Bilingualism Paper

This study investigated parents’ perceptions of the challenges of preserving heritage languages and cultural identities in English-speaking educational environments in Saudi Arabia and the corresponding strategies for preservation. The research collected both quantitative data on language proficiency and usage as well as qualitative data regarding parents' perspectives and challenges in preserving Arabic at home. We found that the dominance of English over Arabic in academic and social domains leads children to prefer English, while causing obstacles in their Arabic literacy skills. Parents employ different methods to handle these issues, including enforcing Arabic use at home, religious and cultural involvement, educational support, and Arabic media resource utilization.