Key Issues in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education

Front Cover
Multilingual Matters, 1988 - Education - 222 pages

The book looks at world-wide evidence on three issues that concern all those interested in bilingualism and bilingual education. The first issue is whether speaking two languages affects thinking skills. This is examined in terms of the relationship between bilingualism and intelligence, and also in terms of a wide variety of international research on bilingualism and cognitive development. A critical examination of the research on this first issue highlights the many weaknesses and limitations of such research. However, with expressed reservations, the evidence indicates that bilingualism has positive consequences for thinking skills and cognitive development.

The second issue examined is whether children suffer or benefit from education which uses two languages. Traditions, recent developments and research on bilingual education from the USA, Canada, Wales, Ireland, England and Scotland are portrayed and discussed. The conditions of success for bilingual education, the relative merits of different types of bilingual schooling and a critical evaluation of the North American, British and Irish research are each considered.

The third issue of the book concerns the role of attitude and motivation in bilingualism. An individual's attitudes and motivation to becoming and remaining bilingual, or to allowing bilingualism to decline, is shown to be crucial. Discussion of this third issue suggests key psychological factors in the status and destiny of languages.

The book concludes by integrating the three issues. A wide variety of theories of bilingual development at a personal, social and education level are explored. This provides the basis for a summary of the present state of our understanding about bilingualism and bilingual education.

 

Contents

BILINGUALISM AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING
22
Introduction
45
Bilingual education in Scotland
57
Bilingual education in Wales
67
Conclusions on Celtic and English bilingual education
77
ATTITUDES AND BILINGUALISM
112
BILINGUALISM AND MOTIVATION
142
THEORY INTO PRACTICE
169
BIBLIOGRAPHY
197
AUTHOR INDEX
217
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Key Issues in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education
Colin Baker
Snippet view - 1988
Key Issues in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education
Colin Baker
Snippet view - 1988
Key Issues in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education
Colin Baker
Snippet view - 1988

Common terms and phrases

ability academic achievement analysis areas attitude change attitude to Welsh Baker balanced bilinguals behaviour bicultural bilingual education bilingual schooling Canadian cation chapter child classroom context Cummins curriculum divergent thinking early research early total immersion education in Wales English language ethnic evaluation evidence examined example explain factors favourable French Gaelic Gaeltacht Gardner home language immersion education immersion experience immersion pupils important instrumental motivation integrative and instrumental integrative motive IQ tests Ireland Irish language Lambert language and culture language learning language proficiency language skills learn a second linguistic mainstream majority measurement minority language monoglots monolingual mother tongue negative parents person positive attitude programmes questions relationship research on bilingualism sample scores Scotland second language social speaking St Lambert statistical studies suggests taught teachers teaching tend theory Think Tank transitional bilingual education variables W. R. Jones Wales Welsh language Welsh Medium Education

References to this book

About the author (1988)

Colin Baker is Emeritus Professor of Education at Bangor University. He has three bilingual children and has given talks for over 20 years to parents and teachers on bilingualism. His many publications on bilingualism include Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, which has been translated into Japanese, Spanish, Latvian, Greek and Mandarin and is now in its 5th edition (2011).

Bibliographic information

TitleKey Issues in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education
Volume 35 of Multilingual matters
AuthorColin Baker
Editionillustrated, reprint
PublisherMultilingual Matters, 1988
ISBN0905028945, 9780905028941
Length222 pages
Subjects › 

Education / Bilingual Education
  
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