Chapter 13: Emerging Bilingualism in Kindergarten: Implications for Educational Policies and Practices in Qatar

In order to explore educational policies in Qatar that support emerging bilingualism in kindergarten, a study was conducted in response to Independent School leaders’ questions regarding English-Arabic curriculum standards and effective instructional practices. Oral language samples, obtained from Arabic-speaking children’s story retellings in English and Arabic, were used to investigate bilingual instructional practices and vocabulary gains in early childhood classrooms in Qatar. The yearlong study utilized a researcher-designed, script-based, story-retelling tool administered by 25 teachers to 257 children (mean age = 4 years, 4 months) across 14 dual-language classrooms. The Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT; Miller & Iglesias, 2008) facilitated analysis of vocabulary growth in words, morphemes, and number of different word roots. End of the year class means supported vocabulary growth for all 14 groups; however, children’s use of 45 target words from the Qatar Education Institute’s English Curriculum Standards key word list did not meet expected achievement levels (mean = 7.59 words, or 16.8%). Classroom observations revealed specific instructional practices that appear linked to greater increases in the requisite English word use, such as (1) literacy-rich classrooms, offering daily access to English books; (2) more than one hour each day allocated to integrated (Arabic-English) literacy experiences; and (3) reading aloud daily to children, in English and Arabic. Recommendations for further policy development included reexamination of kindergarten curriculum standards, teacher’s ongoing monitoring and assessment of children’s language proficiency, and professional development for teachers relevant to emerging bilingualism.