BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN THE REGION OF MURCIA: A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON TEACHERS’ VIEWS

Abstract

Following a decade of the implementation of a Spanish-English bilingual education system in compulsory education in the Region of Murcia (Spain), it seems increasingly important to gain understanding and insight into teachers’ attitudes, beliefs and professional mindsets about relevant bilingual linguistic policies. To this end, a qualitative study was designed to analyse data from interviews conducted with 23 teachers both from primary and secondary education of the Region of Murcia, Spain. This study captures a snapshot of the processes these teachers have gone through since bilingual education was first introduced in 2009, and taps into their attitudes regarding the difficulties and challenges they have had to face, in particular, in terms of methodologies, training and teaching resources. Additionally, the study also explores the areas in which teachers and coordinators of bilingual schools feel policy makers could have offered more support in order to enhance both their teaching and the student’s learning.