Common Concerns of Families
With every parenting decision, there are a number of concerns and worries that come with it. Choosing to pursue bilingual education through immersion is no different. Luckily, many of the common concerns of first time immersion parents are easily quelled. A large amount of research has been done with the express intent of calming parents’ concerns related to immersion. Below are four of the most common concerns of first time immersion parents. Read further to learn that there is nothing to fear when it comes to immersion!
1. I don’t speak the language. How can I help my child with their schoolwork?
Many parents are concerned that they will not be able to assist their student with homework or assignments if they do not speak the language of the immersion program. Not only this, but many families feel as though they cannot be involved in their child’s education if they are a part of an immersion program. This is the farthest thing from the truth! In fact, families play a very large role in the immersion experience. Parents have the ability and the responsibility to encourage their student in language learning, to develop their native language literacy skills, and to model the value of language learning. To learn more about how parents can support their child in an immersion program, head over to the Support page!
2. How will my child learn to read and write in English if they are only learning in a target language?
One of the biggest stumbling blocks of immersion programs in the United States and Canada is the belief that students will not be able to adequately develop their English language skills while immersed in a second language. The reality is that there is no need for concern! As with many of the common worries listed here, research has been conducted to determine if these fears are valid. As such, a large number of studies indicate that students that learn to read in one language are able to transfer similar reading skills to another language with a similar alphabet. One such study from 2006 looked into the transference of reading skills from a second language to English. It noted that specifically in English and Spanish, alphabetic knowledge had a significant relationship (Proctor, August, Carlo, & Snow, 2006). This alphabetic relationship demonstrates that learning to decode words and read fluently in one language is a transferable skill. This skill allows a reader to take graphic information in the form of letter shapes and convert it to linguistic meaning with speed and accuracy (Proctor, et. al., 2006). It has been proven a number of times that children who learn to read in one language are able to transfer those alphabetic decoding skills and apply them to another language they are learning or speaking. Not only this, but the study showed that having increased vocabulary in a second language improved reading in the native language. Specifically, the research showed “a significant main effect for Spanish vocabulary knowledge and an interaction between Spanish vocabulary and English fluency, such that faster English readers benefited more from Spanish vocabulary knowledge… this demonstrates the existence of literary skill transfer from the first to the second language” (Proctor, et. al., 2006). The evidence shows that not only does learning a second language not hinder learning to read in English, but the second language benefits reading in English.
3. Will my child fall behind if they are in an immersion program?
Many first time immersion parents fear that being a part of an immersion program will cause their child to fall behind in English or that they will fail to learn to read and write in English. Luckily, a great deal of research has been done to determine if these fears are warranted. A 2007 study specifically evaluated fears that students learning for extended periods of time in or about a world language could potentially result in irreparable damage to the student English development during a very critical period for language acquisition (Bae, 2007). The study tracked monolingual students as well as students in an immersion program to determine if the immersion students “fell behind” or were below the achievement of their monolingual peers. The results found quite the contrary. Students instead were found to be at the same level or above their monolingual peers. Comparable English-writing skills will be demonstrated as early as second grade. Not only this, but students have been shown to surpass their monolingual peers in test performance in a number of areas after two years within an immersion program (Bae, 2007). The study showed that by fifth grade, immersion students showed no difference in English test performance (Bae, 2007). Not only this, but even if delays were evident in English language development after one to two years in an immersion program, by fifth grade students were “caught up” with their monolingual peers in all areas of English development (Bae, 2007, p. 300).
4. How will my child understand the content?
Many families are afraid that their child will not be able to access the academic content as a result of not understanding the target language. The nature of immersion learning is that students are receiving their academic content such as math, science, social studies, etc. in the target language. Many families are afraid that this will cause students to not be able to access the content they are meant to learn (Walker & Tedeck, 2000). This is a very common concern for students who are at the beginning of their immersion journey. However, teachers use a variety of strategies and methods which allow students to access and learn the content they need to. Teachers employ a specific method known as comprehensible input. Comprehensible input is a way of utilizing visuals, repetition, gestures, etc. to allow students to make meaning of the second language (Lee & Chen, 2018). This practice helps students to make meaning of the language being used and access the content being taught. Immersion teachers are experts in being able to deliver the important content in a way that is understandable and accessible to students.
5. My student has been in an immersion program for a year but they aren’t fluent. Is it working?
Another misconception about immersion is that students will very quickly “absorb” the language and become fluent. This is not the case. Similar to how students learn their first language, immersion is a process that will take time. When babies learn to talk, they have a silent period, then begin to speak in words and small phrases, and then continue to develop and speak in sentences. Your child will follow a similar process in an immersion setting. Though it will be faster than an infant, it is not reasonable to expect your child to be fluent in a language after one year (Bialystok, 2016). However, that does not mean that your child is not making growth! For the period of time when they are not speaking, they are still comprehending. They are able to nonverbally answer question, demonstrate what they know, and understand the target language (Bialystok, 2016). It may seem like a slow process, but it is one that will stick with students the entirety of their lives if it is done correctly. To reach a high level of fluency, it is recommended that students have at least six years of being immersed in a language. .
Bae, J. (2007). Development of english skills need not suffer as a result of immersion: Grades 1 and 2 writing assessment in a Korean/English Two-Way immersion program. Language Learning, 57(2), 299–332. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2007.00410.x
Bialystok, E. (2016). Bilingual education for young children: Review of the effects and consequences. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(6), 666–679. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2016.1203859
Lee, K., & Chen, X. (2018). An emergent interaction between reading fluency and vocabulary in the prediction of reading comprehension among French immersion elementary students. Reading and Writing, 32(7), 1657–1679. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-018-9920-z
Proctor, C. P., August, D., Carlo, M. S., & Snow, C. (2006). The intriguing role of spanish language vocabulary knowledge in predicting english reading Comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 159–169. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.98.1.159
Walker, C. L., & Tedick, D. J. (2000). The complexity of immersion education: Teachers address the issues. The Modern Language Journal, 84(1), 5–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/0026-7902.00049
