The leading question of my PhD project is how the ability of LESLLA-learners, that is: emergent adult readers, to learn a language is shaped by acquiring literacy skills. It is hypothesized that when acquiring literacy skills, metalinguistic abilities will also develop which will be beneficial for language learning. Connections have been found in LESLLA learners between different levels of literacy skills and the ability to uptake information from an orally given recast (Bigelow et al, 2006). Also, Roehr-Brackin & Tellier (2019) found several correlations between metalinguistic awareness measures and L2 proficiency in secondary school students. This thesis will contribute to our knowledge of SLA by providing deeper insight in the connection between literacy, metalinguistic abilities and language learning abilities. This thesis is part of the Meta-LLL project and is supervised by prof. dr. Sible Andringa (PI), dr. Josje Verhagen, dr. Michal Korenar and dr. Sybren Spit. Also part of this project is the PhD project of my colleague Sarah der Nederlanden MSc, who will study partly the same research questions in children who need to learn a second language and how to read and write simultaneously.

As an advisor, I specialized in low literacy, digital skills for adults and language and parental engagement. I was involved in training teachers Dutch as a first and second language for adults and I developed teaching methods. I also conducted several research projects, for example on behalf of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek and Stichting Lezen en Schrijven.

VU Griffioen is the student theatre and course center of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. I coordinated the ticketing and developed the marketing and public relations strategies with my colleagues.

SIPI (Stichting voor Interculturele Participate en Integratie, Organization for Intercultural Participation and Integration) is an organization for Dutch as a first and second language for adults. I taught several courses for LESLLA learners and for adults who took integration courses.

The INTT (Institute for Dutch Language Education) offers a wide range of courses for foreign students and staff of the UvA as well as for expats not connected to the university. The INTT, part of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam, advises faculties and institutes of the UvA and other organizations in the field of Language Acquisition. I worked as teacher and I taught several classes, from absolute beginners (0-A1) till advanced learners (B1-B2).

At the Municipality of Amsterdam, I particpated in the project Equal Opportunities in Primary Education. I analyzed applications of schools for grants that would enhance the educational opportunities for primary school students with a language delay and/or students with another native language than Dutch.

As a student assistant, I taught the course Sentence Parsing to BA students Dutch Language and Culture, Language and Communication and Linguistics. I taught students the rationale behind basic sentence parsing in Dutch.

As a research assistant, I analyzed data regarding relative clauses from children with HFA (High-Functioning Autism) and TD (Typical Developing) children. On 6 February 2016, I presented the outcomes together with professor of Language Acquisition mrs J.C. Schaeffer. My presentation was called: The chicken that the cow kisses. The production and comprehension of relative clauses in children with High-Functioning Autism (HFA).

As a health care assistant in Evean Eduard Douwes Dekker, I assisted the nurses in the care for residents with high care needs, both somatic and geriatric.

In the seasons 2005-2006 and 2007-2008, I was the secretary (05-06) and orchestra manager string players (07-08)in the board of the VU Orchestra, the student orchestra of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. As a secretary, I managed different kinds of communications and I arranged the sheet music for the musicians. As an orchestra manager, I was responsible for a full orchestral ensemble regarding the string players.