Misconceptions abound about nature of bilingual education<\/p>\n
Jan Dormer, Malang, East Java<\/p>\n
Apparently, misconceptions abound as to the nature and purpose
\nof bilingual education. In a recent The Jakarta Post's article
\n(Foreign Teachers not Qualified, May 21), Alex Tubagus decried
\nthe use of English in National Plus Schools, asking, "Why must
\nstudents leave behind their mother-tongue to (apparently) study
\nin English?"<\/p>\n
Parents, teachers, and even bilingual school administrators
\nseem to sometimes also lack an understanding of what it is that
\nbilingual education is trying to accomplish, and whether or not
\nit is good for Indonesian children, and for Indonesia. Some
\npeople appear to think that bilingual education is simply tossing
\nEnglish into the curriculum randomly, hoping that a bilingual
\nchild will emerge.<\/p>\n
"Bilingual education," more often referred to as "language
\nimmersion" or "dual language" education in countries where the
\nlanguage to be learned is a foreign language, is essentially
\nlearning academic content in two languages. If these two
\nlanguages are Indonesian and English, for example, perhaps half
\nof the school subjects would be taught in English and half in
\nIndonesian. This is a "50\/50" school model.<\/p>\n
In non-English speaking majority countries such as Indonesia,
\na school may choose to begin in grade one with 80 percent of
\ninstruction in English and 20 percent in Indonesian. This helps
\nchildren learn English quickly, and assures their ability to
\nlearn academic subjects in English by the time those academic
\nsubjects are laden with complex ideas and vocabulary -- at about
\ngrade four.<\/p>\n
Such early immersion bilingual education models usually begin
\nreversing the balance of the instructional language in junior
\nhigh and high school, often finishing with 80 percent
\ninstructional time being spent in the first language (e.g.
\nIndonesian), and only 20 percent being spent in English.<\/p>\n
Some schools even eliminate instruction in the foreign
\nlanguage altogether at the high school level, except for English
\nclass, as their intent is to prepare students well for local
\ncollege entrance exams. Thus, the whole of 12 grades of school
\ninstruction is usually a "50\/50" language balance, or even a
\ngreater percentage in the native language. Whatever the bilingual
\neducational model chosen -- early or late immersion, "50\/50"
\nthroughout or a shifting language balance -- the goal is always
\nthe same: To produce students who are highly proficient in two
\nlanguages.<\/p>\n
Jim Cummins, a leading writer in bilingual education, has
\nstated time and again in his writings over three decades that the
\nfirst language -- the native language -- must be highly valued.
\nHe and others consistently argue that effective bilingual
\neducation never replaces the first language with another.
\nInstead, the goal is additive bilingualism -- simply providing
\nthe student with an additional linguistic communication code.<\/p>\n
Still, it is legitimate to ask, "Is bilingual education good
\nfor Indonesian children?" Indonesian educators are much better
\nprepared to answer this question than I. Still, it can be helpful
\nto look at bilingual schools in other countries, and the results
\nthey have experienced. Parents and educators in non-English
\nspeaking countries rightfully ask questions such as, "Will
\nlearning English through bilingual education diminish our
\nstudents' abilities to speak and use their first language?" and
\n"Will learning English diminish students' value of their own
\nculture and language?"<\/p>\n
Research in bilingual education in international contexts is
\nstill relatively new, and definitive answers to those questions
\nare not yet readily apparent. However, the news from some initial
\nprojects is encouraging. For example, Mike Bostwick, the director
\nof a bilingual school in Japan (using an "80\/20" early immersion
\nmodel) has found children in that school to be more proficient in
\nJapanese language by high school age than children who studied in
\nJapanese only schools.<\/p>\n
This is in addition, of course, to their being highly
\nproficient in English. This supports various other studies
\nshowing that children in bilingual education tend to acquire
\nhigher levels of both languages than children experiencing
\nmonolingual education. This is probably due to the greater
\nemphasis on language in the school, and the fact that language
\nconcepts transfer from one language to another.<\/p>\n
What about culture? Do children in bilingual education value
\ntheir own culture less than children who have studied only in the
\nlocal language? According to Bostwick, no. He has found that
\nJapanese children in his school actually place a higher value on
\ntheir own culture than do monolingual Japanese students.<\/p>\n
It is true that Tubagus has some genuine cause for concern.
\nBilingual education is great when done well, but can be highly
\ndamaging when done poorly. In worst case scenarios, students can
\nbe hindered in their acquisition of academic content because of
\ntheir poor command of the language of instruction. Teachers may
\nneed to take valuable classroom time for translation, lessening
\nthe amount of time available for instruction.<\/p>\n
Tubagus points out one such problem in Indonesia: Poorly
\ntrained native speakers. While local native speakers can be a
\ngreat asset for Indonesian bilingual schools, they do need
\ntraining and qualification -- as do Indonesian teachers -- in
\nteaching English and bilingual education.<\/p>\n
A final caution is that languages should be learned for the
\nright reasons. Will facility in English enable Indonesian
\nstudents to compete more successfully in the job market and
\npartake more fully in international resources? If so, knowing
\nEnglish is a good thing.<\/p>\n
The writer is a doctoral candidate in Teacher Development at
\nthe University of Toronto. She currently lives in Malang, where
\nshe is completing her dissertation research and can be reached at
\njandormer@mailblocks.com.<\/p>",
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