Estimating the value of national sporting success

The sporting success of athletes and national teams is associated with a feel-good-factor among the population. These positive social effects can be regarded as public goods that entail a certain value for the population. The value of public or non-market goods can be estimated using the contingent valuation method (CVM). A theoretical model is developed based on the consumption capital theory. This model explains the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for winning the 2010 Football World Cup as a function of sport-related and football-specific consumption capital as well as intangible and socio-economic factors. Within a survey of German citizens (n = 3049), the value of winning the 2010 Football World Cup is assessed using CVM. The model is tested using regression analyses to identify the significant determinants of WTP. The results reveal half of the respondents stated a WTP that amounted to €26 on average. The findings of a mixed-effects logistic as well as an alternative Tobit regression model show that intangible factors such as identification with the country and with the national team as well as individual and national importance of a good result significantly influence individuals’ WTP. Based on the findings of this study, it can be recommended that policy makers invest in national teams and athletes as national sporting success can generate a feel-good-factor among the population and make people happier. Additionally, it can impact on peoples’ perceptions and expectations about current and future economic situations which in turn determine macro-economic outcomes. Moreover, such estimations could be integrated into cost-benefit terms that are carried out for sport events.     

Perfectionism and training performance: The mediating role of other-approach goals

Recent research found perfectionistic strivings to predict performance in a novel basketball task among novice basketball players. The current study builds on this research by examining whether this is also the case for performance in a familiar basketball training task among experienced basketball players, and whether achievement goals mediated any observed relationships. Perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, and 3?×?2 achievement goals were assessed prior to basketball training performance in 90 basketball players (mean age 20.9 years). Regression analyses showed that perfectionistic strivings predicted better performance. Furthermore, mediation analyses showed that other-approach goals (e.g. beliefs that one should and can outperform others) accounted for this relationship. The findings suggest that perfectionistic strivings may predict better performance in both novel and familiar athletic contexts. In addition, beliefs about the importance and ability to outperform others may explain this relationship.     

MEDIA TONE AND PUBLIC OPINION: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF MEDIA COVERAGE AND PUBLIC OPINION ON CHANCELLOR KOHL

This study investigates the relationship between media coverageof Helmut Kohl in seven leading German print media and the opinionsof the German general public about the politician between 1975and 1984. For the content analysis evaluative assessments aboutHelmut Kohl on six different dimensions of characteristics werecoded. The analysis of public opinion is based on 72 representativesurveys in which respondents expressed their evaluations ofthe politician. The two time series were compared by means ofcross-lagged correlations. The whole period was first examinedwith aggregations of three-months-intervals; then closer attentionwas paid to the time period since Helmut Kohl took office aschancellor on the basis of monthly intervals. In both cases,the results show that evaluation shifts in the media precedesimilar evaluation shifts in public opinion with a time lagof about three to six months for the whole period of investigation,and a somewhat shorter time lag for the time of his chancellorship.Evaluation shifts in the political magazines Der Spiegel andStern were more closely related to public opinion than evaluationshifts in the national dailies.     

Jugendliche Identität zwischen Nation,Region und Religion

Gegenstand des Beitrags ist die soziale Identit?tsentwicklung Jugendlicher im Spannungsfeld zwischen supranationalen, nationalen/ethnischen, regionalen, lokalen und religi?sen Konzepten. Hierfür wurde eine repr?sentative Querschnittstudie reanalysiert, wobei die Analysestichprobe 2.187 deutsche und türke Jugendliche zwischen 14 und 19 Jahren umfasst. Es konnte für die deutschen Jugendlichen eine dreidimensionale Identit?tsstruktur mit einer national-subnationalen, einer supranationalen und einer religi?sen Identit?tsdimension bestimmt werden. Hingegen wird die ebenfalls dreidimensionale Identit?tsstruktur der türkischen Jugendlichen durch eine ethnischreligi?se, eine sozial-r?umliche und eine r?umlichadministrative Dimension charakterisiert. Trotz dieser differenten Strukturen weisen beide Gruppen in Hinsicht auf einzelne Identit?tsaspekte ?hnliche Alters-, Geschlechts-, Bildungs- und Wohndauerunterschiede auf.     

The knowledge base and text recall: Evidence from a short-term longitudinal study

In a short-term longitudinal study, we investigated how domain-specific knowledge in soccer influences the amount of text recall and comprehension in elementary school and junior high school children of high and low overall aptitudes. Both level of soccer knowledge and overall aptitude were varied in a factorial design. Third, fifth, and seventh grade children were given several measures of text recall and comprehension and were retested on these measures about 1 year later. Performance was more a function of soccer knowledge than of aptitude level.     

Zum Einfluss von Migration und Schulklassenzugeh?rigkeit auf die übergangsempfehlung für die Sekundarstufe I

Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist die Kl?rung der Frage, inwieweit sachfremde ethnische Kriterien die übergangsempfehlung für weiterführende Schulen beeinflussen. Bei einer Stichprobe von 620 Schülerinnen und Schülern der vierten Klassenstufe wurden Schulleistungstest- und Fragebogendaten erhoben und diese in Beziehung zu den übergangsempfehlungen gesetzt. Wenn individuelle Schülervoraussetzungen unter Einschluss kognitiver F?higkeiten kontrolliert werden, gibt es keine Best?tigung der Auffassung, dass Kinder mit Migrationshintergrund bei der übergangsempfehlung benachteiligt werden. Auch ein hoher Anteil an Kindern mit nicht-deutscher Familiensprache in der Schulklasse übt keine ungünstigen Effekte auf die Empfehlung der Schulform aus. Hingegen ist ein sachfremder Referenzgruppeneffekt (Big-fish-little-pond-Effekt) nachweisbar: Mit einem h?heren Anteil an Schülerinnen und Schülern in der Klasse, deren Schultestleistungen und kognitive Grundf?higkeiten hoch sind und deren Eltern eine h?here Bildungsorientierung aufweisen, sinkt die relative Chance, statt an eine Hauptschule an eine Realschule oder ein Gymnasium zu wechseln.     

对部分企业人力资源需求的调查与评估报告

本文为教育部职业技术教育中心研究所教学研究室与德国凯泽斯劳藤技术大学（TU Kaisenlaucem）社会学学院合作进行的关于中国企业人力资源需求和招聘政策的实证调查研究报告，其实证性主要体现在以下几方面：①采用通信方式和E-mail方式，对145家企业进行标准化问卷调查；②对13家不同行业、规模和所有制形式企业详细的实录性访谈；③对在华工作的德国职业教育专家的访谈；④在北京举办由企业代表和职业教育研究人员参加的“明确问题”研讨会；⑤在沈阳举办参与者广泛的、为期两天的课题结束研讨会。     

DIMENSIONS OF SATISFACTION WITH COLLEGIATE EDUCATION

A sample of 2072 respondents In 176 courses from four different departments In a community college completed a questionnaire concerning their attitudes towards various aspects of their studies. Results showed that the factor structure of the responses from the different departments was almost Identical, In spite of differences In students' demographic background and the purpose of studies. A regression analysis on the general satisfaction with courses revealed the teacher as the major contributor and the Interpersonal relations between students as an additional factor. When the willingness to continue studying in the same college was analysed, the Interpersonal relations between students were the major factor when the analysis was based on individual scores, but not when it was based on class‐averages. In both cases the difficulty of the course and the general evaluation of its quality were significant additional contributors. It was concluded that in order to evaluate higher education courses accurately, a generally applicable tool can be devised, but that this tool should cover social aspects of the study‐situation not yet Included in currently used evaluation questionnaires.     

Die Bedeutung des pädagogisch-psychologischen Wissens für die Qualität der Klassenführung und den Lernzuwachs der Schüler/innen im Physikunterricht

In the present study it was investigated whether the pedagogical knowledge of teachers has an influence on the process quality of physics instruction and on the learning achievement of students as well. Pedagogical knowledge, conceptualized as knowledge about strategies in classroom instruction that is domain-general and relevant for teaching behaviors, was measured using a paper-and-pencil test with two scales: one scale on declarative knowledge, the other on conditional-procedural knowledge (Lenske et al. 2015). As a basic aspect of the process quality of classroom instruction, classroom management was assessed using video ratings of two lessons from each participating teacher. Students’ learning achievement was assessed using standardized domain-specific knowledge tests in a pretest-posttest design. The sample included 34 teachers from higher-track secondary schools and their students (N?=?993). A complex bootstrapping mediation model shows that teachers’ pedagogical knowledge, mediated by their classroom management, has a positive effect on their students’ learning achievement.