Leseleistungen deutscher Schülerinnen und Schüler im internationalen Vergleich (PISA)

Zusammenfassung Der Vergleich der Lesekompetenz 15-j?hriger Schülerinnen und Schüler steht im Mittelpunkt des ersten Zyklus der PISA-Studie (Baumert u.a. 2001). Im Rahmen dieses Artikels wird ein überblick über die zentralen Befunde des 31 Staaten umfassenden internationalen Vergleichs gegeben. Neben den Leistungsverteilungen in den L?ndern wird der Anteil von Schülerinnen und Schülern auf verschiedenen Kompetenzstufen analysiert. Der relativ hohe Anteil an schwachen Lesern in Deutschland wird zum Anlass genommen, potenzielle F?rderm?glichkeiten von Lesekompetenz zu untersuchen. Hierzu werden auf Basis eines Vorhersagemodells die Effekte interventionsnaher Schülermerkmale (Lernstrategiewissen und Interesse) bei statistischer Kontrolle der Effekte der kognitiven Grundf?higkeit sowie der Dekodierf?higkeit der Schülerinnen und Schüler spezifiziert. Der relativ hohe Effekt des Lernstrategiewissens und der ebenfalls noch nachweisbare Effekt des Leseinteresses weisen darauf hin, dass eine F?rderung im Bereich der Informationsverarbeitungskompetenz sowie der Motivation vielversprechend ist. Zus?tzliche empirische Evidenz hierfür ergibt sich aus dem Befund, dass Schüler am unteren Ende der Leistungsverteilung über eine vergleichsweise geringe Informationsverarbeitungskompetenz und-bereitschaft verfügen.

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Summary Reading Literacy of German Students in International Comparison (PISA): Results and Explanations A comparison of the reading comprehension (reading literacy) of 15-year-old students is the central focus of the first cycle of PISA (Baumert et al. 2001). This article provides an overview of the main evidence from the international comparison of 31 countries. Besides the ability distribution of the participating countries, the proportion of students at each competence level is analysed. The relatively high proportion of weak readers in Germany is taken as grounds to investigate opportunities to support reading comprehension. On the basis of a prediction model, the effects of students’ characteristics related to intervention (knowledge of learning strategies, interest) are investigated whilst statistically controlling for basic cognitive ability and the students’ ability to decode written information. The relatively strong effect of knowledge of learning strategies and the effect of interest in reading, indicate that support of information-processing ability and motivation are the most promising support strategies. Additional empirical evidence for this can be found in the fact that students at the bottom of the ability distribution also show signs of weak information-processing ability and lacking motivation.

     

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.     

School systems and social equity in western and communist countries: A historical-comparative appraisal

In outlining the problem of this article the author discusses the conceptual relationship between ‘equality’ and ‘equity’ with regard to educational opportunity and to their controversial interpretation in Western and Soviet sources. After a historical retrospective the analysis is focused on the clarification of ‘equality of educational opportunity’, its implementation in school systems and its differentiating definition by James S. Coleman. The recent development characterised by a turn from exaggerated optimism to disillusion is explained by actual events and trends as well as by reference to sociological and genetic works, published in Western and Communist countries.The outline of some essential obstacles to the realisation of equality of educational opportunity paves the way for concluding remarks in which possible ways of overcoming these obstacles (confined to the Western scene) are proposed. They are rooted in the thesis that ‘equality’ and ‘equity’ are less easy to define as objectives than reduction in unjustifiable deficiencies. Stress is laid on the thesis that the concept of equality of educational opportunity through education is in danger of being reduced to a programme of minimal knowledge and the tyranny of meritocratic examination systems, not of humane and individual personalities, potential good citizens. Admitting, therefore, that ‘equity’ deserves to be given priority over ‘equality’ the author concludes by emphasising that efforts to foster equity must not supersede the inclusion of reduction in inequality in educational programmes.     

Comparative analysis of delayed alternation learning in cats,mice, and guinea pigs

The performance of cats, guinea pigs, and mice in a delayed alternation paradigm was compared both during initial learning and following a 10-day retention interval. The testing situation (a modified T-maze), the length of the delay period (10 sec), and the amount of training per session and per week were kept identical for all three species. The results indicated that (1) animals of all three species acquired the task within similar time spans, (2) a considerable variance was apparent in the performance of individual animals independent of their species, and (3) guinea pigs, as a group, appeared to need a somewhat longer time to acquire delayed alternation than did mice and cats. Relearning of the task following the 10-day interval seemed to follow similar laws in all three species.     

Managing the Process of International Collaboration in Online Course Development: A Case-Example Involving Higher Education Institutions in Ireland,Switzerland, Austria,and the United Kingdom

There has been significant growth recently in online learning and joint programmes of education involving collaborative partnerships between and among higher education institutions in different jurisdictions. Utilising an interdisciplinary team model (Care and Scanlan 2001), we describe in this article the process of collaboration among four European institutions in Austria, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom in order to develop and deliver an accredited online course on the management of work-related stress for health and social care workers. This course was also one of the first to pilot a system of equivalency between two European vocational and higher education credit schemes to promote learner mobility and recognition of a new international qualification. Although this process of collaboration occurred within a pan-European context, important lessons may be drawn from this explanation that are of potential interest to the wider international audience.     

Zwischen Proliferation und Klassifikation

Der Beitrag befasst sich mit dem Ph?nomen der rasanten Expansion der Lernortmetapher sowohl in der p?dagogischen Praxis als auch in der Erziehungswissenschaft. Er zeigt, dass diese Expansion auf mindestens vier unterschiedliche soziale Kontexte zurückgeführt werden kann, die in ihrer gegenseitigen Verst?rkung die zentrifugalen Tendenzen von Lernvielfalt beschleunigen und deshalb zu neuen Ordnungsanstrengungen herausfordern. Organisationsbezogene Kooperation, semantische überh?hung und komplexit?tsreduzierende Klassifikation werden als drei Strategien einer derartigen Neuordnung identifiziert.     

The Bernoullis and the origin of probability theory: Looking back after 300 years

This paper describes the contribution of the four famous Bernoullis (Jacob, Johann, Daniel and Nicolaus) to the development of the theory of probability between 1670 and 1760. Their contributions are evaluated from a modern day position of probability theory and statistics. We argue that abstract formulation of problems and mathematical solution concepts for abstract problems and seemingly special questions have a long term impact on the diversification of science. In the appendix, reference is also given to the ongoing work of the Bernoulli Edition in Basel.