Parents' Discourses About Language Strategies for Their Children's Preschool Bilingual Development

Abstract

The study focused on immigrant parents' discourses about strategies for their children's preschool bilingual development and education. The article investigated how immigrant parents described and explained these strategies. The study was based on semi-structured interviews with 4 families. The 8 parents were Russian-speaking immigrants to Israel from the former Soviet Union. Analysis of the data showed that all the parents desired their children to maintain the heritage language and to acquire the host language. At the same time, they were realistically skeptical of achieving balanced bilingualism in their children's language development. Nevertheless, most reported clearly elaborated intervention plans to support the children's balanced bilingualism. The regulation of language interaction with the child at home occupied a central place in parents' strategies for their children's bilingual development; however, some chose bilingual kindergarten for their children, whereas others chose monolingual programs. To explain and justify this choice, parents adduced different motives and representations about trajectories of children's bilingual development.