Olga Kunina-Habenicht/Franziska Schulze-Stocker/Mareike Kunter/Jürgen Baumert/Detlev Leutner/Doris Förster/Hendrik Lohse-Bossenz/Ewald Terhart
The Significance of Learning Opportunities in Teacher Training Courses and Their Individual Use for the Development of Educational-Scientific Knowledge
The article topicalizes the interdependencies between enrollment prerequisites, study programs offered, and the individual use of the courses, as well as the structure and development of educational-scientific knowledge in the field of university-based teacher training. The study is based on data collected through a census survey carried out in North Rhine-Westphalia among 3.273 trainee teachers at the beginning of their internship; in this survey, a standardized test of knowledge was used to capture the educational-scientific knowledge. Substantial differences in knowledge between student teachers and lateral entrants confirm the general effect of study courses on the development of educational-scientific knowledge. However, formal university-related factors (specificity of the institution or type of study-course structure) are of only moderate effect on the development of knowledge in the course of university-based teacher training.
Lena Rösler/Friederike Zimmermann/Johannes Bauer/Jens Möller/Olaf Köller
Are Students in Teacher Training Interested in Educational-Scientific Contents?
A longitudinal study covering the first four semesters
At the beginning of their studies, students in teacher training are often strongly interested in pedagogical contents. However, whether this strong interest remains stable throughout the course of studies has as yet hardly been examined empirically. On the basis of a sample of N = 1169 students enrolled in teacher training, the present study investigates how the interest in educational-scientific contents develops over a period of four semesters. In addition, enrollment characteristics of students are included as predictors for the explanation of inter-individual differences. A key result of latent growth curve models is that, on average, the interest in educational sciences remains stable over time, however, significant variance is revealed in the change value. This can be explained by the certainty of the choice of studies and the type of teaching post aimed at, namely, it can be shown that students who are to a high degree sure that they made the right choice and students choosing an academic track program tend to build up interest.
Johannes König/Martin Rothland
Pedagogical Knowledge and Job-Specific Motivation at the Beginning of Teacher Training.
On the relation between cognitive and non-cognitive enrollment characteristics among students in teacher training
Models of the professional competence of teachers differentiate analytically between professional knowledge, on the one hand, and motivational-affective characteristics, on the other. However, the relations between and the reciprocal conditionality of such cognitive and non-cognitive elements has so far hardly been examined closely, neither theoretically nor empirically. The contribution meets this desideratum by examining the relation between job-specific motivation and pedagogical knowledge among students in teacher training on the basis of a representative sample of freshmen in North Rhine-Westphalia. The results show that, statistically, specific motives for the choice of profession (e.g. intrinsic value) correlate significantly with pedagogical knowledge; however, the ratios are rather small. As was expected, correlative findings as well as a path-analytical modeling of motives for the choice of profession, measures of general achievement motivation and of learning/achievement motivation during the course of studies show that motives for the choice of profession are distal factors, whereas measures of learning/achievement motivation during the course of studies are proximal motivational factors with which pedagogical knowledge is associated. The findings are discussed in view of the significance of cognitive and motivational prerequisites of students in teacher training for the development of professional competence during the first phase of teacher training.
Colin Cramer
The Assessment of Educational Scientific Study Courses as Given by Students in Their First Phase of Teacher Training in Longitudinal Section
On the basis of a longitudinal study, the author examines the assessment of the significance, quality and usefulness of educational-scientific study courses during the first phase of teacher training as given by students enrolled in teacher training in Baden-Württemberg (focal point: university of education). Changes are recorded by carrying out three surveys at different points in time (at the beginning of the studies, after the third semester, after graduation). The longitudinal data show that the educational-scientific component is attributed increasingly less significance – after just three semesters it is already considered the most insignificant of all components, and the corresponding assessment of its quality and usefulness, too, is comparatively low. This relative disdain continues up to after graduation. These findings are discussed and reasons for the decrease in significance are revealed by means of a panel analysis.
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Clemens Wieser
Conceptualizations of Action in Paradigms of Research on Teaching
Concepts of teaching – in the form of models, theories, or schemes – have been developed both in general didactics and in research on teaching and learning. Through an analysis of concepts of both paradigms, commonalities and differences in the conceptualizations of action will be identified. The analysis is carried out by breaking down into their components theories of both paradigms. On the basis of identified challenges of the conceptualization of action, conceptual, methodological, and empirical perspectives, through which action in classroom teaching can be examined, will be sketched in the contribution’s résumé.
Kirsten Meyer/Benjamin Streim
He Who Has Will Be Given?
Promotion of highly gifted students and fairness
The article analyzes arguments in favor of the promotion of highly gifted students. This promotion is, on the one hand, justified by referring to the general welfare and, on the other, by arguing that it is owed to the highly talented students themselves. In the following, the focus will be on the analysis of pedagogical arguments which justify the promotion of highly gifted students on the basis of demands for equal opportunities and fairness. It will be shown that the analysis of these arguments has to be supplemented by an important perspective: the concept of talent has to be examined more closely and to be synchronized with arguments in favor of the promotion of highly gifted students. The analysis presented here raises doubts as to the claim that the promotion of highly talented students constitutes a dictate of fairness.
Angelika Paseka
Self-Conceptualizations of Teachers – Between super-elevation, claims to normality, and contempt
The present contribution investigates the question of how teachers tropicalize their profession. On the basis of earlier studies, one would have to assume that negative images and concepts expressing contempt dominate. However, on the basis of excerpts from interviews with teachers and their analysis by means of the documentary method, it can be shown that that is not the case. A typology of four rhetorical patterns emerges, with the individual types differing as to the professional and organizational logics they draw upon and to the images of the teaching profession they refer to, as well as to the concept of the relation between the individual and the profession.
New Books