The Social Adjustment of Three, Young, High-Achieving Korean-English Bilingual Students in Kindergarten

This research article describes the English acquisition of three, young, high-achieving, Korean, bilingual students, their academic development and their social/psychological adjustment in school. All observations and interviews were conducted in the natural classroom setting. The Korean children underwent different school experiences, partially contingent upon their English proficiency, but they generally demonstrated rapid English acquisition and healthy adjustment to school. The study findings suggest that teachers and parents play an important role in supporting their bilingual children's adjustments to new environments while preserving fundamental aspects of their original culture. Recommendations for both mainstream and bilingual teachers are suggested to further an understanding of Korean children, as English language learners and enable these children to become bilingual in Korean and English.