Students Views on the Inclusion of Students from Hungary in a Bilingual Elementary School
The bilingual education model in Prekmurje is one of the longest-running and most systematically developed models in Slovenia. Its fundamental characteristic is the inclusion of all students—regardless of ethnic background—in joint bilingual classes, where both languages (Slovenian and Hungarian) are taught as academic subjects.
The pilot study examined the perspectives of students in bilingual schools, which ranged from their experiences of the bilingual environment, self-assessment of language competencies, and evaluation of the challenges of bilingual education to differences and difficulties in language learning, as well as peer relationships.
The pilot study revealed the need for further in-depth research involving all bilingual schools in the ethnically mixed region. The inclusion of students from Hungary in bilingual schools has raised the following multidimensional questions:
- how to balance and maintain a model of bilingual education in which
Slovenian and Hungarian are both languages of instruction and subjects of study; - how to ensure effective support for learning Slovenian as the language of instruction;
- how to create an inclusive school environment amid increased linguistic diversity.
