Wie Schülerinnen und Schüler und Lehramtsstudierende komplexe Bilder beschreiben

Descriptions of persons and processes are part of German lessons at the primary and secondary level. However, research on didactics of writing mostly focuses on descriptions of spatial entities, and studies on pupils’ literary development of descriptions remains sparse to date. In this article, we examined written descriptions of pictures by primary and secondary students and student teachers (N = 318) of Gustav Klimt’s painting “Adele Bloch-Bauer II”. More specifically, we examined students’ and student teachers’ structural arrangement of elements within the image (specifically, accentuating the figure and background), the incorporation of local adverbs, and the use of connectors. The results show a heightened proclivity, with ascending grade levels, for adherence to the figure in image organization, and a decrease in the alteration of order structure. However, the use of local adverbial expressions and connectors increases with grade levels. Despite its complexity, the imagery used here is well-suited for written descriptions in the primary and secondary school context, thanks to its clear structure.