Multiliteracy as human capital in first-generation adult immigrants in Germany.

Autor/inn/en	Usanova, Irina; Schnoor, Birger; Bar-Kochva, Irit; Schröter, Hannes
Titel	Multiliteracy as human capital in first-generation adult immigrants in Germany.
Quelle	In: International journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 27 (2024) 10, S. 422-1436Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei (1); PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei (2) Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1747-7522
DOI	10.1080/13670050.2024.2375445
URN	urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-108475-7
Schlagwörter	Fremdsprache; Mehrsprachigkeit; Humankapital; Erwerbstätigkeit; Beschäftigungsfähigkeit; Erste Generation; Erwachsener; Migrant; Deutschland
Abstract	In the present study, we combined the Focus on Multilingualism approach with the human capital theory to investigate multilingual profiles among first-generation adult immigrants in Germany and the relationship between immigrants' multiliteracy and their employment status. We used data representative for Germany on the self-reported literacy skills in the majority, heritage, and foreign languages of first-generation immigrants (n = 451, age 18-64) gathered in the LEO 2018 study. To analyze multilingual literacy skills, we estimated adults' multilingual profiles using LCA. In a second step, we conducted logistic regression models with multiliteracy and employment status. We found two multilingual profiles of first-generation immigrants: a profile with higher and a profile with lower literacy skills in all investigated languages. The profiles differed by the level of adults' literacy skills in all investigated languages and showed a unique non-overlapping language ordering pattern. The results gained from the logistic regressions revealed that multiliteracy in first-generation immigrants may represent human capital in Germany. After controlling for additional variables (age, gender, education), the analysis showed that higher multiliteracy increases the probability of adult immigrants' employment. Furthermore, our findings indicated independent positive effects of literacy in each language in multilingual repertoires on employment probability.
Erfasst von	GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften, Mannheim
Update	2026/3