All-day Schools Research Articles

Qualified and Unqualified Staff in German All-day Schools. An Exploratory Overview

In Germany, three groups can be identified who work in all-day schools and take on pedagogical tasks in extended education: Teachers, pedagogical staff, and staff without a pedagogical qualification (lay pedagogues). While the professionalisation debate on teachers and pedagogical staff already exists, there is a lack of knowledge on lay staff. In this article we consider the group of lay pedagogues. Findings from existing studies explore in more detail the expertise that personnel bring into all-day education.

Personal und Qualifikation im Ganztag

ZusammenfassungDer Rechtsanspruch auf ganztägige Bildung und Betreuung im Primarbereich führt zu einem enormen Personalbedarf, der rechnerisch wahrscheinlich nicht mit Fachkräften zu decken sein wird (Rauschenbach et al. 2021). Dies führt bereits jetzt dazu, dass pädagogische Lai*innen bzw. pädagogisch unqualifiziertes Personal im schulischen Ganztag tätig sind. Empirisch zeigt sich, dass Fachpersonal die in der Ausbildung angeeigneten Wissensbestände in der Praxis nicht nutzt. Auch eine nachhaltige Veränderung der pädagogischen Einstellungen durch das Studium kann nicht konstatiert werden. Professionspolitisch gleichen diese Argumentationslinien einem Desaster. Der Beitrag untersucht empirisch, ob pädagogische Fachkräfte über mehr Wissen über den Ganztag verfügen, kindorientierter eingestellt sind und ein höheres Reflexionsniveau erreichen als pädagogische Lai*innen. Professionalität wird hierbei definiert über eine Orientierung am Kind (anstelle von schulischen Vorgaben), das Wissen über die Qualität von Ganztagsangeboten und die Reflexivität des eigenen Handelns respektive den Umgang mit pädagogischen Antinomien. Theoretisch gerahmt wird dies durch ein kompetenz- und strukturtheoretisches Professionsverständnis. Es zeigt sich, dass die Qualifikation durchaus einen Effekt auf die Kindorientierung und die Reflexivität der Befragten hat.

Qualität in der Ganztagsschule – Qualität im Ganztag

ZusammenfassungIn Ganztagsschulen sind mindestens zwei Systeme (Schule sowie Kinder- und Jugendhilfe) aufgefordert zusammenzuarbeiten. Entsprechend breit und diffus sind vorliegende Qualitätsverständnisse. Qualität ist eine Frage der Perspektive und dahinterliegenden Zielvorstellungen. Somit können auch unterschiedliche Qualitätsvorstellungen von Ganztag nebeneinanderstehen. Entsprechend wird im vorliegenden Beitrag für eine kontextgebundene Reflexion verschiedener Qualitäts- und Zielvorstellungen anstelle eines einheitlichen Qualitätsmodells argumentiert. Im Fokus stehen Qualitätsmerkmale und -begriffe mit Blick auf den Ganztag aus Sicht der Ebene der Organisation und der Adressat*innen (Eltern und Kinder).

Developing and implementing an “All-day School” model in Lviv, Ukraine

Implementing an all-day school model was one of the steps undertaken in Lviv, Ukraine as part of the system-wide reforms introduced by the New Ukrainian School. The all-day school model increases the allocated class time for students and provides equal educational opportunities for all, regardless of social and economic backgrounds. The introduction of the innovations was preceded by the development and implementation of integrated curriculum units at the primary school level and was made possible by the formal acceptance of a Policy Directive by the Lviv City Council. Despite COVID limitations (2019–2021) and the proclamation of a State of War due to Russia’s full-scale invasion (2022–2024), the all-day school model has thrived and has been expanded. It is the purpose of this paper to present an overview of the implementation of the all-day school for grades 1–4 in the City of Lviv, Ukraine during the 2017–2024 period. A focus will be made on the pre-implementation activities that were conducted and the number of schools, teachers and classes that are currently participating in the project. Information will also be shared on how the needs of the teachers in filling the increased allocated time are being met. In conclusion, recommendations for further analysis of the all-day school will be made. Keywords: all-day school, allocated class time, New Ukrainian School, equal educational opportunities, integrated curriculum units.

Are adolescents more socially integrated in all-day schools than in half-day schools?

Abstract: In Germany, the number of all-day schools has been steadily increasing since 2001. This study examines the social relationships of students in all-day and half-day schools. We hypothesized that spending more time with different classmates in extracurricular activities and a greater emphasis on social skills in all-day schools contribute to higher levels of social integration. We also expected that classrooms with higher participation rates in extracurricular activities would exhibit higher levels of social integration. We analyzed data from the IQB Trends in Student Achievement 2018 study, including information from 10,010 ninth-grade students (15.49 years old; 49.0% girls) in 481 classrooms from 368 German secondary schools (202 half-day and 166 all-day schools). Linear regression analyses of different social integration measures at the classroom level, including self-reported and sociometric items, enabled us to explore differences in social relations based on extracurricular participation, controlling for school track and composition. Results showed that all-day schools exhibited higher levels of social integration than half-day schools. Additionally, classrooms with higher extracurricular participation rates displayed higher levels of social integration than classrooms with lower extracurricular participation rates. However, the effects of these findings were small.

No More Homework? Negotiations of Parental Engagement in All-Day Schools

In the course of the implementation of all-day schools in Zurich, traditional homework has been integrated within the new educational system. This action is altering the arrangement and opportunity of parental engagement and requires new negotiation processes between family and school. In this qualitative study including interviews with parents (n=8), three patterns of relational connection between parents and professionals were found. The integration of homework is perceived either as a relief or as a loss of control and requests an adaption of communicative forms. It can be seen that parental engagement in children’s learning at home highly depends on individual parents’ attitudes and trust toward school as well as the student’s success at school.

Promoting Commitment: The Influence of School Culture and Work-Related Emotional Variables on the Affective Commitment of Teachers at German All-Day Schools

A variety of reform and development efforts in the German educational system, especially the extension of the school day, going along with an increasing autonomy of individual schools and extending demands on teachers led to growing interest in business science concepts being applied in the field of school development research. A main emphasis lies in the commitment of teachers who are responsible for the implementation and the success of these reforms. The aim of this paper is to identify reasons that lead to a high level of commitment of the teaching staff with a focus on German all-day schools. The intended results will be obtained by a structural equation model based on the information provided by 649 primary all-day school teachers. In addition to the relationships with other actors in the school, which are summarised under the heading of school culture, variables relating to the personalities of the teachers can be identified as predictive.

Promoting quality of extended education at primary schools in Sweden and Germany: A comparison of guidelines and children’s perspectives

Internationally, provisions of extended education programs and related research are increasing. Over the past decade, many governments have established quality standards according to their specific goals. The aim of this comparative case study of School-Age Educare Centers in Sweden and all-day schools in Germany is to identify steps to ensure high quality of extended education in line with requirements for future education. We analyze the perspectives of policymakers, reflected in guidelines and quality standards and explore data from qualitative studies to determine how children define quality and relate it to their well-being and agency. Despite differences in quality standards in Sweden and Germany, children in both contexts describe similar experiences, shortcomings, and needs.

Extended Education in Germany between Complementation and Compensation: An Analysis of Extracurricular Primary School Offerings With Regard to Content, Frequency, and Range, in Connection With the Composition of the Student Body

All-day schools, the most common school form with extended education offerings in Germany, are expected to complement regular hours of school instruction with a wide array of offers and to compensate for origin-related educational gaps by providing specific offerings for disadvantaged students. Complementation and compensation can only be achieved by providing extracurricular offerings within the all-day school program suitable for the respective student body. This study empirically investigates the extracurricular offerings at 300 German primary schools with regard to their content, frequency, and range, in connection with the composition of the student body. Descriptive findings show high prevalence of homework assistance, remedial eaching, sports, and music/art. Conducting latent profile analysis, three distinct profiles of extracurricular school programs were identified depending on the extracurricular offerings provided. Schools with a student body with lower levels of linguistic competence and higher amounts of immigrant students were more likely schools providing homework assistance and a broad range of offerings. Our results suggest that offerings partially meet the specific needs of the student body, but that the potential is not yet fully exploited in order to bring about complementation and compensation.

“Pop-Up Systems”—Innovative Sport and Exercise-Oriented Offerings for Promoting Physical Activity in All-Day Schools

In all-day schools and schools with extended education, children have the opportunity to spend the whole day at school. Full-day attendance at school requires a reorientation of extended time. Therefore, it is important to consider how children spend their time between lessons and identify conducive opportunities. As part of the project “Sport in the School Environment”, multiple mobile pop-up facilities were installed at several all-day schools in Zurich, Switzerland, for a period of 3–6 weeks. These facilities included “Parkour”, “Pumptrack”, “Skatepark”, and “Streetsoccer”. The aim was to find out whether these installations offer an opportunity for physical activity (PA). At the same time, social aspects of the students using these facilities as part of their all-day school attendance were observed. The following questions were investigated: How, by whom, and in which contexts are the installations used? The use of the facilities was evaluated content-analytically and descriptively. It was shown that the facilities are used intensively and in very different ways. The main focus of the pop-up facilities is on the use of the facilities and the creation of opportunities for children and young people to exercise and meet up with each other.

«Pop-Up Systems» — Innovative Sport and Exercise-Oriented Offerings for Promoting Physical Activity in All-Day Schools

«Pop-Up Systems» — Innovative Sport and Exercise-Oriented Offerings for Promoting Physical Activity in All-Day Schools

Effective but Not Feasible—What Support Staff in All-Day Primary Schools Think of Pedagogical Interventions with Regard to Children with ADHD

Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are faced with multiple challenges both in the classroom and in the homework situation. While there are many studies on pedagogical interventions by teachers in the classroom, this is hardly the case when it comes to support staff in after-school homework supervision. In this study, 196 support staff with different qualifications were asked not only about their knowledge of ADHD, their subjective level of stress, and whether they felt trained enough to work with children with ADHD, but also to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of 25 interventions in homework supervision. Overall, the respondents rated effectiveness higher than feasibility. Higher qualifications, greater knowledge, and better preparation went hand in hand with higher ratings of effectiveness. The more stressed the support staff feel themselves to be, the less feasible they rate the measures. The results underline the necessity of employing well-trained pedagogical staff to supervise children with ADHD. A number of interventions can be identified that the support staff deem to be both effective and feasible, and that promise a high level of implementation in practice. At the same time, more attention should be given to potential obstacles to using recommended measures in training and further education.

Catering situation at Austrian schools

Abstract Background Due to the increase in all-day compulsory schools in Austria, it is important that students receive health-promoting meals throughout the day. The aim of the analysis was a nationwide evaluation of the current situation concerning catering at schools. Methods Using a nationwide representative sample of schools from the 5th grade upwards, a questionnaire was conducted as a telephone interview with 331 randomly chosen schools. In addition, 56 schools in Vienna from the 5th grade onwards were randomly selected in order to analyze the current offer at school cafeterias in detail. Results Lunch was offered at 72% of all schools, a school cafeteria was available at 81%, a cold drink vending machine at 66%, a hot drink vending machine at 41% and a snack vending machine at 23%. With regard to the health promoting composition of the catering offer, 18% of all schools already had a certified lunch menu, 22% a certified school cafeteria, 14% a certified cold drink vending machine and 5% a certified snack vending machine. In 79% of schools there is direct competition for school catering (93% supermarkets, 45% bakeries, 33% snack stands, 8% fast food restaurants). The results of the detailed analysis in Vienna showed that only 35% of all school cafeterias are certified. All of these locations are advised externally. Conclusions The majority of the schools offer catering during breaks and at lunchtime. Without external advice, the majority of the offers must be classified as not health promoting. Key messages The food offered at schools is an important component in the nutrition of students in Austria. Cafeteria operators in schools often need external advice in order to be able to offer a healthy selection of food and beverages.

Specialised Professional Training Makes a Difference! The Importance and Prestige of Typical Duties in All-Day Schools from the Perspective of Teachers, Leisure Educators, Principals and Coordinators of Extended Education

In Austria there is a specialised education (60 ECTS) for “leisure educators”, who are professionals working in all-day schools in the field of extended education but who are not teachers. Despite the existence of leisure educators, also teachers are often tasked with supervising extended education settings like lunchtime, extra-curricular activities and uncommitted free time in all-day schools in Austria. This paper aims to illustrate the difference of prestige that comes with different fields of duty in extended education and the implications of that difference. The paper is based on a quantitative study carried out in all-day schools in Vienna. It looks at the prestige of typical professional duties in all-day schools and at the importance attached to these duties by different professional groups. Leisure educators assign a higher importance to non-formal activities than teachers or other professional groups do. Yet, these activities represent relevant fields of duty in respect of training children and adolescents in 21st century skills. Hence the authors propose to address typical extended education duties in teacher education to enable all-day school professional teams to work on eye-level and efficiently.

Rezension

Sang Hoon Bae, Joseph L. Mahoney, Sabine Maschke, & Ludwig Stecher: International Developments in Research on Extended Education. Perspectives on extracurricular activities, after-school programmes, and all-day schools (Frederick de Moll)

Knowledge and Feelings of Competence with Regard to ADHD Among Support Staff in All-Day Primary Schools

(1) Background: Schools report a high number of schoolchildren with poor attention and hyperactive behavior, with 5% being diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This causes specific problems during homework and classroom times, and the extension of all-day schooling in German primary schools makes this a challenge for support staff working in the after-school programs. Such staff have a very wide variety of qualifications, ranging from no formal teacher training to full teaching qualifications. (2) Methods: This study documents the knowledge of 196 support staff working in all-day primary schools about ADHD, and their subjective view of whether they feel competent with regard to homework situations in general and ADHD in particular. (3) Results: Those with an educational background have significantly more knowledge than those without such a background, staff feel less prepared to supervise children with ADHD, and there is a small but significant correlation here with knowledge about ADHD. (4) Conclusions: The importance of trained pedagogical staff in the supervision of children with concentration problems is emphasized.

The Professional Life of Leisure Pedagogues at Austrian All-Day Schools

Extract ----- Keywords: extended education, Austrian all-day schools, leisure pedagogues, training ----- Bibliography: Tritremmel, Gerald: The Professional Life of Leisure Pedagogues at Austrian All-Day Schools, IJREE – International Journal for Research on Extended Education, Vol. 8, Issue 1-2020, pp. 97-103. https://doi.org/10.3224/ijree.v8i1.08

Establishment of the All-day School in Lithuania: An Institutional Analysis

The traditional model of general education organization, which focuses only on the provision of human capital as a guarantor of welfare, cannot effectively achieve this goal without removing other barriers to the child’s development (OECD 2016). The acquisition of human capital also significantly depends on a person’s social and cultural capital. In addition to its traditional functions, a school can also provide social and cultural capital by providing a space for the interaction of various social networks, promotion of new ideas and cultural diversity, and the involvement of social partners in school activities (Healy 2001). An all-day school is one of the tools to provide children with social and cultural capital. Despite the existing disparities between a pupil’s achievement and the low level of their social and cultural capital (Shleider 2018), all-day schools are not widespread.According to John Elster (2000), the actions of an organization are determined firstly by opportunities and then by interests. Opportunities are determined by economic, institutional, and psychological constraints. The aim of this study is to analyze the institutional limitations of establishing an all-day school. Elinor Ostrom (2009) argues that the whole set of institutions that determine the situation of action (in our case, the establishment or non-establishment of an all-day school) can be divided into 7 groups: boundaries, positions, choices, aggregation, information, potential outcomes, and payoff institutions. The institutional limitations of all-day school establishment were analyzed in the study using a qualitative content analysis of documents on the principle of axial coding, distinguishing subcategories and categories. The results of the study showed that institutional constraints do not limit access to an all-day school, but there is a high concentration of power, lack of accountability for service quality, and parental costs that may limit access to services for children from lower-income families with the greatest social and economic disadvantages.

Individuelle Gesundheitskompetenz von Lehrkr\xe4ften und deren (Un)Sicherheit im Umgang mit chronisch erkrankten Schulkindern und Notfallsituationen

ZusammenfassungHintergrundGesundheitskompetenz (GK) gilt als eine Schlüsseldeterminante im Hinblick auf die Gesundheitssicherung. Die Förderung von GK sollte so früh wie möglich beginnen, um späteren Gesundheitsrisiken vorzubeugen. Im Setting Schule haben Lehrkräfte hierbei eine zentrale Rolle, denn sie werden durch den Ganztagsschulbetrieb sowie die Inklusionsbestrebungen immer häufiger mit Gesundheitsproblemen Heranwachsender konfrontiert. Gleichwohl kann festgestellt werden, dass eine Vielzahl der Lehrkräfte selbst erhebliche Gesundheitsprobleme aufweist, u. a. bedingt durch hohe Arbeitsbelastungen.FragestellungIn dieser Arbeit wird das Niveau der GK von Lehrkräften ermittelt und ein möglicher Zusammenhang zwischen individueller GK der Lehrkräfte und deren Sicherheit im Umgang mit chronisch erkrankten Schulkindern untersucht.MethodenEs erfolgte eine Sekundärdatenanalyse von Daten aus einer quantitativen Befragung von n = 420 Lehrkräften. Zur Selbsteinschätzung ihrer GK wurde der „European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire“ (HLS-EU-Q16) verwendet. Weiterhin erfolgten Korrelationsanalysen zwischen der GK und dem Grad der Unsicherheit im Umgang mit ausgewählten Gesundheitsproblemen.ErgebnisseMehr als die Hälfte der Befragten weist eine eingeschränkte GK auf. Gleichzeitig ist ein deutlicher Zusammenhang zwischen GK und der Sicherheit im Umgang mit chronisch erkrankten Schüler/‑innen festzustellen. Insbesondere im Umgang mit psychischer Gesundheit bestehen Unsicherheiten.DiskussionEs besteht eine Diskrepanz zwischen den Anforderungen an die Lehrkräfte im Hinblick auf die Bewältigung von Gesundheitsproblemen im Setting Schule und ihrer dafür benötigten Gesundheitskompetenz und Souveränität im Umgang mit chronischen und psychischen Beeinträchtigungen. Die genannten Aspekte können einen Einfluss auf die kindliche GK sowie die gesundheitliche Entwicklung der Heranwachsenden nehmen.

The Impact of All-Day Schools on Student Achievement - Evidence from Extending School Days in German Primary Schools

This paper studies the effect of longer school days — induced by voluntary all-day programs in German primary schools — on school performance. We combine data from the National Educational Panel Study covering 5771 primary school students with municipality-level information on all-day school investments. Facing the challenge of selection into all-day school programs, we instrument all-day school expansion with construction subsidies from a large federal investment project. Results imply that all-day programs lead to improvements in language and math skills as measured by teacher assessments and to a higher probability of being recommended for the academic track after primary school. The heterogeneity analysis reveals that boys benefit more than girls from all-day programs in terms of the assessment by their math teacher. Furthermore, there is a significant negative effect on non-native speakers’ math and German test scores.