Dear Commons Community,

A critical issue in many school districts with large numbers of English language learners (ELL) is what type of academic program would be most appropriate for them.  Most school districts opt for an English immersion program that prepares them to do all of their school work in English over a bilingual program that would allow them to study subject matter in both English and the home language.

A recent study at Penn State concluded that bilingual education is beneficial stating that bilinguals with the ability to switch languages seamlessly have likely developed a higher level of mental flexibility than people who only speak one language, researchers at Penn State said Tuesday in a press statement.

“In the past, bilinguals were looked down upon,” Professor of Psychology, Linguistics and Women’s Studies Judith F. Kroll said in a press statement. “Not only is bilingualism not bad for you, it may be really good. When you’re switching languages all the time it strengthens your mental muscle and your executive function becomes enhanced.”

Researchers performed two experiments on English and Spanish speakers to assess whether both languages were active in their minds at all times. In the first, subjects read 512 sentences in either English or Spanish, switching between the two every two sentences, and had to read cognates out load in red as quickly and accurately as possible. The subjects rarely tripped up. The linguists then performed the same experiment, one language at a time, with similar results.

The study is part of a growing body of evidence upending the traditional view that growing up bilingual hindered cognitive development.

Tony