Bilingualism/Multilingualism: Underachievement for Bilinguals

Have you ever wondered why so many bilinguals are struggling in school despite the positive beliefs about bilingualism?  If research suggests that bilinguals have cognitive advantages over monolinguals and at a certain point, surpass their monolingual peers in the classroom, then why are so many bilinguals underachieving in schools?

It is claimed that the underachievement of bilinguals is due to factors other than knowing two languages. The following factors may contribute to the underachievement of bilinguals in school.Some of theses factors can overlap.

Weak Competency in First Language:

The Developmental Interdependence theory states that the stronger your first language, the easier and faster it will be to acquire a second language. Academic vocabulary and literacy skills will transfer from the first language to the second. Therefore, the stronger the skills in the first language, the stronger the second language will become. As a result, the student will experience more language and academic success in school.  If proficiency is weak in the first language, it will take more time and be more difficult to learn the second language.  If there is a lack of academic vocabulary and reading skills in the student's native language, then it will take more time and be more difficult to learn these skills in the second language.

Culture:

Some parents in the American culture take on an active role in their children’s education. These parents work with their children to prepare them for school and continue to play an active role throughout their child’s education. These students come from families who value education at home and nurture critical thinking skills in their children. Some cultures do not view their role in their child’s education in this way. Parents from some cultures view school, and school alone, as being responsible for their child’s education and it is not the role of the parents to educate their child at home. This is not wrong, but may be a reason as to why some bilinguals lag behind in school.

Some cultures may value rote learning over critical thinking skills, skills that are valued in the American school culture. Some parents of some cultures may jump in and solve a problem that their child is struggling with at home instead of allowing the child to solve the problem on their own. Therefore, bilingual students from these cultures may not have sufficient critical thinking skills because they are not used to thinking and learning in this way.

Higher Standards:

While teaching English as a second language, I noticed that the grade level standards increased throughout the years. The higher standards could be an additional factor for why some ESL students are underachieving in schools. As a bilingual teacher or an ESL teacher, what can you do when school is not valued at home?  One solution is that you can provide lists of vocabulary words that will be taught in the classroom each trimester or quarter. These lists can be translated and parents can pre-teach these words at home if they are able.If parents are able to read English, you can provide lists of sight words as well as books from a lending library that the child can read at home. You can encourage parents to visit their local library.  You can also foster critical thinking skills in your classroom.

Socioeconomic Status:

There is a strong correlation between students’ socioeconomic status and academic achievement.Poverty and lack of resources could contribute to underachievement in school. As an educator, you can provide books from your lending library and/or encourage your students to go to the public library to obtain books to read.

Quality of Education:

Some monolingual schools have bilingual teachers and aides, however, there is no effective model for language instruction and learning. I have taught in a school where ESL classrooms speak mostly the students’ native language or resort to the first language often when teaching. This causes over reliance on the student’s native language and does not increase the students’ English language skills or their confidence in English. I noticed that these students remained in ESL classes year after year and did not exhibit confidence with their English skills. If the child is to receive a bilingual education, the model needs to be effective and benefit the students in both languages.

Interrupted Schooling and Trauma:

Some bilingual students may come from countries of civil unrest or oppression. As a result, the child may experience stress from this experience in addition to the stress of adjusting to a new culture and language.  Also, there may have been periods of time when the child could not attend school.

Learning Disabilities:

Bilingual children can have learning difficulties just like their monolingual peers. It is important to note that bilingual children must receive both special education services and language support.

Final Thoughts:

When thinking about your bilingual students, it is important to accept your students as they are as well as where they are academically. Your role is not just teaching language skills. Your role is also caring about your bilingual students, supporting your students and being there for them, and empowering your bilingual students. From an educational perspective as a whole, how can we make education in America more accessible for all students? What needs to change and how do we change, so that bilingual students are more successful in American schools?

Factors Affecting Second Language Acquisition

There are numerous factors that could impede your ESL student’s learning.  The following factors may make acquiring the English language more challenging for your student.

1. Language. The more differences between the student’s first language and English, the more difficult it will be for this student to acquire English. Languages such as Arabic and Russian are languages that are very different from English. The closer the student’s native language is to English, the easier it will be to acquire English. Cognates or similar sounding vocabulary words, similar grammatical structure, and the Roman or Latin alphabet used for writing are all similarities that make learning English easier.

2. Culture. Does your student come from a culture where students are more passive in the classroom? Students may be discouraged from asking questions or admitting that they do not understand the content that has been taught. Is critical thinking valued in the student’s culture or is rote learning? Eye contact may be perceived as rude in some cultures, whereas in the United States, eye contact in the classroom means that the student is being respectful, paying attention, and cares about their learning. Is education valued at home or is education believed to be solely the school’s responsibility? Does the student have many responsibilities at home either with helping their parents at work or taking care of their siblings? These are just some examples of cultural differences that may affect the student’s language learning and progress.

3. Previous education. Has the student had interrupted schooling because of moving frequently or because he or she has been a refugee? How much does the student know in their first language? Do they know academic vocabulary words in their first language? Do they know how to read and write in their native language? The more the student knows in their first language, the faster and easier it will be for this student to acquire English.

4. Affective filter and personality. Affective filter is a term that refers to a student’s emotions and motivation that may impact student’s learning. It can be very daunting and overwhelming for a student to move to the United States without knowing the culture or language. Having anxiety and feeling overwhelmed may negatively affect language learning. Does the student want to live in the United States? Are they motivated to learn English? Is the student shy or fearful of making mistakes or are they risk takers and self-confident? All of these factors may affect the progress of acquiring English.

5. Intelligence.  The more intelligent the student is, the faster they will learn English.

   What do these factors have to do with ESL students having a learning disability?

   When questioning whether or not your ESL student has a learning disability, you need to strongly consider the above factors. These factors do not mean that the student has a disability, but rather, are natural barriers that may impede your student’s learning of English. Keeping these factors in mind, it is best to wait and give the student time to learn English and acclimate to the American culture. What could become problematic is assuming that your student has a disability without considering the factors that make learning English naturally challenging for your student. This could result in inaccurately labeling your student as a special education student when they are not. This could also lead to possibly upsetting and confusing parents. In the education field, misidentifying students with having a learning disability and over identifying English language learners as having learning disabilities should be, and usually is, strongly discouraged and frowned upon. If you misidentify an ESL student with a learning disability and this student begins to adjust to the culture and new life in the United States, this student may begin showing progress with their English language learning and overall learning in the classroom. As a result, it may be clear that this student did not need special education services at all. If this happens, you could greatly lose your credibility as a teacher even though you had good intentions for your student.

   At times, you may feel confused and may not know the reasons for why your student is exhibiting much difficulty with learning English despite considering the above factors and giving your student plenty of time and opportunities for learning. You may feel concern for your student and you may express your concerns and your confusion to the classroom teacher and to the academic intervention team. Your goal may be to gain ideas and strategies to help your student, to monitor your student at that point, and to give a heads up to the team that this student may need extra services in the future. Just because you meet with the academic intervention team does not necessarily mean that you feel strongly that your student has a learning disability and needs additional support. It is acceptable to say, “I do not know why my student is not making progress.” It is okay to admit this! Even though you are an expert in the ESL field, it does not mean that you know everything. You are only human!

   Personal Experience:

   I had a student from China who entered the school district as a kindergartener without knowing English or the American culture. He exhibited a lot of difficulty learning English that first year. He experienced the Silent Period for most of the year and exhibited anxiety and shyness while learning. Because of these factors, I waited until the end of the school year to consult with the academic intervention team. I explained to the team that this student was having difficulty learning English and was not making progress similar to his peers. I admitted to the team that I did not know why after the entire school year that he was making such little progress. We decided to closely monitor this student he following school year. When this student entered first grade, he blossomed from the start! I had this student for a number of years and I asked him why he changed so much. He told me that one day toward the end of kindergarten, his father came to school to pick him up. His father saw that he was standing against the wall of the school away from the other students and not interacting with these students. His father strongly encouraged him to make friends and to participate in school. This is exactly what he did! From the beginning of first grade, he began making friends and participating in the classroom. When I expressed my concerns to his first grade teacher at the beginning of the year, she could not believe what I was saying and I did not believe her when she was telling me that this student was making friends and was eager to participate in class. He later told me that he lived with his grandparents in China when he was very young. When he was ready to begin school, his grandparents flew him to the United States to live with his parents. When he saw his father, he asked his grandparents who this person was. He not only began living with his parents who he did not know, he did not know any English, the American culture, and he had never experienced being in a school setting before. This student is also very uneasy with change. These were all major factors that greatly influenced his learning in school and his English language learning. Needless to say, I did not need to meet with the team to follow up on this student!