Bilingual Research, what you need to know as bilingual parent

The first type of bilingual research that I listed is about the benefits of being bilingual.

Then there is what parents need to know about raising bilingual children, and what parents need NOT worry about bilingual children.

Most bilingual research that I found focus more on bilingual education, which is basically providing bilingual education in school.

Another common topic is biliteracy, which I still often mix with bilingualism. Biliteracy is the ability to read in 2 languages. It’s a more complex skill, if I may say so, since not only one needs to understand 2 languages, but also to decode texts presented in 2 different rules.

This bilingual research talk about teaching English literacy to bilingual children whose first language is not English. The majority is of the opinion that literacy in the first language readily transfer to the second language.

For now I only listed bilingual research available online. Please visit me often since I’ll be adding more research on bilingualism as I find them.

BENEFITS OF BEING BILINGUAL

Never too early to learn second tongue
"It's never too soon -- or too late for a child to learn a second language. Children who learn to speak two languages at once sound like a native in both tongues. What's more, they learn to talk at the same speed as kids who learn only a single language." More...

Being Bilingual Boosts Brain Power
"People who are bilingual have an advantage over the rest of us, and not just in terms of communication skills. The bilingual brain develops more densely, giving it an advantage in various abilities and skills, according to new research." More...

Bilingualism May Keep the Mind Young
"Two languages may be better than one when it comes to keeping the mind young. A new study shows that being fluent in two languages may help prevent some of the effects of aging on brain function." More...

WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW TO RAISE BILINGUAL CHILDREN

Two or More Languages in Early Childhood : Some General Points and Practical Recommendations
"In an increasingly diversified and multilingual world, more and more young children find themselves in an environment where more than one language is used. Similarly, with job changes that involve moving to different parts of the world, parents can feel overwhelmed by the linguistic demands on them and their children. What can parents expect of their children? Do parents have anything to contribute to the process of early language development? Does it confuse children to learn two or more languages at once? Do children have to be especially intelligent to be able to cope with more than one language?" More...

Raising Bilingual Children: Common Parental Concerns and Current Research
"A growing number of U.S. parents view bilingualism as a laudable family goal. The reasons for this trend include a desire to maintain ties to the parents' heritage language and culture, to provide children with academic and cognitive advantages, and to promote cross-cultural understanding and communication. Yet research indicates that success in raising children to be bilingual remains the exception in the United States, as most children eventually become English dominant or even monolingual in English (Wong Fillmore, 2000). This is due at least in part to the high status of English and the limited number of opportunities available for children to learn languages other than English. Research also indicates that parents' beliefs, attitudes, and interactions with their children are important in helping children become bilingual (De Houwer, 1998; Lanza, 1997)." More...

Researchers: No harm in learning two languages
"A Dartmouth research team has determined that children exposed to two languages early in life are not language delayed, nor are they language confused, which fuels the scientific and political debate over when to introduce children to a second language" More...

BILINGUAL EDUCATION

A Global Perspective on Bilingualism and Bilingual Education
"In the research review conducted for the World Bank (Dutcher, 1994), the following common threads were identified in successful programs that aimed to provide students with multiple language proficiency and with access to academic content material. Development of the mother tongue is encouraged to promote cognitive development and as a basis for learning the second language." More...

Ten Common Fallacies About Bilingual Education
"Researchers have made considerable advances in the fields of psycholinguistics, second language acquisition, bilingual pedagogy, and multicultural education. Today, we know a great deal more about the challenges faced by English language learners and about promising strategies for overcoming them. One such strategy, bilingual education, has been the subject of increasing controversy. Although a growing body of research points to the potential benefits, there are a number of commonly held beliefs about bilingual educa-tion that run counter to research findings." More...

Bilingual Children's Mother Tongue: Why Is It Important for Education?
Discusses the benefits of being bilingual, how a first language may be lost, bilingual education, and transfer of biliteracy from first to second language. More...