Models of L1-based MLE: Evidence from a decade of research

• In Event: Building and sustaining a searchable, open-source database on l1-based multilingual education research

Proposal

Publications from our database covering the past ten years demonstrate increasing interest in improving educational quality and in reaching the most marginalized through “first language first” programs, where learners do better in school overall, develop literacy skills that can be transferred to additional languages, construct strong identities and develop high self-esteem (Cummins 2009; Heugh 2011; Thomas & Collier 2002; Walter 2013). Implementation of L1-based MLE models has the potential to empower communities with learning and social mobility in a sustainable manner.

The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent models of L1-based MLE reflect new and deeper understandings of evidence-based principles, focusing on the 67 publications that we identified as specifically examining models of MLE in multilingual contexts. Based on an iterative process of article review, a number of findings have emerged from this sample of publications. First, the articles adopt varying approaches to understanding models of MLE, from macro-level perspectives on how models should be implemented in schools and government bodies, to micro-level perspectives on specific school day timetables that describe where and when children’s dominant and non-dominant languages should be used. Likewise, studies use language mapping across curricula as well as across children’s years of schooling to highlight the models adopted, including early- or late-exit subtractive MLE models that transition children from using their mother tongue to using the dominant language of society, as well as additive models that promote dual-language maintenance throughout a child’s school years. Raising awareness of specific MLE models among stakeholders appears to be a common theme in the research, as evidenced in teacher capacity building and family buy-in efforts to promote sustainable access to quality education.

In this presentation, exemplar articles will be highlighted to showcase emergent themes and take stock of how far research on MLE models has come in the past ten years. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications, limitations, and directions for future research.

Author

• Kevin M. Wong, New York University