Bilingual Education Practice In Wales

Wales, bordering England on the east and facing the Irish Sea on the north, is a nation with a history of well over two thousand years, during which time it has created its own unique and brilliant culture as well as language. After being formally united with England in 1536, the Welsh people have been making every endeavor to seek their ethnic identity under the pressure of the dominant English culture. The most remarkable of their achievements has been the maintenance and revival of the Welsh language. With the vigorous efforts of the central government, counties, schools, parents and voluntary organizations in Wales, such significant pieces of legislation as the Welsh Language Act 1967, Education Reform Act 1988, and the Welsh Language Act 1993 were passed. Furthermore, the Welsh Language Board was established to promote the use of Welsh in Wales. In the recent decades, more and more primary and secondary schools where Welsh is taught as a first or second language have been built. The proportion of Welsh-speaking students has been on the increase. The legal and social status of the Welsh language has also been raised magnificently. This thesis aims to discuss this educational success from a cultural rather than a linguistic perspective.In the thesis, an analysis is given of the background and development of bilingual education in Wales, the major bilingual education models used in Wales and the regional discrepancy. A case study is presented to reflect the practice of such programs in real bilingual classrooms, followed by the discussion of the importance of various parties in the framework, including government, teachers, and parents. The achievements and problems experienced by Wales in its practice are summarized, without casting aside the substantial role played by the rich cultural context in Wales.The success of the bilingual education in Wales owes primarily to the joint efforts of the whole society from the top down, including legal and financial support, the impetus of the long-lasting national enthusiasm, the assimilation of bilingual education experience from North America, the rich art forms using Welsh as the medium, and so on. Therefore despite the fact that there is a chronic lack of qualified teachers and schools, and that pertinent educational research is far from sufficient in Wales, the Welsh language has been saved from its gloomy fate as suggested by the conditions towards the end of last century. In a nutshell, the experience in Wales can serve as a valuable subject of research in the fields of bilingual education as well as cultural studies.