Constanze Niederhaus

Prof. Dr. Constanze Niederhaus is a Professor of German as a Second Language and Multilingualism at the University of Paderborn, within the Faculty of Cultural Studies and the Institute of German Studies and Comparative Literature. Her work focuses on language education, multilingualism in school settings, and teacher training for German as a Second Language.

Her research interests center on German as a Second Language (DaZ), Multilingualism in educational contexts, and language development through subject teaching. She investigates how multilingualism can be appreciated and integrated into general education, particularly in social studies classrooms. Her work extends to vocational contexts, examining language education in nursing training and professional settings.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on multilingual education in German school contexts, with particular attention to subject-specific language teaching. She has recently edited a comprehensive volume on "Multilingualism in Schools: Language Education in and through Social Studies" (2024), highlighting her leadership in this field. Her work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical classroom applications, emphasizing inclusive approaches to language education.

Prof. Niederhaus supervises bachelor's and master's theses, particularly those related to the projects "Strengthening Diversity" and "Language Support for Refugees." She maintains regular office hours during the academic semester for student consultations and thesis supervision.

She is actively involved in several research projects including "NRWEge in language education," "Video vignette-based online courses for the professionalization of teacher training students in language teaching (ViViPro)," and "Strengthening linguistic participation in nursing education (STePs)." These projects reflect her commitment to developing practical resources for language educators and addressing linguistic diversity across multiple educational contexts.