Research seminar: Nicole Marx, University of Cologne

Abstract

Immigrated students are expected to ”catch up” academically with their mainstream peers, yet their reading trajectories remain poorly understood. While performance gaps are well-documented, less is known about which individual and contextual factors explain variation in reading outcomes.

This presentation examines the effects of vocabulary knowledge, language exposure, prior education, and instructional context on reading outcomes. 76 recently immigrated students and 192 non-immigrated peers in eight lower secondary schools were assessed from 2022–2024 on reading fluency, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. Individual factors (vocabulary breadth, age, years learning German, literacy practices outside school) and contextual factors (length of schooling in Germany, attendance of preparatory classes, enrollment in remedial German as a Second Language classes) were analyzed through mixed-effects models and correlational analyses.

Results showed that receptive vocabulary emerged as the strongest predictor of reading performance, rendering immigrant status non-significant when included in the models.

Among immigrated students, reading comprehension was positively associated with regular reading and writing in German outside school, length of schooling in Germany, and prior attendance of preparatory language classes, but negatively with current remedial class enrollment (likely reflecting selection into these programs rather than program effects).

Notably, years of German language learning showed only moderate correlations with reading outcomes, suggesting that time alone does not guarantee progress. These findings suggest that vocabulary development and authentic literacy engagement may be more critical than time spent in the host country.

The seminar is held in English and is translated into Swedish sign language.

On Nicole Marx