Home Language and Language Proficiency: A Large-scale Longitudinal Study in Dutch Primary Schools

Abstract

This article reports on a large-scale longitudinal study into the development of language proficiency of Dutch primary school pupils aged 7-10. Data on language proficiency and a range of background variables (home language, level of education and occupational status of parents, language background, migrants' length of residence) from 4419 pupils were analysed. The main outcomes of the study are that, although children with an immigrant language background (Turkish/Moroccan) develop their skills in Dutch considerably over two years, they are nonetheless lagging behind compared to the Dutch reference group. As other groups with a home language other than standard Dutch (Frisian, Limburgish, dialects) do not show a similar trend, it is concluded that the use of the Dutch language in itself is not a crucial factor in the development of language proficiency in primary school. With respect to the background variables, one interesting finding was that the same structural equation model applies to all linguistic groups. The outcomes are discussed in the light of the current debate on school performance of children with migrant backgrounds.

Does ethnicity matter? The impact of stereotypical expectations on in-service teachers’ judgments of students

“…However, these differences in academic achievement often depend on the ethnic origins of the students. To this extent, Turkish students in Belgium (Agirdag et al 2013), United Kingdom (Jones 2014), the Netherlands (Driessen et al 2002), or in Germany (Söhn and Ö zcan 2006) are often reported to perform lower than their corresponding majority peers. In the United States, the same situation holds for African American and Hispanic students (Haycock 2001;Lee 2002;Dee 2005;Jordan 2010).…”

Sociocultural Variation in Literacy Achievement

“…Driessen et al ., 2002). However, in the research conducted so far, only a global measure of children's literacy skills was administered.…”

Role of gender and linguistic diversity in word decoding development

“…However, in previous studies it has been found that first language instruction of minority children in Dutch education is extremely scarce (cf. Driessen et al, 2002).…”

“…When entering primary school, many minority children have only limited knowledge of Dutch but are proficient in another language (cf. Extra & Verhoeven, 1993;Driessen, van der Slik, & de Bot, 2002).…”