The influence of active participation and organisation in environmental protection activities on the environmental behaviour of pupils: study of a teaching technique

Until now, many efforts in the area of environmental education, intended to instill consciously responsible behaviour into the general public in Germany, have failed. Several of the available intervention studies aimed at improving environmental behaviour of pupils with classroom tuition were able to show positive results, but there were often shortcomings in the design of these studies. First, this article presents some of these and deduces improvements and extensions for the design of the following intervention study. The described study investigated whether the active involvement and organisation in environmental activities influences the environmental behaviour of pupils. Active participation and organisation means a protection activity, designed and carried out by pupils, with help from their teacher. The results of this quantitative investigation show that the method of participation and organisation is successful and very promising. Improvements in reported and observed actual behaviour can be proved after the intervention. However, the changes are bound to the behaviour that was thematised in the teaching. The environmental perception of the pupils did not improve. Gender and the environmental perception of the pupils had no effect on the changes.     

Inhibitory control in toddlerhood – the role of parental co-regulation and self-efficacy beliefs

Inhibitory control is considered a core component of self-regulation. Tremendous advances in early childhood have been attributed to brain maturation processes as well as environmental influences, such as parental co-regulation. Parental self-efficacy represents a key correlate of parenting behaviors and is associated with child outcomes. However, research on the interplay of parental co-regulation, parental self-efficacy and child’s inhibitory control in early childhood is scarce. In this study we explore to what extent parents’ positive (PCR) and negative co-regulation (NCR) and domain-specific (DSSE) and domain-general (DGSE) self-efficacy beliefs assessed at pre-test (T1) predict toddlers’ inhibitory control six weeks later (T2). Furthermore, we examine whether NCR mediates the link between DSSE and parent-reported inhibitory control. Results are based on data from 90 parent-child dyads (children’s age: 24–35 months). Parents’ PCR, NCR, DSSE and DGSE are assessed via questionnaire. Children’s inhibitory control is measured via the Inhibition Scale of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF-IN) and a Snack Delay task. Multiple regression analyses reveal that parents’ NCR and DSSE, but not PCR and DGSE, significantly predict BRIEF-IN at T2 (controlling for covariates). The indirect effect from parents’ DSSE on BRIEF-IN via NCR is not confirmed by the data. No associations are observed regarding children’s performance in the Snack Delay task. The present study adds new and important evidence that parents’ DSSE and NCR independently predict (parent-reported) inhibitory control in toddlerhood. Parenting interventions should thus not only address parenting practices but target parental self-efficacy beliefs as an important factor, too.     

Game‐based feedback for educational multi‐user virtual environments

It is generally accepted that informative and timely feedback is important to a student's learning experience within higher education. In the study of commercial digital games it has also become increasingly understood that games are particularly good at providing effective feedback of this form to gameplayers. We discuss recent game based learning research that attempts to harness the motivating qualities of digital games to inform the design of educational technology. Results from this research demonstrate student participation and performance can be improved by providing Game‐Based Feedback (GBF) to students. The GBF approach awards points to students for the successful completion of tasks throughout a course of study. Points and achievements accumulated over time builds a profile that provides a student with a potentially powerful representation of their educational identity. In this paper, we argue that virtual worlds are particularly suitable for this form of GBF and can further enhance a student's understanding of their educational standing. We outline a Virtual Learning Landscape (VLL) design that is embedded within a multi‐user virtual environment, where educational feedback is supplied to students via their avatar and a virtual world's landscape. The core structural principles of the proposed VLL are explained and several examples of the use of the VLL are provided to illustrate the system.     

Observing Children in German Daycare Centres: Practitioners’ attitudes and practice

Systematic child observation has a long tradition in early childhood education, and it has been used for diverse educational goals. Cross‐cultural comparisons show that its importance varies across different countries and educational settings. These differences may be relevant for international cooperation. In the context of a project implementing Belgian observation and assessment scales in German kindergartens, we studied German practitioners' attitudes towards systematic observation (prior to the project). The most significant overall finding is the low priority that is attributed to systematic observation both in training and practice. These findings are related to some traditions and ideologies of German ‘kindergarten culture’. A concluding section discusses the role of structured child observation methods in professional development.     

Quotenregelungen im Universit?tsgesetz - Eine verfassungsrechtliche und rechtspolitische Bewertung

Die trotz rechtlicher Gleichstellung bestehenden faktischen Ungleichgewichte zwischen den Geschlechtern in Bezug auf die Verteilung von Arbeitspl?tzen bzw Leitungsfunktionen führten im Bereich des ?ffentlichen Dienstes zur Einführung von Geschlechterquoten. Für die Universit?ten sehen das Universit?tsgesetz (UG) bzw das Bundes-Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (B-GlBG) die bevorzugte Aufnahme von Frauen einerseits in bestimmten Universit?tsgremien, andererseits bei der Besetzung von Stellen und bei Bef?rderungen innerhalb der universit?ren Strukturen vor. Der folgende Beitrag versucht die verfassungsrechtlichen Fragestellungen (Vereinbarkeit mit Gleichheitssatz, Bestimmtheitsgrundsatz) im Zusammenhang mit den Quotenregelungen des UG bzw des B-GlBG in concreto aufzuarbeiten bzw allgemein zur Frage der Gerechtigkeit und der rechtspolitischen Notwendigkeit von Quotenregelungen Stellung zu nehmen.     

Formatively assessing prospective teachers’ skills in leading mathematics discussions

Educational Studies in Mathematics - Mathematics discussions are important for helping students to develop conceptual understanding and to learn disciplinary norms and practices. In recent years,...     

The Influence of Adult and Peer Role Models on Children’ and Adolescents’ Sharing Decisions

This study explores how the age (adult vs. peer) and the suggestion (to be fair vs. unfair) of models affect the sharing decisions of 9‐ and 12‐year‐olds (N = 365) from Italy and Singapore. Results demonstrate a developmental shift in the influence of models on children's and adolescents’ sharing decisions in both cultures: Children's decisions were more affected by an adult model's suggestion than by that of a peer model, whereas the opposite was true for adolescents. Regardless of the models’ influence, participants considered equal sharing to be the fair choice and reported being happier when their sharing decisions were generous. Our results highlight the crucial importance of social and developmental factors for the promotion of fairness judgments and emotions.     

Insights From an Evaluability Assessment of the U.S. Forest Service More Kids in the Woods Initiative

We conducted an evaluability assessment of the U.S. Forest Service's “More Kids in the Woods” internal grant initiative based on a review of 26 funded proposals, the creation of logic models, and a survey of project leaders. Evaluations of the initative are warranted because it has clear outcome objectives, is implemented as intended, and results suggest plausible benefits associated with providing underserved youth with outdoor experiences. Findings also point to the types of evaluations that will be useful and add to the limited literature on environmental grant programs as well as environmental educators’ evaluation interests, practices and perceived competencies.