Limited or no command of the host society language is the most common barrier for migrant integration and educational success; poor language skills limit migrant parentsโ opportunities to support their children in their learning.
Analysing the situation of the first generation of migrant children, Dumฤius et al. (2013) observe that language barriers also restrict migrant parentsโ ability to engage with the wider school life (e.g. through being involved in parentsโ committees, contributing to school activities) and in communication with service providers.
Migrant children (both first- and second-generation) starting school without the knowledge of a host country language are in a disadvantaged position vis-ร -vis native pupils, and their learning is often hindered until they overcome the language barrier (OECD 2010). The OECD results show that those who do not speak the language of instruction at home score lower on reading and mathematics than those who do. Nonetheless, migrant children who do speak the language of instruction at home still tend to score lower on the same tests than native students.
However, these differences in attainment are not exclusively linked to speaking a different language from the language of instruction, and socio-cultural factors might also play a role. For example, cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP), a โdecontextualized language use [โฆ] common in school subjects,โ is suggested as an important factor for attainment (Brind et al. 2008, 37).
Other studies, however, are more positive in their outlook. De Paola and Brunello (2016), for example, show that attainment in mathematics among students who do not speak the language of instruction at home varies depending on the country.
Research from the UK examining educational attainment among 5โ16 year olds has shown that, despite performing less well than native students prior to starting school, ethnic minority children โcatch up during their school career,โ mainly as a result of language acquisition (De Paola and Brunello 2016, 19; Dustmann et al. 2012).
