World-wide evidence on three issues in bilingualism and bilingual education are presented here. The first, whether speaking two languages affects thinking skills, is examined in terms of the relationship between bilingualism and intelligence and also in terms of a wide variety of international researches on bilingualism and cognitive development. This highlights the many weaknesses and limitations of such research. However, the evidence indicates that bilingualism has positive consequences for thinking skills and cognitive development. The second issue, whether children suffer or benefit from bilingual education, discusses traditions, recent developments and research on bilingual education from the USA, Canada, Wales, Ireland, England and Scotland. The relative merits of different types of bilingual schooling and a critical evaluation of the North American, British and Irish research are each considered. The third issue, the role of attitude and motivation in bilingualism, examines an individual's attitudes and motivation to becoming and remaining bilingual or to allowing bilingualism to decline. This suggests key psychological factors in the status and density of languages.  The book concludes by integrating the three issues. A wide variety of theories of bilingual development at a personal, social and educational level are explored. This provides a basis for a summary of the present state of our understanding about bilingualism and bilingual education. The author has also published "Aspects of Bilingualism in Wales".

Key issues in bilingualism and bilingual education PDF

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