Bildung und Übergangsrisiken beim Einstieg in den Beruf

Anhand vergleichender empirischer Analysen untersucht der Beitrag institutionelle und strukturelle Determinanten arbeitsmarktad?quater Bildungsabschlüsse. Auf der Basis statisticher Mehrebenenmodelle und Daten des Europ?ischen Labour Force Surveys der Jahre 1992–1997 für zw?lf L?nder der Europ?ischen Union zeigt der Beitrag, dass ein h?heres Bildungsniveau und berufliche Spezialisierung dazu beitragen, Arbeitslosigkeit und geringqualifizierte Besch?ftigung zu vermeiden. Im Vergleich variieren vor allem die Muster beruflicher Allokation zwischen beruflich strukturierten und flexiblen übergangssystemen, im Hinblick auf die Arbeitslosigkeit weichen vor allem die südeurop?ischen L?nder vom allgemeinen Muster ab. Das duale Ausbildungssystem in der Bundesrepublik schneidet insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Vermeidung von Arbeitslosigkeit vortelhaft ab. Es zeigt sich aber auch, dass die Vorteile beruflicher Spezialisierung vor allem in den ersten Berufsjahren zum Tragen kommen, und sich im Zeitverlauf weitgehend nivellieren. Zudem zeigen die Analysen, dass der Arbeitsmarktwert des individuellen Bildungsabschlusses bei hohem Konkurrenzdruck und anhaltend hoher Arbeitslosigkeit steigt.     

Counseling University Instructors Based on Student Evaluations of Their Teaching Effectiveness: A Multilevel Test of its Effectiveness Under Consideration of Bias and Unfairness Variables

Counseling instructors using evaluations made by their students has shown to be a fruitful approach to enhancing teaching quality. However, prior experimental studies are questionable in terms of external validity. Therefore, we conducted a non-experimental intervention study in which all of the courses offered by a specific department at a German university were evaluated twice with a standardized student evaluation questionnaire (HILVE-II; overall 44 instructors, 140 courses, and 2,546 student evaluations). Additionally, twelve full time instructors received counseling after the first measurement point. Long-term effects over a period of 2 years and transfer effects to other courses were analyzed using multi-level analyses with three levels. Possible influences by bias and unfairness variables were controlled for. Our results indicate a moderate to large effect of counseling on teaching quality. In conclusion, if students’ evaluations are accompanied by counseling based on the evaluation results, they present a useful method to assure and increase teaching quality in higher education.     

Imitation in Infancy: Rational or Motor Resonance?

The present study investigates the contribution of 2 mechanisms to imitation in infancy. The principle of rational action suggests that infants normatively evaluate the efficiency of observed actions. In contrast, it has been proposed that motor resonance (i.e., the mapping of others' actions onto one's own motor repertoire) plays a central role in imitation. This study tested 14-month-old infants (n = 95) in 5 conditions and manipulated the extent to which the observed actions could be matched onto the infants' own motor repertoire as well as whether the observed behavior appeared to be efficient. The results suggest that motor resonance plays a more central role in imitation in infancy than does a rational evaluation of the observed action.     

The impact of virtual simulation tools on problem-solving and new product development organization

New product development nowadays makes heavy use of IT instruments such as virtual simulation tools. The main motivation for introducing virtual simulation tools in new product development is to speed up development and lower its cost. Virtual simulation tools, however, do much more. They introduce profound changes in the organization, including the nature of problem-solving, bearing the potential to increase new product development performance beyond cost and lead time reduction. Understanding these profound changes, we argue, holds the key to unlocking the potential of virtual simulation tools for improving new product development performance, including more innovative products. We support our argument with a case study from the European auto industry.     

Rethinking teachers’ goal orientations: Conceptual and methodological enhancements

The article provides a theoretical extension of the goal orientation approach for teaching by proposing three different competence facets of learning goals and four types of addressees for performance approach and avoidance goals. On the basis of responses from 495 teacher trainees and 224 in-service teachers, the development and validation of an advanced goal orientation measure is presented. Internal consistencies of the goal dimensions were good, and confirmatory factor analyses verified the postulated model for teacher trainees and in-service teachers. In both groups, learning goal orientation positively predicted self-efficacy for teaching and perceived benefits of help-seeking. Performance approach goals positively predicted self-efficacy for teaching and performance avoidance goals negatively predicted self-efficacy for teaching and positively predicted perceived threats of help-seeking. The use of goal orientation facets provided a more thorough analysis of the predictions regarding perceptions of help-seeking. Results supported the convergent and divergent validity of the new measure.     

An integrated microfluidic chip for immunocapture,preconcentration and separation of β-amyloid peptides

We present an integrated microfluidic chip for detection of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides. Aβ peptides are major biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer''s disease (AD) in its early stages. This microfluidic device consists of three main parts: (1) An immunocapture microcolumn based on self-assembled magnetic beads coated with antibodies specific to Aβ peptides, (2) a nano-porous membrane made of photopolymerized hydrogel for preconcentration, and (3) a microchip electrophoresis (MCE) channel with fluorescent detection. Sub-milliliter sample volume is either mixed off-chip with antibody coated magnetic beads and injected into the device or is injected into an already self-assembled column of magnetic beads in the microchannel. The captured peptides on the beads are then electrokinetically eluted and re-concentrated onto the nano-membrane in a few nano-liters. By integrating the nano-membrane, total assay time was reduced and also off-chip re-concentration or buffer exchange steps were not needed. Finally, the concentrated peptides in the chip are separated by electrophoresis in a polymer-based matrix. The device was applied to the capture and MCE analysis of differently truncated peptides Aβ (1–37, 1–39, 1–40, and 1–42) and was able to detect as low as 25 ng of synthetic Aβ peptides spiked in undiluted cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The device was also tested with CSF samples from healthy donors. CSF samples were fluorescently labelled and pre-mixed with the magnetic beads and injected into the device. The results indicated that Aβ1-40, an important biomarker for distinguishing patients with frontotemporal lobe dementia from controls and AD patients, was detectable. Although the sensitivity of this device is not yet enough to detect all Aβ subtypes in CSF, this is the first report on an integrated or semi-integrated device for capturing and analyzing of differently truncated Aβ peptides. The method is less demanding and faster than the conventional Western blotting method currently used for research.     

Reasoning and working memory as predictors of school grades

The present paper contributes to individual difference research in the field of working memory (WM) and reasoning and their contribution to the prediction of real-life criteria. Therefore, a broad WM test battery, a well-established measure of reasoning, and school grades were applied. It is argued that abilities as assessed with the WM component coordination are relevant for good performances at school, especially for science courses. The verbal task of the WM component storage in the context of processing was assumed to be relevant for the prediction of performance in language courses. As expected, reasoning turned out to be the best predictor of school grades. However, it was also confirmed that variance shared by coordination and reasoning can explain school performance, especially as concerns science courses. The verbal storage in the context of processing task significantly accounted for variance in language courses above and beyond reasoning. Thus, the present study provided further insights into the differential validity of different WM components.     

Der Einfluss von aufmerksamkeitslenkenden Instruktionen auf das Erlernen einer Schlagbewegung im Golf

Among other things instructions serve the purpose of directing the recipient’s attentional focus. Several studies have demonstrated the advantage of an attentional focus away from one’s body (external) and towards the effect of the movement over an attentional focus on the movement itself (internal). In contrast, other studies have shown that the advantage of an external focus cannot be generalized. The present study utilized a golf putting task to investigate the effectiveness of an internal versus an external focus. Furthermore, the present study investigated whether participants complied with the instructions with the respective focus during the learning phase. Moreover, in addition to the performance on the putting task the movement execution was also examined. The results showed that the internal as well as the external group switched between the internal and external focus and additionally modified a neutral focus. There was no correlation between hitting performance and movement variability, but a correlation between the neutral focus and the movement variability was found. The results challenge empirical analysis and the results of research about attentional focus.