Marcus Syring

Pre-service teachers' perceived value of general pedagogical knowledge for practice: Relations with epistemic beliefs and source beliefs

Pre-service teachers tend to devalue general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) as a valid source for deriving successful teaching practices. The present study investigated beliefs about knowledge sources and epistemic beliefs as predictors for students’ perceived value of GPK. Three pre-registered hypotheses were tested. We expected beliefs that GPK originates from scientific sources to entail a devaluation of GPK (Hypothesis 1). Concerning epistemic beliefs, we expected absolute beliefs to positively, and multiplistic beliefs to negatively predict pre-service teachers’ perceived practical value of GPK (Hypothesis 2). Finally, we expected relationships between epistemic beliefs and pre-service teachers’ perceived practical value of GPK to be confounded by epistemic trustworthiness, perceived topic-specific consistency and topic-specific familiarity (Hypothesis 3). In a study using a split plot design, 365 pre-service teachers were presented with four texts on different educational research topics. For each topic, three text versions were constructed. Even though they were invariant in content, these versions varied in a way that the results were allegedly generated by a practitioner, an expert or by means of a scientific study. Unexpectedly, results showed that research findings allegedly generated by means of a scientific study were associated with a higher perceived value of (topic-specific) GPK for practice (Hypothesis 1). As expected, the perceived value of GPK for practice was predicted by topic-specific multiplism and domain-specific absolutism (Hypothesis 2). These predictive effects were confounded by expertise evaluations of the source and the consistency of prior beliefs with the presented research results (Hypothesis 3). In summary, our results suggest that source beliefs might not be responsible for the devaluation of GPK, but that beliefs on the nature and structure of GPK (i.e., epistemic beliefs) might play an even more important role in this respect. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Unterricht analysieren und reflektieren mit unterschiedlichen Fallmedien: Ist Video wirklich besser als Text?

Zentralen Herausforderungen der Lehrerbildung, wie die Theorie-Praxis-Relationierung und der Umgang mit unterrichtlicher Komplexitat, wird zunehmend mit fallbasiertem Lernen begegnet. In den letzten Jahren zeigte sich dabei ein deutlicher Trend zum Medium Video gegenuber Text. Wir untersuchten die Effekte video- und textfallbasierter Lehr-Lernarrangements auf die Quantitat selektierter Unterrichtssituationen, die Qualitat der Interpretation dieser Situationen und die Verwendung theoretischer Prinzipien mit Bezug zum Classroom Management. Im Pre-Post-Design der Studie bearbeiteten 645 Lehramtsstudierende aus 21 curricular identischen Seminaren entweder Video- oder Textfalle zum Thema Classroom Management. Im Pre-Posttest zeigte sich lediglich fur die Qualitat der Interpretation ein Unterschied zwischen den Medien, und zwar zugunsten des Einsatzes von Texten. Uberdies zeigte sich ein starker Einfluss der Einstellung der Dozierenden gegenuber der Art der Fallarbeit auf die Verwendung theoretischer Prinzipien. Sowohl Text- wie auch Videobeispiele sind fur den Einsatz in der ersten Phase der Lehrerbildung geeignet, wobei fur Novizinnen und Novizen Textfalle moglicherweise vorteilhafter sind.

Career choice motives of early childhood educators: A cross-country comparison of four European countries

The present study compares career choice motives of future early childhood educators studying for a tertiary qualification. Suitable analyses of this kind are still missing. Diverging training systems, traditions and professional images in the different countries are related to certain motives. These motives are categorised according to a theory that is used as a theoretical framework. The study takes into account 468 student teachers from Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Romania and is methodologically based on variance analyses. Overall, intrinsic motives were found to be of greater significance. This applies equally to all countries. Furthermore, addressee-related motives are more pronounced among Swiss and German prospective early childhood educators than among those from Sweden or Romania. On the contrary, extrinsic motives have a stronger presence among Romanian student teachers. Income and prestige, as the only exceptions, are important for students from Sweden and Switzerland. The results are discussed referring to country-specific working conditions and the current status of professionalisation processes existing in problem areas.

Do Open-Minded Student Teachers Have More Favorable Attitudes Towards Different Dimensions of Heterogeneity?

The present study aims at investigating student teachers’ attitudes towards heterogeneity, which represent one part of teachers’ profession and determine future teacher action. Particularly, it addresses research gaps regarding the relationship between attitudes and personality traits such as the Big Five, which are also important in the field of teacher professionalism. Through confirmatory factor analysis, the validity of an existing measurement instrument of attitudes was verified in a sample with 294 student teachers. Personality traits represented significant predictors of some of the attitudes measured, but were only able to explain relatively little variance. Practical implications for teacher training are discussed.

Demands and tasks of intercultural school development: Group discussions with experts about intercultural school development:

The present study is aimed at identifying demands and tasks that are considered important by experts in the field of interculturalism for the successful development of schools. Although different theoretical models about intercultural school development, incorporating various conditions and dimensions, have already been suggested, gaps in research on the specific content of various administrative levels of school as an educational institution can still be identified. In order to fill those gaps, we conducted group discussions with small groups of experts in the field of interculturalism. Experts were matched into three groups so that each represents a high level of diversity regarding their particular expertise. Results from the discussions were investigated by applying content analysis. Based on the revealed findings, five fields of action can be established that are essential for the process of intercultural school development. The revealed areas covered a variety of factors, ranging from individual reflection to developmental processes of a school as an organization. In the present study, those facets are interpreted as conditions under which successful intercultural school development processes can be established. While most content areas can be mapped to the existing theoretical models, they add further information with regard to the content of the theoretical dimensions. This is particularly the case at the individual level. Resulting practical implications are explained and further discussed on the basis of inevitable future research.

How can intercultural school development succeed? The perspective of teachers and teacher educators

Abstract The large number of newly arrived individuals from other countries, particularly of young people, has had an enormous impact on the school system in Germany. The present study investigated requirements for successful intercultural school development. The study used investigative group discussions, where the groups were composed of teachers and teacher education experts, to identify the structures, measures, attitudes and cooperation required for intercultural school development process. Conditions for success were derived from the qualitative content analysis of these discussions. These conditions address different school levels (e.g. structural, personal or social levels). It was found that intercultural school development cannot be successful without additional resources, as well as further training over the longer term. Solutions for existing language barriers that affect teachers, pupils and parents require structural measures.