In the last decades, the number of bilingual children in German schools, most of them elective bilinguals, has continually increased. Numerous migrants and immigrants of all nationalities and of e.g. Russian and Turkish origin have raised their children in Germany while many of them never really learned to speak German as a second language (L2) additionally to their first language (L1). It is these kids of the second (or third) generation who are born as German citizens, receive German schooling and grow up bilingual. At home, often the native tongue of the parents is spoken. Due to being enclosed in a cultural community within their German community, they never learned to speak, read or write German properly. So the popular language at home remains the parents’ L1. The children are usually and according to law raised and educated in German institutions (kindergarten, school). They pick up German as a second language, if for example Turkish or Russian is mainly spoken at home. Or they even learn German as L1, when one or both parents have a sufficient command of the German language. “Bilingualism in migrant communities differs from the more stable and (to some extent) institutionally legitimized types of bilingualism […] Characteristically, it spans three generations, the oldest speaker sometimes being monolingual in the community language, the economically active generation being to varying degrees bilingual but with greatly differing levels of competence in the host language, while children born in the host community may sometimes be virtually monolingual in the host language” (Milroy and Muysken 1995, p. 2). These are two examples of possible bilingualism as they can be found with the children of migrant and immigrant families. So the reality in most of Berlin schools is that, depending on the district, a high to very high percentage of the pupils in school are ”Schüler-nicht-deutscher-Herkunftssprache”1. Recently a test has been designed to evaluate the skills of children who enter elementary school. This test, “Bärenstark”, will be critically discussed later in this paper. As a matter of fact, the importance of testing verbal skills seems to grow in Germany.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Importance of the issue
2. Definitions
2.1. Circumstantial versus elected bilingualism
2.2. The concept of the native speaker: the general standard against which bilinguals are compared
2.3. Domains in bilingualism
2.4. Diglossia
2.5. Semilingualism
2.6. What does it mean to know a language?
2.7. Language proficiency vs. verbal ability as criteria in assessment of bilinguals
3. Methods of testing
3.1. An overview of tendencies how bilingualism has been measured
3.2 Historical stages of testing
3.3. Self-report data
3.2.1 Self-rating of language abilities
3.2.2 ociolinguistic background questionnaires
3.3 Measuring language “dominance” in bilinguals
4. Summary
5. Conclusion
6. A special case of testing in German elementary school: “Bärenstark”
7. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Themes
The paper examines the complexities and critical issues surrounding the language assessment of bilingual children, specifically within the German educational context. The primary research focus is to analyze how current standardized testing methods fail to accurately reflect the true language proficiency of bilingual individuals by ignoring the interactive nature of their dual-language systems.
- The conceptual definitions of bilingualism, including circumstantial versus elected bilingualism.
- The historical evolution of language testing methodologies and their inherent biases.
- The critical analysis of self-report data and dominance testing in bilingual assessment.
- A case study of the "Bärenstark" assessment program for German elementary school entrants.
- The systemic discrimination caused by applying monolingual testing norms to bilingual speakers.
Excerpt from the Book
6. A special case of testing in German elementary school: “Bärenstark”
As Valdés and Figueroa have found, one of the most fatal errors in assessment of bilinguals is the neglect of the existence of two languages within the bilingual. Mixed with the application of arbitrary testing instruments not supported by scientific knowledge, this may lead to misleading test results.
Recently (in 2002) a test has been installed as a requirement to be met before elementary school to assess the German language proficiency of first graders to-be. All pupils entering elementary school are tested at the age of approximately six years. The outcome of the test functions as a means of selection: those who pass are enrolled in elementary school while those who fail are assigned to classes to improve their German. German authorities try to meet the problem that the command of German is often poor among bilingual migrant children as well as native German children and they have difficulties following the pace of lessons.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: Importance of the issue: Introduces the rising number of bilingual children in German schools and highlights the problematic nature of evaluating their verbal skills using monolingual standards.
2. Definitions: Provides a theoretical foundation by defining key concepts such as circumstantial bilingualism, diglossia, and the differing interpretations of communicative and linguistic competence.
3. Methods of testing: Reviews the historical development of language testing stages and critically assesses common instruments like self-reports and dominance tests.
4. Summary: Recaps the findings that current testing practices are not scientifically grounded and often unfairly penalize bilingual learners.
5. Conclusion: Recommends a moratorium on existing standardized testing for bilinguals and suggests the exploration of alternative, more equitable assessment approaches.
6. A special case of testing in German elementary school: “Bärenstark”: Critically evaluates the "Bärenstark" test, arguing that it lacks developmental suitability and ignores the child's L1 proficiency.
7. Bibliography: Lists the academic literature and sources used to support the paper's arguments.
Keywords
Bilingualism, Language Assessment, Testing, Circumstantial Bilinguals, Language Policy, German Schools, "Bärenstark", Linguistic Competence, Communicative Competence, Diglossia, Semilingualism, Language Proficiency, Monolingual Norms, Sociolinguistics, Education
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores the critical challenges of assessing language proficiency in bilingual children, specifically addressing how current standardized testing methods in Germany are often inadequate and biased against bilingual speakers.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
Key themes include the theoretical definitions of bilingualism, the evolution of testing methodologies, the limitations of self-report and dominance measures, and the socio-educational implications of testing migrant children.
What is the primary research objective?
The objective is to expose the flaws in using monolingual norms to evaluate bilingual individuals and to argue for assessment methods that consider the interactive nature of a bilingual's two languages.
Which scientific methods are discussed in the context of assessment?
The paper discusses historical testing stages (prescientific, psychometric-structuralist, and psycho/sociolinguistic) as well as specific instruments like self-rating scales, sociolinguistic questionnaires, and dominance-based performance tasks.
What does the main body of the text cover?
The main body examines the theoretical definitions of bilingualism, provides a detailed overview of various testing methodologies, and evaluates their reliability when applied to bilingual populations.
What are the main keywords that characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as bilingualism, language assessment, "Bärenstark", linguistic competence, and monolingual norms.
What specific critique does the author provide regarding the "Bärenstark" test?
The author criticizes "Bärenstark" for being developmentally inappropriate, ignoring the child's L1 (mother tongue), and prioritizing adult-centered written standards over the child's actual communicative ability.
How does the paper relate the American educational context to the German experience?
It draws parallels between American schools' tendency to view non-English languages as academic handicaps and similar trends in German education, where bilingual children are often "punished" by tests that do not recognize their home language as an asset.
- Quote paper
- Andreas Krumwiede (Author), 2003, Language assessment: Testing bilinguals?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/45889
