Abstract
Although English has still to be established as a mandatory school subject in Austrian primary schools, it is expected that pupils receive a sound foundation in the target language. In order to fulfil this stipulation, GK4, the “year-four-competences” have been developed. They equip pedagogues with a framework of proficiencies every pupil should attain within the first four years of education in English. Since the target users are hardly familiar with the concept of GK4, this study aims to highlight the key factors for the implementation of this educational innovation and to describe possible challenges that may occur during the process of diffusion. In order to provide an insight about the current state, the co-editor of GK4, Carla Carnevale, has been interviewed within the course of the empirical research carried out for a doctoral dissertation. The findings suggest that an extensive implementation requires legal measures as well as the support of school authorities. However, it remains open as to whether this “top-down-approach” will meet its objectives.