In our everyday lives, we are increasingly confronted with situations in different languages - whether at work, in our free time or at university. One example of this is so-called CLIL teaching (Content-and-Language-Integrated-Learning), which is becoming increasingly prevalent in many schools and degree courses. This involves teaching content such as mathematics in a foreign language. However, this type of teaching is always accompanied by so-called language switching costs. These are cognitive costs that occur when the language used to acquire and retrieve certain information does not match.
In the course of this study, we want to investigate the effectiveness of different language settings in learning processes. To this end, students at Graz universities who have grown up with German as their mother tongue and speak English to at least A-level (B2) complete a four-day training course. In this training, the participants learn a new way of calculating and a new set of arithmetic facts, either in German or English. After this training, as well as one week, one month and three months later, the participants take a test on the content they have learned. In a further study, the importance of language in progressive learning is examined. For this purpose, the participants first acquire basic knowledge in a language, which is then built upon in further learning content.
Project information:
- Funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF, International Project No. I 6134)
- Duration: 01.03.2023 - 28.02.2026
We are currently looking for participants with the following qualifications:
- German as mother tongue
- English at least B2
- Age between 18 and 35 years
- No diagnosed learning disorders
Participation in the study will be remunerated with 130 € or nine hours of trial vouchers.
To take part in the study, complete the prescreening at the following link: https: //edu.survey.uni-graz.at/index.php/973433?lang=de
BSc MSc Kevin Baumschlager
Phone:+43 316 380 - 5129
Web: online.uni-graz.at/kfu_online/wbForschungsportal.cbShowPortal?pPersonNr=134531
Selected publications
- Wußing, M., Grabner, R. H., Sommer, H., & Saalbach, H. (2023) Language-switching and retrieval-based learning: an unfavorable combination. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, https://doi.org/10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2023.1198117
- Hahn, C. G. K., Saalbach, H., & Grabner, R. H. (2019). Language-dependent knowledge acquisition: investigating bilingual arithmetic learning. Bilingualism, 22(1), 47-57. doi. org/10.1017/S1366728917000530
- Saalbach, H., Eckstein, D., Andri, N., Hobi, R., & Grabner, R. H. (2013). When language of instruction and language of application differ: Cognitive costs of bilingual mathematics learning. Learning and Instruction, 26, 36-44. doi. org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2013.01.002
- Marian, V., & Fausey, C. M. (2006). Language-dependent memory in bilingual learning. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20(8), 1025-1047. doi. org/10.1002/acp.1242