A Typology of Bilingual Education

Abstract

What is needed for planning and research in bilingual education is not more and better definitions but a simple and complete typology based on the only common denominator—the use of two or more languages. The distribution of these languages throughout the entire learning environment (structured and unstructured) is the basis of this typology. The languages are distributed in time and space (home‐school‐area‐nation). This distribution generates a number of basic patterns. The structured distribution within the school covering a given length of the schooling time produces curriculum patterns based on: medium (single vs. dual) maintenance, transfer (acculturation vs. irredentism) and transition (gradual vs. abrupt). Each of these patterns exists in two sorts of relationships—the school‐home relation and the school‐environment (area and nation) relation. Five types of school‐home relation and nine types of school‐environment relation, coupled with the curriculum patterns, cover all theoretically possible types. This would provide a framework within which measurements of the status and function of the languages used and of the distance between them would facilitate planning, research, and comparison.

Evaluation of Different Bilingual Education Models and Its Application on Primary School Children Literacy

“…Mackey firstly classifies no less than 90 different types of bilingual education in terms of "the languages of the home, the languages of the curriculum, the languages of the community in which the school is located, and the international and regional status of the languages" (Mackey, 1972), but it is too detailed to identify. Another frequently quoted distinction which is made by Hornberger consists of three types according to different www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/selt Studies in English Language Teaching Vol.…”

An Analysis and Comparison of the Vocabulary of Teaching Materials: Exploring Bilingual Programmes in Secondary Education

“…BE, as well as the term Bilingualism, turns out to be a concept infused with a certain level of gradation (Mackey, 1970). This is because BE can be understood as an education system in which students switch between two different languages with the aim of becoming familiar with the languages they are learning.…”

“…This is because BE can be understood as an education system in which students switch between two different languages with the aim of becoming familiar with the languages they are learning. But BE can also be approached as parts of the different areas of the curriculum in the second language, with the objective of developing the student's knowledge of the second language by linguistic immersion (Mackey, 1970).…”

Losing the Battle for Balanced Bilingualism

“…Programs of "bilingual education" have been divided into anywhere from two (Kjolseth 1972) to ninety or more (Mackey 1970) types. Fishman (1974: 40-46) distinguishes programs of (1) transitional, (2) monoliterate, (3) partial, and (4) full bilingualism.…”