Teaching languages by immersion in early childhood- An applied descriptive study

Abstract

Abstract

The research aims to describe the method of language immersion in early childhood and the necessity of improving the linguistic level of our nation. It discusses the importance of teaching children languages at this age, their ability to learn more than one language, and its relevance to the child's growth and mental development. It emphasizes the significance of teaching Standard Arabic to Arab children, and the dangers of being limited to colloquialism or focusing on another language at the expense of Arabic. It addresses some of the questions and fears of learning more than one language simultaneously by children below 6 or 7. It then addresses learning languages by immersion; how it is applied, and presents existing examples of institutions, schools and activities dedicated to this method in the world. Finally, it resents the findings and recommendations for application in the Arab world. Among the important finding are: proving the need to focus on teaching children languages by immersion, starting with Standard Arabic followed by other languages, presenting practical proposals that can be applied at the level of the Arab and Islamic nation and indicating the efficacy of this method due to the potentials of children's brain at this age.