The Implementation of Bilingual Class: An Overview (A Descriptive Study at One of International School in Serang, Banten)

Abstract

This paper explores the implementation of bilingual education at a national plus bilingualschool in Serang, which integrates English instruction with the Montessori method for early childhoodand primary levels. A qualitative case study involving an in-depth semi-structured interview with the school principal was conducted. Sociolinguistic frameworks including diglossia, language choice, code-switching, and translanguaging were applied to evaluate how language policy, cognitive demands, and social identity shape daily school interactions through thematic analysis. The results revealed three keydynamics in the school bilingual environment: 1) the establishment of a diglossic pattern where Englishoperates as the dominant language in formal domains, while Indonesian is maintained for socialsolidarity in informal settings; 2) the high cognitive load experienced by learners when dual languagedemands trigger mental translation and hinder content comprehension; and 3) the strategic deploymentof code-switching and translanguaging as pedagogical tools, integrated with Montessori frameworks, toscaffold learning and mitigate these cognitive barriers. These findings demonstrate the complexity ofearly bilingual education, suggesting that successful implementation requires flexible pedagogicalstrategies that prioritize student conceptual comprehension over rigid monolingual rules. This studycontributes to the field of sociolinguistics by highlighting the necessity of adaptable academicenvironments and strong parental involvement at home to create a balanced linguistic ecosystem.