Growing Up Bilingual: Understanding specific benefits across the mainstream and complementary education sectors

There is a paucity of longitudinal research on the development of younger bilinguals, particularly those with a heritage language (HL). Complementary schools (CS) that promote HL learning have become increasingly prominent and are also underrecognized. This project applied a mixed-methods approach to examine the cognitive, social and educational outcomes of children with or without CS longitudinally.

The quantitative component of this research assessed cognitive and social developmental outcomes of 153 bilingual children (aged 4-9 years) across four mainstream primary schools and five CSs across East London. Following initial data collection (timepoint1) in 2019, eleven interviews were conducted with school staff and parents from each setting, focusing on language attitudes and practices, to help explain some of the initial findings. Ninety children (aged 6-12 years) from the initial sample were then revisited in 2021 (timepoint2) following the Covid-19 lockdowns, for reassessment of outcomes. Cognitive measures included executive functioning, attentional control and English object naming. Social measures included strength of ethnic and national identities, and cognitive, athletic and social competences. Teacher ratings of school adjustment were taken at timepoint2 as an educational outcome. Perceived HL and English language proficiency and exposure and family affluence (FA) were measured at both timepoints.

Findings indicated the supportive role of CSs in children’s perceived HL proficiency, particularly literacy, and developing ethnic identity. Apart from age, the impact of FA and proficiency of both languages on cognitive and social outcomes were also implicated. The sample showed a decline in perceived HL proficiency and competences post-pandemic, but the decline was smaller among CS-attendees. Interviews further highlighted the challenges of HL learning, the role of CSs in parental engagement, and the efforts by primary schools to support bilinguals’ English with a desire for greater inclusivity. The potential implications of these findings on education and policy are considered.