Abstract :
Bilingual approaches to teaching language and content are generally considered to be highly successful programmes. The positive effects of bilingual education on young learners’ communication skills in the foreign language have been demonstrated in various studies, however, the development of their academic skills, such as describing and explaining scientific concepts in both the students’ first (or school language) as well as in the foreign language, has received less attention in research so far. The use of the L1 has been subject to debate for quite some time. Interviews conducted with teachers in bilingual programmes reveal that the L1 is not used systematically (cf. e.g. Wolff/Sudhoff 2015, Laupenmühlen 2012). On the other hand, theoretical assumptions concerning the characteristics of the bilingual mental lexicon, suggest that the use of two languages in bilingual teaching seems necessary in order to promote dual-subject literacy (cf. Diehr 2018). This raises the issue of functional code-switching as a planned and systematic component of bilingual teaching and learning (cf. Frisch 2016). Beginning research focusing on the functional use of both the L1 and the L2 indicates that the use of the L1 can, for instance, facilitate L2 interaction and comprehension and lead to a more appropriate usage of L1 subject-specific terminology (cf. Gablasova 2014; Tavares 2015; Botz/Frisch 2016).
Following this, the current project investigates the children’s ability to describe and explain scientific concepts in both their L1 German as well as in their L2 English. For this, a study involving bilingual teaching units was conducted in science lessons at a primary school in Germany. The presented results may contribute to the discussion on an “effective” methodology for bilingual (science) teaching, the use of the L1 in bilingual instruction as well as on setting realistic goals for bilingual education at primary level.
