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We support families and educational professionals in shared reading in different languages and develop digital picture books in German Sign Language (DGS), German and other spoken languages.

Goals

ReaDi

  • promotes language acquisition through shared reading in everyday life, early intervention, kindergarten and school,
  • pays special attention to the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and children with a migration background,
  • develops digital picture books in German Sign Language, German and other spoken languages
  • and provides digital and hybrid training programs for parents and pedagogical professionals, which can be combined with the digital picture books to develop a child’s language.

This project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research under grant number 01JM2205B. The responsibility for the content of this publication/website lies with the authors.

Rahmenprogramm BMBF

Work packages

The project „Reading Digital: Inclusive language education with multilingual digital picture books in spoken languages and sign languages“ includes three work packages.

Work package I

We are surveying the need for shared reading among parents and pedagogical professionals in early interventions, kindergartens and schools.

Methods

Mixed methods: online-based questionnaire survey and qualitative individual interviews with parents and pedagogical professionals.

Participatory research approach: Cooperation with two scientific advisory boards consisting of parents, pedagogical professionals and representatives of school administrations to develop the survey instruments and recruit participants.

Work package II

We are developing

  • digital picture books in German Sign Language, German and other spoken languages for different age groups,
  • digital aids and tips for promoting German sign language and German during shared reading, and
  • training and digital tutorials on shared reading for parents and pedagogical professionals.

Methods

Review website usability through participatory research approach with focus groups.

Work package III

We are evaluating the usability and effectiveness of our digital picture books and the training program for parents and pedagogical professionals. The last step would be the publication of the results on a freely available website.

Methods

Mixed Methods: pretest-posttest design with a quantitative online-based questionnaire, qualitative evaluation journals and focus group/individual interviews with parents and pedagogical professionals.

Time Schedule

01 October 2022
01 October 2022

Project started

4. quarter 2023
4. quarter 2023

Preparation of survey

2. quarter 2023
2. quarter 2023

Survey of parents and pedagogical professionals:
1) online-based questionnaire,
2) interviews

2. quarter 2023
2. quarter 2023

Creation of a beta version of the website with exemplary content

4. quarter 2024
4. quarter 2024

Development of digital picture books and tutorials / trainings

4. quarter 2024
4. quarter 2024

Testing and evaluating our digital picture books and tutorials / trainings with parents and pedagogical professionals

1. quarter 2025
1. quarter 2025

Revisional work

3. quarter 2025
3. quarter 2025

Full publication of the website

30 September 2025
30 September 2025

Project ends

Work to date

19 May 2023

Online survey started.

11 February 2023

Scientific advisory board met in Stegen (Baden-Württemberg, Germany).

27 January 2023

The scientific advisory board met in Berlin.

29 November 2022

Kick-off events in Stegen (Germany)

28 November 2022

Kick-off events in Berlin

01 October 2022

Project started.

Team

Our interdisciplinary team is composed of experts (deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing) from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany

LMU_Logo            HU-Siegel

Project Management

Claudia Becker

Prof.in Dr. Claudia Becker

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, head of the Department of Sign Language and Audio Pedagogy

Laura Avemarie

Prof.in Dr. Laura Avemarie

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, professorship of Special Education – Focus on Hearing and Communication including Inclusive Pedagogy

Christian Müller

Christian Müller

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Faculty of Linguistics and Literature, Chair of Didactics of the German Language and Literature and German as a Second Language

Research Assistants

Mabu Aghaei

Mabu Aghaei

Research Assistant, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Nora Eisinger

Nora Eisinger

Research Assistant, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Swantje Marks

Swantje Marks

Research Assistant, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Anne Stutzer

Anne Stutzer

Research Assistant, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Student Assistants

Lillian Siebert

Lillian Siebert

Student Assistant: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Mileva Doennges

Mileva Doennges

Student Assistant: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Sarah Imhof

Student Assistant: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Cooperating Partner

Staatliches sonderpädagogisches Bildungs- und Beratungszentrum, Förderschwerpunkt Hören, Stegen (BBZ) (special education school for deaf and hard of hearing children)

Ernst-Adolf-Eschke-Schule, Sonderpädagogisches Förderzentrum Hören und Kommunikation, Berlin (EAE) (special education school for deaf and hard of hearing children)

Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Leiter:innen der Bildungseinrichtungen für Gehörlose und Schwerhörige (BUDIKO) (working group of directors of educational institutions for deaf and hard of hearing children)

Bundeselternverband gehörloser Kinder (BGK) (Federal Parents Association of Deaf Children)

Staatsinstiut für Schulqualität und Bildungsforschung München, München (ISB) (state institute for school quality and educational research Munich)

Staatsinstitut für Frühpädagogik und Medienkompetenz München, München (Dr. Karin Reber) (state institute for early education and media competence Munich)

Senatsverwaltung für Bildung, Jugend und Familie (Klaus Jürgen Heuel) (senate department for education, youth and family)

Reinfelder Schule, Förderzentrum für Hören und Sprache, Inklusive Grundschule Berlin (inclusive elementary school)

Margarethe-von-Witzleben-Schule, Schule mit dem sonderpädagogischen Förderschwerpunkt „Hören und Kommunikation“, Berlin (special education school for deaf and hard of hearing children)

Kindertagesstätte Allerhand der gGmbH Sinneswandel, Berlin (day care)

Fachseminar Förderschwerpunkt Hören und Kommunikation, Berlin (seminar for trainee teachers at schools)