Exploring the Association between Bilingual Education Programs and OralProficiency in Second Language: An Investigation of Speaking Skills of Higher SecondaryStudents from Sialkot"

Abstract

Bilingual education programs refer to the strategies or ways in which instruction of different subjects is provided to the students in a second language, in addition to their native language. Some of them include dual language immersion and transitional language programs. Economic benefits of the bilingual education system are evident in addition to the psychological benefits. The present study seeks to examine the inclined effects of one of bilingual education programs: Transitional or Dual Language, on the oral competence of higher secondary students from different strata of Sialkot, Pakistan. Mix methods research was used. Data collection was done using questionnaires. An online survey form was presented to forty teachers from different strata, that is, public, private, rural and urban sectors of Sialkot whose students were from multiple backgrounds and results were analyzed. Findings of the research highlights inclined vocabulary retention and pronunciation in ESL speaking skill of students while mitigating the use of Urdu in Bilingual classroom practices. More focus was driven towards lexicons in English in comparison to Urdu. The study advocates for inclined English language speaking skill and declined use of Urdu by students in bilingual classroom, highlighting the positive tendencies of students for English.