Activities of the FFF Network

The 3rd FFF Network Meeting will take place on 25 February 2026 at the Goethe University Frankfurt. Please register by sending an email to: fffnetzwerk@uni-frankfurt.de


The 2nd FFF Network Meeting took place on 19 February 2025 at the University of Münster. The focus was on exchanging ideas about quality indicators for successful language learning in primary schools (keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Kristin Kersten). The network day was also used for further training on the topics of ‘Publication strategy at the beginning of an academic career’ (Prof. Dr. Frauke Matz) and ‘International publishing’ (Prof. Dr. Nils Jäkel).

f.l.t.r.: Prof. Dr. Frauke Matz, Dr. Heike Mlakar, Ramona Böttcher, Prof. Dr. Nils Jäkel, Inga Benz, Jens Folkerts, Janine Perlik, Joel Guttke, Prof. Dr. Stefanie Frisch, Christina Lennert, Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julia Reckermann, Vert.-Prof. Dr. Raphaelle Beecroft, Jun.-Prof. Dr. Katja Schwemmer, Prof. Dr. Annika Kolb, Prof. Dr. Kristin Kersten, Dr. Jenny Jakisch (missing in the picture: Prof. Dr. Karen Glaser, Alicia Battenfeld)

Programme of the 2nd FFF-Network Meeting at the University of Münster


During the first FFF network meeting, thematic research groups were formed, which now meet regularly:

Research group on inclusive primary school English teaching (Dr Constanze Dreßler, Alessa Haase, Prof. Dr Bianca Roters)

In the Inclusion Research Group, Constanze Dreßler, Alessa Haase, Bianca Roters and Leonie Schieffer examine the conditions for success and challenges in primary school English teaching with regard to pupils whose first language is German in comparison to pupils with DaZ/DaF. They are also interested in strategies that promote learning in English lessons for children with DaF/DaZ.

Research group exchange in the pre-doctoral phase (Research lead: Christina Lennert, University of Paderborn)

Interested members are welcome to contact Christina Lennert (University of Paderborn). The aim is to promote mutual exchange and support.

Test Instruments Research Group (Research lead: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julia Reckermann, University of Münster):

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julia Reckermann, Prof. Dr. Katja Schwemmer and Dr. Joel Guttke are members of the Test Instruments Research Group. At the beginning of the project, the research group was also supported by Christina Lennert and Leonie Schieffer. The reserach group reviewed numerous studies on the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar and language awareness, focusing in particular on the test instruments used. This resulted in a list that was presented and discussed at the second FFF network meeting. The research group is currently working on an overview publication on test instruments used in the German context in the field of early foreign language learning in the aforementioned areas of competence.

Writing Research Group (Research lead: Prof. Dr. Stefanie Frisch, Goethe University Frankfurt)

In this research group, Stefanie Frisch, Anne Schrader, Heike Mlakar, Joanna Hirst-Plein and Ruth Trüb are developing a joint analysis tool (in collaboration with linguists). Since little is known about how extensive and complex learner texts can be, an action research/DBR project would be prepared. In cooperation with teachers, writing tasks will be developed and evaluated. The learner texts will be described using the developed analysis tool in order to draw conclusions for the further development of the writing tasks.

Literary Learning Research Group (Research lead: Axel Wunderlich, Herderschule Kassel)

The research group, consisting of Axel Wunderlich, Constanze Dreßler, Annika Kolb and Stefanie Frisch, has conducted an exploratory study on the picture book The Cloud (Cumming 2010), which was carried out in collaboration with two primary school classes. Based on texts written by the learners and observations in the classroom, initial insights into the potential of literary learning through picture books were gained: The children were able to empathise with the feelings of the protagonists and relate events to their own lives (motivational dimension), and they were able to express assumptions about conflicts and turning points in the story and demonstrate insights into the narrative-aesthetic structures (Kurwinkel 2024) of picture books (cognitive-aesthetic dimension). The data from the classroom also help to understand the linguistic requirements of tasks that focus on literary learning. A joint publication in the conference proceedings: Teaching (With) Picturebooks: Context, Competences, Criticism (eds.: Nora Benitt, Hanne Bolze, Katja Schmidt) is in preparation.


28.02.2024

The first FFF network meeting took place on 28 February 2024 via ZOOM. Forty-one researchers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland participated.