First and Second Language Acquisition in German Children Attending a Kindergarten Immersion Program: A Combined Longitudinal and Cross‐Sectional Study
This study was supported by a grant from the Ministry of the Interior, for Sports and Infrastructure of the German Federal State of Rhineland‐Palatinate. Thanks are due to the city of Kaiserslautern, Department for Youth and Sports, for supporting us and handling the personnel recruitment and administration of the English educator. We want to thank the children, parents, and educators for their continuous cooperation over the course of the study. Many thanks are also due to Annette Rieksmeier, Birgit Daniel, Stella Klatte, and Anna Eifer for help in data collection.
Abstract
This study investigated first (L1) and second (L2) language acquisition in two age‐matched groups of 2‐ to 6‐year‐old kindergarten children over the course of 2.5 years. The immersion group participated in a partial English immersion program whereas the conventional instruction group received a conventional L2 course (30 minutes per week); the groups were comparable with respect to control variables (e.g., socioeconomic status). L1 and L2 competencies were assessed at four time points (pretest and three posttests). No detrimental effects of immersion on L1 development were found. Concerning L2 receptive skills, the immersion group outperformed the conventional instruction group in each posttest. Contact quality and quantity were found to relate to L2 acquisition through immersion. Immersion appears to be a successful method for early L2 learning; it fosters L2 receptive skills without any cost for the L1.
Number of times cited: 2
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