Schools In Germany Research Articles

Experiences with opt-in, at-home screening for SARS-CoV-2 at a primary school in Germany: an implementation study

BackgroundOver the course of the pandemic, many countries have repeatedly closed schools and shifted schoolchildren to remote learning. However, evidence for negative mental and physiological health consequences of such measures...

Feasibility of a surveillance programme based on gargle samples and pool testing to prevent SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in schools

School closures have a negative impact on physical and mental well-being, and education, of children and adolescents. A surveillance programme to detect asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection could allow schools to remain open, while protecting the vulnerable. We assessed the feasibility of a programme employing gargle samples and pool testing of individually extracted RNA using rRT-qPCR in a primary and a secondary school in Germany, based on programme logistics and acceptance. Twice a week, five participants per class were selected to provide samples, using an algorithm weighted by a risk-based priority score to increase likelihood of case detection. The positive response rate was 54.8% (550 of 1003 pupils). Logistics evaluation revealed the rate-limiting steps: completing the regular pre-test questionnaire and handing in the samples. Acceptance questionnaire responses indicated strong support for research into developing a surveillance programme and a positive evaluation of gargle tests. Participation was voluntary. As not all pupils participated, individual reminders could lead to participant identification. School-wide implementation of the programme for infection monitoring purposes would enable reminders to be given to all school pupils to address these steps, without compromising participant anonymity. Such a programme would provide a feasible means to monitor asymptomatic respiratory tract infection in schools.

Perfectly accomplished? Biographical trajectories and the production of inequality among exclusive boarding school alumni in Germany

ABSTRACTGiven that exclusive boarding schools in Germany are repeatedly referred to in public and academic discourses as places of elite education, the question arises as to the consequences of boarding school socialisation and how these schools affect the post-school biographies of their alumni. This qualitative study examines the autobiographies of alumni aged approximately 30 years who attended either expensive progressive education boarding schools (in the tradition of Landerziehungsheime) or state boarding schools for the highly gifted in Germany, which likely cater to different class fractions. The autobiographical narratives of 31 alumni were interpreted using biographical analysis. The results are discussed in relation to the habitus of boarding school students and the question of what this means for alumni’s post-school biographical trajectories and their social positioning in terms of habitus and capital.

“You Can Make a Difference”: Teachers’ Agency in Addressing Social Differences in the Student Body

Teachers are key players in transforming the education system (van der Heijden et al., 2015). They shape educational processes, influence school policies, and make day‐to‐day decisions that have a direct effect on students (Vähäsantanen, 2015). Yet we currently know very little about whether they can contribute to the creation of social equality of opportunity. This article focuses by way of example on the experiences and interpretative schemes of teachers in Germany, as the country is known for its highly selective school system. It draws on data from an exploratory study based on 20 narrative interviews (Rosenthal, 2018) with schoolteachers at three comprehensive schools in East and West Germany, which were selected because comprehensive schools in Germany see themselves as a more equal‐opportunity form of education. The article begins by identifying four types of teacher action orientations in addressing the social differences of schoolchildren. Unexpectedly, only a few teachers exhibited a socially conscious inclination to act—for example, by providing targeted support to schoolchildren from socially disadvantaged households. In the second step, by comparing teacher biographies, school environments, and historical imprints, the article attempts to identify certain conditions under which teachers perceive themselves as responsible for addressing social differences among students. Beyond illustrating the interplay of biographical experiences and school culture, the study’s east–west contextualization opens up a new perspective for examining the lingering implications of the German half‐day schooling model even after the introduction of all‐day schooling in 2003. One possible conclusion is that the transformation of the German school system from a half‐day to an all‐day model has not taken the tasks of teachers into account, which, as this article points out, would be important in making them aware of schoolchildren’s different social backgrounds and their effects on achievement.

Ketoacidosis in children and adolescents with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

The authors analysed data from the German Diabetes Prospective Follow-up Registry (DPV) of children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) between March 13 to May 13, 2020, when most kindergartens and schools in Germany were closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Compared to the previous 2 years, the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at T1D onset was nearly double during COVID-19 lockdown (adjusted relative risk: 1.84; 95% CI, 1.54-2.21) and the increased risk was highest in young children age < 6 years (2.75; 95% CI, 1.88-4.02).

Are there no wage returns to compulsory schooling in Germany? A reassessment

SummaryThis study replicates and challenges the finding of zero wage returns to compulsory schooling in Germany by Pischke and von Wachter (Review of Economics and Statistics, 90(3), 592–598), which is unusual in the literature yet widely cited and until now uncontradicted. I document that this finding is sensitive to minor changes in sample restrictions and model specification. Further results suggest that their estimates are potentially confounded by previously unconsidered institutional details. These findings render the conclusion that compulsory schooling in Germany yields no wage returns at a minimum controversial.

Teaching in Times of COVID-19: The Evaluation of Distance Teaching in Elementary and Secondary Schools in Germany

To depict the situation during the school closures in spring 2020 that were implemented to contain the spread of COVID-19, we conducted a self-constructed online survey on distance teaching among teachers regarding their teaching practices in this new situation, the challenges they experienced, and the prerequisites for successful distance teaching. The sample consisted of voluntarily participating German elementary (n= 857) and secondary school teachers (n= 1,590) from a sample of randomly drawn schools in four federal states in Germany. We describe the main survey findings and examine the importance of different distance teaching aspects for teacher reports of students attaining their learning objectives and students’ learning progress during distance teaching. Our results particularly highlight the necessity for students and teachers to remain in contact in all the surveyed school types. In elementary school, regular contact between teachers and parents is similarly important. The key challenges highlighted inadequate digitalization, the participation of all students, and students’ motivation. Correspondingly, adequate technical equipment for schools, teachers, and students, together with teachers’ and students’ competence to use technical devices and digital media as well as students’ motivation to participate in distance learning were found to be necessary prerequisites for successful distance teaching. We conclude that efforts should be devoted to enabling teachers and students to better communicate using digital devices, for example, expanding the digital infrastructure in combination with training teachers and students in the use of technical devices and digital media.

Interrelations of Physical Fitness and Cognitive Functions in German Schoolchildren.

This study investigated the relationship between different levels of physical fitness and cognitive functions in boys and girls. Schoolchildren from a comprehensive school in Germany (n = 211, 39% girls, 5th and 6th grade) attended regular or sport-focused classes with different numbers of physical education (PE) classes per week (3 vs. 5–6 h). Performance of physical fitness was tested according to endurance, strength, speed, coordination and flexibility. Four computerized instruments (switch task, 2-back task, Corsi block-tapping task and flanker task) were used to test cognitive functions. Additional predictors, sex, age, PE class, Body Mass Index and physical activity, were included in analyses. The results showed that physical fitness was associated with improved attention and memory functions in children, although the associations were mostly small. After Bonferroni correction, mainly coordination was related to improved cognition. Physical activity, i.e., step counts, PE class and sex were associated with specific cognitive outcomes. These findings may be important for effective health promotion, and supporting children’s education in the school environment. Sex-specific physical activities in school could potentially lead to greater cognitive benefits in children. Randomized trials are needed to replicate these results.

Peter’s positions: a diffractive analysis of authority in a year one classroom

ABSTRACT This article presents an ethnography of the entanglement of space, learning and teaching bodies and pedagogical authority in a primary school in Germany. We focus on the spatial placement of a boy diagnosed with ‘special needs’. Inspired by Carol Taylor’s analysis of a male teacher’s authority at a college. we describe the boy’s changeable seating position first with de Certeau’s spatial understanding of power relations and then with Barad’s agential realism. By conducting this ‘diffractive’ analysis of his performances, we can show how he is subjected to the teacher’s authority and has a remarkable authoritative power himself at the same time. Finally, by focussing on the relationship between the researcher and the boy, we discuss the process of data gathering as it is entangled with the interpretation of data.

Validating young learners’ plurilingual repertoires as legitimate linguistic and cultural resources in the EFL classroom

Abstract In the last decades, the applied linguistics literature has increasingly called for more classroom-based research focusing on language teaching approaches that embrace students’ plurilingual repertoires as valuable linguistic and cultural resources for learning and affirm learners’ plurilingual identities as legitimate and appropriate in the classroom context. This paper discusses research findings of an empirical investigation that responded to this call. The study examined the impact of the use of plurilingual tasks in the English as foreign language (EFL) classroom on language learning processes and learners’ identity construction. Five case studies were conducted in four primary schools and one secondary school in Germany. Research data were collected from multiple sources such as field notes, video recording of school lessons, in-depth interviews with teachers, teachers’ reflective journals, anonymous questionnaires, and focus group interviews with learners. The research findings have shown that the use of plurilingual tasks in the EFL classroom created enhanced opportunities for the learners (a) to share aspects of their identities that were previously ignored in the school context (b) to use their diverse language abilities as resources in the language learning process and (c) to be actively involved in explicit reflective thinking about language and culture.

Caught by surprise: The adaptation of parental expectations after unexpected ability track placement

The study examines the adaptation of educational expectations. It focuses on the expectations that parents have of their children during the transition from primary to secondary school in Germany. During this transition, students are placed into different ability tracks. It is examined whether parents react to this information about their child's achievement by adjusting their educational expectations or whether their expectations are nonreactive to the achievement information conveyed by track placement. It is hypothesized that parents are more likely to adapt their expectations regarding final educational attainment if their child's track placement is not consistent with the expectations that they held before the track placement was known. Furthermore, SES differences in this adjustment process are expected as parents of different social status have different orientations towards achievement information. The study uses data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), Starting Cohort 2 and focuses on the years between the third grade of primary school and fifth grade, which is the first year of secondary school. This means that students and parents can be followed across the moment in the academic career at which track placement happens. Furthermore, the variations in the tracking decisions across the German federal states is used to examine how the adaptation of parents’ expectations is affected based on how much influence parents have on track placement. Two-way fixed effect models are employed to model the change of expectations between the two time points in the data. The results show that low-SES parents do adjust their expectations more strongly downward when their children receive a lower track placement than expected; however, high-SES parents maintain their high expectations even in light of such negative achievement information. High- and low-SES parents do not significantly differ in their expectation adjustment if their children's track placement is higher than their previous expectations.

Multidimensional perspectives on gender in Dutch language education: Textbooks and teacher talk

The language classroom offers a rich environment for deconstructing language- and culture-specific gender and sexuality models in action. The present study responds to calls for diachronic textbook studies and classroom based research in this area. We first examine gender and sexuality in text (types and tokens) and images in ‘family’ chapters in 15 Dutch language textbooks published between 1970 and 2018. Second, we examine under-explored ‘teacher talk around gendered text’ through observation of 32 Dutch language lessons in high schools in Germany and interviews with 9 participating teachers. Results show few changes in gender representations in textbooks over the past 50 years; and significant discrepancies between teachers’ self-articulated gender ideologies (e.g., gender equality is important) and teacher talk in class, which mostly ignores gender-biased representations in texts. We aim to further debate in this area, by extending an existing theoretical model on ‘teacher talk around gendered text’ and discussing implications for inclusive language education.

Exploring (a) Prophecy, reading (with) différance. An experiment in negotiating difference and sameness through poetry

ABSTRACT The article is a reading of an educational initiative from the late 1960s through the lens of Jacques Derrida’s différance. Students of a school in Germany performed Peter Handke’s poem Weissagung (Prophecy) on the school’s anniversary, initiating an ongoing process of decoding and recoding the word (“prophecy”) and the(ir) social (world), as well as tracing alternatives to the hegemony of (de)coding itself. The reading reveals the school to be a public arena where difference and sameness are negotiated through democratic iterations, demonstrating the situatedness of knowledge production, and the teacher’s and students’ engagement with critical thinking, self-reflexivity, and the transgression of binaries – accentuating the involvement of all (readers) in the orchestration of these processes. With this reading of Prophecy and différance, the negotiations of difference and sameness in a school as historically topical efforts are focused on the word.

Teachers’ professional collaboration and trust relationships: An inferential social network analysis of teacher teams

In recent years, teachers around the world have been increasingly confronted with various expectations concerning the improvement of their classroom practices and school activities. One factor widely acknowledged to facilitate school and classroom improvement is a strong collaborative culture among teachers. As such, teachers are expected to work in teacher teams, to collaborate closely with colleagues, to co-construct classroom practices, and thus to strengthen trust relationships within the team. A growing number of researchers has analyzed how teachers address these expectations. They suggest that there is a link between teachers’ embeddedness in collaboration networks and teachers’ trust relationships. The present study seeks to contribute to the research literature by presenting results of Social Network Analyses (SNA) and exponential random graph models (ERGMs) on teacher collaboration in nine secondary schools in Germany (N = 366 teachers). We investigate how the involvement of teachers in co-constructive collaboration in schools, measured by the amount of team teaching (TT), relates to teachers’ trust levels. Results of our analyses suggest that a high amount of TT is not necessarily related to a higher degree of trust among teachers at the school level. However, a high involvement of teachers in TT is related positively to their being perceived as trustworthy. Furthermore, the emergence of trust relations in teacher networks depends on general network characteristics, such as homophily, reciprocity and transitivity.

Addressing Health Literacy in Schools in Germany: Concept Analysis of the Mandatory Digital and Media Literacy School Curriculum.

It is generally agreed upon that the development of health literacy should be addressed from an early age onwards in order to empower children to develop their full health potential. Schools can be seen as an ideal venue for strengthening health literacy because they reach almost all school-aged children throughout their school years. The development of health literacy at a young age is a catalyst for healthy development throughout across the life span. Evidence shows that health and education are intertwined with favorable effects for health (e.g., health behavior, knowledge) and education outcomes (e.g., academic achievement). However, health literacy is often not sufficiently integrated into the school curriculum despite its importance to health and education. Integrating health literacy into schools is challenging, as both schools and teachers already face numerous educational requirements that may prevent them from addressing health in the classroom because they perceive it as an additional task. This is why taking a sensitive approach is important, adapted to the needs of schools and highlighting the benefits of health literacy. Installing health literacy in schools succeeds more easily if it can be linked to existing curricular requirements. In this context, curriculum and instruction on media literacy, information literacy, and digital literacy are most promising subjects to include health literacy because these concepts share many commonalities with health literacy and often are already part of the school curriculum. The aim of this article is to (1) analyze a mandatory curriculum on media literacy in the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, (2) highlight its intersections with health literacy, and (3) show how it can be used to address health literacy. The state media literacy framework is based on the federal standards for “digital education” developed by the German Conference on Education Ministries und Cultural Affairs (KMK). As education policy and practice is decentralized with sixteen federal states in Germany, each of them has got their own media literacy framework, or they are currently developing it. This curriculum analysis may serve as a methodological blueprint for educationalists, teachers, and policy-maker elsewhere in order to include health literacy into existing curricula both health and non-health. It may help to integrate health literacy into schools when combined with existing curricula.

Cognitive gains and socioeconomic status in early second language acquisition in immersion and EFL learning settings

ABSTRACT This study explores the relationship of early immersion education, socioeconomic background, and cognitive gains of young learners. We examine the possible advantages of early bilingual education and the impact of family socioeconomic status (SES) for the cognitive development of children. Participants (N = 39) were students at regular (German) or immersion (German-English) primary schools in Germany. The study employed a longitudinal design with school program and socioeconomic status as between-subjects factors, and L2 proficiency and cognitive variables as within-subject factors. The pre- and post-tests consisted of tests of English vocabulary and grammar and tests of working memory capacity, non-verbal intelligence, and phonological awareness. Participants also completed a parental questionnaire assessing their socioeconomic background based on HISEI indicators (Highest International Socioeconomic Index). Repeated measures ANOVAs and regression analyzes revealed that the participants from the immersion school outperformed their peers from the regular schools on all L2 (English) proficiency and cognitive variables on the posttest. Furthermore, our data revealed that SES is significantly more influential in participants who follow regular school programs than in those who are enrolled in immersion schools. Overall, our data provide support for the benefits of early immersion programs in leveling the playing field for children of low socioeconomic status.

Learning places, teaching methods, techniques and materials used in General Studies (Sachunterricht) lesson by teachers in German primary schools’ third grade

ABSTRACT General Studies (Sachunterricht) lesson, which includes social and science themes because of its interdisciplinary form, takes place in the curriculum of each class level at primary schools in Germany. The aim of this descriptive case study is to examine how the teaching process of third-grade General Studies lesson is run in terms of learning place, teaching methods and techniques, and materials. The participants of it are six teachers of third grade from three different primary schools. The data were collected through classroom observations and interviews with teachers. While analysing the data, the content and the descriptive analysis methods were used. The results indicate that the teachers use classrooms, corridors, the workshop room, the schoolyards, trip fields and sport fields as learning spaces. Some of the teaching methods and techniques used are learning stations, project, class council, field trips, experiments, cooperative learning and teachers choose various teaching materials, depending on the theme.

How good are medical students at communicating risk? An implementation study at three German medical schools

ObjectiveTo assess the objective and subjective risk communication skills of medical students in three universities in Germany MethodsWe developed a risk communication skills Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) station and implemented it in three medical schools in Germany. 596 students contributed data to a risk communication checklist and a risk communication self-assessment. Multiple linear regression models were used to identify factors associated with the risk communication OSCE performance. ResultsParticipants in our study achieved on average 73.5% of the total risk communication skills score, which did not differ between locations (F(2-595) = 1.96; p = 0.142). The mean objective performance of students who assessed their skills as poor was significantly worse than the performance of students who assessed their skills as good (t(520) = −5.01, p < 0.001). The risk communication skills score was associated with native language but not with gender nor General Point Average (p < 0.001). ConclusionsMedical students demonstrated acceptable risk communication skills scores and were able to self-assess their performance. However, selected communication techniques should be re-emphasised in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Practice implicationsOur research identified shortcomings in particular subgroups that can be addressed through tailored curriculum interventions.

Physical Activity, Boredom and Fear of COVID-19 Among Adolescents in Germany.

BackgroundThe effectiveness of physical activity (PA) as an intervention against anxiety disorders and depression is undeniable in clinical psychology. Therefore, the question arose whether these effects also occur when a fear stimulus, like the COVID-19 pandemic, affects otherwise healthy adolescents. Boredom is closely linked to symptoms of fear and anxiety, but the connection between PA, boredom and fear is partly unclear.MethodsA cross-sectional online study was conducted that involved 122 students. Participants were 13–19 years old (Mage = 15.83, SD = 1.73). The survey was available online from April 27th to May 3rd, 2020. At this time, schools in Germany had already been closed for 6 weeks. A self-report questionnaire was used to measure physical activity, boredom, and fear of COVID-19. A multiple linear regression model was conducted.ResultsThe reported fear of COVID-19 significantly correlates with total PA, quantity of strenuous PA, and boredom. Furthermore, a significant regression equation was found. The variables boredom, PA, and age contribute significantly to predicting the fear of COVID-19 [R2 = 0.127, F(3,118) = 6.876, p < 0.000], among adolescents.ConclusionOur results indicate that there is an association between PA, boredom and the quarantine experience of adolescents. Students who were physically more active, especially with strenuous intensity, did not feel bored and showed less fear of COVID-19.

The pedagogical concept «Jena-plan» of P. Petersen

At present, the educational concept «Jena-plan» of a German scholar Peter Petersen (1884-1952) has become widespread in the educational systems of some European countries. It is a technology that aims to change the approach to the organization of education and upbringing of children radically. Two tasks are solved in the issue: to reveal the less known biographical data of P. Petersen, and to characterize the most important features of the pedagogical concept put forward by him. The purpose of the study is to determine its significance in the history of European education. The following methods were used: biographical and retrospective analysis, direct observation in some schools in Germany and the Chech Republic, that use «Jena-Plan» in their practice, as well as an axiological approach. Main results. The concept «Jena-plan» has become quite widespread due to its didactic effectiveness, humanistic orientation and compliance with the age and individual characteristics of children. The technology of using the concept of Peter Petersen on the example of one of the schools in Germany is revealed in the issue. The method of applying the concept in practice, – on the example of «trunk group» and «trunk table» («Stammgruppe» and «Stammtisch» in German), – is shown. The main conclusion of the research is that «Jena-plan» has the prospect of further development in the modern European school. This statement is confirmed by the regular holding of conferences of the movement of adherents of the «Jena Plan», a significant number of schools that fully or partially use the provisions of this concept. Some positive features of this concept can also be used in domestic education.