1. Addressing the bilingual factor -
insights, influences and its impact on
education
Máire Ní Ríordáin
Lecturer in Education, NUI Galway

2. Up to 16th century –
Irish and its associated
culture/traditions dominant
throughout the island
1921 – The Free 17th/18th/19th
State – intended to History centuries – English
restore the Irish colonisation of
language and its of Irish Ireland/Famine –
use throughout the dramatic decline in
country. the use of Irish.
2000+ - consolidation at
constitutional level; use in
legal/public sector; official
language of EU; national
media; growth of Irish-
medium education.

3. Socio-Political Concerns (Kelly 2009)
Decisions
• Political in nature
• Irish-medium education
New State
(1921)
central to policy plans
• Detrimental to student
Compulsion learning and the language

4. Socio-Political Concerns (Kelly 2009)
• Compulsion removed
1960’s • Catalyst for change
As Lord Charlemont, the Stormont Minister of
Education said, „forbidding it (Irish)
under pressure willand access it to
• Importance of choice stimulate
Social
such an extreme that the very dogs –
Structures
at any rate, the Falls Road dogs – will
• Immersion (as cited by Purdon 1999,
bark in Irish‟ Irish-medium education p.59)
(Gaelscoileanna/ Galecholáistí) established in
1970’s the 1970‟s.

5. The Irish Context
Gaeltacht –
Irish speaking district.
(Maintenance Heritage Language
Education)
Gaelscoil –
Irish medium primary school outside of a
Gaeltacht area.
(Immersion Education)
Gaelcholáiste –
Irish medium second level school outside
of a Gaeltacht area.
(Immersion Education)

6. Irish-Medium Education

7. Bilingualism
 Psycholinguistics views language as an individual cognitive
phenomenon (theoretical framework for providing empirical
results, theories, concepts, definitions, etc.).
 Sociolinguistics stresses the social nature of
language, starting from the assumption that language is not
only cognitive but also cultural, social, and situated
(theoretical framework for studying discourse e.g. linguistic
registers and classroom discourse).
 Bilingualism is „the product of a specific linguistic
community that uses one of its languages for certain
functions and the other for other functions or situations‟
(Valdés-Fallis 1978, p.4)

8. SUP vs CUP
• Two languages stored separately. • Internally:
Both languages are merged – do not
•Increase in one language will result function independently of each other.
in a loss of some of the other.
• Outwardly:
•Bilingualism = cognitive overload
Both languages are different in
conversation.
Separate Underlying Proficiency Common Underlying Proficiency

9. Task
 Is the following sentence grammatically correct -
“Apples grow on noses.”?
 Dr E. Bialystok (New York Time, May 30th 2011)
 As she conducted her research, she noticed that there was a big
difference in the way monolingual and bilingual children processed
language. She found that if you gave 5- and 6-year-olds language
problems to solve, monolingual and bilingual children knew, pretty
much, the same amount of language.
 But on one question, there was a difference.
 The monolingual children could not answer. They would say, “That‟s
silly” and they would stall.
 But the bilingual children would say, in their own words, “It‟s silly, but
it‟s grammatically correct.” The bilinguals, manifested a cognitive
system with the ability to attend to important information and ignore the
less important.

10. Theoretical Framework
Cummins - Threshold Hypothesis (1976):
Certain threshold that one must reach in their 1st and 2nd languages before the
benefits of studying in a 2nd language can develop.
Type of Bilingualism Cognitive Effect
Balanced Positive
High levels in both languages Higher Threshold
Less Balanced Neither positive nor negative
Native in one of the languages
Limited Lower Threshold Negative
Low level in both languages

11. Additive and Subtractive Bilingualism
Additive bilingualism
occurs when a second
language and culture have
been acquired without
loss or displacement of an
individual’s first language
and culture. Positive self-
concept usually Subtractive bilingualism
developed. occurs when an individual’s
first language and culture
are replaced by the new
language and
culture, usually occurring in
a pressurised context.
Negative self-concept
usually developed.

12. Literature Findings
Negative results for learning are associated with
subtractive bilingual environments
(e.g. Adetula, 1990; Galligan, 1995; Han &
Ginsberg, 2001; Marsh et al, 2000; Barton et al, 2005).
Positive results for learning are associated with
additive bilingual environments
(e.g. De Courcy & Burston, 2000; Swain, 1996; Turnball et
al, 2000; Williams, 2002).
Language proficiency and cognitive performance are
related
(e.g. Barton et al, 2005; Frigo et al, 2004; Marsh et
al, 2000;Yushau & Bokhari, 2005)

13. Psycholinguistics
Theorist Theory
Vygotsky (1962) Language is inextricably linked with thought
Sapir (1949)-Whorf (1956) The language we speak facilitates our
thinking and perception
Bruner (1975) Language is an essential instrument of
thought and is necessary for
understanding.
Sierpinska (1994) Thought is engaged in our understanding,
thus language is involved in developing our
understanding.
Having two or more languages facilitates greater
cognitive flexibility in terms of thinking, processing,
comprehending and understanding.

14. Advantages of Bilingualism
Some of the advantages of bilingualism documented in literature include:
• Curriculum Advantages
• Greater academic success.
• Easier to learn a third and fourth language.
• Communicative Advantages
• Bilingualism (the ability to speak two languages fluently).
• Biliteracy (the ability to read and write in two languages).
• Wider communication (extended family, community, friends, employment).
• Cultural Advantages
• Broader exposure to and appreciation of the value of various cultures (enculturation), deeper
multiculturalism, greater tolerance and less racism.
• Cognitive Advantages
• Thinking benefits (flexibility, creativity, sensitivity to communication).
• Character Advantages
• Raised self-esteem.
• Security in identity.
• Financial Advantages
• Economic and employment benefits.
(adapted from Baker, 2003)

15. Research Findings in the Irish Context
 Positive cognitive advantages
 For mathematical learning at primary, post-primary and third level
education, once ability in both languages (Irish and English) have
been developed – outperformed monolingual students (Ní Ríordáin &
O’ Donoghue, 2009).
 Display greater meta-cognitive skills when engaged in problem
solving (Ní Ríordáin & McCluskey 2012):
 Comprehension of the problem.
 Self-correction.
 Selecting appropriate features in the problem.
 Knowledge of strategies

16. Research Findings in the Irish Context
 Shiel et al. (2011).
 Pupils in 2nd and 6th classes in SLG, and pupils in 6th class in
Gaeltacht schools achieved significantly higher mean
scores on English reading than pupils in the NA 2009.
 Pupils in 2nd class in SLG achieved a significantly higher
mean score on mathematics than pupils in the NA 2009;
pupils in Gaeltacht schools and NA 2009 were not
significantly different.
 Pupils in 6th class in Gaeltacht schools achieved a
significantly higher mean score on mathematics than
pupils in NA 2009; pupils in SLG and NA 2009 were not
significantly different from one another.

17. Insights, Influences and Impact on
Education
 Research has shown that the added value of a well-implemented Two
Way Immersion programme is that all children learn to read and write in
two languages to a relatively high standard (e.g. Genesee and Dándara
1999, Kielhöfer 2004, Söhn 2005).
 Furthermore, "the development of additive bilingual and
biliteracy skills entails no negative consequences for
children‟s academic, linguistic, or intellectual development”
(Cummins 1996, p.109) and that in some situations it can also
bring cognitive, as well as social and intercultural benefits.
 Need to consider the socio-political aspect.
 Compulsion may not foster desired outcomes.
 The need for greater awareness, development and promotion of
bilingualism in our education system – e.g. new Junior Cycle
changes?

18. Conclusion – bilingualism makes you
smarter!

19. Questions?

20. Go raibh míle maith agaibh 