Aims and objectives:

This paper explores children’s experiences and perceptions of their own bilingualism in two contexts in Scotland, UK: a primary school with a high proportion of children using a language other than English at home; and a primary school where the language of instruction is an indigenous, minority language, Gaelic.

Methodology:

The paper draws upon data gathered from multiple qualitative methods, including interviews, group activities and discussion, with both children and their parents. The data in this paper draw upon a broader interdisciplinary project exploring children’s experiences of bilingualism. Ethics were duly considered.

Data and analysis:

Data were gathered from 27 children and 11 parents. Data were coded and analysed using thematic analysis. Comparison between contexts was of particular interest for this article.

Findings:

This paper highlights the importance of research with children in order to gain an insight into their experiences and perceptions of their own bilingualism. In particular, our findings illustrate how children’s language learning is encouraged and supported by children’s connections with others and the fundamental role of family (particularly parents/carers) and diverse community-based support systems (which encompass a wide range of individuals and community groups) in order to develop active bilingualism.

Originality:

This paper addresses a research gap in a largely quantitative field, by adopting a qualitative approach to explore children’s experiences and perceptions of their own bilingualism. A qualitative approach facilitates attention to complexity and the participants’ own meanings and understandings.

Significance:

The paper highlights the value of research with children in order to explore their views and perspectives. In particular, qualitative research methodologies, where children’s experiences are central to understanding the research phenomenon, and to facilitating the exploration of the range of complex issues that interact with a child’s bilingualism.

中文翻译：

---

孩子们如何看待自己的双语主义？探索双语儿童的态度和看法

目的和目标：

本文探讨了在英国苏格兰的两种情况下儿童对自己的双语制的经历和看法：一所小学，有很大比例的儿童在家中使用英语以外的其他语言；一所小学，教学语言是盖尔语，是一种少数民族语言。

方法：

本文利用从多种定性方法收集的数据，包括与孩子及其父母的访谈，小组活动和讨论。本文中的数据基于一个更广泛的跨学科项目，探讨了儿童的双语经验。道德被适当考虑。

数据与分析：

数据来自27个孩子和11个父母。使用主题分析对数据进行编码和分析。上下文之间的比较对于本文特别有意义。

发现：

本文强调了与儿童进行研究的重要性，以便深入了解他们对自己的双语制的经验和看法。特别是，我们的发现说明了儿童与他人之间的联系以及家庭（尤其是父母/照顾者）的基本作用以及基于社区的多样化支持系统（涵盖了广泛的个人和社区群体）如何鼓励和支持儿童的语言学习。为了发展积极的双语。

独创性：

本文通过采用定性方法来探索儿童对自己的双语制的经历和看法，从而解决了在很大程度上量化领域的研究空白。定性方法有助于注意复杂性以及参与者自己的含义和理解。

意义：

本文强调了与孩子们进行研究的价值，以探索他们的观点和观点。尤其是定性研究方法，其中儿童的经历对于理解研究现象以及促进探索与儿童双语有关的一系列复杂问题至关重要。