ERIC Number: EJ1430246
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1367-0050
EISSN: EISSN-1747-7522
Two-Way Immersion Promotes Additional Language Learning: Performance of Bilingual Sixth-Grade Students in English as a Third Language
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, v27 n7 p910-922 2024
Multilingualism is often associated with advantages for acquiring additional languages. Theoretical approaches explain these advantages by assuming a Common Underlying Proficiency or a Metalinguistic Awareness. At the State Europe School in Berlin, students from different language backgrounds receive instruction in German and a partner language according to two-way immersion (TWI). It is unclear how this bilingual instruction affects the acquisition of a third language. We examined the English proficiency of N = 656 TWI sixth-grade students and N = 739 mainstream students via a C-test. Multiple regression analyses revealed that TWI students exhibited higher English proficiency than mainstream students despite having received less English instruction. The results showed additional effects of German- and partner-language reading skills. The findings support the assumption of TWI programs that the use of two languages of instruction fosters third language acquisition.
Descriptors: Immersion Programs, Bilingual Education, German, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Language Proficiency, Foreign Countries, Grade 6, Metalinguistics, Reading Skills, Teaching Methods, Comparative Analysis, Multilingualism, Native Language, French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Polish, Portuguese, Cognitive Tests, Gender Differences, Socioeconomic Status, Language Tests
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany (Berlin)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Cognitive Abilities Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A