Stichwort: Entwicklung sprachlicher Fähigkeiten von Kindern und Jugendlichen im Bildungskontext

This article contains a review of recent research on the topic of language development in an educational research perspective. The contribution is focussed on research which was carried out in the German education system. The starting point of such research was the insight that mastery of a language is of core importance for educational success as well as for participation in a society. The research which is presented in this review article strives to identify factors that are relevant for the development of different language abilities during an education biography. The article starts with an overview of international and national research traditions which build the ground for the investigation of language development in an educational research perspective. A second part of the article deals with research projects that aimed to unveil factors which are influential for differential language development during a school career. In the third part of the article, an outlook on recent research is presented which deals with the question how language development can be fostered and supported by educational institutions. In Germany, such projects are just beginning. They mainly derive from the evaluation of model projects or other practical experiments; only very few experimental intervention studies have been carried out.     

Stichwort: Professionelle Kompetenz von Lehrkräften

Ohne Zusammenfassung      

Die Bedeutung der sozialen Herkunft und des Migrationshintergrundes f��r Lehrerurteile am Beispiel der Grundschulempfehlung

In Germany, teachers give a recommendation on the type of school a student should attend after primary school. In some federal states, access to a more demanding school type is restricted to students holding an appropriate recommendation. In a first step, we discuss different theories and approaches as to why a student??s social origin or migration background has an impact on the recommendation, irrespective of school performance. Then we test different hypotheses using data of a combined teacher, student, and parent survey, conducted from the 3^rd grade on in Bavaria and Hessen. Overall, we have information on 1.644 students and 147 teachers. We find strong relationships between social origin and school recommendations as teachers take parents?? educational aspirations into account. Students?? positive school behavior has a positive impact on getting a recommendation for a higher school type; however, the influence of parents?? socio-economic status remains. The data show no evidence for children with migration backgrounds facing greater risks of receiving lower recommendations than other children??irrespective of their family language.     

The history curriculum and its personal connection to students from minority ethnic backgrounds

Whereas history is seen by some as crucial in developing a sense of identity and fostering social cohesion, it is however, often based around narrowly nationalistic views of the past, and yet little is known about how students relate to the past they are taught. Thus, this paper focuses on the history curriculum and the ways in which students aged 12–14, from different ethnic backgrounds, relate to it. Moreover, the small-scale study which enabled this paper, focused, in particular, on whether students enjoyed and valued history and whether they felt any sense of personal connection to the topics studied. Drawing on survey data collected from 102 students and focus group discussions with 42 students, from two high schools, the findings indicate that although many students enjoy history, they fail to fully understand its value. Additionally most students, especially those from minority ethnic backgrounds, feel a lack of personal connection to the past, as they do not see themselves in the history they are taught.     

Teacher Evaluation in an Era of Educational Change

Teachers can help minority children close the academic achievement gap in intermediate and middle school by combining literacy instruction and content-area material. This connection improves reading achievement and increases curriculum knowledge, even if students have previously experienced difficulty with primary school reading. Fortunately, upper-elementary and middle-level learners are still naturally curious, are developing cognitively, and have acquired some basic reading skills. Teachers can therefore extend students' previous learning by using a spiral curriculum, in which curricular concepts are introduced at an appropriate level and then revisited at more challenging levels. Teachers can also increase the academic complexity for students by using strategies that include picture books, word recognition skills, intensive subject matter, vocabulary in a meaningful context, Readers Theater, and after-school activities.     

Getting to New Horizons in the Educational Milieu

Given the prevailing spirit of teacher frustration regarding current educational policy, the authors perused frequently visited teacher blogs and discussion boards in the summer of 2009 to determine whether teachers are effectively using them to express professionally informed political dissent regarding educational policy. While many teachers are frustrated with educational policies, they are not particularly adept at voicing their dissent against such policies. Many downplay their professional knowledge, avoid overtly political postings, and feel isolated from others who share their views.     

A philosophical perspective on leading music activities for the over 50s

The basis of this article is findings from the Music for Life Project which investigated the benefits and challenges of music activity participation for the over 50s in three case study sites in the United Kingdom. The paper uses a philosophical lens to explore the leaders’ and participants’ views on the purpose of the activities, how learners are characterised, the role of the activity leader, and the use of assessment. Data from 147 participant and 13 activity leader questionnaires, from 28 participant and 13 activity leader individual interviews, and from 15 participant focus groups were analysed within a philosophical framework that refers to six approaches: liberal, progressive, behaviourist, humanistic, radical and analytic. NVivo and SPSS assisted with the quantitative and qualitative analyses. The analyses indicated that humanism was prevalent although other approaches, particularly behaviourist and progressive, were evident. Activity leaders’ emphasis on humanism might lead to more concern with the comfort side of participation than with musical progression. There was very little use of formal assessment or feedback to support progression. There was some discrepancy between purposes for participation between leaders and participants. There might be a need to clarify purpose, particularly if activities are part of adult education rather than adult social groups.     

Verhaltens- und Kompetenzentwicklung im Kontext der Familie

The significance of family influences for children’s development is beyond dispute. Social disparities in stimulation provided by families and their influence on cognitive competencies have frequently been pointed out. However, little notice has been attracted to the variety of everyday family activities and their importance for children’s behavioral and competence development. Focusing on 6 to 8 years old children (n?=?1,377), this paper investigates firstly which factors affect mothers’ education-oriented and outdoor activities with their child, children’s involvement in household chores and aspects of parenting. Secondly, we analyze how these different types of activities as well as the parenting climate relate to children’s problem behavior, prosocial behavior, and everyday language skills. Cross-sectional regression analyses point to advantages of high maternal education and child-centered parenting. High maternal educational resources facilitate a focus on education-oriented activities, while outdoor activities and children’s involvement in household chores stand back. In addition to child-centered parenting, features of everyday family activities prove relevant for children’s behavioral and competence development.