Research Report
Page No
Abstract 3
Introduction 4
Findings5
How does bilingual education enhance memory... 5
How does bilingual education enhance mental flexibility 6
How does bilingual education increase employability .. 7
Conclusion 8
Recommendation 9
References. 10
Abstract
Children tend to have improved working memories, enhanced cognition and increased literacy. They also enjoy greater employability, as dual language learners. As such, there is a very strong case for providing children with a bilingual education.
Introduction
The ability to speak two languages has certain advantages for both those seeking to further their education, and those seeking to further their career. However, very few schools, at this point, actively pursue the delivery of a bilingual education. This research report will demonstrate the way that recent research supports enrolment in facilities offering bilingual education. Recommendations will then be made, based on the application of the research, regarding implementation of bilingual education, in the current educational system, and when making personal educational decisions.
Findings
How does bilingual education enhance memory
A study by Blom et al. (2014) more specifically found that bilingual education creates a greater language-independent working memory for language associated tasks, increasing both the storage and the processing of language learning. Students, especially those from a poor economic background, often have a hard time using a rich vocabulary. However, by increasing the verbal skill of their working memory they are capable of actively using a larger vocabulary correctly.
Their study also insinuated an enhanced visuospatial working memory, and enhanced executive control. This provides advantages in executive control, or control of the part of memory used in testing and other academic tasks, leading to better academic performance overall.
How does bilingual education enhance mental flexibility
Evidence demonstrates that students who have received a bilingual education have a significantly faster reaction time than those who receive a monolingual education (Christoffels et al., 2015). This is likely because it alters the cognitive processing style an individual’s brain uses significantly.
Figure 1: Mean Reaction times for monolingual vs. bilingual Learners
How does bilingual education increase employability
Because of the growth of the global economy, there is a growing need for professionals to speak multiple languages. Business is no longer local, but often requires students to be able to talk with those who speak another language, and who may operate business in other areas of the globe. As a result, bilingual students are more employable, and earn at a higher rate than those that are monolingual. This is because their ability to speak a second language, and to relate to another culture are both valued in the professional setting.
According to a study by Fradd and his peers (1998), those individuals that speak both English and Spanish earn at a higher rate than those that speak English alone. In fact, they have an income roughly $7000 per year higher. This is significant because it protects them from the negative impact of under-employment, and reduces their risk of living below poverty as a result. Further, Fradd’s research demonstrated that those speaking two languages were more likely to find employment, and so will spend less time unemployed than nonlinguistic learners.
It is clear, based on previous studies, that there are benefits to providing students with a bilingual education. Students who are bilingually educated have an improved working memory, allowing them to make greater use of their learned vocabulary, as well as other visuospatial memory activities. They also have improved cognition, with more flexible minds, capable of reacting in a shorter period of time than those that learn monolinguistically. Finally, they benefit from life-long benefits, including increased employability and earning expectations.
Recommendations
1- In order to increase the number of students enrolled in the bilingual school, it is recommended that the school make campaign and invite the parents in the neighborhood to join this campaign. They can also make advertisements which explain the benefits of bilingual education by posting posters at the walls in the streets.
2- It is recommended that the school highlights the differences between bilingual students and monolingual students by making experiments and tasks in front of parents. These tasks include competitions between bilingual and monolingual students to show how bilingual students have faster reaction and more flexible mind. Additionally, they can present the differences between bilingual and monolingual students in terms of employment opportunities.
3- The school should target the parents, who have children in kindergarten and expect their children to enter the school soon. This could be done by making a small advertising campaign in kinder gardens, which highlights the benefits of bilingual education and providing 10% discount for the families, who have more than one child.
References
Blom, E., Küntay, AC, Messer, M, Verhagen, J & Leseman, P 2014. The benefits of being bilingual: Working memory in bilingual Turkish–Dutch children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 128, pp. 105-119. doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2014.06.007
Christoffels, I, Haan, A, Steenbergen, L, Wildenberg, W, & Colzato, L 2015, 'Two is better than one: bilingual education promotes the flexible mind', Psychological Research, 79, 3, pp. 371-379, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 1 July 2016.
Fradd, S. H., Lee, O., Florida Univ., G., & Miami Univ., C. F. (1998). Creating Florida's Multilingual Global Work Force: Educational Policies and Practices for Students Learning English as a New Languages
