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Research at RCM

The activities at RCM focus on applied research in the area of schools, public administration and society. The projects are conducted on behalf of the federal government and are designed to develop foundational knowledge or provide a basis for decisions. In addition, synthesis reports on the current state of research in selected fields are prepared. RCM projects are often conducted in collaboration with research partners from all language regions in Switzerland.

This web page provides an overview of all RCM research projects, which can be searched using keywords or the names of participating researchers.

Click here for research projects that are not part of RCM.

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How much longer until a B2?

Linguistic and individual factors influencing the speed of learning an official language
Project management
Raphael Berthele, Isabelle Udry
Team
Jan Vanhove
The project “How much longer until a B2” investigates the time needed to attain a targeted level in a foreign language, with a specific focus on organisations associated with the Swiss federal government. These organisations generally require their staff in middle and senior management to have at least B2-level skills in two official languages.

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Teaching of French as a Foreign Language (FFL) and Development of Oral Communication Skills at the Lower Secondary Level - DISCO

Project management
Anita Thomas, Simone Morehed
Team
Aline Siegenthaler
The development of oral communication and interaction (conversational involvement) is a key focus in foreign language teaching frameworks, as outlined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), documents from the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK), and the Regional Education Plans. However, despite the efforts made in this field, the desired outcomes remain elusive. Foreign language instruction, particularly in French, has traditionally...

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Plurilingual Administrative Literacy: Comprehension Challenges in State-Citizen Correspondence

Project management
Alexandre Duchêne, Philippe Humbert
All residents of Switzerland are required to interact with the administrative authorities through written correspondence, necessitating the development of a degree of "administrative literacy" which will often involve plurilingual communication. This research project focuses on the understanding and drafting of written correspondence with social security bodies such as the unemployment, disability, AVS, and family allowance services.

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“Studies show...” Authorities, expertise and evidence in the debate on early foreign language education in Switzerland

Project management
Verena Tunger, Daniel Elmiger
In 2004, the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) issued a decision to begin foreign language education already at primary school; as a result, Switzerland’s cantons have successively adapted their foreign language education programmes, starting in the 2006/2007 school year. The new requirement has generated prolonged and multi-layered debate in which various sources are cited, including scientific studies, literature on early language instruction and other forms...

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Family Language Policies e sviluppo del linguaggio in comunità poco servite

Il caso delle famiglie dell’Africa subsahariana in Svizzera
Project management
Amelia Lambelet, Martina Zimmermann, Chiara Bemporad
Le famiglie migranti sono chiamate a operare delle scelte sulla lingua o le lingue da utilizzare nella loro vita quotidiana. Negli ultimi decenni, queste decisioni sono state analizzate approfonditamente nel quadro degli studi sulla family language policy (FLP). Le prime ricerche si sono concentrate sulla pianificazione linguistica esplicita e manifesta in famiglie occidentali del ceto medio, un gruppo mirato considerato troppo elitistico.

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Family language policies of Romansch-speaking families in German-speaking Switzerland

The role of “new speakers” and “child agency” in language transmission
Project management
Claudia Cathomas, Cordula Seger, Flurina Graf
This project builds on the foundational study “The diaspora rumantscha in German-speaking Switzerland”, which proposed further research in two areas: 1) the ways in which new speakers and parents with passive skills in Romansh influence family language policies and 2) how children and parent-child dynamics impact the languages spoken in a family and how fa

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Family language policy in flux

Multilingual children and their families during the transition to the formal education system
Project management

Pascale Schaller, Larissa Trösch

This project investigates the relationship between family language policy (FLP) and a child’s language use, and it observes changes both in a child’s use of language and in FLP during the transition to the formal education system. The method of input contexts in multilingualism (Ritterfeld & Lüke 2013) is applied to study FLP in multilingual families before and after the oldest child enters kindergarten or primary school .

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Designing writing arrangements that foster interlingual transfer and individual learning processes in foreign language lessons in year 6 of primary school.

Project management

Mirjam Egli Cuenat (FHNW)
Ruth Trüb (FHNW)

Team

Marta Oliveira (FHNW)
Lea Hochuli-Schulthess (FHNW)

In quadrilingual Switzerland, lessons in two foreign languages are compulsory from the primary level up to the end of lower secondary schooling. In general, Swiss curricula are rooted in a multilingual teaching and learning concept that is designed to exploit the transfer potential of interlingual resources.

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The treatment of errors in the foreign language

A comparison of correction practices for written texts in French, English, Italian, Romansh and German in primary school
Project management
Giulia Berchio
In language pedagogy, a linguistic error is commonly defined as an element that fails to conform to a norm (e.g. a grammatical, orthographic, pragmatic rule). In general topic of errors has generated much debate in pedagogical circles, and it has inspired numerous scholarly studies on interlanguage, metalinguistic awareness and the efficacy of correction practices for promoting language learning. Despite the topic’s prevalence, however, evidence is largely lacking on how teachers approach...

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Représentations, attitudes et motivations dans l’apprentissage des langues.

Analyse de l’administration fédérale suisse (RAMAL)
Project management
François Grin
Le projet RAMAL étudie la diversité linguistique dans l’administration fédérale suisse (AF). Il porte sur le plurilinguisme des personnes au travers de leurs compétences individuelles ainsi que de la mise en œuvre de celles-ci dans leurs pratiques, mais il vise aussi à mieux comprendre le niveau collectif et à approfondir l’analyse du multilinguisme global de l’AF. Cette thématique présente un intérêt au plan tant scientifique que politique.

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Development of a tool for the individual promotion and diagnosis of phonological awareness in multilingual migrants: Alpha II

Project management
Marie-Anne Morand, Thomas Studer
Team
Alexis Feldmeier
The placement of learners in literacy courses according to skill level is often faulty, and the resulting heterogeneity in such classes poses difficulties for both teachers and learners; in addition, the inefficient use of government funds earmarked for integration is also problematic.

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The settling-in phase in day-care centres for children and parents with limited knowledge of the local language

International and Swiss studies alike have shown that early language promotion in the context of pre-school settings has a positive impact on a child’s scholastic success. In view of the current state of research and the various challenges facing professionals in early education, however, many questions remain unanswered and further research findings are needed. One question addresses the transition from the family to pre-school settings like day care centres.

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Synergies between languages at school: «SWIKO triple S»

Project management
Thomas Studer, Elisabeth Peyer
Team
Nina Selina Hicks
Calls for a stronger pedagogical connection between teaching the language of schooling and teaching foreign languages have repeatedly been made, as it is believed learners can benefit from the potential synergies. Despite this long-standing demand, however, language lessons continue to focus largely on a single language. The SWIKO triple S project is investigating whether interrelationships between the language of schooling and foreign languages can be capitalised on.

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Acquistion of reading and writing skills in adult migrants with differing levels of literacy

Project management
Marie-Anne Morand

Supervision
Thomas Studer

Team
Alexis Feldmeier

(Santi Guerrero Calle research manager till August 2021)
(Romeo Wasmer research assistant till January 2022)

Comparatively little research has been conducted on how adult migrants – both those with low literacy skills (non-literates) and those who have competence in a non-Latin alphabet (non-roman alphabet literates) – acquire reading and writing skills, and scholarly findings on the subject are correspondingly sparse. This condition is all the more surprising as specialist discourse on the topic of “literacy levels in adults” has long revealed that traditional differentiations between so-called...

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Assessment of speaking skills in German as a foreign language

Project management
Elisabeth Peyer

Supervision: Prof. Dr. Thomas Studer

Team
Gabriela Lüthi, Nadia Ravazzini
When asked about their goals, students learning a foreign language generally say they want to speak the language. Despite the value placed on speaking, however, various studies on the foreign language competence of Swiss school students reveal that many learners have difficulty in meeting the learning outcomes set for spoken language (Peyer et al. 2016, Wiedenkeller/Lenz 2019).

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Benefits of multilingualism for Switzerland

Individuals and society at large (APSIS)
Project management
François Grin
Team

Scientific partnership, regular consultation with: Federal Statistical Office (FSO); Institute for multilingualism (IOM)

Linguistic and cultural diversity is of particular importance to Switzerland and its residents, all the more because it is tightly bound with the long-term political, social and cultural history of the country. It is often referred to as an “asset” or even a “treasure”, with some going so far as to claim that it is essential to the very existence of the country.

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Swiss learner corpus SWIKO

Project management
Thomas Studer, Anita Thomas
Team
Nina Selina Hicks, Eva Wiedenkeller, Katharina Karges

(Eva Wiedenkeller and Katharina Karges till 2019)

SWIKO is a multilingual learner corpus describing learner language according to principles of corpus-linguistics. The corpus is an umbrella project developed during the 2016–2019 research period and being further developed in the 2021–2024 period. It incorporates data from other projects at the Research Centre on Multilingualism. SWIKO can currently be accessed via a request to the Institute of Multilingualism.

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Digital technology and vocabulary learning in vocational education

Project management
Raphael Berthele, Isabelle Udry
Team
Petra Buser, Cédric Diogo

Cédric Diogo (-06.2022)

Vocabulary is the basis for receptive and productive language use. Influential theories on second language acquisition and learning consider vocabulary and grammar to be complementary, rather than opposing elements of language. Vocabulary is viewed as an integral component of learner grammars that is worth promoting and consolidating in the foreign language classroom. In recent years, digitialisation has seen the development of many learning apps and platforms that provide new opportunities...

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Digital translation tools in foreign language teaching and learning

Project management
Raphael Berthele, Isabelle Udry
Team
Petra Buser, Cédric Diogo

(Cédric Diogo -06.22)

Digital translation tools and dictionaries have become an indispensable part of language use. DeepL, Leo and Co. are used extensively and for various purposes, however, their benefits for foreign language teaching and learning remain contested. Some consider these tools to be of educational value, while others express their doubts on the sustainability of their contribution to language learning. This project examines the advantages and limitations of digital translation aids with regards...

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Digitization and the development of oral interaction skills (DICOI)

Project management
Anita Thomas
Team
France Rousset

Didactic partnership: Centres de Formation Professionnelle de l'Etat de Fribourg (CD-CFP) 

The aim of the DiCoi project is on the one hand to produce teaching material from recordings of authentic conversations (spoken language corpora) and on the other hand to describe the longitudinal development of interaction skills (over 2 years) from recordings of free interactions.Spoken language corpora can be used as a resource for foreign language teaching with the aim of providing exposure to the authentically produced but contextualised target language.

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