A aprendizagem de língua inglesa e bilinguísmo na primeira infância

Abstract

This paper is entitled English language learning and bilingualism in early childhood, and aims to explain the relationship between English language teaching and bilingualism during early childhood, showing through bibliographic research theoretical elements to explain this relationship, as well as explaining the benefits of both for the child. Data collection for this study was carried out through consultation in publications of reference authors in the area of ​​bilingualism and interfaces similar to the study. Studies published in the period between 2019 and 2024 were considered, however in some moments it was necessary to use references from dates prior to those stipulated as inclusion criteria. Bilingual education consists of learning two languages. However, some schools only provide the intensification of a second language, in the form of a foreign language as an end, and not as a means, and not effective learning by students. Bilingualism, on the other hand, consists of the individual's ability to communicate in two different linguistic systems. In addition to ensuring the learning of a second language, bilingual education has as one of its benefits the comprehensive education of students. Among the main challenges of bilingual education is the need for schools to develop quality practices for continuous and intensified language development. Regarding the benefits of bilingual education, according to psychologist and researcher Bialystock, who is a professor at York University in Canada, she published a study that pointed out the effects of bilingualism in children and adults in 2004. The studies showed that there are three cognitive aspects that are affected by bilingualism: executive control, verbal fluency and memory. The minds of bilingual individuals present differences not because bilingualism in itself generates a cognitive advantage or disadvantage, but because bilinguals need to recruit their mental resources differently than speakers of a single language. The research mentioned in this discussion reported that bilingual children are able to develop problem-solving skills that contain conflicting or misleading clues at an earlier age than monolinguals, due to this ability to alternate criteria for decision classification and respond to the new resource. The present research sought to be based on authors such as Coelho et al., (2019), Aiub (2021), Bortollotti (2020), Silva (2020), Flory & Souza (2009), Viola & Nonato (2019) and Freire & Santos (2021).