Literature Review on Second Language Acquisition: Looking at the Impact of Bilingual Education at Different Times on Intercultural Competence

Abstract: With the prevalence of globalization, more and more parents are caught in a state of anxiety they want to give their children a bilingual education as early and as well as possible so that in the future they can send their children to study abroad. Hence comes the existence of bilingual schools. However, parents are increasingly choosing bilingual kindergartens because they believe they will enhance their children's linguistic and intercultural competence. This literature review aims to illustrate the distinct impacts of attending a bilingual kindergarten versus a bilingual high school on students' intercultural competence, enlightening readers about the distinctions between the two, and highlighting the importance of early enrollment in a bilingual education system. This article concludes that bilingual kindergartens could subtly let students learn the language and its culture, and bilingual high schools would focus more on the practical way of learning a language but less on the cultural aspects. They both have their advantages and promote intercultural competence in different ways.