Behaviour theory in the nursery school: Problem solving and teacher training

The present study reports an attempt to develop a training programme for nursery school teachers with reference to new developments in behaviour theory. The underlying aim of the training programme is to develop a general problem-solving strategy simple and flexible enough to be used in new problem situations in the four social fields of teacher-child interactions, teacher-teacher interactions, teacher-parent interactions, and the interactions between nursery school and community. The problem-solving strategy is a behavioural sequence which consists of the following stages: problem analysis, selection of goals, selection of modification procedures, application of modification procedures, and evaluation. The training of teachers to solve social problems in the nursery school can also be structured by means of these five steps. The training programme has been developed in close cooperation with the teachers of a nursery school. Some experiences concerning this cooperation and the application of the problem-solving paradigm are discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Diese Studie berichtet über einen Versuch, ein Ausbildungsprogramm für Erzieher im Hinblick auf die Entwicklungen in der Verhaltenstheorie zu konstruieren. Dem Ausbildungsprogramm liegt die Absicht zugrunde, eine allgemeine Problemlösungs-Strategie zu entwickeln, die einfach und flexibel genug ist, um in neuen Problemsituationen auf den sozialen Gebieten der Erzieher-Kind, Erzieher-Erzieher und Erzieher-Eltern Beziehungen sowie auf dem der Beziehungen zwischen Kindergarten und Gemeinschaft angewandt werden zu können. Die Problemlösungs-Strategie ist eine Verhaltensfolge und besteht aus den folgenden Phasen: Problemanalyse, Auswahl von Zielen, Auswahl von Abänderungsverfahren, Anwendung der Abänderungsverfahren und Evaluation. Gemäss diesen vier Stufen kann auch die Ausbildung der Erzieher in der Lösung sozialer Probleme im Kindergarten strukturiert werden. Das Ausbildungsprogramm wurde in enger Zusammenarbeit mit den Erziehern an einem Kindergarten entwickelt. Einige Erfahrungen aus dieser Zusammenarbeit und der Anwendung des Problemlösungs-Paradigmas werden besprochen.

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Résumé Cette étude rend compte d'une tentative de développement d'un programme de formation des enseignants des écoles maternelles, compte tenu des nouveaux développements de la théorie du comportement. Le but sous-jacent du programme de formation est de développer une stratégie générale de résolution des problèmes qui soit suffisamment simple et souple pour être utilisée dans les nouvelles situations problématiques, dans les quatre domaines sociaux des interactions enseignant-enfant, enseignant-enseignant, enseignant-parent, et école maternelle-collectivité. La résolution des problèmes est un enchaînement du comportement qui comprend les stades suivants: analyse du problème, choix des objectifs, choix des procédés de modification, application des procédés de modification, évaluation. La formation des enseignants les entraînant à résoudre les problèmes sociaux à l'école maternelle peut aussi être structurée en ces cinq phases.Le programme de formation a été élaboré en étroite coopération avec les enseignants d'une école maternelle. Quelques expériences relatives à cette coopération et concernant l'application du paradigme de résolution des problèmes sont discutées dans cette étude.

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The authors may be contacted at the Staatsinstitut für Frühpädagogik, Arabellastr. I/II, D-8000 München 81, F.R.G.     

Stichwort: Internationalisierungsprozesse und Elitebildung

Processes of internationalisation are not a novel phenomenon: they have been present since the beginning of human history and have been the subject of theories and analyses since the early days of social-science research. This article highlights (1.) the social pre-conditions of historical and current processes of trans-regional communication and exchange, and argues that (2.) these conditions were not superseded but reinforced by the rise of nation states and their international relations. They are based on processes of cultural standardisation, differentiation and competition, which also fuel and transform elite formation and elite competition. (3.) With the emergence of international organisations in the wake of World War II, historical processes of international standardisation and competition were extended to national education systems. (4.) National education systems are currently witnessing a transformation which originates partly from the competition between national and international elites, and partly from new dynamics in international migration.     

Advances in Technology and Library Space

Curriculum guides are an important and heavily used resource in education libraries and instructional materials centers. Gaining access to these materials, however, has been difficult and time-consuming, as most curriculum guides have not traditionally been indexed in a central source. Fearon-Pitman Publishers Inc. has attempted to remedy this situation by publishing the Curriculum Development Library, the first set of which contained 905 curriculum guides on microfiche with hard copy indexees. The publisher expects to publish this set on an annual basis. The University of Missouri-St. Louis owns the Curriculum Development Library, and the author describes its use in the Education Library.     

Effectiveness of a competence training programme for parents of socially disruptive children

Modern evaluations of parent training programmes seek evidence not only of efficacy in optimal, often university clinic settings, but also of effectiveness under normal field conditions. The Kompetenztraining für Eltern sozial auffälliger Kinder (KES) is a cognitive–behavioural competence training for parents of socially disruptive children. This study tried to complement the investigation of its efficacy by exploring its effectiveness under field conditions. Staff at 14 child guidance centres conducted the training with 88 parents (63.6% mothers; mean age 37.2 years). Effectiveness was assessed by comparing problem behaviour in the child and stress in the family (German versions of Home Situations Questionnaire and Parenting Stress Index) before and after training. Results showed mild to moderate declines in child behaviour problems and moodiness, as well as doubts in the parent role, and stronger effects in more versus less stressed families. Qualitative feedback from the trainers after running the programme was positive. It is concluded that the KES is a sufficiently promising parent training to justify further and more rigorous investigation under field conditions.     

Higher Education on the Eve of the Twenty‐First Century

The author proposes a unified curriculum of undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral studies intended to prepare young persons for responsible leadership in global society and to sensitize them to the limitations imposed by global sustainability. He foresees that students will work in teams and that higher education institutions will co‐operate in consortia, somewhat like the Associated Universities scheme of UNESCO. Universities must abandon their mostly outdated positivist and retrospective epistemology and move to holistic and transdisciplinary, normative, future‐oriented, and policy‐relevant epistemology.     

Ausleseverfahren und Institutionen der nationalen Elitebildung und ihre internationalen Herausforderungen

This contribution provides a historical-comparative perspective on three aspects of elite education. First, I outline the historical roots of formal selection and admission processes into tertiary education in France, England and Germany and highlight their far-reaching impact on the standing, structure and perception of secondary schools and universities in their respective national cultures. In the light of this, I show how the position, role and legitimacy of different modes of elite education have been transformed by the secular expansion of access to education. Finally, I discuss the challenges to the different national processes of elite selection and education posed by the observed emergence of international competition and standards.