Why can understanding fall behind when a child is taught only in a language not spoken at home?

South Africa has twelve official languages, and many learners move between two or three of them during a single day. They may speak isiZulu at home, English in class and Afrikaans or Sesotho with friends. Some people worry that this mixture confuses young children. Researchers who study language learning disagree. They report that children who grow up with more than one language often become more skilled at switching attention between tasks and may find it easier to learn a further language later. The researchers add that the benefits depend on the child receiving enough support in each language, especially in the early school years. When a child is taught only in a language that is not spoken at home, understanding of new ideas can fall behind, because the child is learning the words and the subject at the same time. For this reason, many educators recommend teaching the first years of school in the home language while English is introduced gradually.

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. The child learns the words and the subject together

  1. Step 1: The passage explains that the child must learn both the language and the new ideas together.
Answer
The child learns the words and the subject together.
Why not the others: The teacher does not know the subject being taught well: the passage does not say this. Textbooks are not available in the home language: interest is not discussed. The child has no interest in going to school at all: this is not mentioned.

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