This study assessed the impact of Greek bilingual education programs on (1) the academic achievement of students who attend Greek language schools and Greek bilingual programs, (2) the ability of these students to speak the Greek language; and (3) the ethnic identity and self-concept of the Greek-American students. / The general hypothesis of the study was that Greek-American students who attend Greek schools or Greek bilingual programs will have higher academic achievement, better language preservation and more positive self-concept than those who do not attend such schools. The major purpose of the study was to determine whether Greek bilingual education would prove effective in increasing the Greek-American students' knowledge and ethnic identity. / The study took place in Chicago. The instruments of the study were two questionnaires and a language test. The first questionnaire was the Student Greek Language Attitude Questionnaire (SGLAC) and was used to measure the attitude towards the Greek language. The second questionnaire was the Greek American Student Culture Attitude Inventory (GSCAI), and was used to measure Greek-American students' attitudes toward and knowledge of the Greek culture. The Regents Comprehensive Examination in Modern Greek was used to assess student proficiency in modern Greek. The instruments were administered to two groups of students who attend Greek bilingual schools and students who attend monolingual schools. Also, student school records were obtained to ascertain the academic achievement of students. The size of the sample was exactly 139 students of seventh and eighth grade. All subjects were approximately of equal socioeconomic status. / The collected data were analyzed through quantitative procedures, such as t-test and chi-square analyses. The findings of the study indicated that there were significant differences between Greek-American students who attend Greek schools or Greek bilingual programs and Greek-American students who attend English monolingual schools. / Overall, Greek-American students who attend Greek schools or Greek bilingual programs have higher academic achievement in all the academic areas of study: math, English, social studies, and science. Also they have better preservation of the Greek language and more positive self concept towards their ethnic identity and culture, than Greek-American students who do not attend Greek schools or Greek bilingual programs. / A significant finding is that Greek bilingual education has positive effects on pupils' educational development. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-02, Section: A, page: 0416. / Major Professor: Byron G. Massialas. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76833 |
| Contributors | Xidis, Anthony Steven., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 130 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
Page generated in 0.002 seconds