ELIS – evidenzbasierte Leseförderung in Schulen Erasmus Project

Project Title

ELIS – evidenzbasierte Leseförderung in Schulen

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Research and innovation; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

There is no doubt that literacy is regarded as a fundamental competence, without this participation in society hardly seems possible. It is precisely for this reason that studies such as those of the OECD point to the key role that reading literacy plays in later educational and career opportunities. Križan (2014) complains that there is a lack of reliable knowledge, especially in German-speaking countries, which funding measures are successful. The ELiS project – Evidence-based reading promotion in schools – attempts to counteract this criticism by implementing two reading promotion measures in primary schools and by examining their effectiveness in comparison with conventional reading instruction. In terms of content, the project follows on from the Erasmus+ mobility project “In the footsteps of Archduke Johann – Innovative practices of general and subject-specific reading in a European comparison”. The first project objective, an improvement of basic reading skills through innovative methods, was achieved through the development and effectiveness testing of subject-integrated reading training. The project thus ties in with the “Education and Training 2020” of the European Commission, which calls for the investigation of existing reading promotion measures. The second project objective was to strengthen the teaching profession, which, according to the European document “Rethinking Education”, is the key to improving pupils’ learning outcomes. In order to enable teachers to deepen their knowledge, the project created high quality offers for knowledge enhancement. The third project objective was to minimise poor reading performance through sustainable and efficient education and training. Through European cooperation between colleges of education, universities and school authorities, it was possible to guarantee further training courses which focus on equal opportunities for all. A total of six educational institutions from four European countries participated in the project. It was headed by KPH Graz, which offers innovative and value-oriented training and further education for teachers and whose profile is characterised by a discourse between pedagogy, theology and other sciences. The second project partner was PH Steiermark, a renowned institution in teacher education. The Styrian Department of Education was also a project partner, which is responsible for the administration of the state schools and attaches great importance to autonomous freedom of action. The fourth project partner was the department of the German Directorate of Education of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, which is responsible for the administration, advice and coordination of schools. The Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu is the fifth project partner to offer a course of study for primary school teachers with a focus on inclusion, and is endeavouring to establish international cooperation. The sixth project partner was the University of Regensburg, whose Chair for Didactics of the German Language and Literature deals with the optimisation of competence-oriented teaching and learning processes. Its profile is characterised by the review of existing teaching methods with regard to specific German didactic competences. There were four main activities in the project, the first being an analysis of current reading promotion measures in primary schools and an analysis of needs of teachers. The second activity was the development of a subject-integrated reading training and an evalutation of its effectiveness. The existing reading course “Lesen. Das Training” was also implemented and evaluated. After carrying out the reading competence measurements, the third activity was the analysis of the implemented innovations. Statistical calculations were used to find out which training improves the reading competence of the children to a greater extent. The last activity was the compilation of a compendium on current reading promotion in the participating European countries. The project results show that children with reading difficulties in reading fluency benefit most from the „Filius/Filia“ intervention. Children with good reading abilities also benefit most from the „Filius/Filia“ intervention, both in terms of reading fluency development and meaning-enhancing reading. Students of third grade with a strong reading ability, on the other hand, are not as well supported by the intervention “Lesen. Das Training” in their development. Instead, this training contributes to reading comprehension in children with reading difficulties. The innovative nature of the material has already made the project sustainable. In South Tyrol, for example, „Filius/Filia“ will be available to each child free of charge. Throughout Bavaria, „Filius/Filia“ has already been developed into „Filby“ and tested by over 50,000 children.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 252209,37 Eur

Project Coordinator

Kirchliche Pädagogische Hochschule der Diözese Graz-Seckau & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Bildungsdirektion Steiermark
• UNIVERSITATEA LUCIAN BLAGA DIN SIBIU
• UNIVERSITAET REGENSBURG
• University College of Teacher Education Styria
• PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI BOLZANO