Pros and cons of bilingual primary schools in Austria. Analysis of the effectiveness for children

Bachelor Thesis , 2020 , 27 Pages , Grade: 2

Pedagogy - School System, Educational and School Politics

In dieser Arbeit soll herausgefunden werden, ob die Einführung einer bilingualen Volksschule für alle Kinder sinnvoll wäre. Englisch ist heutzutage eine der wichtigsten Sprachen der Welt. Da es Kindern besonders leicht fällt neue Sprachen zu lernen, ist es sinnvoll so früh wie möglich damit zu beginnen. Außerdem legt die EU besonders großen Wert darauf, dass jedes EU-Mitglied mindestens zwei weitere Sprachen, die in der EU gesprochen werden, beherrscht. In österreichischen Volksschulen wird Englisch als "Verbindliche Übung" unterrichtet. In der ersten und zweiten Schulstufe sollen insgesamt 32 Jahresstunden Englisch unterrichtet werden. Ab der dritten Schulstufe gibt es eine festgelegte Wochenstunde Englisch. Obwohl es viele Gründe gibt, warum es sinnvoll ist, die Kinder beim Englischerwerb zu unterstützen, wird dies in österreichischen Schulen immer noch nicht angemessen verwirklicht.

When you take a closer look you realize that five out of the eight Austrian neighboring countries have another official language than German. Knowing that there are 24 official languages in Europe it is obvious that the EU wants its citizens to learn as many languages as possible. English is a universal language which is used to communicate with people who do not speak each other’s first languages. Being able to speak English is a skill which is not only helpful to have a successful school career but to have success in life. Elementary schools are primarily responsible to introduce and teach English to all children. Most bilingual elementary schools are run completely or partly private which makes it impossible for families with lower incomes to enroll their children in these private bilingual schools. Wouldn't it be great if every child in Austria could get an education in both English and German in their public elementary school?

Table of Contents

Abstract in English

Abstract in German

List of Figures and Tables

1 Introduction

2 Multilingualism
2.1 What is multilingualism?
2.2 Encouragement of individual multilingualism
2.3 Curricular background
2.4 Didactical approach and concept to expand the linguistic capacity to act
2.5 Multilingualism in Viennese classrooms
2.6 Multilingualism in school
2.7 Language use in school

3 Bilingual education and effectiveness
3.1 When is a child considered bilingual?
3.2 How does the language development for children with German as a second language work?
3.3 Which role does the mother tongue/first language play?
3.4 How can the parents support the multilingual development of their child?
3.5 How can educators help children with German as a second language?

4 Austrian examples
4.1 Innsbruck Elementary School
4.2 Goals, Beliefs & Values
4.3 Expectations
4.4 Accreditation

5 pros and cons of bilingual education

6 summary

7 Bibliography

• College: ÖBV Pädagogische Hochschule Wien
• Grade: 2
• Author: Sophia Maurer (Author)
• Publication Year: 2020
• Pages: 27
• Catalog Number: V989364
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346350466
• ISBN (Book): 9783346350473
• Language: English
• Tags: pros, austria