German vocabulary sizes of bilingual and monolingual elementary school students in a minority context in Graubünden, Switzerland
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23311517 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dominique Caglia (0000-0001-9963-334X, University of Fribourg), Erwin Tschirner (0000-0002-5915-5344, Leipzig University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-13 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Multilingual Research Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1931-3152 • E-ISSN: 1931-3160 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19313152.2026.2709634 |
| OpenAlex | W7171394591 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
Vocabulary size is widely recognized as a strong predictor of language proficiency and academic achievement, yet little research has examined its development in minority-language schooling contexts. This study investigated receptive German vocabulary among 193 fifth- and sixth-grade students in Romansh-medium elementary schools in Graubünden, Switzerland. Using the standardized German Vocabulary Size Test (VST), we analyzed the influence of home language and compared students from Romansh-medium schools with a German-speaking comparison group from a German-medium school (n = 31). The results showed that students with L1 Romansh, L1 German, or bilingual Romansh – German backgrounds in Romansh-medium schools possessed receptive German vocabularies of approximately 4,000–5,000 words, corresponding to CEFR level B2 and sufficient for secondary-level academic learning. In contrast, students whose home languages included neither German nor Romansh scored significantly lower, averaging 1,000–2,000 words – levels insufficient for understanding academic texts. Statistical analyses confirmed a significant effect of home language, while L1 German students in Romansh-medium schools did not differ significantly from their peers in their German-medium comparison group. These findings demonstrate the relative success of Romansh-medium education in fostering German academic vocabulary, while underscoring the urgent need for targeted German language support for students from other linguistic backgrounds.
Bilingual education · Context (archaeology) · Context effect · German · Neuroscience of multilingualism · Vocabulary · Language Development and Disorders · Linguistic Education and Pedagogy · Multilingual Education and Policy
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| Highly cited | No |
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