Sheet to record the language skills of children with German as a second language
The generally abbreviated BESK-DaZ form for recording the language competence of children with German as a second language is an observation sheet for recording the language competence of children with German as a second language at preschool age who acquire German gradually (from approx. 3 years). Since spring 2010, BESK-DaZ has been used - in addition to BESK 4-5 for children with German as their first language - to determine the language proficiency in Austrian kindergartens.
construction
BESK-DaZ (Breit / Schneider / Wanka / Rössl, 2009) consists of three parts, has a total of 22 criteria and the language level monitoring is not tied to the use of special materials or situations. The criteria are collected in everyday kindergarten (e.g. in discussions). The criteria in parts B and C of the BESK-DaZ are ascertained in a systematic observation and the criteria in part A are recorded in a conversation with the child’s caregivers. In the BESK-DaZ handbook, suggestions for methodology and implementation are given for each criterion (Breit, 2009).
- A - Individual and family context data
- B - Lexicon / semantics , pragmatics / discourse and language behavior
- C - syntax / morphology
Part A - Individual and Family Context Data
The context data gives the educator the opportunity to receive information from the parents about the linguistic development in the first language before entering kindergarten. Background information on the family and the family language (s), information on the first language skills of the parents and the child, language maintenance at home and the duration and intensity of contact with the German language are collected.
Part B - Lexicon / semantics, pragmatics / discourse, language behavior
Part B comprises the areas of lexicon / semantics and pragmatics / discourse, for which points are awarded, as well as language behavior that is observed outside of competition (cf. Breit, S./Schneider, P./Wanka, R./Rössl, B., 2009 and Breit, 2009):
Lexicon / semantics
- Understand and execute orders
- Understand space prepositions
- Generic and subordinate terms
Pragmatics / discourse
- Express needs and wishes
- Use linguistic means to induce others to act
- Relate experiences coherently and conclusively
- Retelling story / picture story
Speech behavior (without scoring)
- Conversations with educators
- Conversations with other children
- Conversations in a large group
- Conversations in small groups
- Use of the first language ( code switching )
- Listen while you read
Part C - Syntax / Morphology
Part C of the BESK-DaZ raises criteria for syntax / morphology and is tied to a linguistic phase model (see, for example, Thoma / Tracy, 2007; Grießhaber, 2005; Reich, 2008; Kemp / Bredel / Reich, 2008), which covers language acquisition by Describes the areas of syntax / morphology (grammar) of German using five phases or 'milestones' that a child with German as a second language typically goes through when acquiring a second language. For German, the verb position and the position of the subject are indicators of the phase reached. The order of employment in German as a first or earlier second language is similar and can be compared (regardless of age) by dividing it into phases. Language acquisition is not always linear, but the phases can also overlap or individual phases can be skipped. In addition to the criteria for verb placement, a criterion for the mandatory article is also raised. Since the phases build on one another, the first three criteria in BESK-DaZ are termination criteria: If a child does not reach phase III with any of these criteria, the collection of the following criteria is not expedient and the observation can be terminated at this point. The child can be observed again at a later point in time (after a few months) to see progress. The designation of the correct grammatical gender of the noun by the article is also considered together with the verb position in the subordinate clause out of competition, since the acquisition of these criteria cannot be completed by school age (see Breit, S./Schneider, P./Wanka , R./Rössl,B., 2009 and Breit, 2009):
- Verb second position in the sentence (termination criterion)
- Sentence brackets in two-part verbs (termination criterion)
- Article: Use of the mandatory article (termination criterion)
- Understand W-questions and answer accordingly
- Verberststellung in decision-making sets
- Inversion of the subject
out of competition :
- Blind position in the subordinate clause
- Identification of the grammatical gender of nouns
evaluation
The evaluation for parts B and C of the sheet is initially carried out separately for each part. In Part B, the educator chooses between a four-level categorization always, sometimes, rarely and never . The categories of the areas lexicon / semantics and pragmatics / discourse are assigned point values of 3.2.1 and 0, so that a total value can be calculated for this part. The area of language behavior is considered out of competition, i.e. without awarding points. In Part C, the closed response categories for each criterion are (almost) always, sometimes and (almost) never given, as well as possible deviations if the child does not (almost) always meet a criterion . The category (almost) always and some of the deviations are assigned to phases that indicate the level at which the child is in acquiring German (cf. Breit, S./Schneider, P./Wanka, R./Rössl, B. , 2009). The need for support depends, on the one hand, on the number of points achieved in Part B and, on the other hand, on the phase achieved in Part C. A child who has 16 points or less in Part B and / or has not yet achieved phase IV in Part C requires specific support in the acquisition of German (see Breit (Hrsg.), 2009).
Progress survey
Since BESK-DaZ can be used in preschool age to determine the level of German as a second language, regardless of age, it is possible to monitor the progress with the same questionnaire and is recommended by the authors about 6-10 months after the initial observation in order to identify progress, stagnation or regression at an early stage to be able to react immediately (cf. Breit (Hrsg.), 2009).
quality control
A revision and precise coordination of the instrument and the BESK-DaZ manual with a revised version of BESK (observation sheet for recording language skills in German) based on evaluation, expert opinions and feedback is planned for 2010; the use of the revised instruments is expected to cease Spring 2011 will be possible.
swell
Breit, S./Schneider, P./Wanka, R./Rössl, B. (2009). BESK-DaZ - sheet to record the language competence of children with German as a second language. Salzburg: BIFIE. Available at: [1] or [2] (April 15, 2010)
Breit, S. (Ed.) (2009). Manual for the BESK-DaZ . Salzburg: BIFIE. Available at: [3] or [4] (April 15, 2010)
Thoma, D./Tracy, R. (2007). German as an early second language: second first language? In B. Ahrenholz (ed.), Children with a Migration Background - Language Acquisition and Funding Opportunities (pp. 58–79). Freiburg. Fillibach.
Grießhaber, W. (2005). Language level diagnosis in child second language acquisition. Functional-pragmatic foundation of the profile analysis. Available from: [5] (April 19, 2010; PDF; 854 kB)
Reich, H. (2008). Language promotion in kindergarten. Basics, concepts and materials . Weimar u. a .: Verlag das netz.
Kemp, R./Bredel, U./Reich, H. (2008). Morphological-syntactic basic qualification. In K. Ehlich / U. Bredel / H. Reich (ed.), Frame of reference for age-specific language acquisition (pp. 63–82). Bonn, Berlin: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).