Lost in Translation: Reading Performance and Math Performance of Second-Generation Immigrant Children in Italy
研究意大利小学中10岁第二代移民儿童的语言能力对数学成绩的影响，发现语言和数学学习之间存在权衡，且仅在语言能力低于阈值时出现。
We study the effect of language proficiency on math achievement for 10-year-old second-generation immigrant children in Italian primary schools. Proficiency in the host country’s language is the prerequisite to acquire any other skill. However, using an instrumental variable strategy that exploits heterogeneity in birth dates and variation in linguistic distances, we find that these children face a trade-off between learning Italian and learning math. According to results in the linguistic literature, we show that the trade-off occurs when proficiency falls below the threshold ensuring a sufficient command of Italian. We also develop a model of skill production that provides a theoretical foundation for our results.