Effect of bilingual education on students' first language written discourse : a contrastive Spanish-English study using systemic functional linguistics
This thesis investigates whether studying through English has an effect on the written texts secondary school students produce in their first language, Spanish. Research in bilingual education has tended to focus on studentsâ language proficiency and academic achievement as opposed to investigating differences in discourse norms. However, an increased awareness of the role of discourse in language use and the culturally-specific nature of discourse, along with a growing concern over the dominance of the English language in Europe and elsewhere, have widened the range of questions identified as requiring investigation in bilingual education. Popular understanding suggests that English speakers make different choices from Spanish speakers in particular rhetorical situations. Although research into these contrasts can be problematic, there is support for the existence of cultural preference in the selection of options, and specific areas of similarity and difference between Spanish and English discourse have been suggested. This study then looks at one group of secondary three (3Âș E.S.O.) Spanish students studying through English on a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programme in Spain, and
Maxwell-Reid, Corinne Rhona
content and language integrated learning ; CLIL ; systemic functional linguistics ; contrastive rhetoric ; written discourse ; Spanish
Effect of bilingual education on students' first language written discourse : a contrastive Spanish-English study using systemic functional linguistics. This thesis investigates whether studying through English has an effect on the written texts secondary school students produce in their first language, Spanish. Research in bilingual education has tended to focus on studentsâ language proficiency and academic achievement as opposed to investigating differences in discourse norms. However, an increased awareness of the role of discourse in language use and the culturally-specific nature of discourse, along with a growing concern over the dominance of the English language in Europe and elsewhere, have widened the range of questions identified as requiring investigation in bilingual education. Popular understanding suggests that English speakers make different choices from Spanish speakers in particular rhetorical situations. Although research into these contrasts can be problematic, there is support for the existence of cultural preference in the selection of options, and specific areas of similarity and difference between Spanish and English discourse have been suggested. This study then looks at one group of secondary three (3Âș E.S.O.) Spanish students studying through English on a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programme in Spain, and
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