The Motivations of Book Publishers in Germany and Australia: An Empirical Comparison

Our study compares the motivations of Australian and German book publishers. The results demonstrate remarkable similarities, but also a significant difference regarding the effects of the publishers’ self-concept. In the German case the publishers with a dominant economic orientation are more proactive than the publishers with a dominant cultural orientation. In the Australian case, this correlation does not exist. The same difference holds for the relationship between the economic orientation and extrinsic motivation. We discuss these results and examine empirical evidence and theoretical suggestions to explain the differing findings. The data stem from surveys conducted in the two countries with responses of 196 (Germany) and 54 publishers (Australia).     

Travelling academics: the lived experience of academics moving across countries

The article reports on a study that explored the personal narratives of two female travelling academics at a Swedish University who had moved from Australia. To complement previous accounts of difficult migration and enculturation within the research literature, this article focuses mainly on the successful experiences of the academics and how their own sense of agency allowed them to navigate the new educational context. The article identifies key factors that have enacted these achievements and contributes to the understanding of travelling academics and their needs as they move to new higher education contexts. In particular, the article contributes to the long-term migration to a non-English-speaking country (Sweden) by two academics who had previously studied and worked within an English-speaking university system (Australia). In conclusion, the article suggests ways pedagogy and policy can respond to support other international academics who choose to travel and work in another country, enhancing and ‘living’ internationalization within the global world.     

The future is present in the past: A meta-analysis on the longitudinal associations of parent–adolescent relationships with peer and romantic relationships

Positive peer and romantic relationships are crucial for adolescents' positive adjustment and relationships with parents lay the foundation for these relationships. This longitudinal meta-analysis examined how parent–adolescent relationships continue into later peer and romantic relationships. Included longitudinal studies (k = 54 involving peer relationships, k = 38 involving romantic relationships) contained demographically diverse samples from predominantly Western cultural contexts. Multilevel meta-regressions indicated that supportive and negative parent–adolescent relationships were associated with supportive and negative future peer and romantic relationships. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (k = 54) indicated that supportive parent–adolescent relationships unidirectionally predicted supportive and negative peer relationships, while negative parent–adolescent relationships were bidirectionally associated with supportive and negative peer relationships. Maintaining mutually supportive relationships with parents may help adolescents to develop positive social relationships.     

The interest of Bavarian primary school pupils in geographical topics and methods – selected results of an empirical survey

Interest is a central learning prerequisite for teaching. The article deals with a survey among 1600 primary school pupils in forms 2, 3 and 4 (ages 7–10) in the German federal state of Bavaria who were interviewed on their interest in geographical topics and working methods. They were given a questionnaire including 40 items to indicate their individual interest on a five-point Likert scale. The results show that the subscale ‘natural disaster' generates the highest interest, followed by ‘phenomena of geoscience' and ‘people and peoples'. The interest in all three subscales decreases with increasing age. Furthermore, several gender-specific differences occur. Among the working methods, experimenting, films and computers hold the first three places whilst again showing significant differences concerning age group as well as gender.     

The Development of Advanced Theory of Mind in Middle Childhood: A Longitudinal Study From Age 5 to 10 Years

This 5-year longitudinal study investigated advanced theory-of-mind (AToM) development in 161 German 5- to 10-year-olds (89 females, 72 males). Core aspects of AToM developed nonlinearly, with children reaching a milestone at the age of 7 years, around when they attained the conceptual insight that mental states can be recursive. In late elementary school, a multicomponent battery was used. Performance on many aspects of AToM was predicted by information-processing skills (intelligence and language at 6 years), but not by the age when children acquired the basic conceptual insight; only some naturalistic, social-interpretative tasks were correlated with children’s age at acquisition. This study documents significant developmental progressions in middle-childhood AToM and suggests that different mechanisms may underlie diverse aspects of social cognition.     

Primary Teachers’ Reflections on Inquiry- and Context-Based Science Education

Inquiry- and context-based teaching strategies have been proven to stimulate and motivate students’ interests in learning science. In this study, 12 teachers reflected on these strategies after using them in primary schools. The teachers participated in a continuous professional development (CPD) programme. During the programme, they were also introduced to a teaching model from a European project, where inquiry- and context-based education (IC-BaSE) strategies were fused. The research question related to teachers’ reflections on these teaching strategies, and whether they found the model to be useful in primary schools after testing it with their students. Data collection was performed during the CPD programme and consisted of audio-recorded group discussions, individual portfolios and field notes collected by researchers. Results showed that compared with using only one instructional strategy, teachers found the new teaching model to be a useful complement. However, their discussions also showed that they did not reflect on choices of strategies or purposes and aims relating to students’ understanding, or the content to be taught. Before the CPD programme, teachers discussed the use of inquiry mainly from the aspect that students enjoy practical work. After the programme, they identified additional reasons for using inquiry and discussed the importance of knowing why inquiry is performed. However, to develop teachers’ knowledge of instructional strategies as well as purposes for using certain strategies, there is need for further investigations among primary school teachers.     

The socialization of girls in the secondary schools of England and the two Germanies

The socialization of girls in secondary schools in England and the two Germanies points to the eventual role conflicts that face women in each of these countries. Girls theoretically have the same options as boys although in practice they may have less science or vocational education in England and West Germany. East German girls are made aware that they can expect to work while married and, like boys, they are asked to prepare for an occupation. Males predominate in decision-making roles in government, industry, and schools. This article is based on a research study conducted in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the German Democratic Republic 1972/73; presented at the World Congress of Comparative Education Societies 1974.

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Zusammenfassung Die Sozialisierung der Schülerinnen in Sekundärschulen in England, der Bundesrepublik und der DDR lässt erkennen, inwieweit die Frauen in jedem dieser Länder einem Rollenkonflikt gegenüberstehen. Theoretisch haben zwar die Mädchen dieselben Wahlmöglichkeiten wie die Jungen, in der Praxis erhalten sie aber in England und Westdeutschland oft weniger naturwissenschaftlichen und beruflichen Unterricht. In der DDR werden die Schülerinnen darauf hingewiesen, dass sie auch nach der Heirat einen Beruf ausüben können und sich ebenso wie die Knaben darauf vorbereiten sollen. Die führenden Rollen in Regierung, Industrie und Schulen sind vorwiegend mit Männern besetzt. Dieser Artikel beruht auf einer Forschungsstudie, die 1972/73 in Grossbritannnien, der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik durchgeführt und 1974 dem Weltkongress für Vergleichende Erziehungswissenschaft vorgelegt wurde.

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Résumé La socialisation des filles dans les écoles secondaires en Angleterre et dans les deux Allemagnes fait ressortir l'éventuel conflit de rôle que les femmes rencontrent dans chacun de ces pays. Les filles ont, en théorie, les mêmes choix que les garçons, bien qu'en pratique, il se peut qu'elles reçoivent moins d'éducation scientifique ou professionnelle en Angleterre et en Allemagne occidentale. Les filles d'Allemagne orientale, par contre, sont conscientes due fait qu'elles peuvent espérer travailler une fois mariées et, de même que les garçons, on leur demande de se préparer en vue d'un emploi. Les hommes prédominent dans les rôles où des décisions doivent être prises, au gouvernement, dans l'industrie, dans les écoles. Cet article se base sur une recherche faite en 1972/73 au Royaume Uni, dans la République fédérale d'Allemagne et dans la République démocratique allemande; il fut présenté en 1974 lors du Congrès mondial des Sociétés d'Education comparée.