Der Englischunterricht am Übergang von der Grundschule zum Gymnasium

In the age of globalisation, children today are growing up in a society characterised by linguistic and cultural diversity. In this context, English serves as the language of world communication. With the implementation of English lessons from grade one onwards, this requirement for multilingualism was taken into account in North Rhine-Westphalia in the 2008/2009 school year. Foreign language instruction at the primary level is intended to lay the foundation for lifelong foreign language learning by sensitising learners to languages and creating space for the early learning of other foreign languages. However, the implementation of early English in grade one leads to challenges on both the primary and secondary school sides, especially at the immediate interface between the two types of schools, i.e. in the process of transition. In the empirical research context, the learners' perspective as a group directly affected by the transition process is rarely given a voice. The present study aims to close this research gap and to examine learners' perceptions in more detail. On the one hand, the learners' experience in a longitudinal development from primary to secondary school will be presented at three measurement points in order to expose the transition topic pro- and retrospectively. On the other hand, the perspective of the primary and secondary school teachers involved in the transition process will be examined.