results, this school is hitting all of its targets and proficiency goals every year; Something that no other school in Rochester has been able to do. Maybe a part of these results is from the everyday FL instruction?
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic. I hope you will find interesting results from your surveys. Nowadays, many parents want to their kids grow up bilingual even they themselves are not bilingual. Do you think this is possible if parents are not bilingual, children will become bilingual? I've only seen bilingual parents with bilingual kids.
ReplyDeleteAs for early FL instruction, without a doubt, it's a great advantage to be able to learn a L2 at the early stage of your life. UNH has a three-week Chinese StarTalk Program on campus every summer. We have kids from 4th grade to 9th grade. It's so amusing to see how younger children pick up Chinese so quickly. I know one boy who started to learn Chinese at age 8. After three years of Chinese, he speaks like a native. I see him every summer and he even looks like Chinese to me; not really he has blonde hair :)
I don't think I know any bilingual children whose parents aren't bilingual. Come to think of it, I don't know any bilingual children - but the point is, I agree that it is much more common that bilingual children have bilingual parents. For non-bilingual parents to get their children to be bilingual, they would have to hire someone to teach their child or enroll them in a program, and compared to sports or music, I think most parents wouldn't think to put their kid in language lessons. I would say there's a definite advantage to learning a language so early - other than the head-start on language learning, I think it teaches children that there is more than one way to think about things. On the most basic level, to say "I am hungry" in Spanish (and other languages) you have to say "I have hunger". College students think that's really strange, but if you explain that to an eight-year old he might not think anything of it. He may make connections going forward about how there is more than one way to think about and talk about things.
ReplyDeleteYES! Audrey you really got right to the point with your comment "there is more than one way to think about things." Speaking more than one language is like having more than one set of eyes in which to look at the world.
DeleteOkay, on second thought, my teachers and professors have bilingual children, so I do know some; but their parents are bilingual, so that fits in with the trend.
ReplyDeleteI think that unless students were purposely enrolled in a sort of immersion program, the only way you have monolingual parents & bilingual children is if the parents speak a native language of their home country, and they are now living in a new language community. Often the kids learn & use the native language of their parents country at home, and they learn the new language at school/out in the community; this is assuming that the parents do not learn the new language.
DeleteEarly bilingualism is great when the child grows up in an environment with ample opportunity to use both languages actively. An American professor living in Germany I know has two children with his wife, who is German. Since they are living in Germany, they use English together at home so the kids don't fall out of practice. This is especially important I feel with children since they might not necessarily seek out opportunities to use their L2 when all of their friends and classmates are using the L1. They are much more likely to gravitate toward the easier option.
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