Aims and objectives: To evaluate whether bilingual education predicts academic self-concept (capacity, work procedure, and class participation) in primary school students, comparing bilingual and non-bilingual schools, and to explore gender differences. Methodology: Ex post facto study with 93 fifth- and sixth-grade students ( M age = 10.93 years) from bilingual ( n = 49) and non-bilingual ( n = 44) schools in Spain. The Self-Concept Scale of Classroom Interaction was administered. Data and analysis: Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for differences by education type and gender; univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent sample t -tests; multiple regressions predicting self-concept from education type, age, and gender. Analyses conducted in SPSS 28.0. Findings: Significant differences by education type (Pillai’s trace = 0.27, p males, p = .057). Education type predicted 22% of variance in capacity (β = .99, p < .001), 19% in participation (β = .85), and 11% in work procedure (β = .35). Originality: First study in a Spanish primary context linking bilingual education to academic self-concept in English as L2, using a validated classroom interaction scale. Significance: Bilingual education strengthens academic self-concept, supporting its use as an intervention in non-bilingual schools. Implications for plurilingual educational policies, emphasizing teacher training and family support.
Ayllón-Salas et al. (Wed,) studied this question.