Practice for Reading: Bilingualism in Children

One mistaken belief that has persisted for more than a hundred years in discussions on bilingualism1 is that the intelligence of children will be compromised if they are bilingual. Some of the earliest studies on bilingualism examined whether bilingual children were ahead or behind monolingual2 children on IQ tests. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was commonly found that monolingual children scored higher on IQ tests than bilinguals. The inference was that bilingual children experienced mental confusion. According to this view, having two languages in the brain disrupted effective thinking, and it was argued that having one well-developed language was superior to having two languages that were only partially developed.

B

The notion that bilinguals may have a lower IQ is still held by many people, especially monolinguals. However, we now understand that this early research was flawed and inaccurate. First, much of this research subjected bilinguals to IQ tests in their weaker language – typically English. If bilinguals had been tested in Welsh, Spanish, or Hebrew, different results might have been obtained. Therefore, the testing of bilinguals was biased. Second, the comparison was not fair. Bilinguals often came from backgrounds like impoverished New York or rural Wales, while monolinguals tended to come from more affluent, urban families. Working-class bilinguals were frequently compared with middle-class monolinguals. Thus, the results were more likely influenced by social class differences than by language differences. Comparing monolinguals and bilinguals in this way was unjust.

C

The most recent research from Canada, the United States and Wales suggests that bilinguals are, at least, equal to monolinguals on IQ tests. When bilinguals have two well- developed languages (in the research literature called balanced bilinguals), bilinguals tend to show a slight superiority in IQ tests compared with monolinguals. This is the received psychological wisdom of the moment and is good news for raising bilingual children. Take, for example, a child who can operate in either language in the curriculum in the school. That child is likely to be ahead on IQ tests compared with similar (same gender, social class and age) monolinguals. Far from making people mentally confused, bilingualism is now associated with a mild degree of intellectual superiority.

D

A word of caution is necessary. IQ tests likely do not measure intelligence comprehensively. They measure only a small aspect of the broad concept of intelligence. IQ tests are essentially paper-and-pencil tests where only 'right and wrong' answers are accepted. Is all intelligence encapsulated in such binary, pen-and-paper assessments? Aren't there a wider range of intelligences that are crucial in daily functioning and real-life situations?

E

Numerous questions require answers. Do we only define an intelligent individual as someone who achieves a high score on an IQ test? Are individuals considered intelligent only if they are members of high IQ organizations like MENSA? Is there intelligence in social interactions, music, military tactics, marketing strategies, driving skills, or political acumen? Can any or all of these forms of intelligence be measured by a simple pencil-and-paper IQ test that seeks a single, correct solution to each question? Determining what constitutes intelligent behavior necessitates a personal assessment of what type of behavior and what kind of person holds greater value.

F

The current understanding in psychology regarding bilingual children is that when two languages are well-developed, bilingual individuals possess cognitive advantages over monolinguals. Consider this scenario: a child is asked a simple question - How many uses can you think of for a brick? Some children offer only two or three answers, such as building walls or houses. Another child generates a multitude of ideas, ranging from blocking a rabbit hole, breaking a window, using it as a bird bath, a plumb line, or as an abstract sculpture in an art exhibit.

G

Studies conducted across various continents indicate that bilingual individuals tend to provide more fluent, flexible, original, and elaborate responses to open-ended questions like the one mentioned above. Those who generate a few answers are often labeled convergent thinkers, as they converge on a few acceptable, conventional responses. On the other hand, individuals who come up with numerous uses for unconventional items (such as a brick, tin can, or cardboard box) are known as divergent thinkers. Divergent thinkers prefer a variety of responses to a question and demonstrate imaginative and fluent thinking.

H

There are other aspects of thinking where 'balanced' bilinguals may have temporary or occasional advantages over monolinguals: heightened sensitivity to communication, slightly quicker progression through cognitive developmental stages, and a lesser focus on the sounds of words, emphasizing more on word meanings. This ability to shift away from the sound of words and focus on word meanings tends to provide (temporary) advantages to bilingual individuals around ages four to six. Such advantages may lead to an initial edge in learning to read and understanding language.

1 bilingualism: the ability to speak two languages

1. Using or speaking only one language

Questions 1-3

Complete the sentences.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

1  For more than ….. , books and articles were wrong about the intelligence of bilingual children.

2  For approximately 40 years, there was a mistaken belief that children who spoke two languages were ….. .

3  It was commonly thought that people  with a single …. were more effective thinkers.

Questions 4-9

Reading Passage 1 has eight paragraphs, A-H.

Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-G from the list of headings below.

Questions 10-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? Write

TRUE                    if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE                  if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN        if there is no information on this

10 Balanced bilinguals have more permanent than temporary advantages over monolinguals.

11 Often bilinguals concentrate more on the way a word sounds than on its meaning.

12 Monolinguals learn to speak at a younger age than bilinguals.

13 Bilinguals just starting school might pick up certain skills faster than monolinguals.

Answers

1. a hundred years/100 years (Đoạn A, “One misguided legacy of over a hundred years of writing on bilingualism1 is that children’s . intelligence will suffer if they are bilingual.”)

2. mentally confused/behind monolingual children (Đoạn A, “The conclusion was that bilingual children were mentally confused.”)

3. (well-developed) language (Đoạn A, “It was argued that having one well-developed language was superior to having two half-developed languages.”)

4. ii (Đoạn B, “However, we now know that this early research was misconceived and incorrect.”)

5. vi (Đoạn C, “bilinguals tend to show a slight superiority in IQ tests compared with monolinguals.”)

6. iv (Đoạn D, “Isn’t there a wider variety of intelligences that are important in everyday functioning and everyday life?”)

7. i (Đoạn E, “Defining what constitutes intelligent behaviour requires a personal value judgement as to what type of behaviour, and what kind of person is of more worth.”)

8. ix (Đoạn F, “The current state of psychological wisdom about bilingual children is that, where two languages are relatively well developed, bilinguals have thinking advantages over monolinguals.”)

9. v (Đoạn G, “Research across different continents of the world shows that bilinguals tend to be more fluent, flexible, original and elaborate in their answers to this type of open-ended question.”)

10. FALSE (Đoạn H, “There are other dimensions in thinking where approximately ’balanced’ bilinguals may have temporary and occasionally permanent advantages over monolinguals…”)

11. FALSE (Đoạn H, “…and being less fixed on the sounds of words and more centred on the meaning of words.”)

12. NOT GIVEN (Không có thông tin)