Katharina Ponto

Katharina Ponto is a Researcher at the Institute for English Language and Literature, University of Hildesheim, since October 2014. She serves as Project Coordinator for SMILE (2014–2019), funded by Lower Saxony Advance and the VW Foundation, and participates in Dean's Office Management for Department 3 (Linguistics and Information Sciences). Her work focuses on Second Language Acquisition, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), and Bilingual Education (Immersion, CLIL - Content and Language Integrated Learning).

Education:

• Master of Education (Realschule, English & Sports) at the University of Hildesheim (June 2012)
• Bachelor of Arts at the University of Hildesheim (December 2010)

Research Interests:
Katharina investigates how instructional approaches affect young learners' language comprehension and cognitive development. Her research spans bilingual education models, socioeconomic factors in language acquisition, and foreign language input quality in primary education. She employs empirical research methods to evaluate linguistic proficiency and teaching strategies, emphasizing inclusive environments and assessment tool development.

Scientific Awards:

• Doctoral Scholarship (2013) from the Center for Educational and Teaching Research, University of Hildesheim

Grants and Projects:
She leads the SMILE (Studies on Multilingualism in Language Education) project (2014–2019), exploring multilingualism in education and developing instructional strategies. Her work also includes collaborations with research teams on quality management in teaching and cognitive skill prediction in L2 acquisition.

Labs and Teams:
Katharina collaborates with interdisciplinary teams at the University of Hildesheim, including the Institute for English Language and Literature and Department 3: Linguistics and Information Sciences. She contributes to the Central Commission for Studies and Teaching (ZKSL) and Standing Commission for Quality Management within Faculty 3. Her research intersects with initiatives like the KEA project on multilingualism in daycare centers and schools.