English Education Reguler E 2017 – Psycolinguistics 2020

English and Literature Department, UNIMED

The Effect of Application of Bilingualism Learning on Early Childhood Cognitive

Psychology Development in Language Learning

Muhammad Fiqri Romadhon Harahap

Universitas Negeri Medan
e-mail : fiqrihrp31@[Link]

Abstract
In this era it is globalization era Revolution Industries 4.0, the mastery of foreign language especially
English as an international language is compulsory. Nowadays in Indonesia, English is taught at
early childhood or even in the kindergarten. The objective of this paper is to discuss the children’s
learning, particularly from the side of cognitive psychology in learning English as a second
language. The phenomena are the advantages and disadvantages of children who do not learn and
learn English as a second language or called Monolingualism vs. Bilingualism and to know the effect
bilingualism itself to the early childhood students languages in learning bilingualism. The method
used library study and the data collected was analyzed descriptively to examine the cognitive
development of children who follow a bilingual program in kindergarten. Over the years the
bilingual concept has received pros and cons responses. The increasing number of early childhood
education institutions that implement bilingual programs raises concerns about the impact felt by
children, especially those related to cognitive and language aspects. The counter party states that the
child will experience slowness in speaking, but several studies have shown different results. In
addition, Future research needs to pay more attention to these aspects to make this research be better.

Keywords : Bilingualism, Early Childhood, Cognitive Psychology Development, Learning

Languages

I. INTRODUCTION that children will learn language more

easily than adults. Habituation which is
Language is a means of carried out with various activities in
communication between one individual English will become a provision later
and another individual. In in making it easier for them to master
communicating, language is an English. This view is supported by
important tool for everyone. Through language experts such as McLaughlin
language everyone will be able to and Geneesee, as well as nueurolig
develop social skills with others. experts such as Eric H. Lennerberg
Mastery of social skills in the social (Djuharie, 2011).
environment begins with mastery of In the globalization era of the
language skills themselves. Without Industrial Revolution 4.0, foreign
language someone will not be able to languages, especially especially
communicate properly and correctly to English, are something that must be
others. So this language skills must be learned. English is a universal language
developed since the child is at an early where almost all countries
age. There is an assumption that states communicate with other countries

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using English. Nowadays English it is hoped that it can become an insight

teaching is given since children at an to see that there is still a phenomenon
early age, namely in elementary school behind the facts contained in learning
and even has been taught in some English as a second language for
kindergarten schools. Parents are also children in primary school as a
looking for schools that carry a plus in reference to be used as an alternative
foreign language skills, especially problem solver. The method of writing
English, which tends to heed the this paper uses literature study and
abilities and feelings of the children descriptive analysis.
themselves. Although there is still a tug
of war with experts responding to the II. DISCUSSION
need for teaching English to children at
an early age or elementary school. As A. Early Childhood
Eti Nurhayati (2011: 30) argues that:
Based on the 2003 National
"Children are not miniature adults.
Education System Law, early
They think differently, they see the
childhood is a child in the age range of
world in a different way, they live with
0-6 years, while according to experts of
moral and ethical principles that are
education is a child the age range is 0-8
different from what adults hold."
years. Early childhood is often called
Meanwhile according to Alwasillah
the golden age. Thus this is the period
(1997): "English should be taught by
where they need to get the best
certified elementary English
stimulation as possible because it will
Instructors, otherwise our children
affect children in the future.
become victims of emotional rather
Early childhood has interesting
than professional ambitions".
characteristics to be observed and
It's not easy to learn about the
researched. Mulyasa (2012: 20) states
psychology of thinking ability and I
that early childhood is a different
reason for early childhood through the
individual, unique and has its own
application of bilingualism learning.
characteristics according to the stage of
Pros and cons present in accompanying
age. Every child has different abilities
the concept of bilingualism. There is an
too. These different characteristics of
opinion which states that bilingual has
children must be understood by early
negative influences such as delay in
childhood teachers. At this time the
speaking (Sulivan, Ausubel, Ives, in
stimulation of all aspects of
Takakuwa, 2000) but this is also
development has an important role in
refuted by different opinions. Rather
further development. The task of the
than having a bad impact, the opinion
educator is to provide stimulation in
which states that bilingual provides
accordance with the characteristics and
good benefits for children, especially
development of children. Early
cognitive development. Therefore, this
Childhood Education Institutions are a
article will discuss the development of
forum for formal education. This
children, especially the cognitive
formal institution is in the form of
development of children who follow a
Childhood or Kindergarten (TK) and
bilingual program. Through this article

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Raudhatul Athfal (RA). Through this speaker in interacting with others

institution all child development such alternately (Mackey 1962: Fishman
as Cognitive, Language, Motoric, 1975: 73) in Chaer (2004).
Social-emotional, Art and Moral and
At this time being someone
Religion are integrated in various
who has bilingualism is not a great and
activities.
special thing. According to Wei's
Besides educators at school,
findings, one in three people in the
parents are figures who have a
world, two of them are bilingual and
significant influence on children's
even multilingual. The phenomenon of
development at an early age. Parental
bilingual and even multilingual in
guidance at home is the beginning of
Indonesia is also certain to occur.
the formation of children, but all of that
Indonesian people master local
also needs to be accompanied by
languages besides Indonesian. Besides
proper education. Thus, providing
that our society is also able to master
appropriate and integrated stimulation
foreign languages such as English,
in early childhood education
Arabic and Mandarin. People in
institutions and the role of parents who
Indonesia in their social life often use
are good at home will create the next
many languages in conversing or
generation of nation that has good
communicating with one another. But
quality.
apart from that all the children at an
B. Bilingualism
early age mother tongue is the most
Bilingualism is a fact of life for dominant in using language to
the vast majority of the world’s communicate.
populations. It is estimated that as C. Early Childhood
much as two-thirds of the people in the Cognitive Development
world are bilingual (Crystal, 2003).
In each stage of human life, he
There are anywhere between 6,000
has the task of the development of
and 7,000 languages spoken in the
each. One of them is cognitive
world today and only about 190
development. Yusuf (2005: 10) states
countries in which to house them,
that cognitive ability is the ability of
which suggests how widespread
children to think more complex and
bilingualism (or multilingualism) must
make reasoning and problem solving,
be. Bilingualism by Papalia (1993) in
the development of cognitive abilities
Gunarsa (2004 : 90) is interpreted as
will make it easier for children to
fluency to speak two languages. The
master broader general knowledge, so
two languages in question are native
that he can function naturally in
language and foreign language. In this
everyday community life . In
context bilingualism is interpreted
subsequent developments, the term
more broadly than just language but is
cognitive has become popular as one
also seen as something related to
of the domains or areas / domains of
culture and social confusion. Whereas
human psychology that includes every
linguistically, bilingualism is defined
mental behavior related to
as the use of two languages by a
understanding, consideration,

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information processing, problem and methods and strategies that are

solving, intentionality, and belief appropriate in the context of real
(Khadijah 2016: 32) Cognitive in the learning experiences that are
sense that knowledge about thinking appropriate for the age of the children.
and observing so that behavior arises Gouin (in Brown, 2008)
which results in people gaining believes that what is important in
knowledge or what is needed to use language learning is the problem of
knowledge (Patmodewo, 2003: 27) changing perception into conception.
Piaget classifies human intellectual For this reason Gouin began designing
development or cognitive abilities a teaching method directly (without
occur through four stages: the translation) and conceptually (without
sensorimotor stage (0-2 years), grammatical rules and explanations).
preoperational stage (2-7 years), In other words, this theory states the
concrete operational stage (7-11), and teacher in teaching uses direct
formal operational stage (11-15 years) methods and use the language that is
which in each stage has different spontaneous and in accordance with
characteristics in each development. the grammatical rules of teaching,
which is a favorite for early childhood
D. Bilingualism Programs
children in learning the language
and Early Childhood
itself.
Cognitive Development
Various sources mention the
As an international language, benefits of a bilingualism program.
English has become a priority foreign Morrison (2012) revealed that in
language studied in various countries. addition to supporting the bilingualism
In developing countries, the use of of children, being bilingualism also
English as a second language in the makes children benefit in improving
learning process (bilingual programs) cognitive, cultural and economic. This
has become a necessity. In the is certainly not surprising because
countries of India, Singapore and language skills are closely related to
Malaysia, the use of foreign languages children's cognitive development.
has started since Preschool. In Besides honing the child's language, it
Indonesia itself, English-language will be increasingly honed cognitive.
bilingual programs are also developing Likewise, culture, because when
rapidly and rapidly. This fulfills the someone learns a language, he will
wishes of parents who wish their child automatically learn the culture.
had been introduced to English early Ninawati (2012) states there
on. Basically the main purpose of are positive things regarding the
bilingualism learning is to provide the cognitive development of bilingualism
provision of language skills to children children including; (1) Learning
who only encompass listening and foreign languages during the children's
speaking skills wrapped in activities age has a special advantage, because
that enrich the child's vocabulary. Of humans have the special capacity to
course learning to speak in two master language in childhood,
languages requires a lot of practice regardless of whether the language is

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mother tongue or other languages, (2) orientation than monolingual children

that children learn languages more (Cummins, 1978, Ben-Zeev, 1977),
effective due to neurological factors, (5). Using hermenutics (prompt) in
(3). That there is no harm in children interpreting sentences that contain
learning English as a foreign language ambiguity is better than monolingual
at school, (4). That the disadvantages children (Cummins & Mulchahy,
of bilingualism children are far less 1978).
than the benefits of mastering more Not only are there advantages,
than one language, (5). Children gain some experts also think there are
language through exposure by seeing, disadvantages if we or parents
feeling, touching, listening and implement a bilingual program for
witnessing the use of the language, early childhood. The disadvantage of
(6). Piaget's cognitive theory has had a children who are bilingualism is that
profound impact on the theory and children need more energy to smooth
practice of education and has out pronunciation and usually they are
permeated the world of education to a bit slow in making decisions about
design environments, curricula, language, although this does not
materials, and teaching that are preclude communication. However, it
appropriate to the development of can be concluded that the loss of a
children's thinking. bilingualism child is far less than the
Besides according to the advantage of mastering more than one
experts above, there are also some language as Taylor & Taylor (1990)
benefits to be gained when using this argues: "Bilinguals may experience a
bilingualism program to early slight disadvantage in language
childhood according to some processing speed over monolinguals,
education experts, namely as follows: but this advantage is far outweighed
(1). Many understand the structure of by the advantages of being able to
two or more languages which makes it function in two languages.
easy for them to communicate (Diaz, From the explanation of some
1985; Matlin, 1994), (2.) Be more of the expert theories above, it can be
vigilant in setting definitions that can concluded that the bilingualism
change in both languages (Bialystok program implemented in kindergarten
2003,1988; Hakuta, 1886 in Matlin, or early childhood provides a positive
1994) More sensitive in some of the impact in terms of cognitive
pragmatic aspects of the two development in early childhood. Being
languages (Genesee, et. Al., 1975 in a bilingual child makes children's
Matlin, 1994 ), (3). Tends to be language mastery develop more
flexible and creative and show rapidly and quickly which makes
strengths on nonverbal intelligence cognitive development also more
tests that require rearrangement of honed and skilled. Besides that,
visible instructions and on bilingual also makes children more
assignments in concepts that require inclined to analyze better which makes
mental flexibility (Matlin, 1994), (4). them flexible and creative and can
Demonstrate better analytical

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improve their ability in other academic Astuti, Ria. (2017). Penerapan

fields. Pembelaaran
Bilingual di TK Inklusi.
III. CONCLUSION AWLADY, Jurnal Pendidikan
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are still many pros and cons to the Alwasillah, A.C.. Lament for Minor
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that show a positive impact is greater Brown, H. D. (2007) Prinsip Pembelajaran
than the negative impact. In terms of dan
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But this good result certainly must be Djuharie, Otong Setiawan. 2011. Persepsi
supported by several things such as the Orang
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