Childhood Bilingual Analysis

The most recent study conducted on the attainment rates between monolingual and bilingual children was Erika Hoff’s observations in childhood concentration, which was published in her book “Childhood Bilingualism”. Hoff explained that when a bilingual child learns multiple languages, it changes how that child uses their cognitive resources. Furthermore, bilingual children often switch their mental dialogue from their native language to their second known language. It is this switching ability according to Erika Hoff that enables bilingual children to improve their ability to direct their attention to a certain task. Hoff later looked at the attainment rates of monolingual and bilingual children across the whole of the UK (The Guardian, 2009). She discovered that on average 59% of monolingual
Furthermore, Erika’s findings were later used as evidence to explain the different behaviours admitted in a classroom from both monolingual and bilingual children. These explanations were brought forward by social psychologist Wallace.E Lambert. Lambert found that the majority (children between the ages of 7-16 years old) of disruptive behaviours recorded in a classroom were primarily monolingual children (GOV. UK, 2013). Thus, Wallace.E. Lambert declared from reviewing Erica’s findings that the switching ability bilinguals possess, gave the bilingual children the advantage to remain focused and on task during lessons. Whist the majority of monolingual children were found unable to do this, as they did not possess this switching ability. Emily Wright a social science graduate, recently did a study on the behaviours of bilingual children for her social sciences degree. She discovered that bilingual children primarily held common traits amongst each other. Such traits include honesty, patience, determination, active participation and advanced organisation skills (Educate.org, 2016). In counter argument to Erika Hoff’s