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Interaction and L2 input quality mediate effect of SES and L2 program on working memory and L2 skills

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Abstract

Human cognitive and linguistic development are intrinsically intertwined and take place within a nested structure of contextual levels. These comprise learner-internal factors (cognitive-linguistic skills) as well as external levels, i.e. the individual’s engagement with the proximal social world (families, classrooms etc.), and increasingly distal levels such as society and cultural contexts (Douglas Fir Group 2016, Lerner 2002). Consequently, factors on all levels have been identified as predictors for SLA. However, SLA researchers deplore that our understanding of the interplay between learner-internal and learner-external resources is still limited (Han 2019). This study investigates in how far the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) and L2 program (distal external variables) on internal cognitive and L2 skills are mediated by proximal external factors such as type of parent-child interaction and quality of classroom instruction. We carried out a longitudinal study with N=93 L2-learners of English (age 7;6-11;6; 46%f) from German regular and bilingual primary schools with an L2-intensity between 7,5%-85% of the curriculum. Learners were tested twice over the course of one year for working memory using WISC IV (in German) and receptive lexical and grammatical L2 skills using BPVS III and ELIAS Grammar Test II. A parent questionnaire yielded data on parental occupation (HISEI) and parent-child interaction (PISA 2018). L2-instructional quality was operationalized with the Teacher Input Observation Scheme. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SPSS AMOS 26) to account for the nested structure of variables. Results suggest that the effect of the distal variables SES and L2 program on working memory and receptive L2 skills is mediated by specific parent-child interactions and by quality of teachers' L2 input in the classroom (model fit: probability level =.109; CFI=.978; RMSEA=.055). In addition, we found a multilingual advantage for L2 grammar learning. Results indicate that stimulating home and school interaction might level the playing field for socially disadvantaged children.
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