The three studies presented in this thesis aimed at exploring different contexts of bilingualism in Italy. We explored the relationship between bilingualism and biliteracy and their effects on academic outcomes. For educational stakeholders, biliteracy is partly perceived with concern, partly considered a resource. The first context studied in this project are Italian-English immersion schools, where children are educated bilingually, being consistently and continuously exposed to both languages. The second context focuses on immigrant children (heritage bilinguals), who learn Italian as a second language in mainstream monolingual, public schools, and receive formal reading and writing instruction only in Italian or additionally in their respective mother language (minority language). The studies investigated cognitive, linguistic, and reading development, and the relation between language and literacy. Children in immersion schools were early sequential bilingual, exposed to English as a second language (L2) by the age of three in kindergarten. Heritage bilinguals were sequential bilinguals living stably in Italy, with heterogeneous minority languages, and exposed to Italian as a second-majority language (L2) at last from the age of five, when starting Italian public primary school. The results from the two studies with children in Italian-English immersion programs showed no disadvantage or delay in their cognitive, linguistic, reading, and narrative development in Italian (L1) compared to Italian monolinguals and an improvement in both the languages across grades. Positive correlations were found between Italian and English performances in reading and language measures, supporting the evidence of a presumable transfer of skills from Italian L1 to English L2. Finally, language abilities in one language correlated with reading abilities in the same language, confirming that the age of first oral bilingual exposure impacts literacy development, with oral language supporting reading development (as well as memory skills). We concluded that Italian-English immersion education does not disadvantage literacy acquisition in children, but they obtain a good language proficiency and reading development. Bilingual immersion education represents a reliable education system, which gives access to many possibilities for children’s future. The results from the study with immigrant bilinguals showed that children who were instructed in both their languages (biliterates) performed better in the non-verbal intelligence test than those literate only in Italian L2 (monoliterates). In contrast, monoliterates were better at short-term memory. Biliterate bilinguals did not performed better than monoliterates in general reading skills, but in reading comprehension, which is generally considered a fundamental ability for academic success. However, no disadvantages emerged for the biliterate children in reading speed and accuracy. Finally, the cognitive and language measures correlated with reading proficiency measures. Even if there might not be a comprehensive advantage in all the reading measures, educating heritage bilinguals also in their L1 enhances some crucial skills for their academic success and does not hamper literacy development in Italian. Sustaining bilingual immersion and a biliteracy route to learning appears to be an excellent choice to be implemented in Italian educational policy. Bilingual immersion programs and immigrant children's biliteracy education showed to be both effective and represent a beneficial educational experience for future generations of children.

I tre studi presentati nella tesi hanno esplorato diversi contesti di bilinguismo in Italia. Sono stati analizzati la relazione tra bilinguismo e doppia-alfabetizzazione e i loro effetti sugli apprendimenti scolastici. Ad oggi, l’educazione bilingue è ancora vista con scetticismo, sebbene anche come una risorsa. Il primo contesto è quello delle scuole di immersione Italiano-Inglese, dove i bambini sono educati in modo bilingue, con una continua e consistente esposizione alle due lingue. Il secondo è quello dei bambini immigrati, che imparano l’Italiano come seconda lingua nelle scuole pubbliche monolingui, e che vengono alfabetizzati solo in Italiano, oppure anche nella loro lingua madre (minoritaria). Gli studi hanno investigato lo sviluppo cognitivo, linguistico e delle abilità di lettura, e la relazione tra linguaggio e alfabetizzazione. I bambini delle scuole di immersione erano bilingui sequenziali precoci, esposti all’Inglese come seconda lingua (L2) entro i tre anni alla scuola dell’infanzia. I bambini immigrati erano bilingui sequenziali che vivevano stabilmente in Italia, con differenti lingue minoritarie, esposti all’Italiano come seconda lingua maggioritaria (L2) entro i cinque anni, in concomitanza con l’ingresso alla scuola primaria. I risultati emersi dai due studi sui bilingui delle scuole di immersione hanno dimostrato che essi non sono disavvantaggiati né in ritardo rispetto ai pari monolingui Italiani nello sviluppo cognitivo, linguistico, narrativo e delle abilità di lettura. Essi inoltre migliorano in entrambe le lingue durante il percorso scolastico. Sono emerse correlazioni positive tra le performance di lettura e linguaggio in Italiano e in Inglese, a supporto delle evidenze sul transfer di abilità dall’Italiano L1 all’Inglese L2. Infine, le abilità linguistiche correlano con quelle di lettura nella stessa lingua, a conferma che l’età di prima esposizione bilingue impatta positivamente sugli apprendimenti, ove il linguaggio orale supporta lo sviluppo delle abilità di lettura (così come le abilità mnestiche). In conclusione, il metodo di immersione Italiano-Inglese non rappresenta uno svantaggio per l’acquisizione e lo sviluppo degli apprendimenti nei bambini, che anzi raggiungono buone capacità linguistiche di lettura. L’immersione bilingue rappresenta dunque un affidabile sistema educativo, che offre grandi opportunità per il futuro dei nostri bambini. I risultati raggiunti dallo studio sui bilingui immigrati hanno dimostrato un vantaggio a livello dell’intelligenza non verbale a favore dei bi-alfabetizzati, rispetto a quelli istruiti solo in Italiano L2 (mono-alfabetizzati). Al contrario i bilingui mono-alfabetizzati hanno ottenuto migliori performance al test di memoria a breve termine. I bilingui bi-alfabetizzati hanno dimostrato un vantaggio rispetto ai mono-alfabetizzati nella comprensione scritta, abilità fondamentale per lo studio e il successo scolastico, sebbene non nelle abilità di lettura nel loro complesso. Nessuno svantaggio comunque è emerso nelle misure di velocità e accuratezza in lettura nei bi-alfabetizzati. Infine, le abilità cognitive e linguistiche correlano con quelle di lettura. Anche se potrebbe non esserci un vantaggio globale su tutti i parametri considerati, educare i bilingui immigrati anche nella loro L1 sembra potenziare alcune abilità cruciali per il loro successo scolastico, e non inficia lo sviluppo degli apprendimenti in Italiano. Implementare l’immersione bilingue e la doppia-alfabetizzazione nelle politiche educative Italiane sembra essere una scelta vincente da sostenere. Entrambi i sistemi educativi bilingui considerati si sono dimostrati efficaci, e rappresentano un’esperienza educativa positiva, di cui le future generazioni possono e dovrebbero giovare.

(2021). BILINGUALISM IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS: ACADEMIC OUTCOMES IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN. (Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2021).

BILINGUALISM IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS: ACADEMIC OUTCOMES IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

COSTA, FRANCESCA
2021

Abstract

The three studies presented in this thesis aimed at exploring different contexts of bilingualism in Italy. We explored the relationship between bilingualism and biliteracy and their effects on academic outcomes. For educational stakeholders, biliteracy is partly perceived with concern, partly considered a resource. The first context studied in this project are Italian-English immersion schools, where children are educated bilingually, being consistently and continuously exposed to both languages. The second context focuses on immigrant children (heritage bilinguals), who learn Italian as a second language in mainstream monolingual, public schools, and receive formal reading and writing instruction only in Italian or additionally in their respective mother language (minority language). The studies investigated cognitive, linguistic, and reading development, and the relation between language and literacy. Children in immersion schools were early sequential bilingual, exposed to English as a second language (L2) by the age of three in kindergarten. Heritage bilinguals were sequential bilinguals living stably in Italy, with heterogeneous minority languages, and exposed to Italian as a second-majority language (L2) at last from the age of five, when starting Italian public primary school. The results from the two studies with children in Italian-English immersion programs showed no disadvantage or delay in their cognitive, linguistic, reading, and narrative development in Italian (L1) compared to Italian monolinguals and an improvement in both the languages across grades. Positive correlations were found between Italian and English performances in reading and language measures, supporting the evidence of a presumable transfer of skills from Italian L1 to English L2. Finally, language abilities in one language correlated with reading abilities in the same language, confirming that the age of first oral bilingual exposure impacts literacy development, with oral language supporting reading development (as well as memory skills). We concluded that Italian-English immersion education does not disadvantage literacy acquisition in children, but they obtain a good language proficiency and reading development. Bilingual immersion education represents a reliable education system, which gives access to many possibilities for children’s future. The results from the study with immigrant bilinguals showed that children who were instructed in both their languages (biliterates) performed better in the non-verbal intelligence test than those literate only in Italian L2 (monoliterates). In contrast, monoliterates were better at short-term memory. Biliterate bilinguals did not performed better than monoliterates in general reading skills, but in reading comprehension, which is generally considered a fundamental ability for academic success. However, no disadvantages emerged for the biliterate children in reading speed and accuracy. Finally, the cognitive and language measures correlated with reading proficiency measures. Even if there might not be a comprehensive advantage in all the reading measures, educating heritage bilinguals also in their L1 enhances some crucial skills for their academic success and does not hamper literacy development in Italian. Sustaining bilingual immersion and a biliteracy route to learning appears to be an excellent choice to be implemented in Italian educational policy. Bilingual immersion programs and immigrant children's biliteracy education showed to be both effective and represent a beneficial educational experience for future generations of children.
GUASTI, MARIA TERESA
bilinguismo; immersione bilingue; bi-alfabetizzazione; bilingui immigrati; risultati scolastici
bilingualism; bilingual immersion; biliteracy; heritage bilinguals; risultati scolastici
M-PSI/04 - PSICOLOGIA DELLO SVILUPPO E PSICOLOGIA DELL'EDUCAZIONE
English
18-mag-2021
PSICOLOGIA, LINGUISTICA E NEUROSCIENZE COGNITIVE
32
2019/2020
embargoed_20240518
(2021). BILINGUALISM IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS: ACADEMIC OUTCOMES IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN. (Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2021).
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Descrizione: Bilingualism in different contexts: academic outcomes in primary school children
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/329993
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