Literarische Kompetenz und Lesekompetenz im Schulfach Deutsch als Fremdsprache

Abstract

This master thesis focuses on the question of what the connection is between literary competence and reading proficiency when it comes to German for students in their fifth year at a Dutch high school. To answer this question, the theoretical background of literacy and reading proficiency, the school context, and the background of the researched group of students, have all been taken into consideration. For this thesis fifty-five Dutch students currently in their fifth year of VWO, have been tested in a variety of ways. All of the participants had to take part in a test to determine their literacy competence for both the Dutch and German language, as well as take a test for determining the level of their reading skills for just the German language. Of the fifty-five students, twelve students also participated in a German prose test, where the level of their literacy competence was verified. Based on the results of the first two test, a connection between literacy competence and reading proficiency can be determined, which is supported by the results of the prose test. Lastly, the research also turned up some interesting results regarding gender differences and the relationship between L1-L2 when it comes to literary competence. The results of this research will shed a light on new directions and questions on the topic of literary competence and reading proficiency.