Process-based assessment of reading and listening skills in elementary school (projekt part Frankfurt)

From the perspective of cognitive psychology, reading comprehension is the efficient completion of component processes on the word-, sentence-, and text-level. To date, little is known about the development of these processes during the course of reading acquisition in primary school children. One reason for this is the lack of testing procedures that allow for an efficiency- and process-oriented measurement of reading skills and corresponding auditory skills in primary school children.

Goals

One goal of this project is to develop appropriate computer-based testing procedures, which will be based on the collection of reaction times. In terms of theory we aim at gaining new insights into the structure and development of reading component processes and their efficiency. In terms of practical applications, the results will allow for a detailed and support-oriented diagnosis of reading skills both in average and poor readers. Eventually, the results may be used for an improved and adaptive design of reading instruction.

Methodological Approach

In a first step, computer-based tests are developed and tried out, optimized, and validated in a cross-sectional study with primary school children (N=500, grades 1-4). A sub-sample of students will be recruited in the Frankfurt area. In a subsequent 5-year longitudinal study (N=400), we will investigate the development of component reading processes through the course of primary school.

Funding

Grant by the BMBF, the German Ministry for Education and Research, coordinated by the Research initiative for language diagnosis and the research initiative for language diagnosis and language promotion, FiSS.

Cooperation

PD Dr. Tobias Richter (Universität zu Köln)