One of the biggest challenges for students in the learning process at school is the difference in language use. The different languages spoken at home and at school can be a challenge for many students, especially those who come from bilingual or multilingual backgrounds. Language differences between home and school environments contribute significantly to low academic achievement, particularly for bilingual or multilingual students, as these differences can hinder their understanding of material taught at school and reduce their ability to participate fully in the learning environment."
Cummins (2000) in his theory of language interdependence states that strong language skills in the mother tongue can facilitate understanding of a second or third language. A student who already understands a simple concept in mathematics in Gorontalo will more easily understand the same concept when it is explained in Bahasa Indonesia. This is because the basis of his understanding has already been formed in his mother tongue, so he only needs to "transfer" that understanding to another language without having to start from scratch. Just as in other subjects, understanding in the mother tongue can help students understand material in the school language more quickly. This transition also brings challenges, as Gorontalo students who are used to speaking the local language at home have to adapt to Bahasa Indonesia or English at school, they may face difficulties understanding academic material due to language mismatch.
This often results in low student academic achievement, as students will find it difficult to understand the subject matter presented in a language that they are not familiar with. For example, in science lessons there are terms such as photosynthetic, pollination, chlorophyll and many more. Students who are not familiar with these words tend to have difficulty in understanding the material which will affect their academic performance. Thomas and Collier (2002) highlight that students who learn in a language different from their daily language at home show lower academic performance in some subjects, especially subjects that require in-depth understanding of concepts.
Language barriers not only affect children's academic performance, but also impact their social and emotional development. When students face a discrepancy between the language of school and the language of home, it can affect students' self-confidence and make students easily discouraged. Cummins in his research students often face psychological challenges when the language they use at home is different from the school language. Cummins found that this language mismatch can cause students to lose confidence, feel isolated, and struggle to fully engage at school. This can make students easily discouraged and experience the stress of feeling left behind or "different" from their peers. Students who experience language differences at school and at home tend to feel less confident and have lower motivation to learn Baker (2011). This can have a negative impact on their enthusiasm for learning, which in turn affects their overall academic performance. Students who experience this problem may have good abilities, but their potential is not optimally developed due to the language barrier.
To solve this problem, bilingual or dual-language programs can be an effective solution. Bilingual programs allow students to learn in two languages: the home language they are familiar with and the school language they need for academic development. During lessons, the teacher can explain the material in two different languages: the home language and the school language. In addition, teachers can use a visual approach by providing additional materials, such as diagrams or vocabulary cards, in both languages. This approach helps students understand academic concepts in a more familiar language before moving to the main language of the classroom. In question and answer activities, the teacher can allow the students to respond in the language they are comfortable with and then help them to gradually translate or interpret their answers into the main language.
During the lesson, the teacher can allocate time evenly, 50:50. In this model, students receive half of their lessons in their mother tongue (the language spoken at home) and the other half in the school language (such as Bahasa Indonesia or English). This division can be done by allocating certain days of the week to each language, or by using both languages on each day but for different subjects. For example, in the morning students can learn about information technology and science in the school language, while in the afternoon they learn social science and arts in their mother tongue. Time-sharing can also be done by teaching 1 subject using 2 languages with 50:50 language usage. For example, in a math lesson the teacher explains using two different languages with equal portions.
This bilingual program is generally more effective if it is implemented in several subjects such as
1. Language and Literature
Language (such as Bahasa Indonesia or mother tongue) as well as literature lessons benefit greatly from bilingual programs, as students can develop both mother tongue and second language skills simultaneously. Through bilingual learning, students can read literary texts in both languages, enriching their cultural understanding and overall language skills.
2. Social Science (History, Geography, Civic Education)
