The benefit of having a parent who speaks English in South America.

There is insufficient background research on the bilingual acquisition of teachers' children. Our objective was to identify exposure-related factors that determine bilingualism in children born to English teachers. We conducted a correlational study using snowball sampling, collecting data from 49 teachers who have at least one child, through a survey designed specifically for our study.

As a result, 70% of participants stated that all their children speak English fluently, while the remaining 30% reported that they do not. The McFadden R² value, which assesses the proportion of variability explained by the logistic regression model, was found to be 0.386. We observed an approximate increase of 0.273 points in English fluency for each additional year in the age of the youngest child. Moreover, interaction in English at home is significantly linked to approximately 2.211 times higher odds of children speaking English fluently compared to those without such interaction. On the other hand, acquiring English from birth is associated with approximately 1.653 times higher odds of children achieving fluency in English. These findings hold significant implications for linguistic education and underscore the importance of creating suitable environments that foster consistent exposure to English from an early age to cultivate higher and lasting mastery of the language.

In 2023, our team member, who is an English Teacher, Rodrigo Aguilar-Romo, did this interesting research where it concluded that; early exposure to English is an important factor in the smooth development of a second language, especially when parents are English teachers. In this group of children, communication in the family environment in the second or first language may be the best predictor of bilingualism. These children have an advantage that not all families take advantage of: they can use English to communicate at home. To date, the OPOL strategy has been effective in promoting bilingualism from childhood.

Our findings show that the intention and strategies employed by parents (teachers) in our study positively influence the success of bilingual development, It should be recognized that even in these schools, the school makes a small but significant contribution. Consequently, creating an immersive English-speaking environment from birth can significantly impact the development of a child’s language. Rodrigo speaks Spanish and English, and he is learning French.

Text by Rodrigo Aguilar Romo

English Teacher

Cuenca, Ecuador