In addition to the question of the milestones in language acquisition, the members of this research group are also interested in the intra- and inter-individual differences that may arise during the acquisition process – in other words, at what stage deviations become apparent and what their causes are (diagnostics). The main focus is on which linguistic phenomena and structures pose difficulties in advanced language acquisition and for whom these phenomena present acquisition difficulties. Building on this, the group is also investigating how these competences can be promoted in an adaptive, evidence-based manner. In doing so, the internal and external resources of advanced language acquisition must also be taken into account: internal resources are, on the one hand, language-internal resources – that is, helpful linguistic information which, once acquired, leads to better language skills. However, internal resources also include cognitive abilities that pupils bring with them, such as knowledge of another language or phonological awareness. External resources include influencing factors such as socio-economic factors, but also external factors at play within the classroom, such as the (mediated spoken) language used by lecturers when addressing their pupils, as well as the linguistic and interactional support strategies employed by lecturers. External resources in the classroom also include the written language found in school textbooks and teaching materials, in the sense of a linguistic resource.

There is a general consensus that good language skills are a key competence and one of the most important prerequisites for success at school, a career and, not least, social success. However, there is no scientific consensus on which language skills are most important in which developmental phases for predicting the acquisition of further skills in other areas, such as learning success in various school subjects, nor on the best ways to diagnose and promote them.

Good language skills are not only essential for German and foreign language teaching, but are a prerequisite in all subjects. As the PISA studies have shown, a high level of reading competence in particular cannot be taken for granted. Around 20% of the 15-year-olds in Germany surveyed do not fulfil the requirements (Weis et al. 2018: 61). This means that the proportion of low-achieving pupils is relatively high. In particular, reading comprehension (reading comprehension) is poorly developed. Oral language skills play a role here insofar as children can only understand what they hear by reading. Good oral language skills are therefore an important prerequisite for the development of reading skills. In addition, a large part of the teaching of learning content in the classroom takes place via oral media, albeit using the language registers of educational and technical language. These present high acquisition hurdles, especially for linguistically weak pupils, but also for pupils who are learning German as a second language.

There are major educational inequalities in Germany, particularly with regard to social background (including migration background). In an international comparison, this difference in Germany is even above average. Language performance differences already exist at pre-school age and remain fairly stable over the course of development. Pupils with special educational needs, particularly in the areas of language and communication, also need a learning environment that enables them to participate as much as possible. This is also called for by the United Nations in one of the so-called 'United Nation Sustainable Development Goals': "quality education for all". Schools and pre-school educational institutions are therefore faced with the challenge of creating equal opportunities. However, there is also no consensus on the means and concepts with which this can be achieved.

There are therefore clear challenges from an educational perspective that require a closer look at the relationships between language acquisition, reading and writing skills, school success and various factors (such as multilingualism, social background, special educational needs). This research must be interdisciplinary, because although individual disciplines can address partial aspects of these challenges (such as factors for successful language acquisition, the influence of multilingualism on language acquisition, which linguistic phenomena are complex and why, how certain linguistic aspects develop), only jointly planned and conducted research can lead to a better understanding of the complex interrelationships. This is why this research group is interdisciplinary: Researchers from the fields of linguistics, language didactics and special needs education have cooperated to date.

Research group

We would like to ask other interested researchers to contact Esther Ruigendijk, the group's spokesperson.