Based in case studies conducted in the US, Europe, and Latin America, this book explores the feasibility and benefits of trilingual/ multilingual education in the United States. Currently, there are few programs in the country of this nature, as educators tend to conclude that English-language learners would be overwhelmed by study in additional languages. Henn-Reinke builds an argument supporting trilingual education in the US, discussing issues of identity, curriculum, pedagogy, and the impact of other psycho-socio-linguistic factors.

Based in case studies conducted in the US, Europe, and Latin America, this book explores the feasibility and benefits of trilingual/ multilingual education in the United States. Currently, there are few programs in the country of this nature, as educators tend to conclude that English-language learners would be overwhelmed by study in additional languages. Henn-Reinke builds an argument supporting trilingual education in the US, discussing issues of identity, curriculum, pedagogy, and the impact of other psycho-socio-linguistic factors.

This book focuses on Hong Kong as a multilingual society. It investigates how trilingual education is implemented in Hong Kong primary schools. Based on a large scale survey of 155 Hong Kong schools and in-depth case studies in 3 selected schools, the book gives an overview of trilingual education in Hong Kong primary schools, revealing the views on trilingual education of all stakeholders: school principals, panel chairs, subject teachers, students, and parents. The research findings presented in this book suggest that the implementation of trilingual education varies significantly from school to school, as does the effectiveness of the trilingual education models used. It shows how students’ views towards the use of different media of instruction (MoIs) also vary, and how their mother-tongue backgrounds affect their perceptions. By documenting views, policies and implementation methods, the book provides insight into the practice of trilingual education in Hong Kong and offers suggestions on potentially effective implementation methods.

This book examines language policies and practices in schools in regions of China populated by indigenous minority groups. It focuses on models of trilingual education, i.e. education in the home language, Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese, the national language), and English (the main foreign language). Special attention is given to the study of the vitality of the minority home language in each region and issues relating to and the effects of the teaching and learning of the minority home language on minority students’ acquisition of Mandarin Chinese and English and on their school performance in general. The book also examines the case of Cantonese in Guangdong, where the local Chinese ‘dialect’ is strong but distant from the mainstream language, Putonghua. It takes a new approach to researching sociolinguistic phenomena, and presents a new methodology that emerged from studies of bi/trilingualism in European societies and was then tailored to the trilingual context in China. The methodology encompasses policy analysis and community language profiles, as well as school-based fieldwork, and provides rich data that facilitate multilevel analysis of policy-in-context.

This handbook presents a state-of-the-art overview of dual language bilingual education (DLBE) research, programs, pedagogy, and practice. Organized around four sections—theoretical foundations; key issues and trends; school-based practices; and teacher and administrator preparation—the volume comprehensively addresses major and emerging topics in the field. With contributions from expert scholars, the handbook highlights programs that honor the assets of language-minoritized and marginalized students and provides empirically grounded guidance for asset-based instruction. Chapters cover historical and policy considerations, leadership, family relations, professional development, community partnerships, race, class, gender, and more. Synthesizing major issues, discussing central themes and advancing policy and practice, this handbook is a seminal volume and definitive reference text in bilingual/second language education.

This is a collection of articles which describe and assess the Foyer Model, a project for schooling minority children in Brussels, which aims for bicultural and trilingual education. It demonstrates the need for an appropriate education model in a culturally and linguistically complex society.

Multilingualism is a typical aspect of everyday life for most of the world’s population; it has existed since the beginning of humanity and among individuals of all backgrounds. Nonetheless, it has often been treated as a variant of bilingualism or as a phenomenon unique to individual areas of study. The purpose of this book is to review current knowledge about the acquisition, use and loss of multiple languages using a multidisciplinary perspective, highlighting the common themes and stimulating insights that can emerge when multilingualism is viewed from different but related areas of investigation. The chapters focus on research evidence, showing that multilingualism is a complex phenomenon that involves a myriad of linguistic and extra-linguistic forces and that should be studied in its own right as evidence of human potential and capacity for language. The book is primarily addressed to students and scholars interested in deepening their understanding of the different facets of multilingualism, including the individual and societal circumstances that contribute to it, the cognitive and neural mechanisms that make it possible, and the dynamics involved in the acquisition, use and loss of multiple languages.