University as vocational education: working‐class students’ expectations for university

Labor market conditions, a pervasive public discourse about the benefits of higher education, and parental hopes push many young working‐class people into university. The institutional culture and demands of university, however, often remain elusive and fraught with uncertainty. In this paper, I draw on qualitative interviews with first‐generation, working‐class students at a Canadian university to analyze the ways in which these students discuss their reasons to attend and their expectations for university, and the implications of their attitudes for their future success at university. Analysis of the interview data shows how the relatively high and risky investment of working‐class youth in education leads to strong utilitarian and vocational orientations toward university. Although a narrow focus on the career potential of university is generally perceived as problematic, I argue that it may also help working‐class students in their transition to university. Nonetheless, a critical educational process is necessary that not only helps working‐class students achieve their educational and occupational goals, but also understand their unique status in a social institution that they entered as outsiders.     

Approach–avoidance motivation and metacognitive self-regulation: The role of need for achievement and fear of failure

Previous research has indicated that approach–avoidance motivation at the achievement goal level influences the quality of self-regulated learning. Additionally, research indicates that approach–avoidance motivation at the dispositional level is associated with cognitive self-regulated learning strategy use. The present investigation sought to extend this research by examining the relationship between approach–avoidance motivation at the dispositional level and metacognitive self-regulation, as well as the mediational potential of approach–avoidance achievement goals among a sample of undergraduate students (N = 145). Results indicated that need for achievement was significantly related to metacognitive self-regulation and mastery-approach goals partially mediated this relationship. Fear of failure was negatively associated with metacognitive self-regulation; however, performance-avoidance goals did not mediate this relationship. The significance of such individual differences in metacognitive self-regulation is discussed.     

Assessing quality characteristics of center-based early childhood environments in Germany and Portugal: A cross-national study

Based on the knowledge that direct assessment of the quality of early childhood educational environments is becoming more and more important, this article deals with a coordinated adaptation of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) in Germany and Portugal. The ECERS, developed by Harms and Clifford (1980), is a complex rating scale, comprising 37 items, which is implemented to assess major quality characteristics of early childhood classrooms and has been used quite extensively in the US as well as in other countries. In this article we describe how the scale was adapted and we report selected results of a jointly coordinated comparative study on a sample of 103 early childhood classrooms in Germany and 88 in Portugal. The classrooms were classified according to three different types in each country. In particular, we report the item characteristics of the adapted versions, reliabilities and intercorrelations of the total scale and the apriori-subscales, and results of factor analyses. A one-way ANOVA indicates group differences between the six types of classrooms which can be meaningfully interpreted.     

Formale Methoden für sicherheitskritische Software – Der KIV-Ansatz

Zusammenfassung. Im Spektrum der qualit?tssichernden Ma?nahmen im Software-Entwurf geh?ren formale Spezifikations- und Verifikationsmethoden heute zweifellos zu den st?rksten Waffen in puncto Fehlererkennung und Nachweis von Korrektheitseigenschaften. Mit zunehmender Wirtschaftlichkeit formaler Methoden und in Kombination mit klassischen Techniken der Qualit?tssicherung ergeben sich dadurch neue, weitreichende M?glichkeiten. Die Wirksamkeit formaler Methoden beruht im wesentlichen auf der Mathematisierung von Teilen der Software-Entwicklung und dem damit verbundenen Zwang zur Pr?zision. Auf dieser Basis k?nnen Fehler entdeckt, Korrektheits- und Sicherheitseigenschaften nachgewiesen und die Auswirkungen von System?nderungen formal analysiert werden. Diese Methoden eignen sich besonders für Anwendungen, an die traditionell h?chste Zuverl?ssigkeits- und Qualit?tsanforderungen gestellt werden. Dieser Artikel gibt einen überblicküber verschiedene Einsatzm?glichkeiten formaler Spezifikations- und Verifikationsmethoden und stellt das KIV System vor, ein fortgeschrittenes Werkzeug zur Anwendung formaler Methoden. Am Beispiel von KIV wird der aktuelle Leistungsstand und die Wirtschaftlichkeit der Technologie erl?utert. Eingegangen am 2. Februar 1999 / Angenommen am 10. Juli 1999     

An exploration of the relationship between symbolic representation in dramatic play and art and the cognitive and reading readiness levels of kindergarten children

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between symbolic representation in dramatic play and art and the cognitive and reading readiness levels of kindergarten children. Specifically, the study attempted to determine if there is a significant difference in the performance of kindergarten children on the conservation of number tasks (reflective of the level of operational thought and cognitive development), the Metropolitan Reading Readiness Test, and their involvement and/or level of symbolic re resentation in dramatic play and/or art. Results indicated that children at diffrent cognitive levels (a) performed significantly differently on the Metropolitan Reading Readiness Test, (b) spent significantly different amounts of time involved in dramatic play, and (c) expressed significantly different levels of symbolic representations in dramatic play. No differences were found to exist, however, in their symbolic representation in art.     

Weltoffenes Pädagogisches Denken

Ohne ZusammenfassungZum 80. Geburtstag Friedrich Schneiders     

Architektur Multimedialer Informationssysteme

Ohne Zusammenfassung

---

Architektur Multimedialer Informationssysteme