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The effects of early bilingual schooling on first language skills

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Birgit Harley ,
Douglas Hart  and
Sharon Lapkin
Birgit Harley*
Affiliation:
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Douglas Hart
Affiliation:
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Sharon Lapkin
Affiliation:
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
*
Birgit Harley, Modern Language Centre, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaM5S IV6
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Abstract

In this study, the development of first language (L1) skills among native English-speaking students enrolled in early French immersion programs in Canadian schools is explored. It is hypothesized that the early bilingual schooling received by those majority children will serve to enhance their performance on various kinds of L1 tasks. Some preliminary evidence consistent with this hypothesis is found in a longitudinal comparison of English language test scores obtained over a six-year period by 22 immersion students and 22 regular English program students. Analysis of specific test items where the immersion students clearly outperform their regular program counterparts leads to the development of more specific hypotheses, which are tested via new measures on a larger sample of students in grade 6.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 7 , Issue 4 , December 1986 , pp. 295 - 321
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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References

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