Abstract (eng)
The aim of the present thesis was to evaluate the adequacy of learning material used for alphabetisation for people with intellectual disabilities and German as a second language. The main elements of the study were the suitability of the material for this target group, the achievements of learners and difficulties they encountered during their alphabetisation and the differences between learners with German as a first language and learners with German as a second language.
The learning material that was evaluated, “Hamburger ABC” (Wäbs und Schimkat 2016), is a collection of materials used for alphabetisation which allows for highly individual learning processes, as the worksheets can be combined individually and variably; hence, it offers study materials for fast and slow learners. The material was tested within the framework of action research with four subjects with intellectual disabilities (two speaking German as a first language, two speaking German as a second language) in five individual lessons each.
The differences noted between subjects speaking German as a first language and subjects speaking German as a second language were much smaller than differences between beginners and advanced learners. The collection of materials “Hamburger ABC” (Wäbs 2018a, 2018b) is not suitable for beginners, even though it offers slow progression; however, this target group needs more exercises than those available. Based on the observations it seems that more repetitions, a variety of exercises on the same topic as well as more exercises for practicing phonological awareness are needed.
However, for advanced learners in the orthographical stage of early literacy development (Frith 1985; Günther 1995) the materials of the “Hamburger ABC” (Wäbs 2017c, 2017e) are absolutely suitable. A few adaptions regarding size and structure of the worksheets could enhance learning, but all in all the subjects with advanced literacy skills got along well with this collection of materials.