Kathrin Siebold

Kathrin Siebold is a Professor at the Institute for German Linguistics of Philipps-Universität Marburg, specializing in German as a Foreign and Second Language (DaF/DaZ). She leads the German as a Foreign and Second Language Working Group and oversees multiple MA and teacher training programs, including international double degree collaborations with institutions in China, France, and Spain.

• Contact: +49 6421 28-24892 | Email | Room B213, Marburg

Educational Background includes a Dr. phil. (2007) from Universidad de Sevilla for her dissertation on speech acts and verbal politeness, with distinctions like Doctorado Europeo and Premio extraordinario del Doctorado. She earned her Magister Artium in German and Romance Studies from Philipps-Universität Marburg (1998) and Ludwig Maximilians-Universität München (1993–1997).

Research Interests center on contrastive and intercultural pragmatics, focusing on speech acts, politeness, discourse markers, and interactional competences in L2. She explores empirical classroom research, video-based observation (VEO), and pedagogical innovations like Virtual Exchange and Tandem Learning. Her projects address multilingualism, language policy, and professional development of DaF/DaZ educators.

Scientific Contributions include co-founding the open-access journal ZIAF (Zeitschrift für Interaktionsforschung in DaFZ) and organizing conferences such as the International Conference on German as a Foreign Language and the Marburger FaDaF-Thementage. Her recent 15 publications (2025–2023) analyze classroom interaction, discourse markers, and international educational collaborations.

• Awards: Premio extraordinario del Doctorado (2007) | Doctorado Europeo (2007)

Professional Leadership involves coordinating research projects like DaF im iberoamerikanischen Kontext (DAAD-funded 2025–2027), Stark nach Corona in DaFZ (2023–2024), and Videobasierte Unterrichtsbeobachtung mit VEO (2023–2025). She collaborates with universities in Chile, Argentina, Spain, and Poland through Germanistische Institutspartnerschaften.