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Does First Language training matter for Immigrant children’s School Achievement? Evidence from a Danish school reform

Tegunimataka, Anna LU (2021) In Nordic Journal of Migration Research 11(3). p.316-340
Abstract
This article explores municipal variation in the implementation of a Danish educational reform. The aim of the reform was to increase the assimilation of immigrants, and removing mother-tongue training for first- and second-generation immigrants was believed to increase their proficiency in Danish. This article uses a difference-in-differences method to explore the effect of this removal on children’s educational outcomes in terms of grades in standardised tests in class nine, assessing both grades in the majority language Danish and grades in mathematics. This study, furthermore, takes potential heterogeneities in terms of gender and immigrant generation into consideration. This study shows that the expected results of the reform were not... (More)
This article explores municipal variation in the implementation of a Danish educational reform. The aim of the reform was to increase the assimilation of immigrants, and removing mother-tongue training for first- and second-generation immigrants was believed to increase their proficiency in Danish. This article uses a difference-in-differences method to explore the effect of this removal on children’s educational outcomes in terms of grades in standardised tests in class nine, assessing both grades in the majority language Danish and grades in mathematics. This study, furthermore, takes potential heterogeneities in terms of gender and immigrant generation into consideration. This study shows that the expected results of the reform were not obtained. Rather the opposite that the removal of mother-tongue training leads to lower grades in Danish for boys and in mathematics for both boys and girls. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Immigrant integration, Second-language acquisition, School reform, School achievements
in
Nordic Journal of Migration Research
volume
11
issue
3
pages
316 - 340
publisher
De Gruyter Open
external identifiers
  • scopus:85118656773
ISSN
1799-649X
DOI
10.33134/njmr.418
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0245a1ba-9fd9-4358-aeda-2b1233b1ec9f
date added to LUP
2021-04-09 10:41:33
date last changed
2022-05-30 16:10:53
@article{0245a1ba-9fd9-4358-aeda-2b1233b1ec9f,
  abstract     = {{This article explores municipal variation in the implementation of a Danish educational reform. The aim of the reform was to increase the assimilation of immigrants, and removing mother-tongue training for first- and second-generation immigrants was believed to increase their proficiency in Danish. This article uses a difference-in-differences method to explore the effect of this removal on children’s educational outcomes in terms of grades in standardised tests in class nine, assessing both grades in the majority language Danish and grades in mathematics. This study, furthermore, takes potential heterogeneities in terms of gender and immigrant generation into consideration. This study shows that the expected results of the reform were not obtained. Rather the opposite that the removal of mother-tongue training leads to lower grades in Danish for boys and in mathematics for both boys and girls.}},
  author       = {{Tegunimataka, Anna}},
  issn         = {{1799-649X}},
  keywords     = {{Immigrant integration; Second-language acquisition; School reform; School achievements}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{316--340}},
  publisher    = {{De Gruyter Open}},
  series       = {{Nordic Journal of Migration Research}},
  title        = {{Does First Language training matter for Immigrant children’s School Achievement? Evidence from a Danish school reform}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.33134/njmr.418}},
  doi          = {{10.33134/njmr.418}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}