How L1-instruction at school impacts immigrant students' language use pattern, self development and social integration - Nanine Lilla - Ger

The planned research project aims at investigating the impact of L1-instruction at school on immigrant students' patterns of L1 and L2 language use, self development and integration in friendship networks in Norway. In studies on immigrant students in Ge rmany we could already show (a) that a context-bound language use pattern is linked to a heightened accessibility of (same) context dependent self-knowledge and (b) that immigrant and non-immigrant students' friendship choices underlie different mechanism s. In contrast to Germany, immigrant students in Norway are as long as they lack proficient knowledge of the Norwegian language supported in their first language at school. With respect to first language use in school we therefore assume that immigrant s tudents in Norway tend to have fused (i.e.context independent) language use patterns resulting in non-restricted access to self-knowledge that is integrated in comprehensive selves. Second, we expect immigrant students' opportunity to contribute in their first language at school to have an impact on their perceived appreciation as members of another culture and speakers of another language. Third, we seek to investigate the notion that perceived acknowledgment as a bicultural person influences friendship networks within classrooms. Finally, comparing results from Norway to findings from Germany would enable us to draw conclusions on the impact of differing language policies and educational practices on processes on immigrant students' self development and social integration on an individualistic perspective.