A CRITICAL VIEW AND COMPARISON OF THE COMPETENCE EXPECTATIONS OF GERMAN AS A FOREIGN, SECOND AND MOTHER TONGUE

The comprehensive language promotion concept for schools in Hesse encompasses a multifaceted approach to fostering proficiency in the German language among children and young people whose native language is not German. This strategy is designed to integrate the needs of linguistic minorities into the broader framework of language education. The question thus arises as to whether the didactics of German as a second language or German as a foreign language are capable of meeting the requirements of German as a mother tongue. This is particularly pertinent given that the transition from the intensive class to the regular class is only guaranteed if there is a sufficient level of knowledge of German. In this context, a number of fundamental questions emerge.What are the differences between first language and second or foreign language acquisition? What are the differences between the acquisition of a first language and that of a second or foreign language? What criteria are employed to determine which pupils are to be admitted to intensive or regular classes? The question thus arises as to whether the criteria for admission to intensive or regular classes should be based on age group or language level, as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It would be beneficial to ascertain whether the teaching material encompasses the objectives delineated in the CEFR or the Hessian core curriculum. In addition to all these questions, with regard to the similarities and differences between of German as a second language/German as a foreign language and German as a mother tongue, the topic of assessment validity within the classroom must also be addressed, where, in terms of standard orientation, teachers are primarily concerned with receiving feedback on their teaching, recognizing the corresponding progress of the group and individual performance in relation to it, so that they can continue with the curriculum or with the teaching objectives they have set (Chita, 2008, p. 21).