Speaking the same language: The effect of foreign origin teachers on students' language skills

Arbeitspapier

This study investigates whether foreign origin teachers causally affect their students language skills in secondary school. Exploring within-student variation in assignment to teachers, I find that teachers who are immigrants or descendants of immigrants significantly increase the reading comprehension of students. The effect is strongest for foreign origin students and can partly be explained by a role model effect. The positive effect of bilingual foreign origin teachers is particularly large. They significantly increase reading comprehension for native and foreign origin students. Given their own experience in language learning, bilingual teachers seem exceptionally well-equipped in teaching languages to both native and foreign origin students.

Object Details

• ISBN: 978-3-86788-999-5
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Ruhr Economic Papers ; No. 862

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth ; Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination ; Education and Inequality
• Subject: academic achievement ; education economics ; language skills ; matching ; migration ; role model effect ; teacher bias effect

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Höckel, Lisa Sofie
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung
• (where): Essen
• (when): 2020

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.4419/86788999
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/222907
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET