Sprachsystematische Lesediagnostik auf Satzebene

Abstract

This article presents the conceptual design of a novel diagnostic instrument for assessing sentence-level reading skills in primary school students (grades 2–6). The instrument is currently being developed as part of the digital diagnostic and learning platform KOMPASS. In contrast to established instruments for reading diagnostic, which primarily differentiate between more and less proficient readers, the proposed design aims to identify specific linguistic challenges that individual learners encounter when processing sentences. To achieve this, sentence items are constructed in a language-systematic way and systematically vary syntactic features while controlling other variables such as sentence length and verb valency. The instrument employs nonsensical sentences combined with picture selection tasks, ensuring that successful responses require both propositional interpretation and syntactic analysis. The resulting diagnostic data allow for differentiated insights into learners’ sentence processing, including response accuracy and reading time. This makes it possible to identify individual strengths and difficulties in syntactic reading and to derive targeted instructional support. The article outlines the theoretical foundations, item construction principles and the design of the digital assessment environment.