The effect of experimental manipulation of student motivation on the situational representation of text

The present study investigated the effects of motivational instructions on interest, test anxiety, and text learning. Instructions to facilitate intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were compared with a “neutral” instruction. The sample consisted of 375 ninth-graders. Text-related interest and test anxiety were assessed before and after the experimental instruction as well as after the text has been read. An inference verification test was administered to assess students' situational text representation. The results showed the expected effects of type of instruction on interest and test anxiety when measured directly after the treatment. With respect to the situational text representation, no significant main effects were obtained. Instead, the experimental instructions interacted significantly with gender and pretest interest. The hypothesized effects of type of instruction on the situational text representation were only observed for girls and for students with high pretest interest.     

The Relationship between Different Criteria for Admission to Medical School and Student Success

The relevance of admission policy for educational outcome in medical schools is demonstrated by means of longitudinal data on the total population of several cohorts of students admitted to the German medical schools on the basis of a variety of criteria (n = 28,000 students). The correlations between the quantitative criteria for admission and performance on the First Medical Examination (which takes place after 2–3 years of study) were calculated. Secondly, the mean total scores on this examination that have been achieved at first attempt by groups of students admitted according to different selection criteria were compared. Thirdly, the rates of success on the medical examination at first attempt after two years of study were compared for the above‐mentioned groups of students. The most striking result is the large difference between the groups under comparison in terms of their success rates in the First Medical Examination. The highest pass rates (80%) are achieved by students selected on the basis of a combination of the average mark in the secondary school leaving certificate and the total score on the ‘Test for Medical Studies’, an aptitude test. Had the students been admitted at random, they would only have attained a pass rate of 48% (base rate). For those admitted on the basis of the result of an interview or on the basis of ‘waiting‐time’ (i.e. the number of semesters they had spent queuing) the pass rates are 49 and 45%. The results are interpreted in the light of different political and educational goals that are or can be envisaged when decisions on admission strategies are made.     

Computer‐based Monitoring of Rivers ‐ A Contribution to Ecological Action

Abstract

While people are beginning to know a lot about major ecological effects, little is being done individually to try to counter them. The article looks at various studies and their effects within the European Union.

     

Das AutoMoDe-Projekt Modellbasierte Entwicklung softwareintensiver Systeme im Automobil

Die Entwicklung eingebetteter Software für Automobile ist inh?rent komplex und vereint verschiedene Entwicklungsphasen, mehrere fachliche Disziplinen, sowie verschiedene Akteure in beteiligten Unternehmen. Der AutoMoDe-Ansatz zur Entwicklung automotiver Software beschreibt Systeme auf verschiedenen Abstraktionsebenen und definiert schrittweise überg?nge zwischen diesen Ebenen. Neben der Definition geeigneter Ebenen werden zur Modellierung von Echtzeitsystemen ein einheitliches Berechnungsmodell sowie dom?nenspezifische Beschreibungstechniken verwendet. Automatisierte Anbindungen für Analyse und Synthese komplexer Softwaresysteme mit dem Ziel eines konsistenzbetonten Entwicklungsprozesses wurden realisiert. Die beschriebenen Techniken wurden in den Werkzeugprototypen AutoFocus integriert und im Zusammenspiel mit einer Werkzeugkette demonstriert.     

Personality traits moderate the Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect of academic self-concept

Equally able students have lower academic self-concepts in high-achieving classrooms than in low-achieving classrooms. This highly general and robust frame of reference effect is widely known as the Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect (BFLPE; Marsh, 1987). This study contributes to research aiming to identify moderators of the BFLPE by investigating the effects of students' personality (i.e. Big Five traits and narcissism). Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to test the moderator hypotheses, drawing on data from a large sample of N = 4973 upper secondary track students (M age = 19.57). Consistent with a priori predictions, the negative effect of school-average achievement (the BFLPE) interacted significantly with narcissism. Students high in narcissism experienced smaller BFLPEs than did students with low or average levels of narcissism. The statistically significant effect for neuroticism acted in the opposite direction. The study illustrates how personality moderates frame of reference effects that are central to self-concept formation.