The Department of Education of the government of Andalucia, an autonomous community located in southern Spain, has implemented numerous bilingual programs to improve the control of other languages of its student population. The programs, that use languages as vehicles of communication in the classroom, promote students´ bilingualism and academic performance, and contribute to improving their attitudes toward other groups. The following research examined the opinions about these areas of a group of students enrolled in a bilingual program in Andalucia. Students showed positive opinions toward bilingualism and the bilingual program in general, although they seemed hesitant about some of the intellectual and cognitive benefits of language learning.

Key words: Bilingual education programs, bilingualism, teaching methods.