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Early Heritage-Language Education and the Abrupt Shift to a Dominant-Language Classroom: Impact on the Personal and Collective Esteem of Inuit Children in Arctic Quebec
- Source :
-
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism . 2003 6(5):349-373. - Publication Year :
- 2003
-
Abstract
- This research explored the impact of the abrupt shift from heritage-language to dominant-language education on Inuit children's personal and collective self-esteem. Specifically, the following question was addressed: will early heritage-language education serve as an inoculation against the potential negative impact of being submerged in a dominant second-language environment, or will it just delay the negative impact of this submersion? Results show that the shift from heritage-language to dominant second-language instruction in Grade 3 was associated with a significant decrease in personal self-esteem. As for collective self-esteem, results show no effects of the abrupt shift into a dominant-language classroom. However, a clear pro-White bias for all Inuit children at both the fall and the spring of Grade 3 emerged. The results suggest that a more gradual introduction to the dominant language may be needed in order to protect minority-language children's personal sense of self-worth. In addition, the data suggest that early heritage-language education did not prevent the development of negative collective self-views for Inuit children in the community and cannot fully protect children from the negative impact of late submersion in dominant second-language instruction. The implications for bilingual education programmes are discussed. (Contains 1 table, 3 figures, and 4 notes.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1367-0050
- Volume :
- 6
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- ERIC
- Journal :
- International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- EJ789505
- Document Type :
- Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research