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The main result of this effectiveness study is that a reading program with a focus on students’ poetry reading processes, based on observational learning via eye movement modeling examples, can improve students’ reading comprehension for different text types. In a pretest-posttest design with an experimental group (ten classes) and a control group (five classes), students’ self-efficacy regarding their own reading process and their reading comprehension were measured. Over a six-week period, teachers of Dutch and their students worked with the six experimental lessons, instead of the regular reading program: students observed and evaluated contrasting peer reading processes, reflected on differences with their own reading process, and then they practiced aspects of a deep reading process. The program resulted in significant progress in the reading comprehension of “expository texts” (ES = .66), “short stories” (ES = .66), and especially “poetry” (ES = .81). Furthermore, the self-efficacy test results show that students in the experimental condition experienced significantly more learning effect after the intervention period than those in the control group. Moreover, based on the learning reports, evaluation tasks and interviews, it appears that the participants in the innovative program have become aware of their reading and how they improved their performance.

Intercultural competence in foreign language teaching has gained importance in recent times. Although current work has highlighted the advantages of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) for intercultural development, little is known about its potential for teaching literature in secondary schools. Treating literature itself as an art form, the aim of this article is to formulate research-based design principles for an integrated intercultural literary pedagogy (IILP) that may foster intercultural competence through arts integration in foreign language classes. This article reports on the process of evaluating IILP-based pilot lesson materials in pre-university education in the Netherlands. Educational design research was applied as a method that encompasses the systematic study of designing, developing, and evaluating educational interventions through an iterative process of evaluation with stakeholders. Three iterations of formative evaluation were conducted, with additions to the tentative design principles following each of the first two iterations. The process resulted in a set of four refined principles. Results also illustrated the effectiveness of IILP-based lesson materials for intercultural competence. Although participating students encountered some difficulties relating to the functionality of the design, the students appreciated its social relevance and reported that the processing of literary texts through dialogic tasks with peers in the target language fostered intercultural language learning.

The construct of critical cultural awareness (CCA) is often regarded as an element pertaining to intercultural communicative competence (Byram, 1997, 2021). In this model, CCA is defined as the ability to “evaluate, critically, and on the basis of a systematic process of reasoning, values in one’s own culture and other cultures” (Byram, 2021, p. 90). Although the potential of literature to develop learners’ CCA is widely accepted by intercultural education scholars, Byram’s definition has some limitations as a theoretical basis for teaching students how to “evaluate and reason critically” about literary texts, as it does not take into account certain aspects of literary reading and critical interculturality that are essential in contemporary foreign language (FL) teaching and learning. This study aims to redefine CCA for the specific context of secondary literature education in a bottom-up manner, based on an analysis of student texts about migratory literature. To this end, 97 students learning Spanish as a FL in the upper forms of pre-university education (aged 15–19) at four schools in the Netherlands were asked to write an evaluation of two literary texts they read in class. Via qualitative analysis of these texts with Atlas.ti, three content categories – social justice, emotions and conflict – and two evaluative categories ­– cultural representation and transformation – were identified for CCA. The findings of this study have implications for other FL literature teaching settings, as a generic rubric for assessment of student texts was developed based on the criteria that emerged from the data.

This paper deals with a research area of the ERASMUS+ project Developing Teaching competencies for Extensive Reading Programs (LEELU, 2016-2019), an international teacher training intervention on the topic of extensive or free voluntary reading. Subject-specific pedagogy experiences and insights of teachers who established this programme in German as a foreign language in grade 10 are highlighted. In Italy, the Netherlands and Hungary, teachers brought principles of free voluntary reading into practice and developed them further cooperatively. An open-ended teacher survey reveals the success of the programme. Interview transcripts deepen the results of the findings.

Intercultural competence is a crucial element of foreign language education. It is argued that the multi-faceted nature of intercultural competence implies that assessment of its construct is a complex process; as a consequence, its progress is difficult to measure. Although several tools for evaluating intercultural competence currently exist, research on their use in secondary school settings is scarce. This study reports on the development and validation of an instrument intended specifically for use in foreign language literature education. To this end, tangible learning objectives for intercultural literary competence were developed based on five dimensions of intercultural communicative competence (Byram, 1997) and six categories of literary competence (Witte, 2008). These objectives were re-formulated for implementation in a student questionnaire. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the construct validity of the instrument was investigated among a sample of 164 secondary school students in the upper forms of pre-university education in the Netherlands. Although the results supported the hypothesized wo second-order factor structure, the model fit indices were less favourable compared to the fit indices of an alternative five first-order factor model. Subsequently, correlation and summability analyses were performed to test the reliability of the instrument. Future research and implications are discussed.

Dutch secondary schools are at liberty to fill in their literature curriculum however they want, with only the minimum of requirements imposed by the government. This thesis explores the state of the art of the English literature curriculum at Dutch orthodox Christian schools. More specifically, it looks at the influence of the Christian identity on the curriculum. Going from foundation documents, analysis of material and teacher interviews, this thesis explores to which degree the literature curriculum is grounded in the Christian belief the schools base their education on. The foundation documents show that the schools, the Wartburg College and the Van Lodenstein College, both view the Bible as the basis for the education they provide. As such, the Christian doctrine should be visible in the daily practice of the school subjects. The analysis of the material used in the literature curriculum shows that although the syllabuses made by the teachers present factual literary history, the choice to discuss a significant amount of religious literary texts is particular. Most of all, the interviews with teachers show that the Christian identity is a prominent element in the literature classes. Teaching students critical thinking plays an important role at both schools, but more so at the Wartburg College. Coached confrontation is a concept which becomes visible at both schools, but mostly at the Wartburg College: students are confronted with controversial or modern literature, but are invited to reflect on these texts in light of their identity. Teachers at both schools want to actively involve students in discussions about faith and conversion, and find it very important to do so. However, presenting students with a broad and open literature curriculum is not always possible because of a full language skills programme. In conclusion, the Christian identity is prominent in the foundation documents, but also in the material and the actual classes at both schools. The conc

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird das Deutschniveau der niederländischen Schüler und Schülerinnen der 5. Klasse des VWOs aus dem Westen und aus dem Osten der Niederlande verglichen. Es wird die These vertreten, dass niederländische Schüler und Schülerinnen, die in der Nähe der deutschen Grenze wohnen, in größerem Ausmaß mit der deutschen Sprache in Kontakt treten und diese daher besser beherrschen als vergleichbare Schüler und Schülerinnen, die nicht aus dem Grenzgebiet stammen. Es scheint darum folgerichtig, dass diese Schüler und Schülerinnen mehr Deutsch lesen, hören und im Idealfall auch sprechen. Für die vorliegende Arbeit lässt sich die folgende Frage formulieren: Wie beeinflusst die Grenznähe das Deutschniveau der niederländischen 5 VWO-Klassen? Diese Forschungsfrage wird mithilfe einer empirischen Untersuchung anhand des GeRs (Gemeinsamer Europäischer Referenzrahmen) durchgeführt. Theoretischer Ausgangspunkt dieser Arbeit ist die sogenannte Inputtheorie. Es werden außerdem die Methoden des ‚Sprachbads‘ und der ‚Sprachdusche‘ erläutert. Darüber hinaus wird die Unterrichtssprache diskutiert. Die empirische Untersuchung wird mit einem Leistungstest durchgeführt und für diesen Test wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit mit dem Modellsatz B1 für Jugendliche gearbeitet. Die vier Fertigkeiten, Lesen, Hören, Schreiben und Sprechen werden geprüft. Außerdem wird den Schüler und Schülerinnen und den Lehrenden einen Fragebogen vorgelegt. Dieser Fragenbogen wird einige Fragen über den Kontakt mit Deutschland und der deutschen Sprache beinhalten. Für die Untersuchung wurde an 3 Schulen im Westen der Niederlande und an 3 Schulen im Osten der Niederlande gegangen. Die gewählten Schulen sind alle MAVO-HAVO-VWO Schulen. In dieser Arbeit ist nachgewiesen, dass die Schüler und Schülerinnen aus dem Osten der Niederlande ein wenig mehr Kontakt mit Deutschland und der deutschen Sprachen haben als die Schüler und Schülerinnen aus dem Westen der Niederlande. Das Niveau der Schüler und Schül

Dutch secondary schools are at liberty to fill in their literature curriculum however they want, with only the minimum of requirements imposed by the government. This thesis explores the state of the art of the English literature curriculum at Dutch orthodox Christian schools. More specifically, it looks at the influence of the Christian identity on the curriculum. Going from foundation documents, analysis of material and teacher interviews, this thesis explores to which degree the literature curriculum is grounded in the Christian belief the schools base their education on. The foundation documents show that the schools, the Wartburg College and the Van Lodenstein College, both view the Bible as the basis for the education they provide. As such, the Christian doctrine should be visible in the daily practice of the school subjects. The analysis of the material used in the literature curriculum shows that although the syllabuses made by the teachers present factual literary history, the choice to discuss a significant amount of religious literary texts is particular. Most of all, the interviews with teachers show that the Christian identity is a prominent element in the literature classes. Teaching students critical thinking plays an important role at both schools, but more so at the Wartburg College. Coached confrontation is a concept which becomes visible at both schools, but mostly at the Wartburg College: students are confronted with controversial or modern literature, but are invited to reflect on these texts in light of their identity. Teachers at both schools want to actively involve students in discussions about faith and conversion, and find it very important to do so. However, presenting students with a broad and open literature curriculum is not always possible because of a full language skills programme. In conclusion, the Christian identity is prominent in the foundation documents, but also in the material and the actual classes at both schools. The conc

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird das Deutschniveau der niederländischen Schüler und Schülerinnen der 5. Klasse des VWOs aus dem Westen und aus dem Osten der Niederlande verglichen. Es wird die These vertreten, dass niederländische Schüler und Schülerinnen, die in der Nähe der deutschen Grenze wohnen, in größerem Ausmaß mit der deutschen Sprache in Kontakt treten und diese daher besser beherrschen als vergleichbare Schüler und Schülerinnen, die nicht aus dem Grenzgebiet stammen. Es scheint darum folgerichtig, dass diese Schüler und Schülerinnen mehr Deutsch lesen, hören und im Idealfall auch sprechen. Für die vorliegende Arbeit lässt sich die folgende Frage formulieren: Wie beeinflusst die Grenznähe das Deutschniveau der niederländischen 5 VWO-Klassen? Diese Forschungsfrage wird mithilfe einer empirischen Untersuchung anhand des GeRs (Gemeinsamer Europäischer Referenzrahmen) durchgeführt. Theoretischer Ausgangspunkt dieser Arbeit ist die sogenannte Inputtheorie. Es werden außerdem die Methoden des ‚Sprachbads‘ und der ‚Sprachdusche‘ erläutert. Darüber hinaus wird die Unterrichtssprache diskutiert. Die empirische Untersuchung wird mit einem Leistungstest durchgeführt und für diesen Test wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit mit dem Modellsatz B1 für Jugendliche gearbeitet. Die vier Fertigkeiten, Lesen, Hören, Schreiben und Sprechen werden geprüft. Außerdem wird den Schüler und Schülerinnen und den Lehrenden einen Fragebogen vorgelegt. Dieser Fragenbogen wird einige Fragen über den Kontakt mit Deutschland und der deutschen Sprache beinhalten. Für die Untersuchung wurde an 3 Schulen im Westen der Niederlande und an 3 Schulen im Osten der Niederlande gegangen. Die gewählten Schulen sind alle MAVO-HAVO-VWO Schulen. In dieser Arbeit ist nachgewiesen, dass die Schüler und Schülerinnen aus dem Osten der Niederlande ein wenig mehr Kontakt mit Deutschland und der deutschen Sprachen haben als die Schüler und Schülerinnen aus dem Westen der Niederlande. Das Niveau der Schüler und Schül

As English has established itself as a contact language, it has become increasingly important to prepare students for interaction with other non-native speakers of English during secondary education (Seidlhofer, 2005). As such, intercultural communicative competence (ICC) should be taught alongside language proficiency to prepare students for effective communication in a globalising world. The literature study revealed how Byram’s (1997) ICC model and the Common European Framework of Reference’s (CEFR) cultural repertoire descriptors (Council of Europe, 2017) could be used to formulate criteria to analyse how popular teaching method Stepping Stones has incorporated ICC. During the Stepping Stones case study, it appeared that while Stepping Stones provides a lot of culture-specific input, it does not provide exercises to develop ICC in students. To bridge this perceived gap, complementary material was designed specifically for Stepping Stones and based on Byram (1997) and the CEFR descriptors as teaching methods represent readily available and accessible material to facilitate the incorporation of ICC in the Dutch curriculum for English (Fasoglio & Canton, 2007).

Wohl kaum ein anderer Schriftsteller wie Gottfried Keller hat eine solche poetische Ausgestaltung der Bildlichkeit. Sein einstiger Wunsch Maler zu werden und seine Vorliebe für die Welt der Kunst und der Bilder färben sich auf seine Erzählkunst ab. Aus einer Bildbeschreibung wird ein kunstvolles Sprachbild. Dem sensiblen Augenmenschen Keller blieben die Türen der Kunstwelt verschlossen, dafür öffneten sich die Tore der Beschreibungskunst und der poetischen Malerei in Sprache – und mit ihnen eindrückliche Sprachbilder. Mit dem Satz „Resignation ist keine schöne Gegend.“2 verabschiedet sich Keller von der Malerei. Gerade das Misslingen in der Malerei und Kunst bewegte Keller zur Bewältigung des Scheiterns durch das Erlernen des Schreibens in Bildern. Walter Benjamin, der sich intensiv mit Keller auseinandergesetzt hat, formuliert treffend die Aussage: „Was Kellers Bücher ganz und gar erfüllt, das ist die Sinnenlust nicht so des Schauens als des Beschreibens. Das Beschreiben nämlich ist Sinnenlust, weil in ihm der Gegenstand den Blick des Schauenden zurückgibt, und in jeder guten Beschreibung die Lust, mit der zwei Blicke, die sich suchen, aufeinander treffen, eingefangen ist.“

As English has established itself as a contact language, it has become increasingly important to prepare students for interaction with other non-native speakers of English during secondary education (Seidlhofer, 2005). As such, intercultural communicative competence (ICC) should be taught alongside language proficiency to prepare students for effective communication in a globalising world. The literature study revealed how Byram’s (1997) ICC model and the Common European Framework of Reference’s (CEFR) cultural repertoire descriptors (Council of Europe, 2017) could be used to formulate criteria to analyse how popular teaching method Stepping Stones has incorporated ICC. During the Stepping Stones case study, it appeared that while Stepping Stones provides a lot of culture-specific input, it does not provide exercises to develop ICC in students. To bridge this perceived gap, complementary material was designed specifically for Stepping Stones and based on Byram (1997) and the CEFR descriptors as teaching methods represent readily available and accessible material to facilitate the incorporation of ICC in the Dutch curriculum for English (Fasoglio & Canton, 2007)

Wohl kaum ein anderer Schriftsteller wie Gottfried Keller hat eine solche poetische Ausgestaltung der Bildlichkeit. Sein einstiger Wunsch Maler zu werden und seine Vorliebe für die Welt der Kunst und der Bilder färben sich auf seine Erzählkunst ab. Aus einer Bildbeschreibung wird ein kunstvolles Sprachbild. Dem sensiblen Augenmenschen Keller blieben die Türen der Kunstwelt verschlossen, dafür öffneten sich die Tore der Beschreibungskunst und der poetischen Malerei in Sprache – und mit ihnen eindrückliche Sprachbilder. Mit dem Satz „Resignation ist keine schöne Gegend.“2 verabschiedet sich Keller von der Malerei. Gerade das Misslingen in der Malerei und Kunst bewegte Keller zur Bewältigung des Scheiterns durch das Erlernen des Schreibens in Bildern. Walter Benjamin, der sich intensiv mit Keller auseinandergesetzt hat, formuliert treffend die Aussage: „Was Kellers Bücher ganz und gar erfüllt, das ist die Sinnenlust nicht so des Schauens als des Beschreibens. Das Beschreiben nämlich ist Sinnenlust, weil in ihm der Gegenstand den Blick des Schauenden zurückgibt, und in jeder guten Beschreibung die Lust, mit der zwei Blicke, die sich suchen, aufeinander treffen, eingefangen ist.“

As English has established itself as a contact language, it has become increasingly important to prepare students for interaction with other non-native speakers of English during secondary education (Seidlhofer, 2005). As such, intercultural communicative competence (ICC) should be taught alongside language proficiency to prepare students for effective communication in a globalising world. The literature study revealed how Byram’s (1997) ICC model and the Common European Framework of Reference’s (CEFR) cultural repertoire descriptors (Council of Europe, 2017) could be used to formulate criteria to analyse how popular teaching method Stepping Stones has incorporated ICC. During the Stepping Stones case study, it appeared that while Stepping Stones provides a lot of culture-specific input, it does not provide exercises to develop ICC in students. To bridge this perceived gap, complementary material was designed specifically for Stepping Stones and based on Byram (1997) and the CEFR descriptors as teaching methods represent readily available and accessible material to facilitate the incorporation of ICC in the Dutch curriculum for English (Fasoglio & Canton, 2007)

This thesis explaores whether there is a need for a student edition of Jane Austen's Emma, what it should look like and provides an example of what it could look like based on the findings.

This thesis explaores whether there is a need for a student edition of Jane Austen's Emma, what it should look like and provides an example of what it could look like based on the findings.