【預刊】（36卷2期）幼時家庭語言對教育成就的影響

The Influence of Family Language in Childhood on Educational Achievement

入學之前在家裡講華語，是否有助於日後獲得更高教育成就？本文發現，如果忽略父母的教育程度與職業地位，從小講華語的人看起來是比較容易上大學。不過，這是虛假關聯。事實上，高學歷、高地位的父母無論對子女講什麼語言，子女就讀大學的機會差不多一樣高。而低學歷、低地位的父母即使刻意對孩子講華語，也不會提高其上大學的機會。幼時家庭語言對教育成就的長遠影響，展現在初中畢業後的升學路線選擇。出身於華語家庭的人傾向就讀高中，力拼考上大學；出身於臺語家庭的人則相對親近技職教育。

Does speaking Mandarin at an early age translate to higher educational achievement? This research found a positive correlation between enrolling in universities and speaking Mandarin duing childhood, but this is a spurious relationship. Children who have parents with high education or high socioeconomic status are just as likely to enroll in universities regardless of the languages they use to communicate. Parents who received relatively low levels of education or have lower socioeconomic status do not contribute to their children’s prospects of enrolling in universities even if they deliberately communicate in Mandarin. The influence of childhood languages is significant in terms of the educational paths one tends to take after graduating from junior high school. Childhood speakers of Mandarin work towards academic degree programs, while childhood speakers of Taiwanese show affinity toward vocational education.