Research In German-speaking Countries Research Articles

Religious Learning Environments of Austrian Muslim Youth: An Empirical Analysis of Religious Educational Processes

In recent decades, Islamic education and the religiosity of young Muslims have received considerable attention in academic research in German-speaking countries. However, an analysis of the different learning environments of religious education and their respective significance has yet to be carried out so far. Using Austria as an example, this paper explores these different processes of religious education among Muslim adolescents. Based on qualitative guided interviews, the experiences and learning processes in the family, in the mosque, in the school, and online are depicted from the learners’ perspective. In this way, this paper assigns Muslim adolescents a constitutive role in the analysis. In this context, we discuss how the understanding of education, pedagogical approaches, and person-centredness differs in the learning environments of Muslim religious education.

Handlungsnahe Kompetenzmessung in der Lehrkräftebildungsforschung – Eine Übersichtsarbeit zu Eigenschaften von Messinstrumenten in der DACH-Region.

AbstractIn recent years, a new branch of teacher competence research has emerged in which competence is measured close to teaching performance. Such so-called performance assessment approaches are gaining increasing attention, but the research field is still fragmented. A lack of overview and varying reporting practices interfere with its coherent development. This scoping literature review provides an overview of recent advances and the current state of performance assessment instruments in teacher education research in German-speaking countries. We examined assessment instruments that provide objective, standardised measurement procedures based on observable behaviour regarding teaching demands. Based on 20 assessment instruments, a category system with 14 categories was inductively developed, capturing their characteristics in terms of context, test methods, and alignment with criteria for performance assessment. Despite the considerable variation, three types of teacher performance assessment instruments could be identified through qualitative and exploratory statistical analyses. The results show continuity as well as development compared to previous reviews and provide suggestions on advancing the still-emerging research field. For example, they can be used to foster the coherence of the research field by providing information on typical instrument differences and similarities as well as essential reporting demands.

Quality of care in the last year of life: adaptation and validation of the German “Views of Informal Carers’ Evaluation of Services – Last Year of Life – Cologne”

BackgroundTo inform quality improvement and strengthen services provided in the last year of life, measuring quality of care is essential. For Germany, data on care experiences in the last year of life that go beyond diagnoses and care settings are still rare. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a German version of the ‘Views of Informal Carers’ Evaluation of Services – Short Form (VOICES-SF)’ suitable to assess the quality of care and services received across settings and healthcare providers in the German setting in the last year of life (VOICES-LYOL-Cologne).MethodsVOICES-SF was adapted and translated following the ‘TRAPD’ team approach. Data collected in a retrospective cross-sectional survey with bereaved relatives in the region of Cologne, Germany were used to assess validity and reliability.ResultsData from 351 bereaved relatives of adult decedents were analysed. The VOICES-LYOL-Cologne demonstrated construct validity in performing according to expected patterns, i.e. correlation of scores to care experiences and significant variability based on care settings. It further correlated with the PACIC-S9 Proxy, indicating good criterion validity. The newly added scale “subjective experiences of process and outcome of care in the last year of life” showed good internal consistency for each given care setting, except for the homecare setting. Test-retest analyses revealed no significant differences in satisfaction ratings according to the length of time since the patient’s death. Overall, our data demonstrated the feasibility of collecting patient care experiences reported by proxy-respondents across multiple care settings.ConclusionVOICES-LYOL-Cologne is the first German instrument to analyse care experiences in the last year of life in a comprehensive manner and encourages further research in German-speaking countries. This instrument enables the comparison of quality of care between settings and may be used to inform local and national quality improvement activities.Trial registrationThis study was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00011925; Date of registration: 13/06/2017).

The moral behavior of ethics professors: A replication-extension in Chinese mainland

ABSTRACT The relationship between professional ethical reflection and corresponding moral behavior is an important theme of moral psychology in recent years. Following Schönegger and Wagner’s research in German-speaking countries, through a replication-extension of the original US-based research carried out by Schwitzgebel and Rust, we aim at examining their results in the Chinese context. The previous researchers have shown that ethical reflection generally has no positive effect on moral behavior. A cross validation of this result was conducted in Chinese mainland, and three issues concerning Confucian virtues were added. Through reaching out to 4482 professors and collecting 368 responses altogether, we attempted to explore whether professional ethical reflection can influence normative attitude and the moral attitude-behavior consistency. Unfortunately, the results failed to show a statistically significant difference between ethicists and other professors on most of the moral issues, with the exception of paying academic membership fees and vegetarianism, wherein ethicists do express more stringent normative attitudes, and their moral attitude and self-reported behavior are statistically consistent. Notably, Chinese professors mainly expressed morally neutral attitudes toward the issue of eating meat, and they tended to believe that ethical reflection contributes to more and better moral behaviors.

Medical Care Situation of People with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Germany.

Background and Objective: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a severe illness with the hallmark symptom of Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM). Currently, no biomarkers or established diagnostic tests for ME/CFS exist. In Germany, it is estimated that over 300,000 people are affected by ME/CFS. Research from the United States and the UK shows that patients with ME/CFS are medically underserved, as they face barriers to medical care access and are dissatisfied with medical care. The first aim of the current research was to investigate whether patients with ME/CFS are medically underserved in Germany in terms of access to and satisfaction with medical care. Second, we aimed at providing a German-language version of the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire Short Form (DSQ-SF) as a tool for ME/CFS diagnostics and research in German-speaking countries. Materials and Methods: The current research conducted an online questionnaire study in Germany investigating the medical care situation of patients with ME/CFS. The questionnaire was completed by 499 participants who fulfilled the Canadian Consensus Criteria and reported PEM of 14 h or longer. Results: Participants frequently reported geographic and financial reasons for not using the available medical services. Furthermore, they reported low satisfaction with medical care by the physician they most frequently visited due to ME/CFS. The German version of the DSQ-SF showed good reliability, a one-factorial structure and construct validity, demonstrated by correlations with the SF-36 as a measure of functional status. Conclusions: Findings provide evidence that patients with ME/CFS in Germany are medically underserved. The German-language translation of the DSQ-SF provides a brief, reliable and valid instrument to assess ME/CFS symptoms to be used for research and clinical practice in German-speaking countries. Pathways to improve the medical care of patients with ME/CFS are discussed.

A translation and validation of the Perceived Political Self-Efficacy (P-PSE) Scale for the use in German samples

Caprara et al. (European Journal of Social Psychology 39:1002–1020, 2009) criticized existing measures of internal political efficacy for not taking into account psychological theories of self-efficacy and for the resulting low construct validity. As an alternative, they presented a ten-item measure called Perceived Political Self-Efficacy (P-PSE) Scale. Based on social cognitive theory, it adopts a psychological understanding of self-efficacy and captures the phenomenon in a more systematic and complete manner than previous measures of internal efficacy.We translated the P-PSE scale to German and tested it in a German national quota sample, using quotas for age, gender and education (N = 1025). We provided evidence on the scale’s construct validity (by testing its correlations towards related constructs) and on its criterion validity (by regressing political participation propensity on the P-PSE score). The scale explained ΔR2 = 26% of people’s propensity for political participation over and above sociodemographic variables, and ΔR2 = 12% over and above previously existing measures, demonstrating its incremental value. We also tested cross-cultural measurement invariance towards an Italian sample, establishing configural, as well as partial metric and scalar invariance. In addition, we validated a four-item short version of the scale, which proved to be similarly valid as the full version. We argue, that these two measurement instruments provide a more adequate way of assessing internal political efficacy for research in German-speaking countries.

Social Work Research in German-Speaking Countries

Social Work Research in German-Speaking Countries

The German Ethical Culture Scale (GECS): Development and First Construct Testing.

Misconduct in organizations (such as fraud, stealing, deception, and harming others) is not only a matter of some “bad apples” but also related to the organizational context (“bad barrels”), which can facilitate either ethical or unethical behaviors. Given the financial crisis and recurring corporate ethics scandals, policymakers, regulators and organizations are interested in how to change their organizational cultures to enhance ethical behavior and to prevent further disasters. For this purpose, organizations need to better understand what strategies and factors of the organizational environment can affect (un)ethical behavior. However, to assess the corporate ethical culture, solid measures are required. Since there is an urgent need to have a German measure to promote research in German-speaking countries, this research developed and tested the German Ethical Culture Scale (GECS). Drawing on a prominent approach that has received much attention from scholars and practitioners alike, the GECS attempts to integrate the notion of compliance- and integrity-based ethics programs (with its focus on how to steer organizations) with the notion of ethical culture (with its focus on what factors inhibit or foster ethical behavior). Three studies with heterogeneous samples of German and Swiss employees and managers were conducted to develop, test and validate the multidimensional scale (total N > 2000). Overall, the studies provide first evidence of the measure’s construct, criteria-related and incremental validity. The paper concludes with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the GECS and implications for future research.

How to use mixed-methods and triangulation designs: An introduction to history education research

As in many other social science disciplines, mixed methods and triangulation are gaining importance in history education research. Nevertheless, in this discipline there is also a prevailing lack of theoretical and methodological reflection about method integration. With this article, we wish to stimulate the methodological debate regarding this issue within the community of history education researchers and to strengthen the research profile of the discipline. We start by presenting lines of discussion regarding adequate research methods for the investigation of different types of social phenomena. Thereafter, we show how the 'paradigm wars' in social research were mitigated by the development of integrative concepts such as triangulation and mixed methods. Then we focus on current developments in history education research in German-speaking countries. Finally, we give a brief overview on international research into history teachers' beliefs, thereby addressing specific challenges for the application of triangulation or mixed methods in our discipline.

Bibliometric analysis of corporate governance research in German-speaking countries: applying bibliometrics to business research using a custom-made database

The objective of the present study on corporate governance research in German-speaking countries is to portray the networks in this field, identify the central sources and actors, and establish the relations between individual subdisciplines. The present paper therefore uses bibliometric and network analysis to investigate business research literature in the leading journals in German-speaking countries. As none of the major citation databases could be used for the bibliometric analysis given the subject area under investigation, the first step was to create a bibliometric database for the planned evaluation. Using this as a basis, bibliometric evaluations were then carried out with a focus on co-citation analysis. This analysis was based on an evaluation of over 10,000 references in 267 source documents. This identified the key publications on business research in German-speaking countries that have a particularly strong influence on the subject of corporate governance. The various key areas were clustered according to similarity and visualized in a network.

The Corporate Ethical Culture Scale (CECS): A New Measure of Ethical Culture

Misconduct in organizations (such as fraud, stealing, deception, and harming others) is not only a matter of some “bad apples” but also related to the organizational context (“bad barrels”), which can facilitate either ethical or unethical behaviors. Given the financial crisis and recurring corporate ethics scandals, policymakers, regulators and organizations are interested in how to change their organizational cultures to enhance ethical behavior and to prevent further disasters. For this purpose, organizations need to better understand what strategies and factors of the organizational environment can affect (un)ethical behavior. However, to assess the corporate ethical culture, solid measures are required. Since there is an urgent need to have a German measure to promote research in German-speaking countries, this research developed and tested the German Ethical Culture Scale (GECS). Drawing on a prominent approach that has received much attention from scholars and practitioners alike, the GECS attempts to integrate the notion of compliance- and integrity-based ethics programs (with its focus on how to steer organizations) with the notion of ethical culture (with its focus on what factors inhibit or foster ethical behavior). Three studies with heterogeneous samples of German and Swiss employees and managers were conducted to develop, test and validate the multidimensional scale (total N > 2000). Overall, the studies provide first evidence of the measure’s construct, criteria-related and incremental validity. The paper concludes with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the GECS and implications for future research.

Subject-specific characteristics of instructional quality in mathematics education

Instructional research in German-speaking countries has conceptualized teaching quality recently according to three generic dimensions, namely, classroom management, student support and cognitive activation. However, as these dimensions are mainly regarded as generic, subject-specific aspects of mathematics instruction, e.g., the mathematical depth of argumentation or the adequacy of concept introductions, are not covered in depth. Therefore, a new instrument for the analysis of instructional quality was developed, which extended this three-dimensional framework by relevant subject-specific aspects of instructional quality. In this paper, the newly developed observational protocol is applied to three videotaped mathematics lessons from the NCTE video library of Harvard University to explore strengths and weaknesses of this instrument, and to examine in more detail how the instrument works in practice. Therefore, we used a mixed-methods design to extend the quantitative observer ratings, which enable high inference, by methods from qualitative content analysis. The results suggest the conclusion that the framework differentiates well between the lessons under a subject-specific perspective.

Publication activity in medical education research: A descriptive analysis of submissions to the GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung in 2007-2015.

Objectives: The significance of medical education research has increased internationally. In this context we investigated whether, and if so, how the quantity and quality of scientific papers reviewed and/or published by the GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung (GMS Z Med Ausbild) changed. Methods: The quantity and ratio of original papers, project reports and reviews submitted to or published in the GMS Z Med Ausbild were analysed. Published scientific articles were investigated in regard to the quality features “study type” and “mode of data collection” as well as the background (university affiliation) of the last authors. The citation frequency within the first five years after PubMed listing was compared to the one of BMC Medical Education in the corresponding period. Results: The number of submitted scientific manuscripts increased steadily. Most of the submissions and publications are original papers. For publications explorative studies and prospective data collection are most common. A shift over time is not observed. 16% of the published works come from one and 36% from four of the in total 39 universities represented by the last authors. The development of the citation frequency of articles published in GMS Z Med Ausbild is similar to that of BMC Medical Education. Conclusion: The rising number of submissions indicates an increasing significance of medical education research in German-speaking countries. The development of the number of citations reflects the growing appreciation of GMS Z Med Ausbild also indicated by the increasing number of online accesses. Our findings that study type and mode of data collection did not change has to be interpreted with caution since among other things choice and correct application of adequate methods are crucial regarding a scientific work’s quality, too. These aspects, however, were not investigated in this paper.

The reliability of the German version of the Richards Campbell Sleep Questionnaire.

The assessment of sleep quality in critically ill patients is a relevant factor of high-quality care. Despite the fact that sleep disturbances and insufficient sleep management contain an increased risk of severe morbidity for these patients, a translated and applicable instrument to evaluate sleep is not available for German-speaking intensive care settings. This study aimed to translate the Richards Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ), a simple and validated instrument eligible for measuring sleep quality in critically ill patients, and subsequently to evaluate the internal consistency of the German version of the RCSQ. Furthermore, it also aimed to inquire into the perception of sleep in a sample of critically ill patients. The RCSQ was translated following established methodological standards. Data were collected cross-sectionally in a sample of 51 patients at 3 intensive care units at a university hospital in Germany. The German version of the RCSQ showed an overall internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of 0·88. The mean of the RSCQ in the sample was 47·00 (SD ± 27·57). Depth of sleep was rated the lowest and falling asleep again the highest of the RCSQ sleep items. The study demonstrated very good internal consistency of the German version of the RCSQ, allowing for its application in practice and research in German-speaking countries. Quality of sleep perception was generally low in this sample, emphasizing the need for enhanced care concepts regarding the sleep management of critically ill patients. Relevance to clinical practice Assessment of self-perception of sleep is crucial in order to plan an individually tailored care process.

Recovery assessment scale: Examining the factor structure of the German version (RAS-G) in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

BackgroundThe recovery framework has found its way into local and national mental health services and policies around the world, especially in English speaking countries. To promote this process, it is necessary to assess personal recovery validly and reliably. The Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) is the most established measure in recovery research. The aim of the current study is to examine the factor structure of the German version of the RAS (RAS-G). MethodsOne hundred and fifty-six German-speaking clients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder from a community mental health service completed the RAS-G plus measures of recovery attitudes, self-stigma, psychotic symptoms, depression, and functioning. A confirmatory factor analysis of the original 24-item RAS version was conducted to examine its factor structure, followed by reliability and validity testing of the extracted factors. ResultsThe CFA yielded five factors capturing 14 items which showed a substantial overlap with the original subscales Personal Confidence and Hope, Goal and Success Orientation, Willingness to Ask for Help, Reliance on Others, and No Domination by Symptoms. The factors demonstrated mean to excellent reliability (0.59–0.89) and satisfactory criterial validity by positive correlations with measures of recovery attitudes and functioning, and negative correlations with measures of self-stigma, and psychotic and depressive symptoms. ConclusionsThe study results are discussed in the light of other studies examining the factor structure of the RAS. Overall, they support the use of the RAS-G as a means to promote recovery oriented services, policies, and research in German-speaking countries.

A reflection of Human Resources Management research in German-speaking countries

A reflection of Human Resources Management research in German-speaking countries

Scoping review of nursing-related dissemination and implementation research in German-speaking countries: Mapping the field / Scoping Review zum Stand der pflegebezogenen Disseminations- und Implementierungsforschung in deutschsprachigen Ländern: eine Bestandsaufnahme

Abstract Implementing evidence-based innovations into care practice is a complex, slow and haphazard process. Dissemination and implementation (DI) research seeks to understand and optimize that process, to close gaps between research and practice and to improve quality of care. While there is a growing body of international DI research, little is known about the number and types of DI research studies and the DI topics studied in German-speaking nursing settings. This scoping review therefore evaluates the state of nursing-related DI research in German-speaking countries, discusses these results in light of the international state of DI research and provides directions for future research. We searched international databases (Web of Knowledge including Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and GeroLit), German library meta-search engines, six German-language key trade journals, and reference lists of included articles. In total, 186 references representing 140 research projects were included in our review. Quality appraisal used five validated checklists. Methodological quality of the included studies was generally low. A total of 92 studies assessed the effects of DI strategies, 67 studied DI barriers and facilitators, 64 evaluated the impact or characteristics of DI processes, and 5 reported on the development or validation of DI research tools. None of the included studies focussed on methodological questions of DI research or on development and testing of DI theories and models. Future nursing-related DI research in German-speaking countries should particularly focus on these latter topics. Taking into account the international state of DI research will be especially crucial for those research activities.

The active participation of German-speaking countries in conferences of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) between 2005 and 2013: a reflection of the development of medical education research?

Objectives: Medical education is gaining in significance internationally. A growing interest in the field has been observed in German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland) since the early 2000s. This interest is not, however, reflected in an increase in the number of publications on medical education of German-speaking authors in international professional journals. The following investigation examines the potential use of active participant numbers of German-speaking researchers at AMEE conferences as a means of measuring said development. Methods: The AMEE conference proceedings from the categories poster presentations, short communications, research papers and plenary presentations from the years 2005-2013 were examined for evidence of Austrian, German and Swiss participation. The abstracts were subsequently analysed in terms of content and categorised according to study design, methodology, object of study, and research topic.Results: Of the 9,446 analysed abstracts, 549 contributions show at least one first, last or co-author from Austria, Germany or Switzerland. The absolute number of contributions per conference varied between 44 in 2010 and 77 in 2013. The percentage fluctuated between 10% in 2005 and 4.1% in 2010. From the year 2010 onwards, however, participation increased continually. The research was predominantly descriptive (62.7%). Studies on fundamental questions of teaching and learning (clarification studies) were less frequent (4.0%). For the most part, quantitative methods (51.9%) were implemented in addressing subjects such as learning and teaching methods (33%), evaluation and assessment (22.4%) or curriculum development (14.4%). The study population was usually comprised of students (52.5%).Conclusions: The number of contributions from Austria, Germany and Switzerland peak at the beginning and at the end of the evaluated period of time. A continual increase in active participation since 2005 was not observed. These observations do not reflect the actual increase of interest in medical education research in German-speaking countries.

The publication landscape of German corporate governance research: A bibliometric analysis

Although the importance and urgency of the corporate governance debate has increased in media, public and scientific literature after the financial crisis, there is no systematic and holistic approach to the phenomenon of corporate governance and the associated economic research in the Germanspeaking countries. Due to this, the literature on corporate governance research in the Germanspeaking area is examined by means of bibliometric methods and social network analysis in order to identify thematic clusters and the most influential documents and authors. Based on a co-citation analysis of over 10,000 references cited in 267 source documents, a map is constructed that depicts the landscape of corporate governance research in German-speaking countries. The analysis identifies a large body of accumulated corporate governance research, which is mostly based on the theoretical work from English-speaking scholars. Our findings and interpretations allow a new view on the German corporate governance research and on the particular understanding of corporate governance in the German-speaking research community. Today, around 10 years after the introduction of the German Corporate Governance Code, corporate governance research is a well-established segment of German business administration research characterized by diverse research focuses

Evaluating self‐efficacy for managing chronic disease: psychometric properties of the six‐item Self‐Efficacy Scale in Germany

Self-efficacy - the confidence to carry out certain behaviour in order to achieve a specific goal - has increasingly been recognized as an essential prerequisite of effective self-management of chronic diseases. Therefore, valid and reliable measures are needed to evaluate self-efficacy in both research and clinical practice. This study explored the psychometric properties of the German version of the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale (SES6G). We performed standardized translation and cultural adaptation of the SES6G into German. The SES6G was externally validated with the German General Self-Efficacy Scale (SWE). Cronbach's alpha, descriptive statistics and principal component analysis were used to assess psychometric properties of the SES6G. We assessed the effect of the number of co-occurring chronic diseases on SES6G scores using linear regression modelling by controlling for age, gender and education level. We analysed data of 244 primary care patients in Germany. The SES6G showed good convergent construct validity to the SWE (spearman rank correlation 0.578, P < 0.001) and high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.930). Principal component analysis underlined the one-dimensional structure of the instrument. Adjusted for age and gender, increasing numbers of co-occurring chronic diseases were associated with lower SES6G scores (standardized β-value -0.27, P < 0.001). Education level showed no significant effect. The SES6G is a reliable and valid instrument to assess patients' self-efficacy for managing chronic diseases. It may enhance further research in German-speaking countries and appears to be a valuable measure for clinical practice.