Breadcrumb

Project management
This doctoral thesis used qualitative research methods and adopted an exploratory-interpretative approach. Although conducted as an independent study, it forms part of the RCM project “Innovative forms of assessment (IFB)”, a quantitative study that aimed to better understand the validity of new, scenario-based task and item types.

Project management

Supervision: Prof. Dr. Thomas Studer

When asked about their goals, students learning a foreign language generally say they want to speak the language. Despite the value placed on speaking, however, various studies on the foreign language competence of Swiss school students reveal that many learners have difficulty in meeting the learning outcomes set for spoken language (Peyer et al. 2016, Wiedenkeller/Lenz 2019).

Regional and minority languages in diaspora communities

Possible measures for fostering Rhaeto-Romanic (in addition to language instruction)
Project management
On behalf of the Lia Rumantscha (umbrella organisation of all Rhaeto-Romanic associations), the Institute reviewed and assessed sociolinguistic literature to identify potential measures to foster Rhaeto-Romanic or other (autochthonous) minority languages in diaspora communities.

Project management

Peter Lenz (till 2020)

Team

Thomas Aeppli, Katharina Karges (till 2020)
HEP Vaud, PH FHNW, PHLU, PHZH, DECS Ticino, EDK Task database

The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) planned to verify how well students are mastering the Basic Competences (educational standards) in foreign languages for the second time in spring 2020. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, classroom teaching in schools was prohibited from mid-March to mid-May. As the verification could not be carried out as planned, the EDK decided to postpone it to 2023.

Project management

Direction: Center for Teachers’ Language Competences (PHSG, SUPSI, HEP VD, UNIL)

Team

Katharina Karges (till 2021)
In cooperation with PH FHNW, PH Luzern and PH St Gallen

The aim of this project is the empirically-based development of assessments to test the profession-specific language skills in teachers of French, English and Italian as a foreign language in primary and secondary schools.

Mapping developmental profiles in early language learning at school

Assessment tools as a link between education standards, curricula, teaching and learning
Project management

Supervision: Thomas Studer, Wilfrid Kuster, Mirjam Egli (PHSG), Gé Stoks (SUPSI/DFA)

Team

Anna Kull, Thomas Roderer (PHSG), Daniela Kappler (SUPSI/DFA)

In collaboration with the University of Teacher Education St. Gallen (PHSG) and the Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)  

Project management

Supervision: Thomas Studer

In the spring of 2017, the CDIP/EDK assessed for the first time the basic skills in the first foreign language of schoolchildren at the end of primary school. On the basis of this assessment, the “Passepartout cantons” (the six cantons on the French-German language border) are investigating how well the targets were achieved in French. The Research Centre on Multilingualism has the responsibility of developing test tasks for this purpose, and the project Task Lab was conducted in the...

Project management

Manfred Gross, Sabine Bietenhader (PHGR)

Project conducted by the University of Teacher Education Schaffhausen (PHSH) and the University of Teacher Education Graubünden (PHGR) Texts in the social sciences at schools are often difficult even for children with average scholastic abilities; weak learners or children who speak German as a second language are over-challenged. Consequently, internally differentiated texts – i.e. different versions of the same content – are necessary to create an inclusive learning environment....

Evaluation of Foreign Language Teaching in Central Switzerland

Commissioned by: Bildungsdirektoren-Konferenz Zentralschweiz (BKZ)
This project was dedicated to measuring students' compentences in French in the skills listening, reading, speaking and writing by the end of primary school as well as by the end of the 8th class. In order to compare results, the 8th-class students' skills in reading and writing in Englisch were also tested. Analyses focused on whether aspects such as number of teaching hours and different variables related to students and teachers influence the students' competences in foreign languages....

Testing language skills of future teachers

in the partner languages German and French
Project management

University of Teacher Education Valais

Team
This project was realised within a DORE project of the University of Teacher Training Valais and examined the influence the bilingual study requirements have on future teachers’ ability to acquire professional skills. Valais students’ skills in German and French were assessed before and after the two-semester exchange at the institution’s location in the other linguistic region of the canton.