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Learning and expressing technical vocabulary through the medium of L1 and L2 by Slovak-English bilingual high-school students
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Abstract:
This study investigates learning through the medium of an additional language, which is common for students in bilingual programmes. In particular, the study focuses on the learning of new technical words from content-area reading through L1 and L2 and on the ability of bilingual students to define these words in their two languages. The study aimed to produce findings that would contribute to the theory of bilingual learning as well as to the practice of bilingual education. The participants in the study were 72 high-school students (17-20 years of age) studying at a bilingual Slovak-English high-school. They were native speakers of Slovak (L1) and proficient users of English (L2). The participants were asked to read two textbook chapters (on history and geography) that contained information and technical words new to them. The participants were divided into two groups: one group of students read these texts in their L1 and the other group in their L2. After the reading (immediately and one week later), both groups orally answered questions designed to assess different aspects of the knowledge of the technical vocabulary learned from the texts. Participants’ knowledge was tested in both Slovak and English. The results revealed that students who gained their knowledge through L2 were disadvantages in several respects compared to their L1-instructed peers. First, immediately after the reading, they could recall fewer target words. In terms of quality, the knowledge they gained was less complete. One week later, the knowledge of the L2-instructed students deteriorated further, while that of the L1-instructed participants remained relatively stable. When students’ ability to express the knowledge was examined, the results revealed that students educated through their second language faced several difficulties when asked to communicate their knowledge in their native language. On the other hand, when expressing their knowledge through L2, their subject-related competence benefited in several respects from receiving content information in English. The study also assessed the role of L2 proficiency both in learning and expressing new specialised vocabulary. These findings are related to the practice of bilingual education, with a particular focus on the areas of learning and assessment of bilingually educated students.
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URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/19419
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