How Does Being Bilingual Help Kids Learn to Read?
Scientists and language experts have linked learning a second language to a host of benefits for children and adults. This is especially the case for young children and their blossoming cognitive abilities.
These children are given an overall "cognitive edge" when they learn a new language, according to Dr Laura-Ann Petitto of Dartmouth College in the United States. A large number of other studies have also linked language learning to higher exam scores.
But can knowing another language make learning to read easier for your child? A team at Canada's York University has completed a study which suggests that bilingualism may have a positive impact in a number of significant ways on this crucial process for children.
The team was led by Dr Ellen Bialystok, one of the top experts in the world on bilingualism amongst children. Dr Bialystok's team of researchers analysed the effects of bilingualism in a group of more than 100 children just learning to read. Summarising the results, Dr Bialystok reported, "Our research has shown that reading progress amongst all bilingual children is improved" over monolingual children. In a separate statement, she said, "I think there's a lot of worry out there about other languages conflicting with a child's ability to learn to read in English, but that's absolutely not the case. Parents should not hesitate to share their native tongue with their children—it's a gift."
Dr Bialystok and her team concluded that the advantage in literacy which bilingual children demonstrated could be attributed to two specific effects of bilingualism. These effects were a greater "metalinguistic awareness" and a very useful ability to apply the reading skills and principles learned in one language to the other.
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Sincerely,
Katie Lagana
Early Advantage |