A comparison of two language support programs in the Basque Autonomous Community: exploring school adaptation and language proficiency

Abstract

This study compares two language support programs in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC), where Basque and Spanish are official languages. However, unlike in many other regions, the minority language, Basque, is the main language of instruction (LoI) in school rather than the majority language. For Newly Arrived Students (NAS) who do not speak the LoI, language support programs facilitate language acquisition and school adaptation. In Basque-medium public schools, two distinct programs are implemented: Eusle and HIPI. Both programs combine mainstream classroom immersion with pull-out language classes. However, Eusle pulls NAS out to a larger extent than HIPI, making it more segregative. Although separating students from mainstream classrooms has been widely criticised, Eusle and HIPI have not been compared in the BAC, where Basque as the main LoI poses unique challenges. This study compares Eusle and HIPI programs through school adaptation and perceived Basque proficiency questionnaires. A total of 139 secondary students (Mage = 13.1) and 33 teachers participated. The findings indicate no differences in school adaptation between programs, though, Eusle students report higher levels of perceived language proficiency. These results suggest that in the BAC, the pull-out Eusle program can support both learning the LoI and school adaptation.