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Education Sciences
Special Issues
Research, Innovation, and Practice in Bilingual Education
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Research, Innovation, and Practice in Bilingual Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Language and Literacy Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2026) | Viewed by 4662

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. María-Elena Gómez-Parra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Education Sciences and Psychology, Avda. San Alberto Magno, s/n. Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: bilingual education; intercultural education; early second language acquisition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Antonio Jesús Tinedo Rodríguez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, Plaza del Cardenal -Salazar, 3. Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: didactic audiovisual translation; applied linguistics in language teaching; bilingual and intercultural education; digital humanities

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bilingual education has emerged as a critical pedagogical approach in an increasingly interconnected global landscape. Despite significant advancements in understanding its potential, the field continues to require nuanced, comprehensive research that goes beyond surface-level observations and contextual limitations. The current global educational ecosystem demands a more sophisticated and multidimensional approach to bilingual learning and teaching. While the existing literature provides valuable insights, there remain substantial gaps in our comprehensive understanding of bilingual educational practices, their implementation, students’ opinions on the usefulness of bilingual education and bilingualism, and long-term impacts across diverse sociocultural contexts. This Special Issue aims to bridge these knowledge gaps by inviting rigorous and innovative research that explores the complex dynamics of bilingual education worldwide. We seek contributions that challenge existing paradigms, provide empirical evidence, and offer transformative perspectives on bilingual learning strategies, methodological innovations, and practical implementations.

Researchers are encouraged to submit manuscripts that:

  • Critically analyze current bilingual educational models;
  • Propose innovative pedagogical approaches;
  • Explore the intercultural dimensions of bilingual learning;
  • Examine the sociolinguistic implications of bilingual education;
  • Analyze students’ perceptions on the usefulness of bilingual education and bilingualism;
  • Present evidence-based research from diverse global contexts.

By bringing together cutting-edge research, this Special Issue aspires to advance our collective understanding of bilingual education as a powerful tool for linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural development in the 21st-century educational landscape.

Prof. Dr. María-Elena Gómez-Parra
Dr. Antonio Jesús Tinedo Rodríguez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bilingual education
  • research
  • innovation
  • good practices

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 416 KB  
Article
Leveraging Primary-School Bilingual Students’ Linguistic Repertoires to Foster Morphological Awareness and Reading Comprehension
by Olatz Lucas, Oihana Leonet and Ana Lucas
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(4), 622; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16040622 - 14 Apr 2026
Viewed by 413
Abstract
In multilingual contexts such as the Basque Autonomous Community, fostering cross-linguistic awareness is essential to support literacy development and overall academic achievement. This study investigates a pedagogical intervention aimed at developing morphological awareness as a foundation for cross-linguistic reflection to enhance reading comprehension. [...] Read more.
In multilingual contexts such as the Basque Autonomous Community, fostering cross-linguistic awareness is essential to support literacy development and overall academic achievement. This study investigates a pedagogical intervention aimed at developing morphological awareness as a foundation for cross-linguistic reflection to enhance reading comprehension. A quasi-experimental design was implemented in a trilingual school with 70 sixth-grade students who were assigned to an experimental group (n = 24) or a control group (n = 46). Over a six-week period, the experimental group received explicit morphological instruction in the curricular languages—Basque, Spanish, and English. Morphological awareness and reading comprehension were assessed in all three languages. Although no statistically significant improvements were observed in reading comprehension, the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater gains in morphological awareness across the three languages. In addition, out-of-school exposure to Basque was positively associated with both morphological awareness and reading comprehension, highlighting the role of linguistic input. A strong association was also found between morphological awareness and reading comprehension, supporting the interdependence of these skills. Overall, the findings underscore the potential of pedagogical translanguaging to foster metalinguistic awareness across languages in multilingual educational contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research, Innovation, and Practice in Bilingual Education)
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37 pages, 656 KB  
Article
Language and/or Literacy Disorders vs. Language Differences in Multilingual Children: Development of Two Detection Questionnaires
by Ioanna Talli, Eleni Theodorou, Stavroula Stavrakaki, Anna Mouti, Vasiliki Tougiountzi, Theodora Papastefanou and Eva Commissaire
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(4), 618; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16040618 - 13 Apr 2026
Viewed by 732
Abstract
Early identification of language and literacy disorders (LLDs) in multilingual children remains a challenge in linguistically diverse educational systems shaped by ongoing migration. In many contexts, including Greece and Cyprus, where LLDs have been poorly investigated, teachers lack screening tools that can reliably [...] Read more.
Early identification of language and literacy disorders (LLDs) in multilingual children remains a challenge in linguistically diverse educational systems shaped by ongoing migration. In many contexts, including Greece and Cyprus, where LLDs have been poorly investigated, teachers lack screening tools that can reliably distinguish typical multilingual development from possible indicators of LLDs. This study presents the development and preliminary piloting of two teacher-report screening questionnaires for multilingual children aged 4–6 and 6–9 years, designed for use in everyday classroom settings to support early identification and referral. A structured multi-stage procedure guided development. First, items were derived from internationally established clinical markers of multilingual LLDs, covering oral language, phonological awareness, communication, literacy, and related cognitive domains. Second, a scoring framework was created to support consistent, referral-oriented interpretation across languages. Third, the questionnaires were reviewed by specialists in linguistics, education, and speech-language therapy. Fourth, pilot testing with teachers evaluated clarity, feasibility, and classroom relevance. Expert and teacher feedback indicated that the questionnaires are practical and support differentiation between multilinual language differences and potential underlying difficulties. Overall, this study introduces two promising cross-linguistic screening tools for educators in multilingual educational settings, currently undergoing psychometric validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research, Innovation, and Practice in Bilingual Education)
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21 pages, 363 KB  
Article
Teacher Bilingual Ideology as Catalyst in EAP: Influencing Chinese Graduate Students’ Language Beliefs
by Shuai An and Wenli Zhang
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(4), 516; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16040516 - 26 Mar 2026
Viewed by 487
Abstract
English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses primarily aim to cultivate academic communication, yet English-only norms and exam-oriented histories often discourage bilingual participation. This qualitative study traced Chinese graduate students’ language-belief development over one semester in a graduate EAP course and examined how the [...] Read more.
English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses primarily aim to cultivate academic communication, yet English-only norms and exam-oriented histories often discourage bilingual participation. This qualitative study traced Chinese graduate students’ language-belief development over one semester in a graduate EAP course and examined how the instructor mediated that process. Data included two rounds of open-ended surveys in two intact classes (N = 40), two interview rounds and end-of-semester reflections from ten purposively selected focus students (n = 10), and video-recorded classroom observations of 12 lessons. Findings show that the students increasingly legitimized bilingual participation and reframed English learning from test preparation toward academic communication. Beliefs nevertheless remained layered. Many still upheld an English-only ideal, treated English as the default language, and positioned the first language (L1) mainly as support when second language (L2) expression became difficult. Endorsement also exceeded uptake, with L1 use treated as a compensatory fallback rather than a co-equal academic resource. Instructor policy, conceptual framing, and interactional modeling reduced anxiety around bilingual moves and sometimes supported greater willingness to attempt more English, which identifies mechanisms for bilingual-aware EAP pedagogy in monolingual-leaning EFL contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research, Innovation, and Practice in Bilingual Education)
17 pages, 330 KB  
Article
The Influence of Heritage Language Teachers’ Educational Backgrounds on Their Reasoning About Special Educational Needs in Multilingual Students
by Christa Roux Sparreskog
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(3), 468; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16030468 - 19 Mar 2026
Viewed by 330
Abstract
Swedish heritage language teachers have diverse educational backgrounds, and collaboration with mainstream and special needs teachers often fails. Consequently, many heritage language teachers must independently assess and support students with special educational needs. This study explores how their educational background shapes their reasoning [...] Read more.
Swedish heritage language teachers have diverse educational backgrounds, and collaboration with mainstream and special needs teachers often fails. Consequently, many heritage language teachers must independently assess and support students with special educational needs. This study explores how their educational background shapes their reasoning about such needs in multilingual students. All heritage language teachers in one Swedish municipality completed a questionnaire analyzed through content analysis and from a communicative-relational perspective. Findings show that teachers with Swedish teaching degrees describe students’ needs in nuanced ways, using specialized language while considering individual as well as didactic factors. Those with non-didactic degrees more often generalize groups who need support and attribute their needs mainly to individual factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research, Innovation, and Practice in Bilingual Education)
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25 pages, 1551 KB  
Article
Bridging Standards and Practice: A Multidimensional Case Study of a Dual-Language Teacher Preparation Program
by Marialuisa Di Stefano, Daniel Toro González and Amnerys Cuevas Doñé
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(2), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16020344 - 21 Feb 2026
Viewed by 930
Abstract
This mixed-methods study examines one public university’s dual-language bilingual education (DLBE) teacher preparation program through the lens of the National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards (NDLETPSs). Data sources include course syllabi, classroom observations, and participant surveys, providing a comprehensive overview of program [...] Read more.
This mixed-methods study examines one public university’s dual-language bilingual education (DLBE) teacher preparation program through the lens of the National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards (NDLETPSs). Data sources include course syllabi, classroom observations, and participant surveys, providing a comprehensive overview of program design and implementation. The analysis highlights clear and robust alignment in bilingualism and biliteracy, sociocultural competence, and instructional practices. Alignment with assessment and professionalism is also reflected in the program, though it is conveyed in a less visible or less explicit manner in the documents reviewed. Quantitative comparisons of stated versus observed NDLETPS alignment are triangulated with qualitative coding and participant perspectives. While grounded in a U.S. context, the study offers insights that are relevant to global bilingual education efforts by highlighting transferable themes such as teacher agency, critical consciousness, and collaboration. These findings contribute to this Education Sciences Special Issue’s goal of advancing bilingual education as a transformative tool for linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural development in diverse educational landscapes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research, Innovation, and Practice in Bilingual Education)
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12 pages, 1326 KB  
Article
Future Teachers Speak Up: Exploring Pre-Primary and Primary Trainees’ Beliefs About Bilingual Education Programs in Spain
by Isabel Alonso-Belmonte
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(1), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16010131 - 15 Jan 2026
Viewed by 711
Abstract
The present exploratory study investigates how pre-primary and primary student teachers (STs) at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) perceive the impact of bilingual education programs (BEPs) on children’s learning experience. Specifically, it examines student teachers’ views on the benefits and challenges of [...] Read more.
The present exploratory study investigates how pre-primary and primary student teachers (STs) at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) perceive the impact of bilingual education programs (BEPs) on children’s learning experience. Specifically, it examines student teachers’ views on the benefits and challenges of implementing Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in pre-primary and primary education and explores whether there are differences between the opinions of the two groups. The analysis is based on data from six items of a structured questionnaire, validated in previous studies and completed by 170 prospective pre-primary and primary teachers at the UAM. The results suggest a shared perception among STs that BEPs enrich the learning experience of students in both pre-primary and primary education. Most STs recognize that CLIL enhances language proficiency and supports cognitive development, although they also point to insufficient teacher training and the low motivation of children with learning difficulties as major challenges. While no major differences emerged between the views of pre-primary and primary STs, subtle variations point to the existence of two distinct trainee profiles that determine their views on BEPs and that would require further mid-term investigation. The findings highlight areas for targeted support in teacher training programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research, Innovation, and Practice in Bilingual Education)
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