ABSTRACT

This study explores the relationship of early immersion education, socioeconomic background, and cognitive gains of young learners. We examine the possible advantages of early bilingual education and the impact of family socioeconomic status (SES) for the cognitive development of children. Participants (N = 39) were students at regular (German) or immersion (German-English) primary schools in Germany. The study employed a longitudinal design with school program and socioeconomic status as between-subjects factors, and L2 proficiency and cognitive variables as within-subject factors. The pre- and post-tests consisted of tests of English vocabulary and grammar and tests of working memory capacity, non-verbal intelligence, and phonological awareness. Participants also completed a parental questionnaire assessing their socioeconomic background based on HISEI indicators (Highest International Socioeconomic Index). Repeated measures ANOVAs and regression analyzes revealed that the participants from the immersion school outperformed their peers from the regular schools on all L2 (English) proficiency and cognitive variables on the posttest. Furthermore, our data revealed that SES is significantly more influential in participants who follow regular school programs than in those who are enrolled in immersion schools. Overall, our data provide support for the benefits of early immersion programs in leveling the playing field for children of low socioeconomic status.

摘要

本研究探讨了早期沉浸式教育、社会经济背景和年轻学习者的认知增益之间的关系。我们研究了早期双语教育的可能优势以及家庭社会经济地位（SES）对儿童认知发展的影响。参与者（N = 39）是德国普通（德语）或沉浸式（德语-英语）小学的学生。该研究采用纵向设计，将学校课程和社会经济地位作为主体间因素，将第二语言能力和认知变量作为主体内因素。前测和后测包括英语词汇和语法测试以及工作记忆能力、非语言智力和语音意识测试。参与者还完成了一份家长问卷，根据 HISEI 指标（最高国际社会经济指数）评估他们的社会经济背景。重复测量方差分析和回归分析表明，沉浸式学校的参与者在后测中的所有 L2（英语）能力和认知变量上都优于普通学校的同龄人。此外，我们的数据显示，与参加沉浸式学校的人相比，SES 对参加常规学校课程的参与者的影响要大得多。总体而言，我们的数据支持早期沉浸式项目在为社会经济地位低的儿童提供公平竞争环境方面的好处。