Ohne Schulabschluss in die Berufsausbildung: Ergebnisse einer Längsschnittuntersuchung

Young people who leave school without obtaining a secondary school certificate bear an increased risk of not completing vocational training and being excluded from stable employment in their working life. However, some of these young people do achieve access to vocational training and employment. Based on a longitudinal study of school-to-work transitions of a representative sample of graduates from Praxisklassen in Bavaria (a course especially designed for potential school drop outs at the lower secondary school – Hauptschule), patterns of transition that lead into vocational training and employment are compared with patterns that end up in exclusion from education, training and employment. Determinants of successful transitions, which can be targeted by pedagogical measures, are inter alia: participation in internships in enterprises during the last year of schooling, help and support received from parents and professional career guidance. However, besides these influential factors, regional labor market conditions are important for a successful school-to-work transition. This close link to the labor market ultimately limits the effects of educational interventions.     

Stichwort: Kompetenzentwicklung im Grundschulalter

Keyword: Development of Competencies During Elementary School. The development of scholastic competencies is a topic discussed in the cross-section between the fields of developmental psychology, education, and educational psychology. This article will attempt an overview of the development of competencies during elementary school. After a conceptual clarification of the term competency, the focus will turn to the development of scholastic competencies at elementary school level from a development psychology perspective. Following this, the developmental changes within four basic competence domains, which are central topics of current research, are described: reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Factors affecting the development of scholastic competencies are then discussed, including individual (intelligence, prior knowledge, language) as well as environmental determinants (family, quality of instruction, classroom composition). General as well as differential changes in the four domains are described and illustrated by empirical research results.     

Course withdrawals: A probit model and policy recommendations

Withdrawals from college courses prior to the assignment of grades, but after the add-drop period, are analyzed. In a probit model student withdrawals appear to occur randomly with notable exceptions. The more experience a student has in college, the more likely it is that he or she will withdraw from any given course. Students who have withdrawn from courses in the past tend to withdraw again. Student motivation measures are related to the withdrawal decision. Physical and mental disabilities affect withdrawals only in certain courses while athletes are no more likely to withdraw from courses than nonathletes. Finally, there appear to be economies of scale in teaching: The more students an instructor teaches in other courses, the less likely it is that students will withdraw from the course under consideration. The number of students enrolled in the course, however, is not significantly related to withdrawals.     

Cataglyphis

Cataglyphis is an ant of desert regions and has a behavioural pattern comparable with that of the bee, but much easier to study. It has a well-developed system of foraging and navigating and a social organisation well adapted to its environment. This review, by two independent research workers who have devoted much time to field studies, is the first to bring together most of the existing information about these fascinating insects.     

Helping science methods students construct meaning from text

Conclusion The pursuit of meaning through reflection is an ultimate goal of teacher education. The reading reaction sheet strategy is one way to help methods students construct meaning about science teaching and learning, and is applicable to other college courses where considerable reading is expected. Furthermore, through instructor modeling (Kyle, Abell, & Shymansky, 1989; Yeany & Padilla, 1986), preservice teachers are more likely to employ techniques for reading in the content area in their own teaching. Thus the reading reaction sheet strategy illustrates the integration of research in reading, writing, and science education and its application to classroom practice.     

Measuring attitudes to science: Unidimensionality and internal consistency revisited

Summated ratings attitude scales commonly consist of numerous items whose scores are summed to yield a total score. An assumption underlying this technique is that the items in the scale reflect a common construct. If this is not met, the procedure produces uninterpretable data. Although this psychometric principle has been known for a long time, numerous studies in the literature demonstrate a neglect of it. Some make no attempt to conceptualise the construct to be measured; others conceptualise the construct but then ignore the possibility that it may be multidimensional; still others contain evidence indicating that the construct is multidimensional and then proceed to ignore that evidence. A possible contributor to the confusion is the misunderstanding of the related yet distinct concepts of internal consistency and unidimensionality. This paper presents examples of poor and good instrument design, in the hope that clarification of the issues might make a difference in the future.     

Problem solving in science lessons: How students explore the problem space

This report examines, from a constructivist framework, how students presented with discrepant event problems during science lessons begin the problem solving process by exploration of the problem space. Three discrepant events were presented to five classes of eleven to thirteen year-olds using three different teaching strategies identified from the literature. The teaching strategies used teacher demonstrations followed by students asking the teacher questions, teacher demonstrations followed by an explanation by the teacher, and small groups of students under the guidance of the teacher. Data were collected from field notes, video tapes of the lessons, and student interviews using a stimulated recall technique to elicit the students' thinking during the lessons. The extent to which students could explore the problem space was found to be determined by the teaching strategy used, as the first and last strategies encouraged students to find their own explanations. Different information sources were also available in each of the teaching strategies. That is, exploration of the problem space was inextricably linked to the social context, partially determined by the teaching strategy. Because of constraints imposed by each teaching strategy none of those used was considered entirely satisfactory. An alternative strategy is suggested from a combination of aspects of the strategies trialled.     

Overcoming prejudices: An invitational approach

This article offers an invitational model for overcoming prejudices. The proposed model is based on Haberman's (1994) five-step approach to facing prejudices, which includes (1) analyzing prejudices; (2) seeking the sources of the beliefs; (3) examining the benefits of prejudice; (4) considering the effects of prejudices; and (5) planning to eliminate prejudices. Purkey's (1992) five-level conflict-management process adapted to prejudice serves as the five-part action plan in Haberman's fifth step. The combination of these two models yields an invitational approach with five parts: (1) perceiving concern, (2) conferring with oneself; (3) consulting with colleagues; (4) confronting the crisis; and (5) combating prejudices. Practical questions and examples are provided to clarify each step. We shall overcome, We shall overcome, We shall overcome someday. If in our hearts we do believe, We shall overcome someday.