Markus Gebhardt

Inclusive vocational schools in Canada and Germany. A comparison of vocational pre-service teachers′ attitudes, self-efficacy and experiences towards inclusive education

Abstract Both Canada’s and Germany’s school systems are transitioning into inclusive education systems. This transition is also happening in vocational schools. This paper addresses the new demands that vocational teachers face, due to the introduction of inclusive education in Germany and Canada, by examining Canadian and German pre-service vocational teachers’ attitudes, self-efficacy and experiences related to inclusive education. The study identifies significantly more positive ratings in the Canadian sample across all the three scales. We conclude that the different ratings relate to different school systems, experiences with inclusion and the teacher education systems. Based on these research findings, recommendations for teacher education are discussed.

Formative Diagnostik durch die Onlineplattform LEVUMI

ZusammenfassungDas rechtzeitig Erkennen von Lernschwierigkeiten stellt eine große Herausforderung im Schulunterricht dar. Insbesondere im inklusiven Unterricht mit Menschen mit Behinderung ist dies der Fall. Hier muss der Unterricht individuell angepasst werden. Durch eine Lernverlaufsmessung können individuelle Förderungen geplant und ihr Erfolg überwacht werden. Dieser Artikel stellt eine Onlineplattform vor, die ein solches Konzept im Unterricht für Lehrkräfte umsetzbar macht und dabei auch einen Austausch zwischen der empirischen Bildungsforschung und dem Alltag der Schulpraxis ermöglicht.

Levumi: A Web-Based Curriculum-Based Measurement to Monitor Learning Progress in Inclusive Classrooms

Our paper introduces and assesses the Levumi platform’s web-based assessment of reading fluency. One challenges of inclusive education is meeting the needs of the learners with special education needs (SEN). Children with SEN and other risk factors face an increased risk of failing in schools and manifesting academic and social problems over the time. Web-based curriculum-based measurement (CBM) can provide an effective tool to track progress of learners and limit such risks. In particular, it can ease the challenges of test administration in inclusive classrooms through automation and providing multiple difficulty levels without the need of different paper-forms. Furthermore, Levumi can help educators track children and thus provide support for learners. Levumi takes advantage of the strengths of web-based CBM to assess reading fluency in primary school students. We confirmed the reading fluency test’s test-retest reliability (n = 334), its ability to measure learning over time in individual learners with SEN (n = 8, across 14 MPs), and its applicability to learners with SEN (n = 300, including n = 46 with SEN). We evaluate Levumi’s overall usefulness in assessing different types of learners, and discuss its contributions to CBM research.

Do learners with special education needs really feel included? Evidence from the Perception of Inclusion Questionnaire and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

BACKGROUND School inclusion is an important right of students in school systems around the world. However, many students with special education needs (SEN) have lower perceptions of inclusion despite attending inclusive schools. AIMS This study examined perceived levels of inclusion, academic self-concept and developmental problems in inclusive schools. METHODS AND PROCEDURES The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Perception of Inclusion Questionnaire were administered at two measurement points (6th and 7th grade; n = 407, including 48 with SEN) at multiple inclusive schools. Responses were compared based on gender, grade level, and SEN. Factor structure and measurement invariance were evaluated. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Factor structures of both questionnaires were confirmed. Academic self-concept and emotional inclusion were lower for learners with SEN. However, these effects shrank in grade 7. Similarly, academic self-concept increased between grade 6 and 7. Lastly, learners with SEN had a higher level of conduct problems. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Both instruments remain suitable for use in comparisons in inclusive schools. Significant differences exist for learners with SEN in inclusive classrooms, although these differences may shrink over time. We recommend the continued use of the Perception of Inclusion Questionnaire for information about school inclusion and for learners with SEN.

Inklusion und Bildung

Das deutsche Bildungssystem wird unter dem Einfluss der UN-Konvention uber die Rechte von Menschen mit Behinderungen in Deutschland zunehmend in Richtung Inklusion ausgebaut und umgestaltet. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt die Arbeitsfelder und die historischen Entstehung der Integrations- und Inklusionsforschung dar und zeigt, dass die Erforschung eines inklusiven Bildungssystems auf mehreren Ebenen erfolgen sollte. Im zweiten Abschnitt des Beitrages wird die Inklusionsforschung im Bereich der Schule beleuchtet. Hierbei wird ein Uberblick uber die verschiedenen Begrifflichkeiten und Konzepte sowie die Erkenntnisse aus der Forschung des inklusiven Unterrichts gegeben.

Correlation between attitudes, concerns, self-efficacy and teaching intentions in inclusive education evidence from German pre-service teachers using international scales

The inclusion of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in schools is an ongoing challenge – it demands the development of an adapted teaching and learning environment, which, in turn, requires a corresponding teacher education programme. Studies indicate that personal characteristics of the respective teachers are one of the main influencing factors on the classroom environment. This article reports on a study of the role of teacherrelated factors, attitudes, concerns and efficacy in inclusion by testing existing survey instruments of 909 pre-service teachers in Germany. A confirmatory factor analysis was applied to new German translations of four instruments: Attitudes Towards Inclusion Scale, Intention to Teach in Inclusive Classroom Scale, Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale, and the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices. With minor modifications, models demonstrated good fit measures and partial measurement invariance between special school preservice teachers and general pre-service teachers. A combined model of all four scales confirmed that lower concerns were related to attitudes that are more positive, greater self-efficacy and stronger intentions to teaching inclusively. Implications for teacher-training and comparisons to other international samples are discussed.

How Does Social Behavior Relate to Both Grades and Achievement Scores

Prosocial behavior and peer problems are an important correlate of academic development; however, these effects vary by achievement measures and social behaviors. In this paper, we examined data from the German National Education Panel Study (NEPS), and we use structural equation modeling (SEM) to model the effects of prosocial behavior and peer problems on grades and competencies for both math (n = 3,310) and reading (n = 3,308) in grades 5 and 7. Our models account for the moderating effect of both gender and socioeconomic status (SES) as determined by parental education. We conclude that social behaviors relate to grades more strongly than competencies, that peer problems relate more strongly to achievement than prosocial behavior, and that the relationship is weaker in later grades. We discuss the implication that grades and achievement tests are not interchangeable measures for educators and researchers.

Teacher Collaboration in German Schools: Does Gender and School Type Influence the Frequency of Collaboration Among Teachers?

According to the literature, collaboration among teachers can be regarded as a subject that can positively influence numerous aspects of the school. However, factors influencing the extent to which collaboration takes place have received less attention. For example, gender differences are usually not examined. We carry out a secondary analysis of the representative PISA 2012 German teacher sample to measure the state of teacher collaboration through three different collaboration forms namely instruction-, project- and organization related. Because of the stratification of the German school system in secondary education, variations by school type should be taken into account. We conducted a MANCOVA to investigate the differences and effects that gender and school type of the lower secondary education have on the frequency with which teachers collaborate. Age and experience (in years) were used as covariates. Results show that women collaborate minimally more than men, that the higher the formal education of a school, the less frequently collaboration occurs and that the overall level of collaboration is weak. There is no interaction effect between these two variables. Suggestions for future research as well as implications are presented.

Förderansätze im Lesen mit LEVUMI

Das Lehrerhandbuch „Förderansätze im LESEN mit LEVUMI“ verknüpft die Anwendung der Lernverlaufsdiagnostik mit konkreten Fördermaßnahmen. Im Mittelpunkt steht immer der Lernerfolg der Leseanfängerinnen und Leseanfängern. Es ist wichtig, dass Förderungen und Unterstützungen im Unterricht an die individuellen Förderungen angepasst sind. Daher wird der Schriftspracherwerb, der Kieler Leseaufbau und typische Probleme im Leseerwerb dargestellt. Einzelne Förderbausteine werden erklärt und anhand einzelner Arbeitsblätter dargestellt. Dieses Handbuch ergänzt das „LEVUMI Lehrerhandbuch“ (Gebhardt, Diehl & Mühling, 2016), welches eine konkrete Einführung und Anwendungsbeschreibung in die Lernverlaufsmessung mit LEVUMI enthält.