No abstract

No abstract

The main target of the study is to examinethe bilingual education program in the Basque Country, and identify whether or not their bilingual education can be implemented in Turkey. In thisresearch study, we used a qualitative method including data collection through an open-ended survey and interview that illustrates the issues surrounding bilingual education in the Basque region. The survey and interviewencompassed30 participants from K-12 teachers and the scholars in the Basque Country. The participants’ answers from both survey and interviewwere gathered and analyzed. The researcher coded emergent themes in the survey and interview. According to results, the Basque region over the last decade has established a bilingual education model, which offers multiple options for the linguistic study of the Basque language, and this model is still a reputable ongoing bilingual education system. Since Turkey and Spain historically and politically have many similarities, the Basque bilingual model can be implemented in Turkey as well.

Age is an essential factor in Second Language Acquisition (SLA), impacting the success of students and instructional methods. The purpose of this study is to examine the age factor in SLA by examining three age categories – children, adolescents and adults. In doing so, the study considers the Critical Period Hypothesis as a base of linguistic research in the area of age factor. The study disapproves the assertion of the hypothesis that all prepubescent learners are able to acquire native-like proficiency in target language pronunciation. The study analyzes common SLA beliefs, including: 1) younger learners are more successful than older learners, 2) the language learning processes of younger learners are less stressful and require less of an effort, and 3) young learners are more skillful in language learning. Adolescents and adults are considered as older learners in terms of cognitive maturity. The results of the study indicated that children learn a language easier than adolescents and adults, particularly with respect to pronunciation and morpho syntax. Adolescents are good at syntax and listening sills, while the best results for adults are for reading and writing activities. Thus, the types of brain organization at learners of different developmental stages lead to the need for a diversity of instructional methods for children, adolescents and adults.

Bilingual education is globally an important aspect within the educational community in recent years. The purpose of the study is to explore perceptions towards a bilingual education program and investigate factors that may affect the development of a bilingual education program in Turkey. This study also identifies the benefits of bilingualism in Turkey. The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed method design, which consisted of a quantitative phase followed by a qualitative phase. Data were collected from 40 participants who were graduate students, faculty members, and K-12 teachers. Descriptive analysis was used in the first phase of data analysis; thematic analysis was used in the second phase. A bilingual education program in Turkey might solve the conflict between different ethnic groups. Findings from both phases of data analysis indicated that people in the research group have affirmative perspectives towards a bilingual education program in Turkey.