In Lebanon, science is taught in an international language (French or English) based on a language-in-education policy rooted in Lebanon’s colonial history. Given the intersection among social/socioeconomic class, educational equity, and science performance, learning science in a language other than one’s own raises concerns around economically-marginalized students’ opportunities for quality science education and their development of science understandings and discourse. Bourdieu’s lens of cultural and linguistic capital was utilized to better understand the interplay among socioeconomic status and science performance. Specifically, we examined how different home context variables (including language) influence Lebanese learners’ science performance in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessment. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), we looked at how students performed in science based on how often they spoke the language of the test at home and other home variables such as parents’ education level. The findings indicate that language and various economic and home variables were significantly associated with science performance. Language had a differing effect for English and French tracks, whereby parents’ education level and other home variables emerged more significantly for French track students. Our study underscores the importance of preparing and supporting science teachers for equitable, asset-oriented, and linguistically responsive teaching that enhances diverse learners’ equitable participation and opportunities in the science classroom.

在黎巴嫩，科学以植根于黎巴嫩殖民历史的语言教育政策为基础，以国际语言（法语或英语）教授。鉴于社会/社会经济阶层、教育公平和科学表现之间的交叉点，用自己的语言以外的语言学习科学会引发对经济边缘化学生获得优质科学教育的机会以及他们对科学理解和话语的发展的担忧。布迪厄的文化和语言资本镜头被用来更好地理解社会经济地位和科学表现之间的相互作用。具体来说，我们在国际数学与科学研究趋势 （TIMSS） 评估中研究了不同的家庭环境变量（包括语言）如何影响黎巴嫩学习者的科学表现。使用分层线性模型 （HLM），我们根据学生在家中说考试语言的频率和其他家庭变量（如父母的教育水平）来研究学生在科学方面的表现。研究结果表明，语言和各种经济和家庭变量与科学表现显著相关。语言对英语和法语轨道的影响不同，其中父母的教育水平和其他家庭变量对法国轨道学生的影响更为明显。我们的研究强调了准备和支持科学教师进行公平、以资产为导向和语言响应式教学的重要性，以提高不同学习者在科学课堂上的公平参与和机会。