Languages occupy a very important place in our lives. Knowing a language not only sets new linguistic strategies and skills for yourself, but it gives a perspective on cultural diversity. This allows intercultural communication, which leads to an increase in globalization and harmony among the universe. This chapter provides an overview of the origins of the plurilingual programs in Spain, and it also shares some of the challenges bilingual teachers face in the classrooms teaching in tri-plurilingual programs and the future of the tri-plurilingual education programs in Spain. Findings in the area of third language acquisition and trilingualism have contributed to a better understanding of multilingual processes and use. Third language teaching, in consequence, has been informed by various trends in research of multilingual acquisition, but is also challenged by these findings. This research explains some educational and sociolinguistic characteristics of multilingual teaching in Spain and gives priority to current research in the teaching language field.
Top1. Introduction
The existence of several languages within the same place, the increase in international relations, and the need to know several languages has been translated into a set of programs that seek that the child, at any given point in schooling, masters two or more languages through the curriculum (Huguet, 2006). Individual development of plurilingualism creates the required conditions for work and leisure mobility in multilingual Europe, where worker plurilingualism is a critical component of human capital in a global economy (Flores & Bale, 2017). Spain is a clear example of this process, with several cultures coexisting and languages that have a reflection in the educational field (Fernández-Sanjurjo, Fernández Costales & Arias Blanco, 2019).
This evolution is connected to the commitment of the European Union to foster a multilingual Europe. In 1995, it was proposed that EU citizens should be proficient in three European languages to ensure multilingualism as an essential characteristic feature of European identity (Gómez, 2018). It is especially important for all members of society to be socially and politically included, as well as for European citizens to participate in active shared democratic citizenship. Furthermore, in an information and learning society, where access to and management of knowledge and learning are critical aspects in social and economic progress, plurilingualism is essential. Plurilingualism must be fostered not only for practical or professional reasons, but also as a virtue that contributes to a greater understanding and appreciation for linguistic diversity (Martínez-Serrano, 2018).
According to Mehisto, Marsh and Frigols (2018), the benefits of multilingual education and multilingualism have been advocated during the last decade. Findings in the area of third language acquisition and trilingualism, which has established itself as a field in its own right, have contributed to a better understanding of multilingual processes and use. Third language teaching, in consequence, has been informed by various trends in research of multilingual acquisition, but is also challenged by these findings. The acquisition of a third language (L3) in a bilingual setting has been found to be aided by literacy in two languages (Cenoz & Valencia, 1994; Swain et al.,1990).
Language has a huge importance and impact in any society and particularly its educational system. Nowadays, mastering a second language leads to more chances in the labour market but knowing a third one opens even more doors. Being trilingual enhances not only the speaker’s professional life but also has been shown to have many social, psychological and lifestyle advantages (Cummins, 1979; Berry & Kalin, 1995).
A youngster enrolled in a bilingual school where students of many languages interact quickly discovers that society and school value these languages. The student’s judgment of these languages, as well as the impact of others, will determine their attitudes about them and their drive to study them. Similarly, in the English as a lingua franca context, where the ought-to self-image is usually conceived as rather homogeneous, the explanatory power of the ought-to self is thought to be weaker than that of the ideal L2 self. However, in minority language contexts, the ought-to may be less unified and more fragmented, necessitating the development of more finely tuned instruments and procedures for studying motivation in multilingual settings than those previously used to study motivation to learn global English.
Learning a foreign language has always been a weak aspect in Spanish schooling. Back in 2010, only 36% of Spanish respondents aged 15 and above said that they could participate in a conversation in a language other than their mother tongue, according to a Eurobarometer study performed in 2005 (Raquel, 2011). In other words, despite receiving foreign language teaching throughout their education, more than half of the Spanish respondents (64%) solely know their mother tongue.