Document Type : Research Article
Author
Faculty member of Department of Educational Sciences, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
In this study, to explore the relationship between bilinguality and academic achievement among the first grade pupils of Ahvaz Education OftIce, District One, 20() pupils, the mother tongue of one half of whom was Arabic and that of the other half Persian were randomly selected. A questionnaire involving the relevant variables was used.
Multiple regression analysis showed that, hilingnality aside, from among other variables, only four, i.e. parent literacy, socio-economic status, and teacher level of education and experience proved to have a meaningful relationship with achievement. The remainder of student academic achievement showed a very low correlation with bilinguality. Thus, after controlling certain personal, familial, social and school variables, hilinguality accounted for only .006 of the variable of school achievement which is not significant even at cx=.O5. The analysis of covariance yielded the same results.
Jones, W.R. and Stewart, W.C. (1951). Bilingualism and verbal intelligence. British Jaurnd of Psychology, Vol.4, 3-8.
Kenndey, Eugene and Park, Hae-Seong (1994). Home Longuage as a Predictor of Academic Achievement: A Comparafive study of Mexican- and Asian- American youth. Journal of Research and Development in Edacation, Vol 27, 188- 194.
Simones, Jr. A. (1976). The Bilingual child. Academic press. NewYork.
Taylor, 1. (1976). Introduction to Psycholinguist. Holt Rinchart and Winston:
NewYork.
Velerz, R,and Velerz,J. (1994). Matching words to Concepts in Two
Languages: A test of the Concept Mediation Mided of bilingual Represention. Memory and Cognition, Vol, 23,166-180.
Weinreich, U. (1953). Languages in Contact (7th ecln). Mouton the Hague:
Paris.
)