Teaching and learning via a minority language: A case study in the Spanish education system

Abstract

For centuries, the Spanish education system has been almost entirely monolingual (Pradilla, 2001). It was only in 1978 that the Spanish government granted regional languages the ‘coofficial’ status alongside Spanish as the only official language (Cenoz, 2009; Gardner, 2000, 2005; Lasagabaster, 2001; Parsons, 2015). This meant that these regional languages could be part of the education system not only as subjects but also as languages of instruction together with Spanish in their respective regions. Unlike in many countries like South Africa where plans to introduce formally marginalized languages as languages of tuition are yet to be implemented, the Spanish government has managed to turn its plans into reality. Today in the Spanish education system, ‘co-official’ languages are used at varying degrees. In some schools these languages are even used as the only languages of teaching and learning. The need to provide access to education also in regional languages has been fought for and supported by many in Spain despite the fact that many Spaniards, if not all, are fluent in Spanish (i.e. they can easily/successfully access education in Spanish). This then raises the question almost four decades later: why is it important for learners in the different regions to access their education at least partially in the language spoken in that specific region – their home language - when learning through Spanish is not a problem? Research has proven that multi/bilingual education has better outcomes in bilingual students than monolingual education. Research also favours mother-tongue education over multi/bilingual education. It is important to understand the advantages/benefits (or lack thereof) of accessing information in Basque for Basque home language learners. This does not only help make the Spanish education system better but also inform policy makers in countries like South Africa about the importance of implementing bilingual policies. The current study investigates the progress that Basque, one of the formally marginalized regional languages, has had in the Spanish education system since its (re)introduction. It looks at the development of Basque as a medium of instruction; how and when it is used and its overall impact on Basque home language learners.