Bilingual education in an Aboriginal context: examining the transfer of language skills from Inuktitut to English or French

Bilingual education is thought to be one of the principal means of simultaneously revitalizing threatened language and preparing students for success in mainstream society. However, little research has examined, in a comprehensive and longitudinal fashion, bilingual programs in Aboriginal contexts....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of bilingual education and bilingualism 2009-11, Vol.12 (6), p.667-684
Main Authors: Usborne, Esther, Caouette, Julie, Qumaaluk, Qiallak, Taylor, Donald M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aboriginal people
Alaska Natives
Arctic
Bilingual Education
Bilingual Education Programs
Bilingualism
English
Eskimo Aleut Languages
French
Grade 3
Grade 4
heritage language
hierarchical linear modeling
Language Skills
language transfer
Longitudinal Studies
Second Language Instruction
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Summary:Bilingual education is thought to be one of the principal means of simultaneously revitalizing threatened language and preparing students for success in mainstream society. However, little research has examined, in a comprehensive and longitudinal fashion, bilingual programs in Aboriginal contexts. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to conduct a longitudinal analysis of the language skills of 110 Inuit students participating in an Inuktitut-English/French program in a remote Arctic community. Students' skills in English or French improved from Grades 4-6, after a switch to second language instruction; whereas, their skills in Inuktitut showed no significant improvement across these grades. Baseline heritage language skills in Grade 3 were found to be predictive of later success in both the heritage and mainstream languages, providing evidence for cross-language transfer and pointing to the pivotal importance of heritage language instruction for Aboriginal students.
ISSN:1367-0050
1747-7522
DOI:10.1080/13670050802684388