Success at school and educational opportunities are closely related to language skills (cf. Artelt et al. 2001). This insight has been accepted for 20 years and accordingly, tests to determine children’s language skills have now been introduced in almost all German states and interventions have been established for the support of children who have not succeeded in these tests, in order to promote their language acquisition. These interventions usually take place in separate groups and without connection to other educational activities in school. This can be criticized from the perspectives of inclusion and learning theory.

According to findings from various studies (e.g. Mol et al. 2008; Ennemoser et al. 2013), dialogical reading is particularly effective in supporting language development in children aged two to three, children with German as a second language and children with language development delays. The proven effects are primarily related to lexical development, while effects on grammatical abilities have not been proven so far. Dialogical reading is an implicit form of language education that is integrated into the day-to-day running of a school and is based on the content of the picture book itself and the children's experiences in life. So far, the focus has mostly been on the promotion of pragmatic and lexical skills. Morpho-syntactic skills are supported more incidentally and not purposefully via dialogical reading.

Since the acquisition of morpho-syntactic skills (in particular the further development of complex syntax, cases as well as complex verb structures) is of particular relevance for school-age children and directly influence their chances to succeed in the educational system (cf. Ruberg/Rothweiler 2012; Motsch/Rietz 2019; Lehmden et al. 2013), it is currently being discussed how the dialogic reading situation can be designed to particularly improve grammar acquisition (cf. Baldaeus et al. 2021; Lehmden et al. 2017; Schütz/Alt 2020). In this context the language support method “Goal-Oriented Dialogical Picture Book Reading" (Schütz 2021) has been developed.

“Goal-Oriented Dialogical Picture Book Reading” offers the opportunity to establish language acquisition support integrated into everyday school life. The picture book viewing can be used in the usual classroom context. The specific way in which the dialogues are designed by the teacher allows for one or several children to be specifically supported in the development of their language skills.

The aim of the ongoing study “ZDL Schule”, which was launched at the University of Bremen in September 2022, is to implement the method “Goal-Oriented Dialogical Picture Book Reading” in primary schools and to monitor the effects on the children’s language skills.

The method “Goal-Oriented Dialogical Picture Book Reading” is implemented the schools through university students who read picture books with 150 participating children (per year) once a week over a period of eight months. To assess effects on child language development, various standardized language tests (ESGRAF 4-8, HAVAS-5, ZDL-Test) are used in the pre-post-test design with one experimental group (N=315) and one control group (N=117, without specific support). The data is evaluated using inferential statistical methods. The interactions will be filmed at four times per year, transcribed and evaluated by content analysis (Kuckartz 2012).

The aim of the ongoing project is to adapt the methodology of dialogical reading for older children with a focus on the promotion of morpho-syntactic and educational language skills. The final language tests of the second project year will take place in May 2024, so that the results of this study can be presented in full for the first time at the ECER conference. Expected results are: The morpho-syntactic skills of children who are supported in their language acquisition through the method “Goal-Oriented Dialogical Picture Book Reading” develop better than the skills of children who not supported beyond usual school education.

Artelt, C.; Baumert, J.; Klieme, E.; Neubrand, M.; Prenzel, M.; Schiefele U.; Schneider, W.; Schümer G.; Stanat, P.; Tillmann, K.-J.; Weiß, M. (Hrsg.) (2001): PISA 2000. Zusammenfassung zentraler Befunde. https://www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/Pisa/ergebnisse.pdf (30.01.2024) Baldaeus, A., Ruberg, T., Rothweiler, M., & Nickel, S. (2021). Sprachbildung mit Bilderbüchern. Ein videobasiertes Fortbildungsmaterial zum dialogischen Lesen. Münster: Waxmann. Ennemoser, M.; Kuhl, J.; Pepouna, S. (2013): Evaluation des Dialogischen Lesens zur Sprachförderung bei Kindern mit Migrationshintergrund. Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Psychologie, 27 (4), 229–239. Kuckartz, U. (2012): Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse. Methoden, Praxis, Computerunterstützung, 3. Auflage. Weinheim/Basel: Beltz Juventa. Lehmden, F. von, Kauffeldt, J., Belke, E., & Rohlfing, K. (2013). Das Vorlesen von Kinderbüchern als implizites Mittel zur Sprachförderung im Bereich Grammatik. Praxis Sprache 58, 18-27. Lehmden, F. von, Porps, L., & Müller-Brauers, C. (2017). Grammatischer Sprachinput in Kinderliteratur - eine Analyse von Genus-Kasus-Hinweisen in input- und nicht inputoptimierten Bilderbüchern. Forschung Sprache 5, 44-61. Mol, S. E.; Bus, A. G.; de Jong, M. T.; Smeets, D. J.H. (2008). Added Value of Dialogic Parent-Child Book Readings: A Meta-Analysis. Early Education & Development, 19, 7 – 26. Motsch, H.-J., & Rietz, C. (2019). ESGRAF 4- 8. Grammatiktest für 4- bis 8-jährige Kinder. München: Ernst-Reinhardt-Verlag. Ruberg, T.; Rothweiler, M. (2012): Spracherwerb und Sprachförderung in der KiTa. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. Schütz, D. S., & Alt, K. (2020). Dialogisches Lesen zur Unterstützung des Erwerbs grammatischer Fähigkeiten in der Kindertagesstätte (DiaGramm). Eine kontrollierte Interventionsstudie mit Kindern im Alter von 4 bis 5 Jahren. Vierteljahresschrift für Hei lpädagogik und ihre Nachbargebiete 79, 214-216. Schütz, D. S. (2021). Zielorientiertes Dialogisches Lesen zur Förderung morpho-syntaktischer Fähigkeiten. Forschung Sprache 9, 111-117.