Between Languages, Texts and Narratives: Adaptive Literacy Support for Diverse Learning Needs in Second Language Learners in Different Age Ranges

For many students learning German as a second language words represent thresholds, and their combination into coherent texts poses a major hurdle. It is precisely at this point that the present dissertation is anchored. It investigates adaptive, evidence-based interventions that support learners at different developmental stages in progressing from word to meaning, from sentence to text, and ultimately to narration. Against the backdrop of increasing heterogeneity and a steadily growing number of students with German as a second language, five studies are presented, conducted in secondary school, primary school, and preschool. Two of the studies evaluate an adapted German version of the Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies program with secondary students experiencing or at risk of reading difficulties and learning German as a second language. The results reveal significant gains in reading fluency and comprehension, as well as high acceptance of the intervention among both students and teachers. Another study with third- and fourth-grade students combined peer tutoring, story maps, and Self-Regulated Strategy Development. This approach led to significant improvements in reading and showed positive trends in writing. At school entry, a narrative intervention proved effective in strengthening vocabulary, letter-sound fluency, and basic reading skills. In preschool, however, results showed that storytelling alone was insufficient; only when combined with direct instruction did significant progress emerge in grapheme-phoneme correspondence and vocabulary. Methodologically, the studies employed multiple-baseline single-case designs as well as an experimental group design. Social validity and feasibility were also systematically assessed. In conclusion, the results are synthesized and implications for research and practice are outlined. Overall, the dissertation demonstrates that adaptive interventions—through peer tutoring, strategy training, motivational components, incidental and intentional learning—can effectively reduce barriers faced by students with special learning needs or German as a second language. In doing so, it provides practice-oriented guidance for fostering literacy within the German educational context while also contributing to the prevention of educational disadvantage.