Parents know best : an examination of parent perceptions and subsequent proposals for a more efficient bilingual education experience in the primary years cycle

Abstract

In the light of Mayo’s definition of ‘praxis’ (Mayo, 2018) where it is posited that this involves a critical evaluation of a concept through the adoption of impartiality and consequently seeks to bring about change as necessary, this paper evaluates the results of a large scale quantitative survey with 1318 parents whose children attended Grade V - the penultimate class in the primary years’ educational cycle. The paper examines these respondents’ perceptions on current Maltese and English language practices in their children’s classrooms and presents what parents perceive as possible solutions towards an improvement in the quality of bilingual education experience for young learners.