Educational Effectiveness in Germany: Learners of English as a First Versus Second Foreign Language

• In Event: School Improvement in Different Contexts

Abstract

For a substantial number of secondary school students in Germany, as in many other European countries, English is not the first but the second foreign language learned at school. This paper addresses the educational costs of this later start in English. From a curriculum perspective, students with English as their first foreign language (EFFL) have more English lessons. However, students with English as their second foreign language (ESFL) generally show higher academic achievement and come from more privileged social backgrounds. In this paper, we therefore compare the learning outcomes of EFFL and ESFL students at the end of lower secondary school within a potential outcomes framework. Results cast a critical light on the effectiveness of foreign language education in Germany.

Authors

• Michael Leucht, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN)

• Julia Buchheit, University of Kiel

• Hans Anand Pant, Institute for Educational Progress (IQB)

• Olaf Koeller, Leibniz Institute for Science and Math Education