German High School Research Articles

Testing the internal/external frame of reference model of academic achievement and academic self-concept with open self-concept reports

The internal/external frame of reference model (I/E model) describes the relations between math and verbal achievement and self-concept. Whereas math and verbal achievement are positively associated with the corresponding self-concept, they are negatively associated with the non-corresponding self-concept. As yet, investigations of the I/E model have concentrated on quantitative self-concept assessments in closed-ended questionnaires. The present study aims to investigate whether the patterns of the I/E model are replicated when open-ended self-concept measures are used. Assessing open as well as closed self-concepts of N = 471 German high school students provides evidence for the generalizability of the I/E model to open-ended self-concept assessments: We found the typical I/E model patterns with both open and closed self-concepts.

Training Interventions to Foster Skill and Will of Argumentative Thinking

ABSTRACTArgumentative thinking requires not only the skill to apply argumentative strategies such as supporting theories with evidence but also the will to apply these strategies by considering argumentative thinking to be both reasonable and worthwhile. Focusing on direct instruction for the initial acquisition of both skill and will, we developed a new short-term computer-based training intervention. We tested its effects on learning processes and learning outcomes in an experimental study with 147 German high school students. Our intervention fostered facets of both skill (i.e. a declarative knowledge about argumentation) and will (i.e., epistemic orientation, intellectual values, and epistemic knowledge). We gained additional insights into learning mechanisms, such as the mediating effects of the learners' self-explanation activities and the advantage of addressing will before skill.

Vocational interests assessed at the end of high school predict life outcomes assessed 10 years later over and above IQ and Big Five personality traits.

Vocational interests are important aspects of personality that reflect individual differences in motives, goals, and personal strivings. It is therefore plausible that these characteristics have an impact on individuals' lives not only in terms of vocational outcomes, but also beyond the vocational domain. Yet the effects of vocational interests on various life outcomes have rarely been investigated. Using Holland's RIASEC taxonomy (Holland, 1997), which groups vocational interests into 6 broad domains, the present study examined whether vocational interests are significant predictors of life outcomes that show incremental validity over and above the Big Five personality traits. For this purpose, a cohort of German high school students (N = 3,023) was tracked over a period of 10 years after graduating from school. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the predictive validity of RIASEC interests and Big Five personality traits. Nine outcomes from the domains of work, relationships, and health were investigated. The results indicate that vocational interests are important predictors of life outcomes that show incremental validity over the Big Five personality traits. Vocational interests were significant predictors of 7 of the 9 investigated outcomes: full-time employment, gross income, unemployment, being married, having children, never having had a relationship, and perceived health status. For work and relationship outcomes, vocational interests were even stronger predictors than the Big Five personality traits. For health-related outcomes, the results favored the personality traits. Effects were similar across gender for all outcomes-except 2 relationship outcomes. Possible explanations for these effects are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Which one works best? Considering the relative importance of motivational regulation strategies

Although previous studies have shown that motivational regulation strategies are generally effective in sustaining students' effort and persistence, little is known about which kind of motivational strategy works best in general, and for certain students in particular. In this article, we investigated the relative importance of eight different motivational regulation strategies across three samples (N=531, N=613, and N=301, respectively) of German high school and college students under varying conditions. Relative weights analyses enabled us to control for multicollinearity and to disentangle the unique proportion of variance each motivational strategy explained in students' self-reported effort. Moreover, we examined potential moderating effects of gender, conscientiousness, dispositional interest, and achievement goal orientations. Consistently across the three samples, results revealed mastery self-talk as the most effective strategy, followed by proximal goal setting and performance-approach self-talk. Interest enhancement strategies and performance-avoidance self-talk did not explain a significant amount of variance in self-reported effort. There were no substantial moderation effects leading to the conclusion that the established rank order of motivational regulation strategies might be generally applicable to the majority of students. We discuss theoretical implications of our findings for future studies in motivation regulation research as well as practical implications for educational practitioners.

Who learns from errors on a class test? Antecedents and profiles of adaptive reactions to errors in a failure situation

Situations in which pupils experience failure on a class test have the potential to become learning opportunities on the basis of the feedback on errors, which lead to the failure. This paper explores with a sample of 479 German high school students in the domain of Mathematics to what extent, and when, pupils take advantage of this opportunity. Consistent with previous findings, it was shown that a distinction can be made between affective-motivational adaptive and action adaptive reactions to errors on a class exam. Latent profile analyses yielded three characteristic response patterns and illustrated that about 47% ninth graders responded adaptively and about 44% maladaptively to errors in terms of both dimensions. There were further about 9% who only showed strong affective-motivational and weak action adaptive reactions to errors. Structural equation modelling revealed that a positive ability self-concept, a strong pursuit of mastery goals, and internal-variable attributions to failure corresponded with adaptive reactions to errors and a strong pursuit of performance avoidance goals correspond with maladaptive reactions to errors.

Proficient beyond borders: assessing non-native speakers in a native speakers’ framework

English language proficiency is considered a basic skill that students from different language backgrounds are expected to master, independent of whether they are native or non-native speakers. Tests that measure language proficiency in non-native speakers are typically linked to the common European framework of reference for languages. Such tests, however, often lack the criteria to define a practically relevant degree of proficiency in English. We approach this deficit by assessing non-native speakers’ performance within a native speakers’ framework. Items from two English reading assessments—the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the National Assessment (NA) for English as a foreign language in Germany—were administered to N = 427 German high school students. Student abilities were estimated by drawing plausible values in a two-dimensional Rasch model. Results show that non-native speakers of English generally underperformed compared to native speakers. However, academic track students in the German school system achieved satisfactory levels of proficiency on the PISA scale. Linking the two scales showed systematic differences in the proficiency level classifications. The findings contribute to the validation and international localization of NA standards for English as a foreign language. Practical implications are discussed with respect to policy-defined benchmarks for the successful participation in a global English-speaking society.

A longitudinal study on the stability of self-estimated intelligence and its relationship to personality traits

The present study investigated the stability of fluid self-estimated intelligence (SEI) directly, one, and two weeks after the administration of an IQ test in N=238 German high school students (tested group, TG) in comparison to N=316 untested high school students (control group, CG). Multigroup latent change analysis indicated that, in comparison to the CG, the TG had a significant latent decrease in SEI from before to after having taken an IQ test (d=0.36), and again a significant latent increase in SEI one week later (d=0.28). There was no significant difference in the change from the first and the second week after the IQ test. Results further showed that more accurate SEI was obtained only directly after IQ test participation, but not one or two weeks later, possibly due to self-serving processes. Additionally, we found that extraverted persons displayed a substantially lower decrease in SEI from pre- to posttest, and their SEI rebound effect between posttest and follow-up was significantly smaller.

The Impact of Lengthening the School Day on Substance Abuse and Crime: Evidence from a German High School Reform

In the 2000s, a major educational reform in Germany reduced the academic high school duration by one year while keeping constant the total number of instructional hours before graduation. The instructional hours from the eliminated school year shifted to lower grade levels, which increased the time younger students spend at school. This study explores the impact of the reform on youth crime rates and substance abuse using administrative police crime statistics, administrative student enrollment data, and a student drug survey. The staggered implementation of the reform in different Lander-age-groups allows for a difference-in-difference approach. I find that the reform resulted in a decline in crime rates, which is almost exclusively driven by a reduction in violent crime and illegal substance abuse. Regarding the latter, the rate of illegal cannabis consumption strongly declined; however, no significant effect is detected on cannabis dealers or the consumption of other illegal drugs. The survey evidence further suggests that decreased cannabis consumption was not driven by a shift of consumption into 'school hours'. The results point to an 'incapacitation' effect of schooling due to the increased instructional hours at lower grade levels.

The role of process information in narrations while learning with animations and static pictures

The role of process information in annotating narrations used for learning with animations compared to static pictures is examined. In two experiments, seventh and eighth graders from German high schools were randomly assigned to learning environments which differed in the combination of visualization (no visualization vs. static pictures vs. animation) and type of narration (no narration vs. non-process narration vs. process narration). Results revealed that visualizations were necessary for this kind of instructional material to gain a deeper understanding. Moreover, the results consistently show a significant superiority of animations over static pictures. Concerning narrations, results display a significant superiority of process descriptions only in Experiment 1. Contrary to prior assumptions, the interaction of specific information in narrations with the type of visualizations was not significant.

Complex problem solving in educational contexts – Still something beyond a “good g”?

Complex problem solving (CPS) has become increasingly important in research on educational achievement. Recent studies showed its incremental validity beyond reasoning in predicting school grades as measurements of scholastic achievement. However, those studies used mostly a narrow operationalization of intelligence such as (figural) reasoning. This study therefore operationalized intelligence in the framework of a “good g” (Jensen & Weng, 1994). A sample of N=496 German high school students completed an intelligence test battery, the CPS test MicroDYN, and scholastic competence tests in mathematics or reading comprehension; additionally, the students reported their grades in mathematics and German. Results of structural equation models showed (1) higher correlations between CPS and the good g (r≈.70) compared to many former studies, (2) mostly moderate to high correlations between CPS and educational achievements in both school subjects that were comparable to the g-achievement-correlations (except for the insignificant CPS-German grade-correlation), and (3) when controlled for the common variance with intelligence, the regression coefficients of CPS dropped considerably and intelligence prevailed as the significantly better predictor of the competence tests and grades. Residual models revealed that the intelligence-residual incrementally predicted these criteria beyond CPS, whereas the CPS-residual only predicted the mathematics competence test beyond intelligence. Implications of these findings for CPS and its importance for different domains and achievement indicators in educational contexts are discussed.

The intercultural transfer of football: the contexts of Germany and Argentina

Historians of sport have paid little attention to the ways in which modern sports such as football were transferred from its place of origin to receiving cultures around the globe. While it is recognized that this ball game emerged in nineteenth-century English public schools, little is known about the transformations this game underwent in becoming modern-day German football and modern-day Argentine football. Applying the model of intercultural transfer, my contribution will investigate the process of the transfer of this ball game from English public schools to German and Argentine high schools. The emergence of football and its transfer across the world was carried out by teachers and students and it was part of educational reform since this game offered an alternative to the traditional ways of imposing discipline. Discipline did not come from an outside force such as the teacher but from the rules of the game. This game, further, encouraged team work in order to achieve victory and offered sons of middle-class families an introduction into the mechanisms of the capitalist market. The introduction of soccer into urbanizing cultures was also part of social hygiene debates and many of the protagonists of this game were also involved in social reform debates about improving the quality of living in modern cities.

Syntactic complexity in a cross-cultural E-mail exchange

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate changes in syntactic complexity in L2 learners' e-mails in a cross-cultural virtual exchange. Learners of German at an American university participated in a twelve-week e-mail exchange with learners of English at a German high school. Syntactic complexity was measured multidimensionally at the beginning and at the end of the exchange in the American students' emails. The results showed that students wrote with statistically significantly more global and subordination complexity in their later emails. The qualitative analysis of the e-mail data revealed that request for provision of feedback and writing to an authentic audience are two main factors impacting L2 writing in an e-mail project that evolve out of students' ability to establish a friendly context for the exchange. The findings from the study suggest that computer-mediated communication projects may increase students' motivation and interest for L2 writing, leading to improvements in syntactic complexity.

Analysis of High School German Textbooks through Rasch Measurement Model

The purpose of the present study is to analyze German teacher trainers’ views on high school German textbooks through the Rasch measurement model. A survey research design was employed and study group consisted of a total of 21 teacher trainers, three from each region and selected randomly from provinces which are located in seven regions and categorized as developed, moderately developed, and least developed. The study Data were collected through a questionnaire developed by the researchers in the light of experts’ views. When content validity indices (CVIs) and content validity ratios (CVRs) of the questionnaire items were calculated, the result (CVI>CVR/0.82>0.56) indicated the questionnaire to be reliable. Three facets of the study according to the Rasch measurement model were Judges (21 German teacher trainers), items related to high school German textbooks (11 items) and German textbooks (A1.1, A1.2, A2.1, A2.2) for 9 th , 10 th , 11 th , and 12 th grades. According to the Rasch analysis results, while the textbook coded A1.1 has the highest quality, the textbook coded A2.2has the poorest quality. In terms of items, the most difficult item was 10 while the easiest item was 1, and for judges, J7 had the most severe while J9 had the most lenient behavior. In the light of the results, more rigorous and detailed studies are suggested to improve the quality of textbooks.

Financial literacy of high school students: Evidence from Germany

ABSTRACTAfter graduating high school, underage individuals soon face ever more complex and important financial decisions. Pivotal to the development of improved financial literacy programs is a comprehensive examination of financial literacy levels and potentially related factors. The authors conducted a survey among German high school students and found similarly weak performances on standard financial literacy measures as have been documented for other samples. Female students and those with a low level of integration exhibit significantly lower financial literacy across measures. Additionally, basic financial literacy is related to mathematical skills, while sophisticated financial literacy is related to a student's general cognitive aptitude and foreign language skills. Subpopulations identified by these factors should be given attention in the development of more targeted financial literacy programs.

Insights Into the Diversity of Attitudes Concerning Evolution and Creation: A Multidimensional Approach

ABSTRACTThe main aim of this paper is to describe high school students’ attitudes concerning evolution and creation, with a focus on (1) attitudes toward evolutionary theory, (2) attitudes toward the Biblical accounts of creation, (3) creationist beliefs, and (4) scientistic beliefs. Latent class analyses revealed seven attitude profiles in a sample of 1672 German high school students. In contrast with the prevailing focus on creationism in science education research, a scientistic attitude profile (22%) rather than a creationist attitude profile (4%) characterized the largest group in this sample. The remaining five profiles account for three‐fourths of the sample and describe a range of different positions, that is, noncreationist and nonscientistic positions. Moreover, the groups of students who belonged to different attitude profiles differed significantly in terms of further variables: (a) perception of conflict between science and theology, (b) attitudes toward science, (c) attitudes toward religion, (d) understanding of the nature of science, and (e) understanding of the nature of Christian theology. The benefit of the presented approach is discussed in the context of previous studies that focused on the acceptance of evolutionary theory. Because we found evidence for a wide variety of attitudes, implications for teaching and learning evolution are discussed.

Stress, coping and emotional and behavioral problems among German high school students

This research tests a mediator-model of stress, coping and emotional/behavioral problems. The sample comprises 350 adolescents in the penultimate year of high school. Higher levels of overall stress as well as those related to school and future, the most problematic domains, were associated with more emotional/behavioral problems. The association was partially mediated through withdrawal. The proportion of the indirect effect was higher in the school-specific compared to the future-related or overall model. Future research on successful transitions from school should focus on stress, particularly with school and future, and pay attention to specifics of withdrawal in each context.

Perpetrators on the internet: Analyzing individual and structural explanation factors of cyberbullying in school context

Although research on cyberbullying has grown rapidly in the last years, holistic explanation approaches are still rare. In a first step, the present study discusses a theoretically derived, integrative model explaining a cyberbullies behavior referring to individual and structural influencing factors. This model was empirically tested among a sample of 1428 German high school pupils within a two-wave panel survey. Additionally, it was investigated whether the explanation patterns vary depending on the particular audience reached by the cyberbullying behavior. The results showed that technical resources enhanced the perpetration mediated via higher levels of perceived behavioral control. In contrast, social resources and norms also directly favored the perpetration of cyberbullying, however, only if this was witnessed by a certain audience. It is assumed that there is a group of cyberbullies who use the behavior as an instrumental strategy in order to reach socially motivated goals.

Die Wortschatzprogression im algerischen gymnasialen DaF-Unterricht: Eine didaktisch-linguistische Untersuchung

Vocabulary Progression in Algerian German Classes: A Linguo-didactic Perspective
 The specification of foreign language learning in high school as regards vocabulary as the basis for further learning at university. Learning a language absolutely requires THE mastery of its vocabulary. For this reason, this scientific work was created, which researches vocabulary progression in Algerian high school DaF lessons. The aim of this didactic-linguistic study is to determine the type of progression in vocabulary work and to prove the importance of vocabulary teaching in high school foreign language teaching - in our case Algeria. In order to achieve my goal, I have distributed written questionnaires to high school teachers in different cities of Algeria, through which I will gather all the experiences that teachers have had in this area. The Algerian textbook "Vorwarts" for the 2nd and 3rd year of high school is also analyzed from the aspect of vocabulary. They also sit in on class lessons to observe with their own eyes how the vocabulary is used in the German high school class in Algeria. It should also be observed how the students themselves and their teachers proceed step by step in learning vocabulary. It is worth noting that vocabulary work is considered one of the most important sub-skills in foreign language learning and teaching, therefore its neglect could lead to incomplete foreign language education.

Two dimensions of social anxiety disorder: a pilot study of the Questionnaire for Social Anxiety and Social Competence Deficits for Adolescents.

BackgroundThe Questionnaire for Social Anxiety and Social Competence Deficits for Adolescents (SASKO-J) was developed as an instrument for clinical diagnostics of social anxiety disorder in youths by measuring social anxiety and social deficits in two separate dimensions. The study provides an initial assessment of the scale’s psychometric properties in a clinical sample.MethodThe reliability and validity of the SASKO-J were assessed in a mixed clinical sample of 12- to 19-year-old German adolescents (N = 85; mean age 15.71 years; SD = 1.92; 62.4 % girls). In a second step, the diagnostic validity was evaluated in a clinical sample of 31 adolescent patients with social anxiety disorder (mean age 16.10 years; SD = 1.54; 74.2 % girls) and a sample of 115 German high school students (mean age 15.84 years; SD = 1.65; 60.9 % girls) via Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis.ResultsThe internal consistencies of the total scale and the subscales were good to excellent (0.80 ≤ α ≤ 0.96), and the results indicated a good convergent and divergent validity. The ROC analysis revealed a satisfying area under curve (AUC = 0.866), and a cutoff of 41.5 for the SASKO-J total score represented the best balance of sensitivity (0.806) and specificity (0.826).ConclusionsThe results of this pilot study provide initial support for the clinical use of the SASKO-J in the diagnostic process. Future research should address the question of psychometric properties in a social anxiety disorder sample as well as the questionnaire’s sensitivity for detecting change in symptoms during therapy.

Effects of a training intervention to foster precursors of evaluativist epistemological understanding and intellectual values

Kuhn (2001) proposed two crucial prerequisites for the will to engage in argumentative thinking: Evaluativist epistemological understanding that provides the base for regarding argumentative thinking reasonable and intellectual values that reflect the extent to which people regard intellectual engagement as being worthwhile. Against this background, we developed a computer-based training intervention in the domain of ecology to foster precursors of evaluativist epistemological understanding and intellectual values as well as conceptual knowledge about epistemological understanding and intellectual values. We tested the training intervention in a control-group experimental design at two points of time: immediately after the intervention and one week later. Participants were 66 German high school students (35 female; mean age = 18.21). We found positive effects of our training intervention on epistemic orientation, intellectual values, and conceptual knowledge that were (still) observable after one week. Overall, the present computer-based training intervention can be regarded as a promising first step on the way to fostering important prerequisites of the will to engage in argumentative thinking.