Early immersion (foreign-language instruction)
Early immersion in foreign-language instruction is an educational approach that integrates a second language into the core curriculum for young children, typically starting in kindergarten. This method, predicated on the Critical Period Hypothesis, suggests that early childhood is the most effective time for language acquisition. In an early immersion program, at least 50% of the curriculum is delivered in the target language, allowing students to learn subjects while simultaneously developing language skills. Unlike enriched second language programs, which focus on one or two subjects in a foreign language, early immersion provides a comprehensive educational experience comparable to traditional schooling.
Students in these programs often achieve fluency in the second language by around age ten or eleven, and research indicates they tend to outperform peers in traditional language learning contexts. Furthermore, immersion education fosters not only linguistic abilities but also cognitive advantages, such as enhanced memory and problem-solving skills. Students often develop a deeper appreciation for diverse cultures and greater tolerance for different ethnicities. While parents may need to commit to the program for several years, the long-term benefits of bilingualism and cognitive development make early immersion an appealing option for many families seeking a holistic approach to language education.
On this Page
Early immersion (foreign-language instruction)
An early immersion program provides a foreign language education to children by teaching school subjects in that targeted language. Such programs are structured around the idea that the easiest time to learn another language is in early childhood.
Overview
Early immersion programs offer students a full scholastic curriculum that is the same as those provided to their peers in standard educational settings, except that at least 50 percent of all material is taught in the specialized language of the program. This enables a second language to be used as an instructional tool in addition to the object of study. Programs that are specifically and strictly 50/50 are often referred to as dual language programs, while immersion programs strive to immerse the students in one specific language that is different from their primary language. Dual language programs also often specifically mix children who are native speakers and non-native speakers in order to promote dual language engagement in the classroom. Programs in which one or two subjects are taught in a foreign language are not technically early immersion programs; these are instead called "enriched second language programs." Similarly, English-as-a-second-language (ESL) programs, which allow students to pursue part of their study in their native first language and the remainder in English, or remove students from the general education classroom in order to receive personalized instruction, constitute a different and more gradual form of bilingual education that is primarily targeted toward immigrants and their children.
Children enrolled in an early immersion program usually begin in kindergarten—that is, when they are five or six years old. Parents are asked to commit their children to the program for the full duration of elementary school because the results of these programs are not fully evident until several years after enrollment. Children may even initially lag behind their counterparts in some subjects during the early years of the program.
The goals of an immersion program are to provide students with fluency in a second language at a young age while still offering them an equal level of competency in English or their native language and other standard classroom subjects as their peers in more traditional educational programs.
Potential Benefits
Studies have shown that children early immersion programs normally gain fluency in a non-native language by age ten or eleven. In addition, these students demonstrate greater levels of bilingual proficiency than those exposed to traditional foreign language classes or home-study programs.
Among the less tangible benefits of immersion programs is a higher appreciation of foreign cultures (beyond even the culture of the studied language) as well as a greater tolerance for other ethnicities. Further, along with the social and professional advantages of bilingualism (as the ability to speak another language is a sought-after skill in the employment marketplace), children placed into immersion programs showed increased cognitive benefits. These include a greater ability to learn third and fourth languages, increased verbal memory and verbal recall (that is, the ability to remember words and retain information given verbally), heightened problem-solving abilities, better memories, and a stronger understanding of language components like grammar and syntax.
Bibliography
Fortune, Tara Williams. "What the Research Says About Immersion." Asia Society. Asia Society. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. http://asiasociety.org/china-learning-initiatives/what-research-tells-us-about-immersion
Grosjean, Francois. "Cognitive Advantages of Second Language Immersion Education." Psychology Today, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual/201401/cognitive-advantages-second-language-immersion-education. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.
Kozlova, Maija. “The Benefit of Immersive Language-Learning Experiences and How to Create Them.” Cambridge English, 19 May 2021, www.cambridgeenglish.org/blog/the-benefit-of-immersive-language-learning-experiences-and-how-to-create-them/. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.
Vázquez Baur, Alejandra, and Claire E. Sylvan. “Ensuring Equitable Access to Dual-Language Immersion Programs: Supporting English Learners' Emerging Bilingualism.” The Century Foundation, 15 May 2023, tcf.org/content/report/ensuring-equitable-access-to-dual-language-immersion-programs-supporting-english-learners-emerging-bilingualism/. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.
Warnar, Andrew. “4 Benefits of Dual-Language Immersion Programs.” U.S. News and World Report, 9 June 2024, www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/4-benefits-of-dual-language-immersion-programs. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.
Weeks, Caroline. “Dual Language Implementation Models.” Participate Learning, 27 July 2022, www.participatelearning.com/blog/dual-language-implementation-models/. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.