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Developing Multilingual Writing Skills: Bilingual Advantage in Foreign Language Learning?

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Language Development in Diverse Settings

Part of the book series: Edition ZfE ((EZFE,volume 11))

Abstract

Evidence of a “bilingual advantage” in adolescents’ learning of foreign languages is far from conclusive. The results of various studies range from none to partial or conditional confirmation of the assumption of bilingual advantages in this respect. Overall, these findings come from research that focused primarily on reading or indicators of general language proficiency. Studies on potential bilingual advantages for writing in foreign language learning are still scarce. Corresponding longitudinal research on multilingual writing skills in adolescence is completely lacking. To address this research gap, our study examines whether bilingual adolescents may have advantages over their monolingual counterparts in developing writing skills in English as a foreign language. Based on data from four waves of the German study “Multilingual Development: A Longitudinal Perspective (MEZ)”, we analyze the writing of German-Russian and German-Turkish bilingual adolescents in English as a foreign language compared to a monolingual reference group. Our analyses include controls of background variables as well as writing skills in the heritage and majority languages. Our results point to the occurrence of, at most, minor group-specific and nonpermanent effects of bilingualism on foreign language learning at school in Germany.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In the following, we use the term „bilinguals“ for students with an immigrant background using more than one language in their daily lives. In contrast, we use the term „monolinguals“ for students without an immigrant background.

  2. 2.

    Cutoffs for η2 recommended by Cohen (1988): > .01 = „small effect“; > .06 = „medium effect”; and > .14 = “large effect”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Thorsten Klinger, Birger Schnoor & Irina Usanova

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  1. Thorsten Klinger
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  2. Birger Schnoor
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  3. Irina Usanova
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Correspondence to Thorsten Klinger .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Deutschland

    Hanne Brandt

  2. Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Deutschland

    Marion Krause

  3. Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Deutschland

    Irina Usanova

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Klinger, T., Schnoor, B., Usanova, I. (2022). Developing Multilingual Writing Skills: Bilingual Advantage in Foreign Language Learning?. In: Brandt, H., Krause, M., Usanova, I. (eds) Language Development in Diverse Settings. Edition ZfE, vol 11. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-35650-7_8

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