Converging Development of English as Foreign Language Listening and Reading Comprehension Skills in German Upper Secondary Schools

Receptive skills in English as a second language are important for students on the verge of entering higher education as this student group (aged 17–19) is expected to apply English regularly in their later life. Previous research in this age group in Germany already implied an increasing overlap be...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Christian Spoden, Jens Fleischer, Michael Leucht
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01116/full
_version_ 1819039613134569472
author Christian Spoden
Jens Fleischer
Michael Leucht
author_facet Christian Spoden
Jens Fleischer
Michael Leucht
author_sort Christian Spoden
collection DOAJ
description Receptive skills in English as a second language are important for students on the verge of entering higher education as this student group (aged 17–19) is expected to apply English regularly in their later life. Previous research in this age group in Germany already implied an increasing overlap between both skills in this age group, although robustness of this effect across student groups with different learning experiences was not tested. We used language assessment data collected from upper secondary schools (i.e., from 17 to 19-year-old students) in Germany to compare correlations at the beginning and the end of upper secondary education in groups of students from (1) language-related versus non-language-related study profiles and (2) from students with frequent versus less frequent self-reported English-language out-of-school learning activities. In all of these groups, correlations were increasing, indicating converging skills in upper secondary education. The results are discussed in terms of implications for current theories of language research.
first_indexed 2024-12-21T08:55:59Z
format Article
id doaj.art-cb7d5545c1af4ac5a322599ebaebdeb7
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1664-1078
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-21T08:55:59Z
publishDate 2020-06-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Psychology
spelling doaj.art-cb7d5545c1af4ac5a322599ebaebdeb72022-12-21T19:09:34ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782020-06-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.01116512970Converging Development of English as Foreign Language Listening and Reading Comprehension Skills in German Upper Secondary SchoolsChristian Spoden0Jens Fleischer1Michael Leucht2German Institute for Adult Education – Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning, Bonn, GermanyDepartment of Instructional Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, GermanyIPN – Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Kiel, GermanyReceptive skills in English as a second language are important for students on the verge of entering higher education as this student group (aged 17–19) is expected to apply English regularly in their later life. Previous research in this age group in Germany already implied an increasing overlap between both skills in this age group, although robustness of this effect across student groups with different learning experiences was not tested. We used language assessment data collected from upper secondary schools (i.e., from 17 to 19-year-old students) in Germany to compare correlations at the beginning and the end of upper secondary education in groups of students from (1) language-related versus non-language-related study profiles and (2) from students with frequent versus less frequent self-reported English-language out-of-school learning activities. In all of these groups, correlations were increasing, indicating converging skills in upper secondary education. The results are discussed in terms of implications for current theories of language research.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01116/fulllistening comprehensionreading comprehensionreceptive language skillsupper secondary educationcross-lagged panel design
spellingShingle Christian Spoden
Jens Fleischer
Michael Leucht
Converging Development of English as Foreign Language Listening and Reading Comprehension Skills in German Upper Secondary Schools
Frontiers in Psychology
listening comprehension
reading comprehension
receptive language skills
upper secondary education
cross-lagged panel design
title Converging Development of English as Foreign Language Listening and Reading Comprehension Skills in German Upper Secondary Schools
title_full Converging Development of English as Foreign Language Listening and Reading Comprehension Skills in German Upper Secondary Schools
title_fullStr Converging Development of English as Foreign Language Listening and Reading Comprehension Skills in German Upper Secondary Schools
title_full_unstemmed Converging Development of English as Foreign Language Listening and Reading Comprehension Skills in German Upper Secondary Schools
title_short Converging Development of English as Foreign Language Listening and Reading Comprehension Skills in German Upper Secondary Schools
title_sort converging development of english as foreign language listening and reading comprehension skills in german upper secondary schools
topic listening comprehension
reading comprehension
receptive language skills
upper secondary education
cross-lagged panel design
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01116/full
work_keys_str_mv AT christianspoden convergingdevelopmentofenglishasforeignlanguagelisteningandreadingcomprehensionskillsingermanuppersecondaryschools
AT jensfleischer convergingdevelopmentofenglishasforeignlanguagelisteningandreadingcomprehensionskillsingermanuppersecondaryschools
AT michaelleucht convergingdevelopmentofenglishasforeignlanguagelisteningandreadingcomprehensionskillsingermanuppersecondaryschools