Lexikal utveckling på svenska och arabiska vid tvåspråkig undervisning

Swedish-Arabic pupils in the fourth grade of primary school 4 (n=16), who had received instruction in Swedish and Arabic, were assessed regarding lexical skills in both languages. For a comparison results were used from Swedish-Arabic pupils in a control group (n=33) from the same ethnically diverse area, but who had only received instruction in Swedish. Lexical size was measured with a comprehension test in Swedish and Arabic, while lexical organization was investigated with an association test in both languages. A majority of hierarchically based responses were considered to reflect a more hierarchical lexical organisation. A significantly higher proportion of pupils who received bilingual instruction displayed a hierarchical lexical organization in both languages, compared to the control group. A more hierarchically based lexical organisation did not correlate with lexical size, which is in accordance with earlier research. The results underscore the importance of providing bilingual children with instruction in both languages in order to enhance lexical development in both languages, and the need to identify factors contributing to academic achievements for bilingual children