Proud to be tvmbo - Kortlopend Onderwijsonderzoek

7.4 Recommendations for further research
From this study, there are also some recommendations that we can make for future research
in the area of bilingual vmbo. Some suggestions follow:
• Due to time constraints, our literature search was limited in time and scope. A
deeper and broader literature search would be useful.
• Our online survey covered a relatively small number of schools and teacher and
student respondents. The online survey could be re-opened to target a larger number
of teachers and students.
• A further analysis of the surveys and interviews carried out during this project
could be made in order to examine how reliable and valid the results are.
• A study could be carried out to examine carefully the language which students
need in bilingual vmbo, by recording lessons and analysing materials and students’
and teachers’ language output.
• A further study could be carried out in order to examine carefully the language
which tvmbo students require in order to reach vocational literacy or vocational
language proficiency. What is vocational language proficiency for these students?
This involves working with professionals who work in English to discover which
language students need in their workplace.
• We could look at the differences between Dutch and English language achievement,
comparing students in a Dutch only, regular vmbo stream and a bilingual
vmbo stream.
• A study could be carried out to look at language development in Dutch and English
and to see how schools can implement an effective language policy for bilingual
vmbo, both in terms of English and Dutch.
• A longer-term study could be carried out for at least four years (the length of time
a student does bilingual vmbo), following a number of learners to see the impact
of bilingual tvmbo on both their English and Dutch language skills.
• Research into appropriate materials for vmbo is needed: what helps tvmbo students
to learn at the right level, so that they develop both language and subject
competences? How appropriate is authentic material made for native speaker students
of similar age groups? What are the characteristics of appropriate materials
for tvmbo students?
• A further relevant research project would be to look at appropriate ways of assessing
tvmbo students in a bilingual context. What are the most effective ways of assessing
subject and language, and the integration of the two?
• How does the implementation of tvmbo affect the self image of tvmbo students?
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