LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 11 : 2 February 2011
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.

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The Relationship between Gaining Mastery on 'Content' (School Subject Matters) and 'Linguistic Competence Level in Second Language'
through Immersion Program

Shaban Barimani, Ph. D. Candidate
Islamic Azad University, Sari Branch

Abstract

One of the main concerns for the immersion students' parents has always been about their children's lag in academic courses and the school subjects. They thought their children would lag behind in matters such as math in comparison to the non-immersion students.

In this study it was attempted to find the proportionate relationship between the level of linguistic competence in second language and mastery on content (subject matters) among the Indian students. Two homogeneous groups of students from two immersion schools from Mysore, Karnataka participated in the study. They were given two different tests on proficiency and content. The obtained data were analyzed through Pearson product moment correlation by SPSS version 17 with alpha 0.05. The result (Sig. = .000) statistically confirmed that the relationship is quite significant.

Keywords: Immersion program, content, linguistic, competence

Introduction

One of the recent innovative approaches and a very interesting innovation in second language education is 'immersion program', a specific type of integrated language teaching with the instruction of the regular school curriculum. In fact, in this method the school subject matters or contents are taught through the medium of a second language. In their early childhood education, the students are provided with an opportunity to learn the elementary academic subjects along with developing competence in a second language. In immersion schools, the students experience a cooperative learning where they can acquire a second language while they master the school subject matters or contents. In this method the target language is not the subject of instruction but a vehicle for acquiring knowledge from different subject areas, content instruction, as well as the object of instruction. Language is not taught in isolation, it is integrated with teaching content-subject matters.

Statement of the Problem

Naturally at the initial stages and at the beginning of immersion program implementation, the learners may have problems in comprehending the target language as the medium of instruction. However, this problem has emerged as one of the main concerns for the immersion students' parents. They think that their children may lag behind in the academic subjects in comparison to the non immersion students. Of course, such a concern is not that irrelevant since the studies done by researchers such as Holobow et al (1987), Swain & Lapkin (1991), and Jon Reyhner (1992) justify the presence of such concerns. They tried to determine the rate of the students' achievement of the contents and subject matters taught through the medium of the target language.

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Shaban Barimani, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate in EFL
Department of English and Literature
Islamic Azad University
Sari Branch
Iran
sh_barimani45@yahoo.com

 
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