The Benefits of Bilingual Education

The Benefits of Bilingual Education
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The Benefits of Bilingual Education
Introduction
Modern-day classrooms are characterized by heterogeneity, which refers to a state of diversity where learners from different races and cultures study together. Yet, the traditional education system has continued with the trend of delivering instructions using one language. Therefore, it is important to ensure that students from different ethnic backgrounds have equal access to education by eliminating language limitations. In the United States(US), the need for bilingual education was first addressed in 1968 through the Bilingual Education Act, which aimed at meeting the needs of students with limited English proficiency (LEP) to promote equal educational opportunities for all language minorities(Gandara & Escamilla, 2016). This act, although controversial, cemented the importance of offering instructions in two languages in the classroom. But, how successful has bilingual education been?
Problem Statement
The problem to be addressed in this study is the need to shift the system of education delivery from a monolingual to a bilingual approach. Academic achievement is affected by whether students understand what is being taught in the classroom. According to Agridag and Vanlaar (2016), there is an academic achievement gap between native and minority groups when instructions are given only in the native language. Therefore, ensuring that students have access to education in a language they understand is imperative. Bilingual education has been proposed to ensure that students achieve academic success by eliminating language limitations in the classroom.
Purpose Statement
This research aims to establish the effectiveness of bilingual education in promoting equal access to education and overall academic achievement for students from minority communities. The study will utilize a quantitative approach to establish whether bilingual education creates a balance in the classroom.
Literature Review
Research on bilingual education focuses on a wide range of issues. Several research studies have focused on the effects of bilingual education on academic achievement and education accessibility. Bialystok (2018) found that the benefits of bilingual education include cognitive benefits, even for children with learning disabilities. In addition, bilingual education exposes students to a new language and generally enhances academic achievement. This study reported no adverse effects of bilingual education on students.
Similarly, Fox, Corretjer, and Webb (2019) found that bilingual education has cognitive benefits such as enhanced cognitive flexibility and higher cognitive reserve in old age, among others. Their study also established that bilingual education improves academic achievement and employability upon school completion. Watzinger-Tharp, Swenson, and Mayne (2016) examined the academic achievements of dual language immersion (DLI) students and non-DLI students and established that DLI students had higher academic achievement than non-DLI students. In terms of equality, Ozfidan and Toprak (2019) share that b...