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20.10.2010

PECULIARITIES OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE NATIONAL IDENTITY

   

Tamara Vardanyan

T. Vardanyan – the expert of the Center of the Armenian Studies of “Noravank” Foundation

Introduction

The phenomenon of the multi-culturalism in pedagogic became a subject of investigation in the 60s of the 20th century, and in 1980s the theories and methods of multi-cultural education began to develop. The significance of the issue is connected with the fact that the constantly growing flow of emigrants from Asia and Africa causes the problems with integration in the host countries.

Specialists offer different educational methods, which passed the test in different multi-ethnic countries, for the solution of those problems. Let us mention that the problems with the civil integration and softening of the inter-ethnic tension are characteristic of almost all the countries with multi-ethnic population.

And as the RA is mono-ethnic state, the implementation of such educational models here (including NKR) is devoid of any logic, and discussing such issues is simply absurd.

We discuss this issue exclusively taking into consideration the fact of dispersion of the Armenians all over the world. As a result of this dispersion, Armeniancy plays a role of the ethnic and language minority abroad. Thus, we will discuss a number of modern educational models in the aspect of their suitability in any Armenian community from the point of view of preserving nation.

This article considers the models and types of those educational methods, their efficiency and implementation mechanism and, of course, the issues of preserving of the national identity in case of their adoption.

Multi-ethnic education

One of the first approaches is the concept of multi-ethnic education (U. Boos-Nünning1, U. Sandfuchs2 and others). The main idea of this approach consists in educating inside the society tolerance and orientation to the culture of immigrants, principle of a free choice and abstract perception of a human being by a human being. The aim of the conception of multi-cultural education is to establish harmonious relations between different ethnic groups, to impart mutual interest in each other, “open” approach, to study traditions and to provide processing of those traditions within the framework of new culture.

Bicultural education

This conception is based on the idea of forming double culture and double language identity (W. Fthenakis, A. Sonner and others3). This process is provided through constant comparing of two cultures. The aim of this method is to form all-planet consciousness and integration into world culture and educational system.

Multi-culturalism

The usage of such educational methods in multi-ethnic societies is considered as an efficient mechanism of solution of ethnic conflicts. As a Doctor of Pedagogy, Professor M.A.Khayruddinov mentions: “all the conceptions which pursue such aims (here he means education of tolerance to other cultures, dissemination of universal ideas and etc. – T.V.) can be conventionally grouped under the name of multi-culturalism, which is first of all implemented in regard to the traditional social and pedagogic problem of race and ethnic conflicts solution”4.

Historically multi-cultural education originates from the US. Here, just like in Canada, the for the formation of such educational concepts was based on the movements directed to the protection of the civil rights of the exploited groups. Later on these movements were joined by the movements for the rights of women, invalids, sexual and other minorities.

Due to the fact that the US and Canada are the countries which consist of emigrants, thus, they face a task to create new nations from different ethnic groups. In the opinion of the specialists, the most important instrument for the formation of new nations is the education.

The formation and development of multi-cultural pedagogy in the US took place within the framework of changes in the philosophy of the main approaches to the education. In this aspect education is considered as the main tool for the transformation of the society.

Thus, till the 18th century Anglo-Conformist approach5 dominated; according to this approach ethnic groups had to undergo re-ethnification, learn English as their mother tongue, accept political institutions of the English type, elements of English culture and etc. But this approach did not solve the problem of integration and soon it turned into a source of inter-ethnic conflicts. In fact this approach was the imitation of the English nation on the territory of the US.

In the second half of the 18th century the US had to decline that approach. In order to provide coexistence and integration of different ethnic groups, new methodology and new philosophy were put forward. Thus, till the mid 1980s American pedagogy had oriented to the concept of American nation formation which was called “melting pot”. In the US they renounced the imitation of English model, and decided that they can get a new kind of nation from merging of different ethnic groups, i.e. the American nation. This strategy of education assumed consolidation of different ethnic groups around the Anglo-Saxon protestant language and culture (adding different elements of other ethnic formations) through school and getting new nation. The US had to turn into a “melting pot” where national, cultural, ethnic differences had to disappear and the American type of national self-consciousness had to be formed. This conception was based on the idea that, as a result of merging of ethnicities and races, “new race which includes old values, differences and traditions” is formed. In this aspect American education resembles the Soviet internationalist ideas which final aim was the formation of a new historical community and new identity – “Soviet nation”.

But since the mid 1980s the conception of the “melting pot” has also been criticized by the specialists. The critics believed that this conception is not only erroneous but it is also vicious, because it does not take into consideration the complexity and dynamics of various forms of cultures, impossibility of their merging and “grinding”. The acknowledgement of the importance of ethnic diversity was intensified in the American pedagogy, because only with the help of that diversity one can provide the stability of the society and preserve all its cultural treasures. Thus, instead of “melting pot” a new conception has been formed – “America – salad bowl”.

In accordance with this new principle (multi-culturalism), the school curriculum on social studies should include key material about ethnic minorities, present key event from their history, a number of facts about their contribution to the prosperity and building of that country, general information about their culture, traditions and etc. At the same time all the material which may provoke inter-cultural discord should be avoided.

This principle has been also implemented in other countries and it is perceived as one of the contemporary variants of the solution of ethnic conflicts. The main component of the principle of multi-culturalism in the sphere of education is language policy. Implementation of multi-lingual and bilingual systems is considered as a key for the solution of inter-ethnic issues in multi-cultural sphere.

In the developing countries of Africa and Asia bilingual educational system is used – in the local language and in the languages of former colonizer countries (English, French, Portuguese). The peoples of those countries do not have the alphabet of their own, they do not have literature, theological or scientific texts, or, in other words, they do not have literary heritage in their language. As a result of absence of such important preconditions for forming and development of the national self-consciousness and many other factors, the population of different African countries can be called nation with the proviso, regardless of the fact that those countries are the UN members (UN abbreviation means “Organization of United Nations”).

The problem of multi-culturalism is urgent for Western Europe because in recent decades a huge flow of emigrants from Africa and Asia has turned there. But despite this, for example, authorities and all the political parties of Germany offered rigorous opposition to the statement of the prime-minister of Turkey R. Erdogan that Turkish minority in Germany (about three million people) needs schools where subjects are taught in Turkish6. Answer “No” by German authorities was as firm as the demand of R. Erdogand.

Types and models of bilingual education

Let us mention that discussions concerning bilingual education arise as a rule in the countries with mass immigration, e.g., countries of Western Europe, or in the countries which were formed due to the immigration (Canada, US). Therefore, one can speak about the usage of the method of bilingual education only in terms of solving definite problems in multi-ethnic societies. In other cases there is no necessity or precedents of using that method.

Specialists conventionally divide bilingual education into two types – content-based and subject-based7:

  1. Content-based bilingual education proposes teaching of all the content of education in two languages equally, in order to form a bilingual and bicultural person. This method can be used in the societies with multi-ethnic population. This means that children from national or language minorities are granted an opportunity to study the same subjects in two languages – in mother tongue and in the language of the titular ethnic group. This approach is acceptable in some cases because it brings, on the one hand, to the integration of the national minorities into the society and, on the other hand, it contributes to preserving of the national identity.
  2. Subject-based bilingual education proposes teaching some subjects in mother tongue and some – in other language. According to independent experts this method cannot form a bilingual. If some cultural values are perceived in mother tongue and the other part in a non-native language it is impossible to educate bilingual person, because in this case neither his thinking nor his creative language thought are developed in any of the languages. This method brings to the assimilation of the national minorities living abroad8.

So, of this two types only the first one is acceptable for the Armenian children who live abroad (outside the RA, NKR and Javakhq), and want to integrate in other countries and preserve their national identity at the same time. The specialists are right when they say that content-based and subject-based approaches differ from each other essentially from the point of view of psychological pedagogy, because, in essence, they pursue different goals.

Besides the two aforementioned types, which imply the usage of languages in teaching, the foreign experience of education in two languages also has 4 models which concern the age of teaching foreign languages9:

  1. Radical/extreme model; it supposes organization of teaching pupils in non-native language from the first grade.
  2. Transitional language model; it supposes gradual preparing of pupils to teaching in a foreign language through increase of the number of subjects in that language.
  3. Model of profound teaching language: it supposes simultaneous teaching of all or some of the subjects in two languages – mother tongue and non-native language.
  4. Model of language survival: it is directed to preserving of the mother tongue. According to this model all the subjects are taught in mother tongue and foreign languages are subsidiary means.

The first two models (radical and transitional) bring to the estrangement from the national roots, transformation of the identity and assimilation with other societies. Those models are absolutely unacceptable (in Diaspora as well)10.

Thus, the independent expert opinion on the issues of education of Russian speaking minority in Latvia says that the parents who want to see their children assimilated with the Latvian nation, send their children to the educational institutions where the transitional language model is used and where 50-80% of subjects are taught in Latvian from 5-6 grades11.

Bilingual education and Armenian communities

In general, all the aforementioned methods, unlike the national school which provides national education, are called to serve global processes directed to the evening-out and forming persons who are deprived of the national character, the so-called “citizens of the world”. Among the aforementioned four models of bilingual education we can single out the last two which can be implemented in some communities in Diaspora tentatively. In particular, in the communities where national education is on the verge of collapse (e.g., there are no Armenian schools or the education is organized mainly in Sunday schools), not the subject-based but a content-based type of bilingual education can be used, i.e. teaching activity is arranged in two languages equally. As for the age of teaching foreign languages, among the aforementioned four models only third and forth are acceptable.

Conclusions

Thus, the rich international experience of modern multi-cultural models of education can be implemented exclusively outside the RA and NKR (as well as Javakhq), weighing all pros and cons previously and using from the aforementioned models and types only those methods which have the biggest potential in terms of preserving nation.

Nevertheless, the basis for the national self-consciousness in the 20th century, despite the process of globalization, still remains the national school with the mother tongue as a language of teaching.

1Boos-Nünning, U., Hohmann, M., Reich, H., Aufnahmeunterricht, Muttersprachlicher Unterricht, Interkultureller Unterricht. Ergebnisse einer vergleichenden Untersuchung zum Unterricht für ausländische Kinder in Belgien, England, Frankreich und den Niederlanden. München 1983.

2Sandfuchs, U., Lehren und Lernen mit Ausländerkindern. Bad Heilbrunn. 1986.

3Fthenakis, W., Sonner, A., Thrul, R., Walbiner, W., Bilingual-bikulturelle Entwicklung des Kinders: Ein Handbuch für Psychologen, Pädagogen und Linguisten. München: Hueber 1985.

4Хайруддинов М.А., Поликультурное образование: история, проблемы и перспективы, 02.04.2007.

5See for details Налчаджян А., Этногенез и ассимиляция (психологические аспекты), Ереван – Москва, 2003, с. 184-185.

6Учите турецкий: Турция требует открыть в Германии школы с обучением на турецком языке, http://lenta.ru/articles/2010/03/30/schulen/

7Экспертная оценка основных документов, регламентирующих введение билингвального образования в школах с русским языком обучения в Латвийской Республике, http://skola.ogreland.lv/rusjaz/psihol/_private/psih015.htm.

8Let us mention that the initiative of the RA government “On making changes in the RA “Language Law” (documentation code: К-876-20.04.2010-ГК-010/0) propose implementation of the second model in the RA, which is, undoubtedly, unacceptable.

9Экспертная оценка основных документов, регламентирующих введение билингвального образования в школах с русским языком обучения в Латвийской Республике, http://skola.ogreland.lv/rusjaz/psihol/_private/psih015.htm.

10Let us once more remind you about the initiative of the RA government “On making changes in the RA “Language Law” (documentation code: К-876-20.04.2010-ГК-010/0) the first variant of which corresponded to the radical and the second, improved variant, corresponds to the transitional model. Both variants bring to the distortion and transformation of the national identity.

11Экспертная оценка основных документов, регламентирующих введение билингвального образования в школах с русским языком обучения в Латвийской Республике, http://skola.ogreland.lv/rusjaz/psihol/_private/psih015.htm.

«Globus National Security», issue 5

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