Student grammars and grammar theory. A contribution to didactic reconstruction

The aim of my study is to investigate primary school pupils' ideas about language and, in particular, the role that grammar plays in these ideas. The aim is to investigate the opportunities and possibilities of grammar in primary school lessons for promoting language awareness and to explore the extent to which the inclusion of pupils' ideas as a starting point for the didactic structuring of grammar lessons can expand the opportunities and possibilities.

The didactic reconstruction model of the University of Oldenburg, in the development of which various subject areas are involved, forms the framework of the study. In the model, learner perceptions of central school content are collected and systematically related to academic perceptions. The students' conceptions are not seen as deficient. Rather, they appear to be quite viable (i.e. suitable or adequate) for explaining the pupils' previous life experiences.
The aim is a didactic structuring based on the results of the empirical study and the technical clarification.
In relation to my study, this means that it is a central concern to question pupils about language and to examine which (pre-)grammatical concepts are contained in their ideas about language.

The empirical part of the work consists of interviews with suitable introductions focussing on grammar. These are analysed using Mayring's method of qualitative content analysis and compared with each other. In an iterative process, parallels and differences to scientific ideas about language and grammar are analysed and, if necessary, the results are deepened and verified through follow-up interviews.

The aim is to examine, on an empirical basis, the possibilities and opportunities for embedding pupils' ideas about grammar with the aim of language awareness in a didactic structuring of primary school language lessons.

A preliminary study was carried out in July 2003. The results show a varied picture of pupils' ideas about language and grammar. For the planning of the main study, which is to be accompanied by participant observation in the classroom, I plan to further deepen the interviews of the preliminary study.