Language-Skill Complementarity: Returns to Immigrant Language Acquisition
نویسنده
چکیده
We examine how language acquisition affects immigrant earnings growth for Soviet immigrants to Israel. Using retrospective information on linguistic proficiency to control for time-invariant heterogeneity in ability reveals that language complements high-skill occupations. Improved Hebrew accounts for 2/3 to 3/4 of the differential in earnings growth between immigrant and native programmers and technicians. In contrast, immigrant construction workers and gas station attendants have no wage convergence with natives, with language acquisition having no discernible effect. This suggests that their positive returns to Hebrew in cross-sections may reflect ability bias. These findings invite reinterpretation of previous studies on returns to language.
منابع مشابه
Adult’s Learning Strategies for Receptive Skill Self-managing or Teacher-managing
Receptive language skill refers to answering appropriately to another person's spoken language. A lot of teachers try to develop receptive language skills in their language learners. When receptive language skills are not appropriately acquired, learners may miss significant learning opportunities resulting in delays in the development and acquisition of spoken language. The goals of this paper...
متن کاملCross-linguistic Validation of Processability Theory: The Case of EFL Iranian Students’ Speaking Skill
Abstract This study investigated the validity of processability theory proposed by Pienemann (1998/2015) among Iranian EFL learners’ oral performance. The theory defines six procedural stages for learners in the process of second language acquisition. In order to conduct the study, 10 intermediate EFL learners were selected based on their performance on Oxford Placement Test. Then, they partici...
متن کاملThe Returns to English-Language Skills in India
India’s colonial legacy and linguistic diversity give English an important role in its economy, and this role has expanded due to globalization in recent decades. It is widely believed that there are sizable economic returns to English-language skills in India, but the extent of these returns is unknown due to lack of data containing measures of both earnings and English ability. In this paper,...
متن کاملThe Long-Term Effect of Implicit and Explicit Corrective Feedback on Accuracy of EFL Learners’ Descriptive Writing Skill
Since the emergence of the process-oriented approach to second language writing instruction two main questions have been what and how error feedback should be given to the students. The question of whether teachers should provide feedback on grammar in the writing assignments of English as a foreign language students, and if so how, has been a matter of considerable debate in the field of secon...
متن کاملCross-linguistic Validation of Processability Theory: The Case of EFL Iranian Students’ Speaking Skill
Abstract This study investigated the validity of processability theory proposed by Pienemann (1998/2015) among Iranian EFL learners’ oral performance. The theory defines six procedural stages for learners in the process of second language acquisition. In order to conduct the study, 10 intermediate EFL learners were selected based on their performance on Oxford Placement Test. Then, they partici...
متن کامل