The Effect Bilingual Education Has on Indigenous Students’ Learning
Outcomes
Rationale
This research project is relevant at present due to the recent axing of bilingual programs in
Northern Territory schools. From the beginning of 2009, it became law for Northern
Territory schools to teach the first four hours of classes in English. The focus of this inquiry is
based on the experiences of indigenous students learning in English as a second language in
Katherine, NT and of the effectiveness bilingual learning could have in this setting.
Research question
Is bilingual education in Northern Territory schools more effective for indigenous students’
learning outcomes than the current practice utilising English-only as the language of
instruction?
Sub-questions
-
Are indigenous children able to learn solely in Standard Australian English when their
mother tongue is a different language?
-
Is the practice of English-only classrooms contributing to the loss of Aboriginal
languages and culture?
-
What difficulties does bilingual education present that encouraged its axing by the
Northern Territory government?
Definition of key terms
Indigenous students: Refers to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
English-only schools: Schools in Northern Territory that teachers instruct in Standard
Australian English for the first four hours of the day.
Bilingual education: The use of two languages in school by teachers and students for a
variety of social and pedagogical purposes.
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Methodology
This research project will source information through a variety of qualitative research
methods, including participant observation, in combination with quantitative research
sourced through a variety of texts and online journals.
The present situation of indigenous learners’ education in the Northern Territory is
presented from a participant-observer perspective which was gained through a one month
teaching placement in a primary school in Katherine, NT, and through the experiences and
understanding shared with students from the school.
Narrative
Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people, as the traditional first settlers in Australia,
have for all of history been presented with many difficulties when forced to conform to the
language, cultural ways and social economics of “white Australia”. The bilingual programs
that
had
been
operating
within
the
Northern
Territory
since
the
1970’s
were a celebration of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander Australians and white Australians
linking in an approach to bridge the gap and improve educational learning outcomes for all
indigenous peoples (Devlin, 2009). Now that schools in Australia are without these
programs, I sympathize for those students going to school being spoken to in a foreign
language (English) and expected to understand and act on these alien words. I appreciate
that some studies have represented young children as capable of learning a new language,
one that is not spoken in their mother tongue, however that is not the question here. The
question in focus for this research project is whether bilingual education is the most
effective mode of learning and achieving success for indigenous students. This research
report has been carried out to explore Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students’
educational outcomes since the recent axing in 2009 of bilingual programs in the Northern
Territory and whether this was a move that will generate improvement to the success of
Indigenous learners.
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Relevant Literature
Research heavily outlines the benefits of children learning best when taught through their
mother tongue and of the prolific effects on children’s cognitive development when
exercising bilingual skills (Caffery, Simpson & McConvell, 2009).
In the report ‘A Share in the Future’, a Review of Indigenous Education in the Northern
Territory, written by Bruce Wilson and addressed to the Northern Territory Minister for
Education, Honourable Peter Chandler, it was recognised that a key factor affecting
Indigenous children in the Northern Territory is the amount of students beginning school
with very basic or no English. The review supports the incorporation of first languages in
student learning to scaffold literacy learning firstly in the mother tongue language and then
as a bridge to access English. It outlines the importance of first language and culture in the
school environment, as together they shape identity formation, are integral elements in
child engagement, assist students to feel comfortable in the school setting and have
essential pedagogical value in the process of learning English.
Further literature to support the use of bilingual education involves the study of over two
thousand English Language Learners that came from a Spanish-speaking background.
Ramirez, David, Yuen, Sandra, Ramey & Dena (1991) carried out a four year study in nine
different school districts in California, US, tracking the development of their English
understanding. The study showed that bilingual programs that were structured to slowly
shift towards English, rather than fast paced and English-only programs, had considerably
greater results than the latter. Ramirez et al found that students in late-exit programs
achieved greater results in areas of learning than students in early-exit programs.
Looking at this information, it can be concluded that students that spend more time learning
through their mother-tongue language have more success in their learning outcomes. It is
noted that students who improve their reading and writing skills in their own culture are
most likely to do well academically when transitioning to English (Ramirez et al., 1991).
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A study in Florida backs up the findings found by Ramirez et al (1991), where comparisons
were made between 952 students that were registered in English and bilingual syllabuses.
Bilingual students were found to have scored higher in English literacy by the time they
reached the second grade (Oller and Eilers 2000).
Further research to confirm findings from above studies include research carried out by
Thomas and Collier (2002). It was determined that English Language Learners performed
better in programs that had a heavy focus on the development of native language. It was
also found in the study that occurred in Houston, US, that children that possess English as
their first language were effectively able to learn a second language in the same bilingual
focused programs.
Findings
Findings sourced from observations throughout personal professional experience in a
Katherine primary school determine that language barriers are present on a daily basis in an
English-only school where the majority of students attending the school are indigenous or
Torres Strait Islander. It was observed that the sample of both male and female indigenous
children in Year five at Clyde Fenton Primary School were not working at a Year five level in
literacy and numeracy. Literacy lessons were taught explicitly to students where reading,
writing basic sentences and spelling sight words was the main focus. To observe the sample
of students during these lessons it was detected regularly that engagement in lessons was
easily lost. Students appeared to not be interested in the English sentences and words that
they were working with. Through further investigation with children throughout lessons by
means of informal chats and questioning, it appeared that students did not fully understand
many of the meanings of words they were spelling or saying.
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Discussion
Bilingual education makes the most sense where the aim is to achieve improved outcomes
in non-English-speaking students. Classrooms that remove foreign languages from students’
learning are increasing the likelihood of students falling behind and not being able to
integrate English into their education. The unfortunate trend that is occurring now is where
students are losing their native languages as they are forced to adapt to the English
language with little regard to their individual culture and language background. A solid
understanding of English is crucial for Indigenous students to ensure they have access to
important opportunities later in life that includes employment, health and safety and food
and shelter (Devlin, 2009).
It seems that the issues when it comes to bilingual learning are always the same; classes do
not have access to culturally appropriate resources, students are not in regular attendance
at school, fully trained English as a Second Language teachers are not common and a
shortage of bilingual teachers is ever present (Cardenas 1993).
Implications
The main difficulty arising in this research project is sourcing suitable online resources, such
as journals and online texts, which specifically target bilingual education in the Northern
Territory of Australia. Much of the information located discusses bilingualism in other
regions of the world, which in some ways can support the research here, but is not entirely
applicable to this study.
Future action recommended from the outcomes of this particular study suggest that the
following advice be taken into account in Northern Territory primary schools:
1. Indigenous teachers/assistants to be available to every classroom.
2. Stronger focus on literacy through the mother tongue language before integrating
Standard Australian English.
3. Development of teachers’ skills in teaching English Language Learners.
4. Use the two languages to stimulate learners’ cognitive and academic growth.
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Conclusion
The future of bilingual education in Australia is unknown and the difficulty to layout and
prepare bilingual educational programs for Indigenous students that have a main focus on
their native language is a concern. A wide amount of research has successfully detailed the
positive effects of bilingual education, yet still we are not observing and acting on this
information. Students in Northern Territory who have grown up in Australia are being
ignored by their country and these children deserve the same future and opportunities as all
other Australian children.
Reflection
Upon reflection of this research task, I acknowledge the difficulty in sourcing current and
relevant professional information to support the use of bilingual education in Australia. I
believe the most beneficial way to build up a precise report detailing the positive benefits of
bilingual education in Australia is to follow indigenous students at a range of different
schools varying in the teacher instruction, some schools using bilingual and other schools
operating in English only lessons. Students should be followed from the beginning of their
education journey in year one through to year seven and the long term study would provide
rich information that could certainly be compared between schools. The research in this
particular study of one small primary school in the Northern Territory provides only a small
sample size to make recommendations from.
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References
Caffery, J., Simpson, J. & McConvell, P. (2009). Gaps in Australia’s Indigenous language policy:
Dismantling bilingual education in the Northern Territory. AIATSIS Discussion Paper Number
24. Retrieved from http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/_files/research/dp/DP24.pdf
Devlin, B. (2009). The Status and Future of Bilingual Education for Remote Indigenous Students in the Northern
Territory. Retrieved from webpage URL
http://www.nla.gov.au/openpublish/index.php/aral/article/viewFile/2277/2738
Dunbar, R. & Skutnabb-Kangas, T. (2010) Indigenous Children’s Education as Linguistic Genocide and a
Crime Against Humanity? A Global View. Gáldu Čála – Journal of Indigenous Peoples Rights No.
1/2010. Retrieved from http://www.fobl.net.au/images/documents
/Indigenous_Childrens_Education_as_Linguistic_Genocide.pdf
Krashen, S. (2014) Why Bilingual Education? National Association for Bilingual Education, Retrieved from
http://www.nabe.org/BilingualEducation
Wilson, B. (2013) A Share in the Future, Review of Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory
http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/37294/A-Share-in-the-Future-The-Review-ofIndigenous-Education-in-the-Northern-Territory.pdf
Ramirez, J. David; Yuen, Sandra D.; and Ramey, Dena R. 1991. Final Report: Longitudinal Study of Structured
Immersion Strategy, Early-Exit, and Late-Exit Transitional Bilingual Education Programs for LanguageMinority Children. San Mateo, Calif.: Aguirre International.
Cárdenas, J. (1993) Intercultural Development Research Association. Current Problems in Bilingual Education:
Part I. Retrieved from
http://www.idra.org/IDRA_Newsletter/September_1993_Bilingual_Education_Today/
Current_Problems_in_Bilingual_Education%3A_Part_I/.
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