The bilinguale education in primary schools of Bhutan: examining the perceptions and attitudes of teachers and learners towards this system

Abstract

This study explores the bilingual education in Bhutanese primary schools, examining the perceptions and attitudes of teachers and students towards this system. It also examines the current bilingual practices, impacts and the challenges encountered in the face of the implementation of bilingual education. The mixed-method approach was employed for this study where interviews and surveys were used to collect data from the selected sample of the teachers and students from the primary schools across four regions of Bhutan. The study shows that the teachers often use bilingual instructions and also use strategies such as code-switching, simplifying language and concept-translation, peer tutoring and extra-tutoring sessions to enhance student learning engagement and outcomes. Moreover, teachers and students hold positive attitudes toward bilingual education and recognizes and acknowledges the positive impact on academic outcomes, cognitive development and language proficiency. Nevertheless, it also points out several challenges such as lack of resources, lack of professional developments and trainings related to bilingual education, lack of support from the school administrations, restrictive curriculum and policy and language confusion. The findings indicated that while bilingual education in the Bhutanese primary schools is perceived beneficial and effective, there are many areas that needs support and intervention such as trainings and professional development, bilingual resources, policy and curriculum and support from the school administrations. Providing support in these areas is critical for the effective implementation of bilingual education and improving bilingual education practices in the Bhutanese primary schools.