Attitudes and role of parents in two types of Finnish-Spanish bilingual education
What is it about?
In this study we analyze the benefit of being bilingual, how families plan this fact and what motivational attitudes (instrumental vs. integrative) lead to enrolling their children in bilingual programs. The data have been obtained through questionnaires and interviews with the students’ parents of two types of bilingual programs (Finnish-Spanish) in Finland, in a bilingual school and in the minority language maintenance courses.
Why is it important?
The results describe a specific family pattern and the use of the minority language at home. The analysis shows the mother’s role in the maintenance and learning of the minority language despite not being her mother tongue, as well as the father’s, and emphasizes how mixed marriages facilitate the learning process. The results describe a specific family pattern and the use of the minority language at home.