A Privilege and A Necessity Research Findings on Early Language Learning Experiences Asian Languages BETAC Pat Lo, Director

Language Around The World Percentage of Proficient Speakers of Another Language 9% of Americans 53% of Europeans

Monolinguals 1/3 Bilinguals & Multilinguals 2/3 Crystal, 1997 Language Around The World

Children learning to speak 2 or more languages 2/3 Children learning to speak only one language 1/3 UN Report, 2002 Language Around The World

Benefits of Being Bilingual For the Adult Job opportunities Social circles Perspectives Appreciation and enjoyment Less likely to develop Alzheimer’s…

Benefits of Being Bilingual For the Young Child Enriches and enhances mental development Improves overall school performance and problem-solving skills Cultivates flexibility in thinking Creates opportunity to communicate with others Develops greater perspectives and appreciation for other cultures and the home culture

Cognitive Benefits of Knowing A Foreign Language Classification skills Concept formation Analytical and logical reasoning Visual-spatial skills Creativity Cognitive flexibility Colin Baker, 1999

Benefits for Maintaining the Home Language All of the above, plus: Creates a healthy self-esteem Maintains close relationships with parents and grandparents

Research on Academic Success for Foreign Language Learners Ohio State World Languages FLES Programs Toledo City Schools Study – two schools with FLES program significantly outperformed all other schools in 6th & 8th grade reading and math. Cincinnati City Schools Study – two schools with FLES and partial immersion programs outperformed schools without these programs.

Where is Ohio?

Research on Academic Success for Foreign Language Learners Ohio State World Languages FLES Programs Columbus City Schools Study – two schools with immersion programs outperformed schools without these programs. Cleveland City Schools Study – a dual immersion program outperformed all other schools in 6th & 8th grade reading and math.

Research on Academic Success for Foreign Language Learners College Bound Seniors: The 1992 Profile SAT and Achievement Test Takers SAT Verbal: Students with 4 or more years of foreign language study scored higher SAT Math: Students with 4 or more years of foreign language study scored about the same with those who studied 4 years of math

Leaning a Language vs. Learning in a Language Contact time Depth and breadth of the target language Cultural exposure

Why Korean? Korea is ranked 14 th in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or Purchasing Power Parity. – CIA the world Fact book The nation's GDP per capita has grown from only $100 in 1963 to a record-breaking $10,000 in 1995 to $24,600 in Korea is eager to enter the world political arena. There are few educational institutions offering Korean language programs.