Qualification Projects

The chair supervises habilitation projects, doctoral theses and Master's theses that are closely linked to its current research areas.

Habilitation Projects

The habilitation is the highest academic qualification in Germany and several other European countries. Building on the doctorate, it requires a substantial body of independent research and typically confers the venia legendi, the authorisation to teach independently at university level and to supervise doctoral candidates.

Dr. Anne Barwasser – habilitation project (in progress)

The project is situated within Anne Barwasser's research on the assessment and support of children and adolescents with learning and behavioural difficulties. It centres on the co-occurrence of academic learning problems and social-emotional or behavioural difficulties, and on the learning prerequisites of monolingual and multilingual learners. It examines how storytelling, explicit strategy instruction, graphic organisers and peer tutoring support the acquisition of language and literacy skills, and how academic interventions can be combined with support for learning-related behaviour. Alongside academic achievement, motivation, self-concept, engagement and classroom behaviour are considered; person-centred and longitudinal analyses describe individual developmental trajectories. Methods range from controlled single-case studies and experimental and quasi-experimental group studies to systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Dr. Susanne Hoff – Literalitätsförderung in heterogenen Kontexten: Von der Diagnostik zur Implementation [Literacy support in heterogeneous contexts: From assessment to implementation] (cumulative habilitation thesis; submitted, habilitation procedure under way)

The thesis asks how literacy skills in learners with difficulties can be appropriately assessed, effectively supported and sustainably transferred into school practice under conditions of linguistic and educational heterogeneity. Ten empirical studies conducted between 2020 and 2026 address the differentiation of learning disorders from language-related barriers in multilingual learners and strategy-based writing instruction based on Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), including an exploratory trial of AI-supported feedback. Further studies evaluate structured reading interventions in heterogeneous groups and examine the professional and institutional conditions of implementation. Methodologically, the thesis combines single-case studies, group comparisons, mixed-methods designs and person-centred analyses. An integrative synthesis conceptualises assessment, intervention and implementation as interrelated dimensions of effective literacy support.

Ongoing doctoral project

• Alina Jochims: Qualitative doctoral project on equal opportunities and support for university students with reading and spelling difficulties

Completed doctoral theses

• Dr. Janine Bracht (2025): Between languages, texts and narratives: Adaptive literacy support for diverse learning needs in second language learners in different age ranges. https://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/79129/
• Dr. Anne Barwasser (2021): Enhancing literacy in first- and second language learners with behavioral and learning difficulties. https://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/54112/

Master's theses

Master's theses are often embedded in ongoing studies. Information on topics and registration is available on the Master’s Thesis page. Current calls are listed in the news on the home page.