The Assessment of German and Austrian Teacher Trainees‘ Child-Sensitive Language Competence

Abstract Today’s teachers in inclusive settings face the challenge of working with an increasing number of children and adolescents experiencing psychological and emotionalbehavioral difficulties. Among these, children with learning disabilities are particularly vulnerable to such challenges. Consequently, teachers are expected to assume a dual role that blends psychologist’s tasks with their educational responsibilities. This broadened scope of tasks requires the acquisition and use of additional competencies. One key competency is the use of child-sensitive language - a subset of therapeutic discourse that serves to foster desirable psychological, behavioral, and academic outcomes in children by promoting a healthy self-concept, positive self-esteem, and emotional resilience. Nevertheless, it remains an open question whether competence in child-sensitive language can be taken for granted among individuals who are fully educated and socially experienced. This study aimed to assess prospective teachers‘ competence in child-sensitive language and identify corresponding training needs. The sample (N = 660) consisted of 435 teacher trainees from 22 higher education institutions in Germany and 225 from 13 institutions in Austria. The online administration of the Bremer Key - a 13-item situational judgment test developed for this purpose - reveals that only 3% of the prospective teachers in the two countries demonstrate mastery-level competence in child-sensitive language. These findings underscore the urgent need for structured instruction and practice in the use of childsensitive language within teacher training programs in both countries.