The Effects of Cultural and Linguistic Variables On the Academic Achievement of Minority Children

Abstract

Research on bilingual/bicultural education and on bilingual/bicultural issues is broad and represents a variety of theoretical perspectives, which can be categorized into four general domains:1. The effects of bilingualism and second-language acquisition. 2. The effects of bilingualism on social development and social interaction. 3. The effects of bilingualism on academic performance, cognition, and cognitive development (Rueda, 1983a(Rueda, , 1983b(Rueda, , 1985. 4. Theoretical considerations (Piagetian, linguistic, metacognitive, metalinguistic, and information processing) involved in language and cognition (Whitaker, 1988).In relation to the last two areas of research, current theory proposes that certain features of the bilingual/bicultural environment may result in positive effects on the cognitive and academic performance of the bilingual/bicultural child. Additionally, a threshold level of language proficiency may be necessary for the positive cognitive effects of bilingualism to occur. When factors other than specific disability or anomalous cognitive development (such as race, culture, or gender) are added to the research picture, however, many questions arise that are at present unanswered. For example: Should bilingual education be considered an available alternative for handicapped language minority children? Do certain groups of handicapped children have such a difficult time acquiring one language that bilingual programs should not be considered? If indeed certain cognitive advantages can be gained from proficiency in two languages, perhaps students in this group should have available the option of this potential remedial tool in conjunction with other interventions (Rueda, 1983a).Obviously, before any decision can be made about the possibility of using bilingual/ bicultural education as an educational intervention with language minority handicapped children, the above questions must be addressed. But, more important, how bilingualism affects cognitive performance must be determined. The following review of the literature examines the research on bilingualism, language, cultural, and racial factors and how they relate to cognition, with special attention to the cases in which bilingualism and anomalous cognitive development are involved.