Wie fach(un)abhängig ist bildungswissenschaftliches Wissen?

General pedagogical knowledge (GK) as part of teachers’ professional knowledge has been receiving increasing attention in empirical research. Current results are based on the assumption that GK is conceptualized and acquired during teacher education independent from the subjects being studied. Therefore, we examine whether GK can be measured comparably across subjects and whether differences exist among teachers from different subject specializations concerning their level of GK. Results from 2616 preservice teachers starting their induction phase indicate that knowledge can be invariantly measured across three subject groups, i.?e., science, languages/humanities and a combination of these subjects. However, teachers vary systematically depending on their subject specializations (controlling for gender, language, grade point average, and school track). Science teachers achieve higher test scores for diagnostic/evaluation and lower scores in fields more removed from direct instruction (e.?g., theory of education). There are no differences concerning knowledge directly related to instruction (e.?g., learning/development). Results are discussed with reference to subject-related factors of socialisation, selection and development in the profession.     

Development of a spatially uniform low-temperature hydrogen combustor

Examples of the use of additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping in a range of applications are of great interest in order to emphasize their role in development and production technology. In this study, a catalytic low temperature burner for H₂ on a lab scale with an integrated flow distributor was designed, manufactured, and tested for functionality. Based on a theoretical approach, a flow distributor for the burner was designed and a prototype was built using fused deposition modeling (FDM). Based on test results, an optimized version of the burner was then designed and manufactured using selective laser melting (SLM). The functionality of the designed catalytic burner was proven. Several advantages were found in comparison to conventional non-catalytic burners. In particular, flameless uniform low temperature heat generation with temperatures of about 200 °C could be realized. This contribution highlights the potential of additive manufacturing in chemical engineering. Not only was the final product built using SLM, but also during the development process, FDM was used for rapid prototyping.     

Content area reading pedagogy and domain knowledge: a Bourdieusian analysis

The twofold purpose of this study was to trace prospective and practicing mathematics teachers’ understandings of content area reading instruction in relation to domain knowledge in mathematics, and to examine the extent to which online pedagogical mentoring supported the integration of such instruction and knowledge. The design called for two pairs of prospective and practicing mathematics teachers to develop, implement, and reflectively evaluate four lessons. A multilevel mentoring approach was used to leverage the valuing of domain knowledge in mathematics. Course materials, lesson plans, teacher reflections, mentors’ feedback, interviews, and case reports were analysed using Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural capital, field, and misrecognition. Results indicate that despite the study’s focus on prioritising domain knowledge through pedagogical mentoring, the instances in which such knowledge were integrated effectively with reading instruction varied in relation to a mentor’s expertise in mathematics. If reading teacher educators are to support prospective and practicing mathematics teachers in content area reading instruction, additional sources of mathematics cultural capital are needed.     

‘An Outrage,Not Athletics’: Apartheid and South African–United States Rugby Relations, 1976–1990

Abstract

In the period from1976 to1990 during the international campaign against apartheid, some affiliate members of the USA Rugby Football Union, went out of their way to establish and maintain a strong relationship with the South African Rugby Football Board and its successor, the South African Rugby Board. Over the course of six reciprocal tours, they ignored the campaigns of the worldwide anti-apartheid movement and the British Commonwealth. In their dogged pursuit of a sporting relationship with a key South African cultural institution that buttressed apartheid in a sport that, at best, enjoyed minority status in the United States, they defied both their own national federation and the American Olympic Committee. By 1990 as the international campaign against apartheid became a truly worldwide affair, US–South Africa rugby relations were suspended in line with larger political developments both within and outside of the country. This essay, beyond mapping the trials and tribulations of that relationship, also foregrounds a largely hidden history in order to fill the existing gap in the official sporting histories of both the United States and South Africa.     

Fairness constraints on profit-seeking: evidence from the German club concert industry

Unlike Kahneman et al. (Am Econ Rev 76(4):728–741, 1986) iconic snow shovel, live music is a performance good that fans attach a particular value to. Hence, an artist’s pricing decision might differ from standard rent-seeking behavior. In this paper, I propose a model that incorporates fairness concerns into the pricing decision for concert tickets. The hypotheses derived from this model are tested on data from the German club concert industry. The results are consistent with the model: Although (1) price dispersion is the dominant pricing strategy in the club concert industry and artists prefer to perform on a Friday or Saturday night, (2) artists do not set higher prices on the weekend. These results are consistent with fairness constraints, but are difficult to explain within a standard profit maximization framework. As a third result, (3) the data reveal that ticket prices are positively correlated with a city’s number of inhabitants .     

Human vs. Computer Diagnosis of Students’ Natural Selection Knowledge: Testing the Efficacy of Text Analytic Software

Our study examines the efficacy of Computer Assisted Scoring (CAS) of open-response text relative to expert human scoring within the complex domain of evolutionary biology. Specifically, we explored whether CAS can diagnose the explanatory elements (or Key Concepts) that comprise undergraduate students’ explanatory models of natural selection with equal fidelity as expert human scorers in a sample of >1,000 essays. We used SPSS Text Analysis 3.0 to perform our CAS and measure Kappa values (inter-rater reliability) of KC detection (i.e., computer–human rating correspondence). Our first analysis indicated that the text analysis functions (or extraction rules) developed and deployed in SPSSTA to extract individual Key Concepts (KCs) from three different items differing in several surface features (e.g., taxon, trait, type of evolutionary change) produced “substantial” (Kappa 0.61–0.80) or “almost perfect” (0.81–1.00) agreement. The second analysis explored the measurement of human–computer correspondence for KC diversity (the number of different accurate knowledge elements) in the combined sample of all 827 essays. Here we found outstanding correspondence; extraction rules generated using one prompt type are broadly applicable to other evolutionary scenarios (e.g., bacterial resistance, cheetah running speed, etc.). This result is encouraging, as it suggests that the development of new item sets may not necessitate the development of new text analysis rules. Overall, our findings suggest that CAS tools such as SPSS Text Analysis may compensate for some of the intrinsic limitations of currently used multiple-choice Concept Inventories designed to measure student knowledge of natural selection.     

Welche bildungswissenschaftlichen Inhalte sind wichtig in der Lehrerbildung?

In reviews of university teacher training, the parts of the curriculum based on educational science are often criticized as missing practical relevance and being non-cumulative. At the same time, uncertainty exists regarding which educational science based content is important for teacher candidates. The objective of the Delphi study presented here was the identification of core educational science content in university training. To this aim, a survey was carried out amongst 49 experts from different subject areas and phases of teacher training in three rounds using a standardized questionnaire. In the first round, 213 topics were specified, which were then assessed by experts regarding their importance for various aspects of the teaching profession. In the second and third rounds, which had the objective of reducing the number of topics, the experts chose a limited number of topics based on their relevance for university teacher training and for the practical success of teaching itself. The results show that the original list was comprehensive and that there is a consensus among most of the experts on their respective importance for teaching training.     

Fostering children's acceptance of educational apps: The importance of designing enjoyable learning activities

Educational applications (apps) offer opportunities for designing learning activities children enjoy and benefit from. We redesigned a typical mobile learning activity to make it more enjoyable and useful for children. Relying on the technology acceptance model, we investigated whether and how implementing this activity in an app can increase children's intention to use. During the 27-day study, children (N = 103, 9–14 years) used the app to memorize one-sentence learning plans each day. Children used three different app-based learning activities throughout the study. In two standard activities, children reread or reassembled the words of the plan. In the redesigned activity, children represented the meaning of the plan with emojis. Children repeatedly reported on their attitude towards each activity. Subsequently, children reported perceived enjoyment and intention to use the app. Results showed children found the emoji activity most enjoyable, and enjoyment of the emoji activity contributed uniquely towards intention to use. Additionally, children's enjoyment of the app mediated their intention to use the app in the future. Overall, the study suggests that children's enjoyment of an app is crucial in predicting their subsequent intention to use, and it provides a concrete example of how emojis can be used to boost enjoyment.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Educational applications provide children with unrestricted access to mobile learning resources.
• Positive attitudes towards educational applications predict behavioural intention to use these applications, at least in young adults.
• There is a need for more research examining the relevance of enjoyable learning activities in fostering children's sustained usage of an educational application.

What this paper adds

• Positive attitude towards the use of emojis during learning activities uniquely contributed to children's behavioural intention to use the application.
• Perceived enjoyment predicted behavioural intention to use the application.
• Perceived enjoyment mediated the effect of attitude towards using learning activities on the behavioural intention to use the mobile educational application.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• These findings highlight the importance of enjoyment for children's' acceptance of educational applications.
• Enjoyable learning activities are necessary to ensure sustained usage of educational applications.
• The paper provides a concrete example of how emojis can be used to boost enjoyment of a typical mobile learning activity.