The aim of this project is on the one hand to reveal linguistic behaviour of children with migration background in primary schools, and on the other to elaborate guidelines that can support the decision-making process of linguistic diagnosis as well as linguistic promotion, with special regard to an appropriate combination of personal monitoring, working in small groups, participating at in-class and extracurricular activities.

The project runs with special regard to the nascent language centres ("Sprachzentren") in South Tyrol which are intended to support children with migration background.

The following questions are of central research interest within the project: Which scenes/behaviour indicates a functioning linguistic integration? Which methods or combination of methods allow us to draw comprehensive conclusions on linguistic knowledge and communicative language competence? How can language proficiency assessments with their findings contribute to an appropriate language promotion?

Focal points of the project are:

Analysis of the current state

In collaboration with three primary schools (with German as their language of instruction) various classes are being followed over a period of several months. Through interviews and talks with teachers, cultural mediators, parents and children experiences and case studies are gathered, e.g. of children who are particularly fast in their linguistic apprehension. As a result a sample of observations, examples of good practice and case studies will be submitted.

Project Results:

Presentations of the Results (21st January 2008, EURAC) (pdf)

Project-Partner:

Region of Kainuu (Finland)

School office, city of Joensuu (Finland)

Border region Delta-Rhodopi (Greece, monitoring)