Projekt SpröM
Long-Term School Effects of Early Language Promotion in Children with and without Migration Background
The project SpröM evaluated the longitudinal effects of kindergarten support programs with regard to linguistic and metalinguistic competencies.
We evaluated the effects of these programs comparing children with and without migration background. Our sample consisted of 1000 children. Approximately 400 of these children took part in different combinations of linguistic and metalinguistic support programs during a two years period. During kindergarten time, we assessed the development of reading and writing precursors. In elementary school, competencies in reading and writing were measured from grade 1 to grade 3.
Results indicated that patterns of relations between predictors of reading skills (e.g. phonological working memory, language skills, and phonological awareness) were consistent between monolingual children and children with German as a second language. However, the precursors’ influence on basic reading skills varied between these children. For monolingual children, phonological awareness was the strongest predictor of reading skills. In children with German as a second language, phonological awareness did not influence reading skills. This differential effect was confirmed in a sample of Turkish-German and monolingual German speaking children. Moreover, results indicated that children with German as a second language showed lower reading performances in Grade 1. This performance gap widened during time of elementary school.
Selected Publications
Dubowy, M., Duzy, D., Pröscholdt, M. V., Schneider, W., Souvignier, E., & Gold, A. (2012). Was macht den Migrationshintergrund bei Vorschulkindern aus?. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Bildungswissenschaften, 33, 355–374.
Duzy, D., Ehm, J.-H., Souvignier, E., Schneider, W., & Gold, A. (2013). Prädiktoren der Lesekompetenz bei Kindern mit Deutsch als Zweitsprache. Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie, 45, 173–190.
Souvignier, E., Duzy, D., Glück, D., Pröscholdt, M. V., & Schneider, W. (2012). Vorschulische Förderung der phonologischen Bewusstheit bei Kindern mit Deutsch als Zweitsprache. Effekte einer muttersprachlichen und einer deutschsprachigen Förderung. Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie, 44, 40–51. doi:10.1026/0049-8637/a000059