Svenja Wehrhöfer

Main research topics

Language promotion in primary education
Determinants of early language skills

Office hours

by appointment

Academic background

Since 11/2022: PhD student at the IFS
05/2021 - 10/2022: Teacher training at the GGS Krefelder Straße in Duisburg
2021: M.Ed. Teaching degree for elementary schools, basic linguistic education, basic mathematical education, English, educational science, University of Duisburg-Essen
2019: B.A. Teaching degree for elementary schools, basic linguistic education, basic mathematical education, English, educational science, University of Duisburg-Essen
2018: Erasmus semester, University of Chichester

Professional background

Currently working in project Shaping linguistic education together with elementary schools, families, and educational professionals: What works?
Since 11/2022: research assistant in team Lauermann and McElvany at the IFS

Vita

Further Information

Projects

Current Projects:

Shaping linguistic education together with elementary schools, families, and educational professionals: What works? (SPEAK), project duration: 01.10.2022 – 30.09.2026

Publications

Dargiewicz, L.*, Wehrhöfer, S.*, Ohle-Peters, A., Lauermann, F. & McElvany, N. (2015). Promoting vocabulary and grammar in German first-grade classrooms: Design and structure of a digital language intervention. In N. McElvany, S. König, R. Schaufelberger, M. Becker, H. Gaspard, B. Heppt & A. Naumann (Eds.), IFS-Jahrbuch der Schulentwicklung: Bd. 24. Bildungsprozesse und Kompetenzentwicklungen im Kontext sprachlicher und sozialer Heterogenität (pp. 235–256). Juventa.

*Shared first authorship

Selected Lectures

Wehrhöfer, S., Dargiewicz, L., Lauermann, F., Ludewig, U., McElvany, N. & Ohle-Peters, A. (2026, April 08-12). The Impact of home language, SES, and shared reading practices for first-graders’ grammatical skills. In S. Wehrhöfer (Chair). Relevance of individual and family environment factors for young children’s language use and language skills [Symposium]. American Educational Research Association (AERA), Los Angeles, USA.
Wehrhöfer, S. & Lauermann, F. (2026, April 08-12). Evaluating a digital language intervention for grammatical skills of linguistically and socially diverse first-graders [Presentation in roundtable session]. American Educational Research Association (AERA), Los Angeles, USA.
Wehrhöfer, S., Dargiewicz, L., Ludewig, U., Ohle-Peters, A., McElvany, N. & Lauermann, F. (2026, March 16–18). Wirksamkeit einer digital-gestützten Grammatikförderung für Erstklässler*innen unter Berücksichtigung differenzieller Effekte [Digital grammar intervention for first-graders: Effectiveness and differential effects]. In S. Wehrhöfer & A. Ohle-Peters (Chairs), Frühe Sprachförderung analog und digital: Wirksamkeit, Chancen und Herausforderungen [Symposium]. 13. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF), Munich, Germany.
Dargiewicz, L.*, Wehrhöfer, S.* & Ohle-Peters, A. (2025, January 27-29). Gestaltung und Wirksamkeit früher Sprachförderinterventionen [Design and effectiveness of early language interventions] [Symposium]. 12. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF), Mannheim, Germany.
Wehrhöfer, S., Dargiewicz, L., Ohle-Peters, A., Lauermann, F. & McElvany, N. (2025, January 27-29). Zielgruppen, Merkmale und Effektivität früher Grammatikinterventionen: Ergebnisse eines systematischen Reviews und einer Meta-Analyse [Target groups, characteristics, and effectiveness of early grammar interventions: Results from a systematic literature review and meta-analysis] [Paper presentation]. 12. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF), Mannheim, Germany.

*Shared first authorship