The Situation of Women in Technical Professions in the Federal Republic of Germany

In West Germany, women have traditionally worked in a very restricted range of jobs, with skilled women workers being concentrated in administrative and service sector employment. The article reviews the reasons for this situation and the initiatives which have been taken to increase the proportion of women in jobs traditionally undertaken by men, including technical jobs at all levels. The Federal Government supported by the Lander (West German States) has introduced a number of projects across the country to train more young women in non-traditional vocational areas, especially in the mechanical and electronic/electrical engineering fields with a view to producing skilled craft workers and technicians. The difficulties faced by young women who have taken up such training, both during the training period and when seeking work subsequently are discussed

The situation for women engineers at the professional level is also outlined and a number of strategies which may be helpful in improving the position of women in engineering in the Federal Republic is outlined. Recently, computer courses organised by women's groups have proved successful in attracting women students from a wide variety of backgrounds and age ranges with little or no previous technical or scientific training.     

Frame Syllabus for Biology Teaching at Schools

Summaries

Engish

In 1973, the Association of German Biologists (Verband Deutscher Biologen) published a detailed frame syllabus for biology teaching at primary and secondary school level, covering the age range 6 to 18 years. The proposals were again discussed and evaluated in 1978 and confirmed as a basis for biological education in West German schools by the Schools Commission of the Association of German Biologists and representatives of all Bundeslander.

The frame syllabus represents a major contribution to the development of biological education in a European country and interest in it is likely to extend beyond FR Germany. For this reason, it is published in EJSE. Any comments or observations on the framesyllabus should be sent to Professor Schaefer.     

Markets,Outcomes and the Quality of Vocational Education and Training: some lessons from a Youth Credits pilot scheme

Abstract

This paper outlines the key characteristics of a new paradigm for the management of British Vocational Education and Training. This paradigm is based on measurement of outcomes and payment by results in a market context. The clearest example of this paradigm, thus far, is the Youth Credit scheme, where young people pay for their training by means of a voucher. Based on an investigation of one of the first pilot schemes, we show that despite the existence of the new quality controls within this new paradigm, training of poor quality was experienced by several of the young people we studied. The experience of one young woman is presented as a detailed case study, from which we draw pointers to what quality training might consist of. These include: the importance of a quality learning process, which must be coherent and coordinated, including a mutually reinforcing relationship between on and off the job training, and with effective professional relationships between the learner and those others involved with training provision. The current obsession with markets and outcomes largely ignores such characteristics and may, therefore, contribute to a lowering of training quality whilst claiming to do the reverse.     

Differential social and political influences on girls and boys through education out of doors in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The way the outdoors was used for educational purposes was determined by the need for young men to be made fit for war and service in the British Empire, the need to improve the physical health of children from industrial conurbations and the preoccupation of those in authority with the notion of adolescence as a problem, especially the anticipated fear of juvenile delinquency. In the 1950s and early 1960s, when there was a significant increase in the use of the outdoors in education, much of the provision reflected the earlier emphasis on character training and “manly” virtues. The suggestion is made that this was due, in part at least, to the role played by a number of charismatic and influential figures and to continued sensitivity to social, political and military factors.     

Towards a Seamless Web or a New Tertiary Tripartism? The Emerging Shape of Post-14 Education and Training in England

ABSTRACT:?

Government policy aims at a ‘seamless web’ of learning provision. This is exemplified in a local Learning and Skills Council supported by work on widening participation to higher education (HE) in another London sub-region. The emerging system described is comprehended as a whole from ‘Foundation Learning’ in compulsory schooling to post-compulsory ‘Lifelong Learning’ in further, higher and continuing education and training thereafter.     

Forgetting about Auschwitz? Remembrance as a Difficult Task of Moral Education

Abstract

While Neo‐nazism is, in fact, only found in a small number of West German youths, and certain politicians would seem to prefer stepping ‘out of the shadow of the Third Reich’, it is argued that the question of how young Germans could or should relate to the Third Reich morally has in fact not been answered in any sufficient way. The author critically examines various approaches to the issue ‐‐ from Adorno's classical statement on ‘Education after Auschwitz’ to the more recent attempts of using Auschwitz as a metaphor. Furthermore, it is suggested that the problem of ‘Forgetting about Auschwitz’ should also be understood in terms of the intergenerational processes involved. This in turn presupposes testing legal and moral concepts for their adequacy to the task of moral education. Finally, the issue of national identity is considered as the framework within which the educational problems have to be addressed.     

Teacher training in early childhood education: The case of Ghana,West Africa

Abstract

Teacher training in early childhood education in Ghana, West Africa is more of a grassroots effort rather than a formal system that is fully supported financially by the Ministry of Education. Formal teacher‐training college or university‐based early childhood teacher training has yet to be realized for the thousands of teachers of children 3–5 years old in government or government‐supported primary schools. This work chronicles the past and present teacher‐training programs available in this country that reports approximately 4.3 million children in its population under the age of 6 years.     

The Training of Civil Engineers and Architects in the Five New German LänderBefore and After Reunification

The fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 led to the collapse of the communistic regimes in the Soviet‐dominated Eastern and Central European countries. The so‐called ‘East’ Germany, the German Democratic Republic (GDR), which in West German terminology means ‘Central’ or ‘Middle’ Germany, became part of the German Federal Republic on 3 October 1990. In the treaty on the establishment of German unity, the German Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat,) was given the task by the Federal Government and by those of the States (Länder) to undertake a survey of publicly financed facilities for science and research in the former GDR and make proposals for necessary renewal. The author was a member of two of the working groups of the German Science Council, in charge of producing an expert opinion on the future structure of engineering education in the five new Länder and Berlin (East). Having known the situation in the GDR long before the Wall came down, the author describes briefly the training of civil engineers and architects before and after German unification. Not every step in the legal procedure in the new five Länder can be documented here, and it is also not intended to discuss scientific research in the GDR in great detail. All the data produced in the following tables are taken from the reports of the German Science Council [1, 2]. For a better understanding of German school and university training, see [3]. When statements by ‘insiders’ are cited, colleagues in the GDR, well known to the author before 1990, are meant.     

Retracking on a grand scale: policy and pedagogy in the reform of eastern German secondary schools after the fall of socialism

This article reports on a multi‐year study of changes in eastern German schools after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the wake of national unification, the traditional three‐track structure of the West German educational syatem was re‐institutionalized in eastern German secondary schools. The article explores how teachers respond to this shift from the untracked socialist common school to the new track system. The study found that influences of state policies on teachers’ tracking pedagogy varied. The new institutions have forcefully shaped many teachers’ assumptions about students’ ability and career paths. Value orientations are characterized by ambivalence; while organizational goals and values are very exclusion‐oriented, the role of schools in society is defined in more inclusive terms. Contrary to exclusion‐oriented sentiments, instructional routines changed little; they flow, to a large extent, from the previous inclusive curriculum that was geared to the average or ‘normal’ student during socialist times. The study underlines the importance of examining multiple layers of beliefs and practices for an adequate understanding of the relationship between policy and practice.     

Childhood acquired brain injury: the knowledge and training needs of special educational needs coordinators

The aim of this study was to further explore Special Educational Need Co-ordinators' (SENCos) knowledge of childhood acquired brain injury (ABI) and if they have received training on how to effectively support children and young people (CYP) with an ABI in school. SENCos from Nottinghamshire were asked to complete a survey face-to-face or online. Data reported by Howe and Ball (Support for Learning, 32, 1, 85–100), was also used to allow comparisons between different counties in the UK for knowledge of childhood ABI. Results indicated that SENCos from Nottinghamshire hold numerous uncertainties about childhood ABI, although less uncertainties than SENCos from the West Midlands. A majority SENCos from Nottinghamshire had not received training about childhood ABI. Additional challenges in supporting CYP with an ABI were also identified. The findings show a clear need for more training on childhood ABI across UK schools. It is also apparent that obtaining funding for CYP with an ABI can be a challenge for SENCos. However, further research is needed to determine what these barriers to funding are.     

The structure of higher education in the German Democratic Republic

The ability of the East German state to produce large cohorts of highly skilled graduates has contributed much to its becoming one of the leading industrial nations in the world. Originally reverting after the War to Länder control of the universities and colleges like the rest of Germany, the GDR soon went the opposite way from West Germany, seeing the way to a strong higher education system to be through the strict centralization of control. This article describes the three university reforms which have taken place and examines the implications of policy decisions. An investigation of the various organs of the government of higher education elucidates the disposition of authority at each level.Abbreviations FDGB Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (League of Free German Trades-Unions) - FDJ Freie Deutsche Jugend (Free German Youth) - GDR German Democratic Republik - MHF Ministerium für Hoch-und Fachschulwesen (Ministry for Higher and Vocational Education) - SED Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (Socialist Unity Party of Vocational) - VVB Vereinigung Volkseigener Betriebe (Association of Nationally Owned Enterpises) This article was originally issued in the Yale Higher Education Research Group's Working Paper Series. The research for it was made possible by a grant from the Lilly Endowment.     

Educational trust: relational and structural perspectives on young people on the margins of the education system

Background: Across Europe and the Nordic countries, it is widely agreed that the high proportion of 15–30-year olds not in employment, education or training is a challenge, which needs to be tackled by focusing on education. The political and institutional focus is on individual training readiness, individual qualification processes, individual building of confidence in oneself and so forth, culminating in an overall individual perspective.

Purpose: The study argues for a shift in focus away from an individual perspective on young people on the margins of education and towards a relational perspective that takes the social environment and the education system into account.

Sample: Respondents were 20 young people aged 17–24 who were participating in a specific project in a provincial town in Denmark, the aim of which was to encourage the youths to re-enter education.

Design and methods: Qualitative data were collected through: (1) 40 semi-structured qualitative interviews with 11 young people on the margins of the education system, and (2) observations of 11 respondents’ participation in educational activity. The analysis was based on relational and social constructionist theories.

Findings: The analysis of data from this small-scale study provides evidence to suggest that a shift in the current focus on the individual young person on the margins of education is needed. The concept of ‘educational trust’ is introduced as a supplement to the individual concept of self-confidence in order to capture the socially constructed aspects of the young adult’s participation in education.

Conclusions: We identify three overall components of educational trust: (1) social security and recognition, (2) flexibility in structures and (3) progression in skills. The concept of educational trust, it is suggested, creates a shift in focus from the individual young person to the role and function of the education system in aiming to reach the target of more young people completing education.     

Changes in aspects of students' self-reported personal,social and technical skills during a six-week wilderness expedition in Arctic Greenland

Abstract

This investigation focuses on students' self-reported changes in personal, social and technical skills that took place during a six-week long expedition to East Greenland. A 105-item pre-and post-expedition questionnaire was completed by 60 young expeditioners aged 16 to 20. Before the expedition participants generally felt that they had high levels of skills and were well prepared for the expedition. Of the 49 items in the 105-item questionnaire which related to participants' personal, social and technical skills, 22 showed statistically significant differences from those expected by chance when tested using the chi-square test. In terms of their personal skills, participants self-reported statistically significant changes (p < 0.05) in their ability to avoid depression, avoid loneliness, set priorities, achieve goals, solve problems efficiently, cope with constant cold, enjoy isolation, manage time efficiently, maintain physical fitness, be enthusiastic, demonstrate confidence and set goals. In terms of social skills participants self-reported statistically significant changes (p < 0.05) in their ability to control their emotions, motivate others, organise others, live in crowded circumstances, lead through consultation with others and maintain personal hygiene. In terms of technical skills participants self-reported statistically significant changes (p = 0.05 or smaller) in their ability to prepare dehydrated food, tie on and use ropes in glacier travel, use crampons and take charge of rescuing a member of their party from a crevasse. These items indicate that participants learned about survival and general skills associated with expeditions as a result of experiencing the expedition.

This analysis of self-reported changes in items relating to expedition participants' personal, social and technical skills shows that participants have rated themselves more highly at the end of the expedition in a range of useful social/leadership skills and personality traits. The question of whether these same skills and traits could be transferable to higher education, employment and life in future is raised as a futher area for research. The improved technical skills reported will be useful if the participants undertake further expeditions to similar wilderness areas in future, perhaps as leaders. The potential of the findings of this study for training future leaders on expeditions is considered. Findings from this study may also be worthy of consideration by companies and organisations involved in personal development and training programmes.     

Gender segregation and labour supply: on ‘choosing’ gender‐atypical jobs

Abstract

Recently it has been argued that women's choices play a significant role in the structure of job segregation. Drawing on a case study of women scientists and engineers, this paper focuses on the preferences and plans of women who entered gender‐atypical jobs in the technical professions. The evidence suggests that the women had to face considerable hostility in their choice of jobs from non‐specialist teachers and careers advisors. However, they withstood opposition with the support of specialist teachers in single‐sex schools and their parents. The findings imply that while women's attitudes to education, training and careers should not be neglected in the study of gender segregation, the social context in which they evolve should be emphasised in a sociological analysis of the labour market.     

Mechanisms of Innovation Diffusion Under Information Abundance and Information Scarcity—On the Contribution of Social Networks in Group Vs. Individual Extension Approaches in Semi-Arid Kenya

Abstract

Purpose: Training transfer has been examined for formal industrial and service organizations in developed countries but rarely for rural organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. This study sought to identify transfer system factors that best explain the transfer of governance-facilitation skills provided to leaders of farmers' marketing organizations (FMOs) in Uganda. Design/methodology/approach: Face to face interviews using interview schedules containing selected elements of the Learning Transfer System Inventory were conducted with 99 FMO leaders to collect data on the factors that could affect transfer of governance-facilitation skills. Findings: Hierarchical regression revealed that personal capacity to transfer, transfer design, supervisor support and feedback on performance were significant predictors of perceived transfer of governance-facilitation skills.

Practical implications: Results point to the need for extension organizations that work with rural farmers' organizations to design effective training methods and transfer approaches that enhance training transfer, as well as promote leadership that values and supports training transfer to FMOs.

Originality/value: The focus on member owned, participatorily run rural farmers' organizations to test factors affecting transfer of critical skills adds value to the training transfer discourse. Additionally, the role of trainee characteristics, transfer design and work environment factors in enhancing training transfer within developing country local organizations in rural Africa is confirmed.     

Young People in Vichy France and Forced Labour in Germany∗

Abstract

The focus in this article is not on the state‐university relationship itself but,

• (a) on the contribution which the way in which the university is governed makes to the political socialisation of its members to the values of a liberal democracy, and

• (b) on the extent, if at all, to which that contribution has been eroded in recent years in Britain and West Germany.

• It is assumed that universities are agencies of political socialisation and that because they educate future elites they are particularly important ones. The further assumption is made that the character of the university's internal and external governance constitutes an important part of such political socialisation.

• The main changes in the governing arrangements of West German universities, introduced over the last 15 years, as part of university reform, and of British universities, brought about in more recent years by financial retrenchment, are briefly investigated and their significance for the university as an agency of liberal democratic political socialisation suggested.

• Two main conclusions are reached. First, that no lasting structural change has so far been done to university autonomy in Britain, despite clear threats to that autonomy, or to the capacity of the universities in Britain to act as effective agencies of political socialisation in a liberal democracy. Secondly, the historical ambivalence in the structure of the German university between academic freedom à l'allemande and regulation by the state remains, despite some changes, essentially intact and inhibits the West German university's value as an agency of liberal‐democratic political socialisation.

     

Ideologies of adventure: authority and decision making in sail training

Abstract

Case studies of the contemporary UK sail training movement are used to illustrate the competing expressions of purpose in this field. Two sail training organisations are described and a case study voyage under the aegis of each is presented. The differences between the approaches are analysed as “traditions” or ideologies, articulated through distinctive interpretations of power and contrasting approaches to participation in decision making. It is argued that choices regarding the type of vessel used and the voyages made are not neutral technical decisions but have ideological significance. In conclusion the application of such an analysis to other kinds of outdoor and adventure education is considered.     

Effects of early childhood education training and video interaction guidance on teachers’ interactive skills

ABSTRACT

Research has demonstrated that teachers working in early childhood education and care (ECEC) are proficient in offering emotional support to young children, but markedly weaker when it comes to instructional support. We conducted a controlled experimental study in the Netherlands, to investigate the effects of targeted in-service training on improving teachers’ instructional support. Teachers (N = 72) were randomly assigned to four conditions: an intensive early childhood education (ECE) training (N = 17), video interaction guidance (VIG) (N = 16), a combination of both training programs (N = 18), or a control condition with no training (N = 21). Teachers’ interactive skills were measured pre- and postintervention, according the scales of the Caregiver Interaction Profile (CIP). The ECE training improved the proficiency of teachers’ verbal communication and offering developmental stimulation. VIG proved to be effective in teachers’ fostering positive peer interactions between children. Intensive and targeted training can successfully improve the quality of teachers’ instructional support in ECEC settings, although more research on effective elements of professional development of ECEC teachers is needed.     

The National Training Reform and the Preparation of Teachers: new approaches

The series of Australian Government policy initiatives somewhat misleadingly known as the national‐training‐reform agenda (FitzGerald, 1994) represent a new reference point for faculties of education engaged in the preparation of teachers. The ideas first floated in Australia Reconstructed (ACTU, 1987)—the creation of a high‐wage, high‐skill economy based on a national system of skills formation and skills enhancement—reflected three underpinning principles on which government, unions and employers were united. These principles—a move away from time served and towards competencies achieved, a system of nationally recognised qualifications and a central role for industry in the specification of standards—continue to enjoy such tripartite support and are central to the implementation of training reform. Lundberg (1994) identified five main themes of the training‐reform agenda, namely, nationally consistent competency‐based training, national recognition of competencies however attained, an open training market, fair participation in vocational education and training, and an integrated entry‐level training system. The effect that the implementation of reforms to the training system is having on the work of those teaching in schools is only now becoming apparent (Schools Council, 1994a). This paper describes the approaches used by the Faculty of Education and Training at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and considers the impact that the changed training system might also have on the work of teacher educators in higher education in Australia.     

Closely Observed Training: an exploration of links between social structures,training and identity

ABSTRACT

This paper suggests that, while there is a wealth of work on the economic benefits of training, relatively little attention is being given to relationships between vocational training and broader social structures and trends. The focus here is on social processes within vocational training. The paper is based on ethnographic research into training for employment in the field of institutional care. This study documented dramatic adjustments in young people's attitudes towards work which occurred in the course of training. The paper explores ways in which training contributed to these adjustments. Two fundamental inter‐related processes are identified, which may also have wider relevance: screening for social and cultural attributes and discipline. The analysis of the discipline of training draws upon the work of Foucault in order to highlight the importance of current trends towards increased ‘surveillance’ and accountability at work. Through such processes, it is suggested, training may both serve to reinforce links between class, gender and occupational destinations and may also reinforce the control of labour within occupations.