Ethnic Classroom Composition and Minority Language Use among Classmates: Do Peers Matter for Students’ Language Achievement?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Seuring ◽  
Camilla Rjosk ◽  
Petra Stanat
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Ethnic Composition ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Classroom Composition

Abstract This article examines the relationship between ethnic classroom composition and students’ language-related achievement. We investigate whether minority language use among classmates accounts for effects of ethnic composition on minority students’ German reading comprehension and their proficiency in the minority languages Russian and Turkish. We employ multilevel models using cross-sectional data from a sample of ninth-grade students participating in the German National Educational Panel Study. Our findings indicate that students’ minority language background rather than their ethnic origin accounts for ethnic composition effects. We find a negative relationship between the ethno-lingual classroom composition and students’ German reading comprehension, but the association is small and limited to minority students. Moreover, the ethno-lingual classroom composition is positively correlated with minority language proficiency, specifically among Turkish-speaking students. These associations are substantially reduced after controlling for students’ minority language use with their classmates, indicating that a higher proportion of minority language students in a classroom provides additional opportunities for acquiring or maintaining higher levels of proficiency in the minority language. Overall, the ethnic classroom composition does not appear to substantially reinforce existing inequalities between minority and majority students.

scholarly journals The relation between ethnic classroom composition and adolescents’ ethnic pride

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 997-1013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Leszczensky ◽  
Andreas Flache ◽  
Tobias H. Stark ◽  
Anke Munniksma
Keyword(s):  
Minority Students ◽  
Ethnic Composition ◽  
Longitudinal Analyses ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ethnic Pride ◽  
Classroom Composition ◽  
Curvilinear Relation ◽  
Optimal Distinctiveness ◽  
Optimal Distinctiveness Theory ◽  
Sectional Analysis

This study investigated how students’ ethnic pride was related to variation in ethnic composition between classrooms as well as within the same classroom over time. Predictions derived from optimal distinctiveness theory (ODT) were tested among 13- to 14-year-old ethnic majority and minority students ( N = 1,123). Lending support to ODT, a curvilinear relation between the share of same-ethnicity classmates and students’ ethnic pride was found in a cross-sectional analysis, with ethnic pride peaking in classrooms with approximately 50% same-ethnicity classmates. In line with ODT, longitudinal analyses revealed ethnic pride decreased for students who moved away from a share of 50% same-ethnicity classmates. Contrary to ODT, however, ethnic pride also decreased for students who moved closer to this point of optimal distinctiveness.

Territoriality and Minority Language Rights

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balázs Vizi
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Political Control ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Language Rights ◽  
Council Of Europe ◽  
Technical Approach ◽  
National Minorities ◽  
Minority Language Rights

Territorial principle emerges not only in domestic legislations on language rights, but also in international documents. The article aims at offering an overview of the interpretations of territoriality in international documents relevant for minority language rights, with a special focus on the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. While states often use territorial requirements as a tool of political control over minority language use, the interpretation of their obligations under the two Council of Europe treaties would require a more practical and technical approach to territorial limitations.

scholarly journals Does more exposure to the language of instruction lead to higher academic achievement? A cross-national examination

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orhan Agirdag ◽  
Gudrun Vanlaar
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Achievement Gap ◽  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
School Context ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Language Background ◽  
International Student Assessment

Aims and objectives: As some Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) studies claimed that native speaking (NS) students outperform language minority (LMi) students, far-reaching inferences have been drawn by policymakers. However, previous PISA assessments were not appropriate because they only included a dichotomous home language variable. The main objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of how students’ language background and use are related to academic achievement. Design: The PISA data from 2012 provides a unique opportunity to fill this research lacuna as it includes a more elaborated questionnaire on language background and use. Data and analysis: Multivariate three-level analyses are conducted on PISA 2012 data from 18 countries, covering about 5,000 schools and 120,000 students. Findings: The results show that there is an achievement gap between LMi and NS students for both reading and math. After controlling for students and school characteristics, the LMi–NS achievement gap narrows, but remains significant. This holds true for most countries. However, language use per se is not the cause of underachievement: LMi students who more often speak a minority language with their parents do not achieve less. In some countries, speaking a minority language more often with parents is actually positively related to math and reading achievement. Nevertheless, speaking the instruction language in the school context is positively associated with math and reading achievement. Originality and significance: This study revealed that the relation between language use and academic achievement is more complex than it was conceptualized in most previous PISA studies. Scholars need to go beyond the dichotomous approach to achieve a better understanding of language use. Our results show that linguistic diversity could function as an asset for academic performance, at least if a good balance between focus on minority languages at home and instruction language at school can be found.

scholarly journals Do reading boredom and reading boredom coping strategies predict reading comprehension performance? An empirical investigation of Saudi EFL learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 445-459
Author(s):  
Muhammad Waleed Shehzad ◽  
Rida Ahmed ◽  
Shazma Razzaq ◽  
Amer Akhtar ◽  
Md. Kamrul Hasan
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Correlational Research ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Boredom is a well-researched concept in various contexts; nonetheless, there is scarceness of research related to the relationship of boredom with reading comprehension performance in EFL context. Therefore, this study intends to determine the connection between reading boredom and reading comprehension performance by employing reading boredom coping strategies as a mediator. A quantitative research approach, and a cross-sectional and correlational research design was employed to conduct this study. Questionnaires and a reading comprehension test were used to collect data from 306 Saudi EFL students. Findings indicated that reading boredom showed a significant but negative relationship with reading comprehension performance. Also, reading boredom was positively and significantly related to reading boredom coping strategies. Moreover, reading boredom coping strategies showed a positive and significant relationship with reading comprehension performance. Lastly, findings indicated that reading boredom coping strategies mediated the association between reading boredom and reading comprehension performance. On the basis of aforementioned findings, numerous recommendations for EFL students, teachers, and policymakers were offered.

Pluricentricity and minority languages: the difficult case of North Frisian

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-90
Author(s):  
Nils Langer
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
West Germany ◽  
National Minority ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Difficult Case ◽  
North West ◽  
Sufficient Detail ◽  
North Frisian ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract Common definitions of pluricentricity rely on the notions of centre, nation, and norm, frequently without, however, offering sufficient detail on what precisely these mean. These terms are often applied to classify languages as pluricentric or not, without adequately recognising intra-linguistic variation and dynamics of power within a speaker community (language ownership). Using the example of a national minority language from North-West Germany, North Frisian, this article discusses how a narrow reading of the definition of pluricentricity would deny such a status to this language, when in fact the sociolinguistic situation of North Frisian matches that of many acknowledged pluricentric languages. Instead, the article suggests that the term nation should no longer be equated with state, that the term centre be further specified to determine what institution or which individuals have authority over language, and that the term norm be more clearly articulated to account for the variability in “correct” language use.

scholarly journals Virtual communities as breathing spaces for minority languages: Re-framing minority language use in social media

Adeptus ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillem Belmar ◽  
Maggie Glass
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Language Revitalization ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Essential Component

Virtual communities as breathing spaces for minority languages: Re-framing minority language use in social mediaConsidering that social media is increasingly present in our daily communicative exchanges, digital presence is an essential component of language revitalization and maintenance. Online communication has modified our language use in various ways. In fact, language use online is often described as hybrid, and boundaries across languages tend to blur. These are also characteristics of translanguaging approaches, which see language as fluid codes of communication. “Breathing spaces” are needed in order to achieve “sustainable translanguaging” practices for minority languages. The establishment of communities of performing minority language speakers in a digital environment raises the question whether these emerging virtual communities can take up the role of  breathing spaces for minority languages. Społeczności wirtualne jako przestrzeń życiowa dla języków mniejszościowych. Nowe spojrzenie na używanie języków mniejszościowych w mediach społecznościowychPonieważ media społecznościowe są coraz bardziej obecne w codziennej komunikacji, obecność języków mniejszościowych w świecie cyfrowym jest niezbędnym elementem dla ich zachowania i rewitalizacji. Komunikacja online przyniosła zmiany wielu aspektów użycia języka. Używanie języka w Internecie często określa się jako hybrydowe, a granice między językami często się zacierają. Te zjawiska cechuje również transjęzyczność (translanguaging), podejście które postrzega język jako płynne kody komunikacji. W przypadku języków mniejszościowych, osiągnięcie „zrównoważonej transjęzyczności” (sustainable translanguaging) wymaga „przestrzeni życiowej” do ich używania. Tworzenie wirtualnych społeczności posługujących się językami mniejszościowymi w świecie cyfrowym rodzi pytanie, czy mogąone pełnić rolę takiej przestrzeni.

Language Use and Sustainable Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Policy-Makers and Educators in Northeast Vietnamese Areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-130
Author(s):  
Ha Ngan Ngo ◽  
Maya Khemlani David
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Shift ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The Status ◽  
Wedding Songs

Vietnam represents a country with 54 ethnic groups; however, the majority (88%) of the population are of Vietnamese heritage. Some of the other ethnic groups such as Tay, Thai, Muong, Hoa, Khmer, and Nung have a population of around 1 million each, while the Brau, Roman, and Odu consist only of a hundred people each. Living in northern Vietnam, close to the Chinese border (see Figure 1), the Tay people speak a language of the    Central    Tai language group called Though, T'o, Tai Tho, Ngan, Phen, Thu Lao, or Pa Di. Tay remains one of 10 ethnic languages used by 1 million speakers (Buoi, 2003). The Tày ethnic group has a rich culture of wedding songs, poems, dance, and music and celebrate various festivals. Wet rice cultivation, canal digging and grain threshing on wooden racks are part of the Tày traditions. Their villages situated near the foothills often bear the names of nearby mountains, rivers, or fields. This study discusses the status and role of the Tày language in Northeast Vietnam. It discusses factors, which have affected the habitual use of the Tay language, the connection between language shift and development and provides a model for the sustainability and promotion of minority languages. It remains fundamentally imperative to strengthen and to foster positive attitudes of the community towards the Tày language. Tày’s young people must be enlightened to the reality their Tày non-usage could render their mother tongue defunct, which means their history stands to be lost.

The Teacher Behavior Checklist: The Mediation Role of Teacher Behaviors in the Relationship Between the Students’ Importance of Teacher Behaviors and Students’ Effort

2020 ◽  
pp. 009862832097989
Author(s):  
Michael T. Geier
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Teacher Behavior ◽  
Teacher Behaviors ◽  
Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Teaching Implications

Background: Previous research suggests a relationship between teacher behaviors and students’ effort. However, it is not clear what role the students’ expectations (i.e., importance of teacher behaviors) play in this relationship. Objective: Utilizing the teacher behavior checklist, this study sought to investigate whether teacher behaviors mediate the relationship between the importance students set on teacher behaviors and students’ effort. Further, the study explored which specific behaviors influence students’ effort. Method: Cross-sectional survey data were analyzed ( N = 159) using mediation analysis and stepwise multiple linear regression. Results: There was evidence that teacher behaviors mediate the relationship between the importance students set on teacher behaviors and students’ effort. Four of the 28 teacher behaviors had a significant relationship to students’ effort: creative and interesting, enthusiastic about teaching, happy/positive/humorous, and promotes critical thinking. Conclusion: Knowing students’ expectations (i.e., the importance of teacher behaviors) is essential to increasing students’ effort. Teaching Implications: Happy/positive/humorous had a negative relationship with students’ effort, while creative and interesting, enthusiastic about teaching, and promotes critical thinking showed a positive relationship with students’ effort.

Sonographic Assessment of Renal Volume in Normotensive Pregnant Women and Women With Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension in Enugu Metropolis

2021 ◽  
pp. 875647932110210
Author(s):  
Idigo Felicitas Ugochinyere ◽  
Nwankwo Sylvia Chiamaka ◽  
Abonyi Everistus Obinna ◽  
Anakwue Angel-Mary Chukwunyelu ◽  
Agbo Julius Amechi
Keyword(s):  
Reference Range ◽  
Interobserver Variability ◽  
Correct Diagnosis ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Renal Volume ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Induced Hypertension

Objective: Renal volume (RV) assessment during obstetric sonography is rarely considered in our locality. Understanding the changes in RV in both normotensive pregnant (NP) and pregnancy-induced hypertensive (PIH) women is important in making correct diagnosis regarding pregnancy outcome. This study is aimed at determining the RV in NP and PIH women and correlating RV with fetal gestational age (FGA), body mass index (BMI), and parity in NP women. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 450 patients recruited at a Tertiary Hospital. A pilot study was done to determine the interobserver variability in RV measurement. RV was calculated using the following formula: L × W × AP × 0.523. Parity, BMI, and blood pressure were documented, while FGA was calculated as an average of FGAs obtained from the measurements of fetal biometric parameters. Results: Mean RV of PIH women was significantly higher than that of NP women ( P < .05). RV shows a positive significant relationship with BMI and FGA, while it shows a negative relationship with parity in NP ( P < .05). Conclusion: Reference range values of RV were generated for clinical use in our locality, while there is statistically significant difference between RV in NP and PIH women.

scholarly journals Young L2 learners’ online processing of information in a graded reader during reading-only and reading-while-listening conditions: A study of eye-movements

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Serrano ◽  
Ana Pellicer-Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Auditory Input ◽  
Reading Tests ◽  
Textual Information ◽  
Multimodal Texts ◽  
Time Processing ◽  
Online Processing ◽  
Significant Negative Relationship

AbstractCombining reading with auditory input has been shown to be an effective way of supporting reading fluency and reading comprehension in a second language. Previous research has also shown that reading comprehension can be further supported by pictorial information. However, the studies conducted so far have mainly included adults or adolescents and have been based on post-reading tests that, although informative, do not contribute to our understanding of how learners’ processing of the several sources of input in multimodal texts changes with the presence of auditory input and the effect that potential differences could have on comprehension. The present study used eye-tracking to examine how young learners process the pictorial and textual information in a graded reader under reading only and reading-while-listening conditions. Results showed that readers spent more time processing the text in the reading only condition, while more time was spent processing the images in the reading-while-listening mode. Nevertheless, comprehension scores were similar for the readers in the two conditions. Additionally, our results suggested a significant (negative) relationship between the amount of time learners spent processing the text and comprehension scores in both modes.

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