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The present study focuses on the discrepancy between receptive and expressive language competence among bilingual children and tests possible explanatory factors of this gap. The sample consisted of 406 bilingual children with German as their second language (L2) and 46 different first languages. Receptive and expressive German language competence (L2) were measured with a standardized language development test at the age of 43 months. As expected, a significant gap in receptive and expressive German language competence (L2) emerged in all language groups. The size of the gap reached 1 SD and correlated with the amount of language contact and thus provides support for the language exposure hypothesis. However, we found no evidence for the language familiarity hypothesis. The present study contributes to the understanding of mechanisms in bilingual language development and, hence, is consequential for both basic research and language assessment practice.

Abstract. Language competence facilitates making contact with others, interpreting others’ behavior, and communicating one’s own needs. However, evidence on the relation between language competence and social preference, that is, the degree to which someone is accepted or rejected by the peer group, is mixed. The scope of the current study was to examine this relation by conducting a meta-analysis. We included studies published in English, without any restrictions on the form or year of publication. Results of 42 studies and 49 independent samples of 7,077 children (mean age = 6.0 years, SD = 1.9; range: 3.0–11.0 years) revealed a significant relation between oral language competence and social preference, with an effect size of r = .25. Gender, language modality, and methodological characteristics were tested as possible moderators but did not explain variation between studies. Age was a significant moderator, with language competence more important for younger than for older children in gaining social acceptance.

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We examined the extent to which three sibling structure variables number of siblings, birth order, and presence of an older sibling at school age are linked to the second language skills of bilingual children. The research questions were tested using an ethnically heterogeneous sample of 1209 bilingual children with German as a second language. Controlling for children’s age, sex, nationality, number of children’s books at home, family language and parental German language skills, hierarchical regression analyses showed an inverse relationship between the number of siblings and second language skills: the more siblings a child had, the lower was his/her second language proficiency. This relationship was mediated by attendance in early education institutions. Moreover, first-born siblings showed better second language skills than later born siblings. The current study revealed that the resource dilution model, i.e., the decrease in resources for every additional sibling, holds for second language acquisition. Moreover, the results indicate that bilingual children from families with several children benefit from access to early education institutions.