Is bilingual education a handicap for early childhood education teachers?

Abstract

Starting bilingual education from birth and early childhood allows the child to be introduced to the advantages of bilingualism at an early age. This study was conducted to explore the perspectives of early childhood teachers working in private preschools that offer education in a foreign language and monolingual teachers working in public preschools on bilingualism and bilingual education in Ankara, Türkiye. The sample consisted of 16 early childhood teachers, 8 of whom were bilingual and 8 of whom were monolingual. Five themes were identified through content analysis. The sub-themes and codes that emerged from these overarching themes were further elucidated using selected sample statements. The findings revealed that early childhood teachers' perspectives about bilingualism and bilingual education may vary depending on whether they are bilingual or monolingual. Despite the differences in teachers' views on bilingualism and some gaps in their knowledge about educational programs, all of them acknowledged bilingualism as an advantage and emphasized the need for the proliferation of bilingual schools in Türkiye. The conditions of bilingual education in Türkiye were taken into account in interpreting the results, and recommendations were made accordingly.