Structured Literacy in Schools: A Threat to Bilingualism?

From 2025, New Zealand schools will implement structured literacy, also known as phonics, to teach reading. This change may threaten bilingual children’s second language learning. Teaching methods focusing solely on English neglect the diverse linguistic backgrounds of students, potentially leading to monolingualism despite the cognitive, social, and academic benefits of bilingualism.

Starting in 2025, all New Zealand schools will adopt structured literacy—commonly known as phonics or the science of reading—to teach children how to read. While effective in teaching English, this approach risks undermining the second language skills of bilingual children.

Structured literacy focuses on decoding relationships between English sounds and letters. However, this method does not translate well to other languages which have different sound systems. Current teaching strategies often neglect the linguistic diversity of students, leading many bilingual children to become monolingual after entering school.

Research consistently highlights the cognitive, social, and academic benefits of bilingualism. To preserve these, educators should integrate flexible methods like 'translanguaging' and incorporate materials in students' heritage languages. Such an inclusive approach would support children's English acquisition while valuing their native languages.