Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of bilingualism and its role in the teaching and learning of English as a third language (L3) in the public primary education context in Greece. In particular, it reports on the findings of a qualitative study (case study) regarding two Albanian fourth graders in a Greek primary school. This study aimed to identify the bilingual learners’ scope, expectations and constraints, as well as understand the underlying reasons for specific attitudes and performance of theirs when it comes to learning and acquiring English as a third language. Apart from the direct observational notes in a personal log, questionnaires as well as personal journals were also employed for the collection of the qualitative data of the current research. The results of the study show that although both monolingual and bilingual learners show a high disposition to learn English, the latter display increased thinking ability and enhanced metacognitive as well as communicative skills. At the same time, the study reveals that positive drives such as praise or rewards, psychological as well as social factors are conducive to using the target language (L3) more frequently on the part of bilingual learners.
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Papalexatou, E., Zorbas, V. (2020). Bilingual Students in the Public Primary Education Context in Greece: A Deterrent for the Greek Educational Landscape or a Chance for Improvement?. In: Skourtou, E., Kourtis-Kazoullis, V., Aravossitas, T., Trifonas, P. (eds) Language Diversity in Greece. Multilingual Education, vol 36. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28396-4_3
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