Early Bilingualism vs. Today’s Public-School Systems

Early Bilingualism vs. Today’s Public-School Systems 

 

With the United States being a rather diverse country, it is not a surprising that about 20% of the overall population speaks a language other than English at home. When studying bilingualism from a scientific standpoint, bilingualism can be seen to have many impacts regarding brain development. Therefore, in “Early bilingualism, language attainment, and brain development”, researchers Berken et al. sought to find the implications of optimal periods of learning, regarding bilingualism. Optimal periods of learning can be considered as the time frame in which neuroplasticity in the human brain is actively making synaptic connections in response to learning. Interestingly, when it comes to language, there is a specificity that relates to language acquisition, proficiency, and fluency. This specificity is highly dependent on age-restrictive plasticity in the human brain, meaning once an individual has reached a certain age, their optimal period for language acquisition has closed, making it fundamentally more difficult for an individual to become proficient in a second language. Therefore, the overall purpose of this study was to show that optimal periods of learning are most likely the determining factor regarding language acquisition in an individual. In the article it is stated that individuals who are taught a second language at younger ages, when optimal time periods are still open, individuals are inclined to have native accents when speaking both languages, as well as the ability to be highly proficient in both languages. This is different than when comparing individuals who have learned a second language later in life, as they are   predisposed to having non-native accents, as well as the notion that it is highly probable the individual will be more linguistically proficient in their native language. As can be seen, it is preferable for an individual to learn languages earlier in life. This however begs the question, why do elementary schools across the country consistently resort to English language immersion programs to get a student “on track”?

 

In the study, “The additive Advantage and Bilingual Programs in a Large Urban School District”, Sandra A. Alevear aims to discuss the overall benefits bilingual educational programs have on students primarily in elementary school. In this study, 4 different groups of students were being monitored for language acquisition. Once in their groups, students were evaluated and monitored from kindergarten to 5^th grade. The 4 groups of students consisted of 4 different educational routes in which a child could be placed into. The monitored acquisitional language routes were English language immersion, transitional bilinguals, developmental bilinguals, and a two-way bilingual immersion program. Based on the results of this study, it was concluded that bilingual students showed a multitude of advantages over monolingual students. Students with increasing levels of bilingual language acquisition showed positive cognitive-behavioral trends. Also, it is to be noted that students who were more bilingually proficient showed to be better at multitasking while also possessing better short-term memory skills over monolingual students. As can be seen, proficiently learning a second language at a young age has many positive benefits. 

 

Although both studies are different when comparing their overall goals, the reasoning behind presenting the two together was to show that learning a second language earlier in life has significant advantages. However, after reading many other journals regarding English Language Learner programs in elementary schools, it seems most schools opt for solely English language immersion. This could be due to the amount of funding a school receives, but why is it that as a child grows older and attends their same district high school that a language requirement is a necessary component to graduate? When taking into consideration both studies presented, it can clearly be seen that it is significantly easier, with positive neurological benefits, to learn a second language earlier in life, as opposed to high school when optimal periods of learning have already closed. As can be seen, this is a contemporary issue with today’s public school system that should look to science for the additive benefits of a language requirement. 

 

 

 

References 

Berken, J. A., Gracco, V. L. & Klein, D. “Early bilingualism, language attainment, and brain development.” Neuropsychologia 98, 220–227. (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.08.031

Alvear SA. The Additive Advantage and Bilingual Programs in a Large Urban School District. American Educational Research Journal. 2019; 56(2):477-513. doi:10.3102/002831218800986