Language Lab (TaalLab)In Progress

How can we ensure that all children in the Netherlands develop strong language skills — the foundation for learning, participation in society, and equal opportunities? This question lies at the heart of our Language Lab. Together with teachers, school leaders, and researchers, we develop and test promising strategies to strengthen language education across schools. Our work includes initiatives such as thematic reading, vocabulary development, and language-rich instruction across all subjects. We also explore how schools can use data and scientific evidence to identify and address language gaps early on. What makes the Language Lab unique is the close collaboration between researchers and practitioners: co-creation is at the core of our approach, ensuring that insights from research and practice reinforce each other to achieve lasting impact on pupils’ language development.

Funded by: National Growth Fund Ontwikkelkracht / Ministry of Education, Culture and Science

Duration: 1 January 2023 – 1 January 2028

External project members: Dr. Ilja Cornelisz (UvA), Prof. dr. Trudie Schils (MILE), Prof. dr. Yra van Dijk (UL), Dr. Geertje van Bergen (VU), Suze van Cappeleveen (VU), Charlotte Clarijs (VU)

Project website: education-lab.nl/themes/taallab