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Learner Performance in Mandarin Immersion and High School World Language Programs: A Comparison
Author(s) -
Xu Xiaoqiu,
Padilla Amado M.,
Silva Duarte M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
foreign language annals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1944-9720
pISSN - 0015-718X
DOI - 10.1111/flan.12123
Subject(s) - mandarin chinese , psychology , mathematics education , language proficiency , french immersion , immersion (mathematics) , pedagogy , linguistics , mathematics , philosophy , pure mathematics
This study compared the Mandarin performance of elementary immersion program students and high school world language program students in the same school district. A cross‐sectional design was employed to gather information on Mandarin proficiency of fourth and fifth graders and Level 4 and Level 5 (AP Chinese) high school students who took the Mandarin Standards‐Based Measurement of Proficiency assessment at the end of the school year. Results indicated that immersion students slightly outperformed the comparison high school group in reading but lagged slightly behind in writing and speaking skills, for which assessment tasks required higher levels of cognitive awareness. Findings also showed that while only a few nonheritage speakers in the high school world language program continued to Level 5 (AP), most nonheritage speakers remained in the immersion program for the full duration and performed as well, or nearly as well, as the heritage speakers when exiting the program. Further studies are needed, but the findings provide a strong rationale for the role of Mandarin immersion programs in assisting students to develop higher levels of linguistic proficiency in Mandarin.