As I just wrote, a second language as primary learning language seem to be a limitation to intellectual development. A study from Eva Wiren at my own employer, The Swedish Agency for Education, just reveals that teaching the mother tounge to immigrants, will improve their grades at school. They perform significantly better in other subjects, something that scientists have identified too.
Of course this result is expected, and different views are expressed about its significance and its reasons. The minister of education talks about the importance of learning Swedish well if you live in Sweden, which is an opinion I share. He thinks that students reading their native language are seriously motivated, hence the higher results in other subjects.
The senior lecturer Monica Axelsson says that we need an understanding that its easier to transfer knowledge from one language to another if you have good command over one language. Its just ignorant to place studies in Swedish against studies in the mother tounge, since they benifit eachother.
This subject is also interesting on the web, since so much knowledge and learning is being done in English.
In the news:
http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=147&a=856687
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