Date Approved
4-2021
Graduate Degree Type
Project
Degree Name
Education-Educational Leadership (M.Ed.)
Degree Program
College of Education
First Advisor
Dr. Catherine L. Meyer-Looze
Academic Year
2020/2021
Abstract
All through the world bilingualism is a normal part of school, work, and culture creating cognitive and social-emotional benefits (Fan, 2016; Marian & Shook, 2012). The United States is a unique educational system, distinctly geared towards monolinguals, specifically English, especially in the elementary schools. The absence of second language learning at the elementary grades is a gap districts should seek to fill as research shows brain development positively effecting cognitive and social-emotional learning during this early stage of development (Abutalebi et al., 2011). This project is an in-service designed for elementary school districts pursuing a better understanding of why second language learning will benefit students both cognitively and social-emotionally. Important pieces of this in-service will be sharing research-based information and providing scope and sequence to achieve second language learning implementation within elementary schools. Sustained evaluations will be key indicators of success of the in-service program. Stronger presence of second language learning will benefit student cognitive development and influence the student body with positive social-emotional learning.
ScholarWorks Citation
Elenbaas, Brooke, "Second Language Learning in Elementary Years: Cognitive and Social-Emotional Benefits" (2021). Culminating Experience Projects. 22.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gradprojects/22
