A Tool for Assessing Literacy Skills of Adolescents and (Young) Adults in Dari as First Language and German as Second Language (Lit-L1-L2)

Abstract

The assignment of adolescent and adult learners to preparatory classes or language courses should not only be based on their knowledge of their second language (L2), but also on their literacy skills in the first language (L1). In this article, we describe a tool (Lit-L1-L2), which was developed to assess the literacy skills of learners with L1 Dari and with little knowledge of their L2 German. It can be administered without any knowledge of Dari, as it is based on language independent criteria for assessment of behavior and handwriting.