Bilingual Education in Welsh Primary Schools. Advantageous or Unfavourable?

Seminar paper from the year 2014 in the subject English - Discussion and Essays, grade: 1,7, University of Wuppertal, language: English, abstract: This term paper concerns the advantages as well as disadvantages of bilingual education in Wales based on personal experiences I made in a primary school in South West Wales. I chose this topic because I had the great opportunity to have a direct insight into the Welsh primary school system over a certain period of time and therefore can draw on my own personal perceptions. The relevance of this subject-matter is of great importance since Wales can be considered an international character in educating through a minority language. It demonstrates that in one society two languages can co-exist, which contributes to a stronger community-spirit and pride but at the same time exhibits different opinions concerning the effectiveness of early bilingual education. In the following I will provide a definition for bilingualism and explain the meaning of bilingual education as well as its different types, referring to Baker. Furthermore I will introduce the theoretical framework this term paper is based on, making reference to Jim Cummins' 'Balance Theory', 'Interdependence Hypothesis' or 'Dual Iceberg Theory' and the 'Thresholds Theory'. The first two mentioned theories can be classified into the idea of 'Separate Underlying Proficiency' and 'Common Underlying Proficiency', which will be elucidated later on. Subsequently I will move on to the emergence of bilingual education in Wales, illustrating the justification of bilingual education at an early stage of life, the infant and primary school period. Ensuing I will outline my personal experiences made with primary school children in a Welsh village called Letterston, located in Pembrokeshire, from age five to eleven, stating my own observations concerning the educational situation. Ultimately I will present a conclusion relating to the advantageous or unfavourable function of bilingual education performed in Welsh primary schools based on my own experience and theoretical background.