Conditions of bilingual learning opportunities - Video-based analyses about the utilization and efficacy of an intervention on fractions

Abstract

Offering bilingual learning opportunities in subject matter classrooms has been demanded. But control trials show divergent results about their efficacy for superior learning gains. Thus, there is a need for investigating the conditions under which a learning opportunity can be used productively and shows efficacy. In a video study of 13 groups in a content- and language-integrated intervention in grade 7, the participation and language use were captured and evaluated with respect to the statistical relations between individual preconditions and learning gains using correlation and regression analyses. The analyses show that participation and language use are only little connected with the individual preconditions. In contrast, the learning gains correlate with the use of Turkish, which encompasses Turkish utterances as well as flexible mixing of Turkish and German. Hence, the initiation of interconnected and mixed language use is important for the efficacy of bilingual learning opportunities.