The cur\u00adrent coali\u00adtion agree\u00adment calls for the intro\u00adduc\u00adtion of a nati\u00adon\u00adwide lan\u00adguage assess\u00adment for all four-year-olds. It sta\u00adtes: \u201cTo ensure a healthy upbrin\u00adging and equal oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties for all child\u00adren in Ger\u00admany, we will intro\u00adduce man\u00adda\u00adtory par\u00adti\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adtion by all four-year-olds in a nati\u00adon\u00adwide assess\u00adment of lan\u00adguage and deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00admen\u00adtal skills, agreed upon with the sta\u00adtes. If a need for sup\u00adport is iden\u00adti\u00adfied, we expect the sta\u00adtes to imple\u00adment appro\u00adpriate, man\u00adda\u00adtory sup\u00adport mea\u00adsu\u00adres and pro\u00adgrams.\u201d But does this really pro\u00admote equal opportunities? <\/p>\n\n
Against this back\u00addrop, Prof. Dr. Timm Albers and Dr. Sey\u00adran Bos\u00adtanc\u0131 have published a sci\u00aden\u00adti\u00adfic state\u00adment in which they assess the plan\u00adned mea\u00adsu\u00adres based on cur\u00adrent rese\u00adarch fin\u00addings. Their ana\u00adly\u00adsis focu\u00adses on the ques\u00adtion of whe\u00adther man\u00adda\u00adtory lan\u00adguage scree\u00adnings, fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by pre\u00adschool clas\u00adses or addi\u00adtio\u00adnal sup\u00adport mea\u00adsu\u00adres, are in fact effec\u00adtive in streng\u00adthening lan\u00adguage deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment in the long term. <\/p>\n\n
Among other things, the aut\u00adhors point out the risk that man\u00adda\u00adtory lan\u00adguage scree\u00adnings might not reduce exis\u00adting ine\u00adqua\u00adli\u00adties but rather exa\u00adcer\u00adbate them, as they carry the risk of fur\u00adther sel\u00adec\u00adtion bias in child\u00adren\u2019s edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal trajectories.<\/p>\n\n
At the same time, there is a risk that lin\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adstic diver\u00adsity will be hastily labe\u00adled as a defi\u00adcit. Mul\u00adti\u00adl\u00adin\u00adgual child\u00adren, in par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar, are at risk of being eva\u00adlua\u00adted based on mono\u00adlin\u00adgual stan\u00addards, even though their lin\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adstic deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment is often more com\u00adplex and dynamic. <\/p>\n\n
Ano\u00adther point of cri\u00adti\u00adcism con\u00adcerns the effec\u00adti\u00adve\u00adness of the pro\u00adpo\u00adsed sup\u00adport frame\u00adwork. Rese\u00adarch shows that sup\u00adple\u00admen\u00adtary lan\u00adguage sup\u00adport measures\u2014separate from regu\u00adlar edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal activities\u2014have not yet pro\u00advi\u00added con\u00advin\u00adcing evi\u00addence of effec\u00adti\u00adve\u00adness. Sus\u00adtainable lan\u00adguage deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment does not result from early track\u00ading, but rather from high-qua\u00adlity edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties in ever\u00ady\u00adday life. <\/p>\n\n
Ins\u00adtead of addi\u00adtio\u00adnal scree\u00adning tools, Albers and Bos\u00adtanc\u0131 advo\u00adcate for streng\u00adthening the frame\u00adwork con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adons in early child\u00adhood edu\u00adca\u00adtion. Child\u00adren acquire lan\u00adguage pri\u00adma\u00adrily through a variety of dia\u00adlo\u00adgic spea\u00adking oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties in ever\u00ady\u00adday edu\u00adca\u00adtio\u00adnal set\u00adtings. To ensure that these oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties are desi\u00adgned in a tar\u00adge\u00adted and sus\u00adtainable man\u00adner, edu\u00adca\u00adtors need favorable conditions\u2014in par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar, suf\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adent time to prepare for and fol\u00adlow up on lan\u00adguage-pro\u00admo\u00adting acti\u00advi\u00adties, as well as to create a lin\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adsti\u00adcally sti\u00admu\u00adla\u00adting environment. <\/p>\n\n
The full sci\u00aden\u00adti\u00adfic state\u00adment by Prof. Dr. Timm Albers and Dr. Sey\u00adran Bostanc\u0131:<\/p>\n\n