The KURS project (Competences of Preschool and Primary Teachers for Early Foreign Language Teaching) aims to enhance the quality of early childhood and primary education (ISCED 0 and ISCED 1) by strengthening the professional competences of preschool and primary teachers.

At the core of the project is the development of a research-based competence framework for educators teaching foreign languages in early childhood. The framework is conceived as a practical foundation for the development of qualification standards and continuing professional development programmes, as well as a relevant basis for shaping educational policies in the field of early foreign language learning.

The project also includes the development and validation of an instrument for assessing knowledge, attitudes, and skills, along with the implementation of a national empirical study on the competences of preschool and primary teachers involved in early foreign language teaching. The results will serve as the basis for proposing training programmes for early English and German language teachers.

In this way, the project supports continuity between preschool and primary foreign language education and promotes multilingualism and intercultural understanding from the earliest age.

The digital component of the project is a competence assessment platform for preschool and primary teachers, providing a widely applicable, research-based tool for analysing their continual professional development needs.

Specific Project Objectives

Development of a competence framework for preschool and primary teachers in early foreign language teaching
Development of an instrument for evaluating teacher competences in early foreign language teaching
Implementation of research on teacher competences in early foreign language teaching
Development of a digital self-assessment platform for teacher competences in early foreign language teaching
Preparation of a proposal for training programmes for preschool and primary teachers of English and German in early education