Research on bilingualism in a number of social science disciplines has reported an association between bilingualism, ethnic identity, and ethnic attitudes - causality has often been attributed to bilingualism. This research has been criticized on methodological grounds. There is a dearth of information concerning the relationship between bilingualism, ethnic identity, and ethnic attitudes in specific communities, regions, or societies since there have been very few studies of the social psychological aspects of bilingualism based on survey research methods. Yet another critique of previous research is that the theoretical framework in which reported findings have been couched has remained untested or that they have remained implicit. These theoretical underpinnings are explored and assessed. The data for the thesis came from a sample survey of greater Montreal conducted in 1973, from a survey of the Ottawa Census Metropolitan Area conducted by the York Survey Research Center in late 1974 and early 1975, and from a secondary analysis of the Ethnic Relations Study, carried out for the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in 1965. The analytic methods used are crosstabulation and partial correlation. It was found in the analysis of all three surveys, which were carried out at different points in time and which used slightly different measures of the independent and dependent variable, that the association between bilingualism and ethnic identity is not strong, and that it varies from one mother tongue group to the other. This indicates that causality cannot be attributed to bilingualism. The analysis of the Ethnic Relations Study revealed that with intergroup contact and demographic context held constant, the relationship between bilingualism and ethnic identity is extremely weak. Bilinguals, it emerged, tend to identify with both language groups mainly where they are in contact with the other group and in contexts where the other group constitutes the demographic majority. With regard to the relationship between bilingualism and ethnic attitudes, it was found that there were weak associations between bilingualism and social distance, and bilingualism and ethnic prejudice. However, these all but disappeared when intergroup contact and demographic context were controlled. The theoretical debate, which has continued over the past several decades, concerning whether or not causality of these relationships can be attributed to bilingualism may still continue; however, the evidence presented in the dissertation indicates that' causality cannot be attributed to bilingualism. Further, unicausal social psychological theories attributing such findings to the effects of the internalization of a second linguistic system would seem to be manifestly inadequate. Future theoretical efforts in this area of research ought to be of the kind which span disciplinary boundaries, assume multicausality, and lend themselves to operationalization. It ·is suggested that group membership theory may provide a fruitful point of departure. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att genom lärares och skolledares beskrivning av den tvåspråkiga undervisningen i Paraguay få en förståelse för de attityder, de didaktiska ställningstaganden samt det lokala, regionala och nationella utvecklingsarbete en tvåspråkig undervisning måste ta hänsyn till. Arbetet ger en översikt av tidigare forskning om tvåspråkig undervisning och språkutvecklande arbetssätt såväl internationellt som i Sverige. Med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer ville jag se:- vilka didaktiska redskap skolorna använde sig av i den tvåspråkiga undervisningen- vad målet var med den tvåspråkiga undervisningen- hur skolpersonalen tyckte att undervisningen fungerade- vilka lärdomar den svenska skolan skulle kunna ta med sig från ParaguayArbetet utgår från handböcker och annan litteratur kring erfarenheter av tvåspråkig undervisning och hur man på bästa sätt kan organisera en sådan undervisning.Sammanfattningsvis pekar resultaten på att det saknas många delar för att den tvåspråkiga undervisningen på bästa sätt ska kunna användas i det dagliga arbetet, men att den tvåspråkiga undervisningen har lyckats med sitt primära mål - att stärka guaranís roll i samhället och bland elever och föräldrar.Studien kommer också fram till att det vid arbete med tvåspråkighet i undervisningen krävs:1) En samsyn kring den språkliga varianten. Vilken variant av språket är det som ska läras ut?2) Det måste finnas god tillgång på väl utarbetat läromedel på språket i fråga.3) Skolpersonalen måste vara, och känna sig, kompetenta att undervisa och kommunicera påspråket.Däremot är det inte en nödvändighet att båda språken har en stark och positiv ställning i landet vid införandet, eftersom det förändras i takt med att språket ges plats i undervisningen och samhället.

Looking at Bilingualism and L2/SLA (Second Language Acquisition) theory and practice are there points of convergence that reflect notions of global emerging bilingualism, and can be used in language learning. Giving an overview of the key theories within each field then using a literature review from June 2013 – June 2014 we see what approaches are suggested in 36 journals. The journals show an increase in discussion, but there is still a notable lack of both dialogue and experimental work. One possible approach Language as SocialSemiotic approach (LASS) which builds on Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) emphasises created meaning.

The study investigated the experience of language brokering in highly proficient Chinese-English bilinguals where 50% of them were language brokers. Essentially, language brokering as a phenomenon is the activity of informal translation to facilitate communication between persons and languages. Predominantly from first- and second-generation immigrant households, brokers take on many different settings and materials to achieve these informal translation activities and tasks. It has been shown in previous studies, that brokers tend to be more agile and dynamic across languages. The present study used counterpart idioms to test language brokers and non-brokers recording their accuracy. The counterpart idiom judgment task tested idiom type (decomposability and familiarity) in both English and Chinese language directions [e.g., English direction “kill two birds with one stone”, answer “一石二鸟”- pin yin: yī shí èr niǎo (figurative meaning in both English and Chinese – “to succeed in achieving two things in a single action”)]. Findings showed that brokers similarly scored in decomposable idioms (D) and non-decomposable (ND) particularly in Chinese. Non-brokers showed significantly differently in both decomposable (D) and non-decomposable (ND) idioms where decomposable idioms (D) scored greater than non-decomposable (ND) in Chinese. Both groups responded more accurately in D than ND in English. Overall, brokers had a higher accuracy than non-brokers and responded more similarly across languages, idiom types (decomposable and non-decomposable), and familiar and unfamiliar idioms. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The purpose of this study was to understand the issue of the language of instruction to school literacy learning in rural Haiti. Using a narrative approach, 10 participants who live and work in a rural village in Northern Haiti were involved. I sought to examine their experience and perspectives on the issue as well as their level of awareness and the ways they navigate through the system to succeed in life. The dissertation also investigated their struggle to learn using a language over which they do not have much command and that they do not speak at home and in their community. This dissertation drew from critical pedagogy, as a conceptual framework that advocates for emancipation by providing quality and equitable education for all students as agents of change filled with intellectual potentiality and the ability to address oppressive patterns in society and challenge the status quo. Data from subjects were collected from focus groups, in-class observations, and semi-structured interviews. The analysis of the data was done utilizing three coding cycles and three themes were identified: 1) Students’ production based on the language in use, 2) The importance of the setting for language mastery and literacy learning, and 3) The role of language mastery in students’ success in school and in the workplace. The study suggests implications for future research, parents, and school leaders. The findings identify gaps and purpose to add to the literature given the paucity of research on the issue of the language of instruction as applied to schools in rural Haiti.Keywords: literacy learning, language of instruction, mother tongue, bilingualism, code-switching

The aim of the study was to explore the unique needs and strengths of multilingual students when learning math and problem-solving and how the teacher should create the education with problem-solving for multilingual students. The result is based on these two questions that were developed in relation with the purpose. This study is based on ten scientific articles chosen from the databases Education Research Complete and ERIC by EBSCO. The result shows that multilingual students should be encouraged to use their different languages as it strengthens their knowledge development. They must also be allowed to work in various ways with problem-solving to develop relevant abilities.Overall, it is crucial for teachers to be aware of the needs of multilingual students and to make appropriate accommodations in order to support their learning and development. Furthermore, the study will show how multilingual students are having some benefits while working with problem-solving such as they are being more creative and adaptable. The conclusion indicates that multilingual students need some support in the work with problem-solving. It is therefore significant that the teacher can accommodate these needs and adjust the problem-solving activities.

In modern-day psycholinguistics, there is a rising interest in looking at bilingualism from a holistic perspective. Yet, only a few are the methods employed as efficient and comprehensive of all the variables and factors that affect language acquisition and the motivation for someone to seek to acquire another language. Historically, research has also recognized the extreme value of bilingualism at a neurological level (we know that it offers protection against neurodegeneration and increased grey matter presence in some brain regions, aiding in cognitive performance overall). However, we ignore the full extent of the mechanisms that aid this complex process and the trajectory the speaker takes from initial exposure to another language to becoming competent. Vocal biomarkers are a currently emerging topic in behavioral research due to their potential uses in the early detection of psychopathology and neurodegeneration, potentially by just recording a person's voice and relying on an app to analyze and provide a report. We created a comprehensive battery to measure bilingualism, including surveys and a vocal assessment, considering specific vocal patterns (jitteriness, sustentation, and others). Participants took a modified version of a golden reference test for bilingualism research, the Bilingual Language Profile, to which we added a technology usage question and a cultural influences section. We then collected voice samples from them, completing three tasks.

This study investigated the possible relationship between bilingualism and social anxiety disorder. Past research has indicated developmental delays in language as increasing risk for other psychological difficulties. With the pressure to learn two languages, possibly in the drastically different environments of home, school, and/or work, individuals may be vulnerable to becoming socially anxious in conjunction with language use. This study examined a series of factors surrounding linguistic development and reports of social anxiety. Participants were divided into 4 groups: Socially Anxious (SA; n = 43) monolinguals, Non-Socially Anxious (Non-SA; n = 81) monolinguals, SA bilinguals (n = 30), and Non-SA bilinguals (n = 43). Measures of social anxiety, linguistic ability, and demographic information were collected and compared. The results of this study showed no direct link between bilingualism and SAD. However results raised other questions as there was an overrepresentation of SA bilinguals having accents when compared with Non-SA bilingual individuals.

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