Former Research

Language aptitude at the primary school level (LAPS)

2016-2017

The potential to learn foreign languages varies from one individual to the next and has been investigated by many researchers as of the early 1950s. Individuals’ ability to learn foreign languages relies on various elements that have been identified and grouped under the term language aptitude (ability to retrieve, identify and memorise sound sequences belonging to foreign languages, ability to identify meaningful common features etc.). Another area of the research focuses on emotional/personality factors that may influence the acquisition of skills (e.g. motivation, anxiety, identity etc.) as well as on the effects of self- and hetero-perception towards language skills. For this project, we rely on theoretical and empirical accounts of individual potential for learning foreign languages in a predictive approach. We answer the following research questions: Which factors can explain and forecast the differences in individuals’ capacity to learn foreign languages? Are these due to learning abilities in general, language-specific abilities, or factors related to motivation/anxiety/personality etc.?
http://www.institute-multilingualism.ch/en/content/language-aptitude-why-and-how-assess-it

Written productions from children with an immigration background

2016-2017

This project aims to describe the development of productive writing skills in children with a Portuguese immigration background living in Switzerland (in the language of origin and in the language of instruction).It is based on data collected as part of the project “Language of origin and language at school: are literacy skills transferable?” (HELASCOT) from the work programme 2011-2015 by the Research Centre on Multilingualism.
http://www.institute-multilingualism.ch/en/content/written-productions-children-immigration-background

Language of origin and language at school: are literacy skills transferable? (HELASCOT)

2012-2015

The project explores potential literacy skills transfers between the language of origin and the language spoken at school in migrant Portuguese children in Switzerland. For this purpose, participants (n=518; including control groups) took reading comprehension and writing tests on three occasions in two languages: their heritage language (Portuguese) and the language spoken in the part of Switzerland they are living in (German or French).
http://www.institute-multilingualism.ch/en/content/language-origin-and-language-school

Multilingual sequences in history lessons: processes used to solve intercomprehension tasks and appropriate learner profiles

2012-2014

The project aims to shed light on the key processes in text comprehension when reading in an unfamiliar language at school (history lessons at secondary school I). The project explores also the degree to which intercomprehension can be periodically applied in school, and determines for which learner profile this approach is or is not appropriate. In a second step of the research project, the identified learner profiles are examined more closely by a think aloud protocol task in order to observe the cognitive processes and strategies involved in a reading comprehension task in an unknown language.
http://www.institute-multilingualism.ch/en/content/multilingual-sequences-history-lessons

video_hd.mp4

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse