Monika Finsterwald

TALK - A Training Program to Encourage Lifelong Learning in School

Abstract. Lifelong learning (LLL) is a topic of high political relevance. Within the context of continuous social development toward an “information society,” individuals find themselves facing a number of challenges that they will not be able to surmount successfully if they are not willing to commit to learning over the entire course of their lifetimes. The persistent motivation to learn, as well as the correspondent learning skills, appears to be essential if one is to survive in a modern society. Schools, as a collective institution, have the task of laying the cornerstones of these skills. The present article introduces the training program TALK, which aims to provide teachers with the competencies to systematically implement the enhancement of LLL into their regular educational responsibilities. From the perspective of educational psychology, motivation, self-regulation, social skills, and cognitive abilities are developed as core aspects for LLL in a scholastic context. Building on these, the goals...

Promotion of students’ mastery goal orientations: does TARGET work?

Achievement goal orientations are important for students’ ongoing motivation. Students with a mastery goal orientation show the most advantageous achievement and motivational patterns. Much research has been conducted to identify classroom structures which promote students’ mastery goal orientation. The TARGET framework is one example of these efforts and provides six instructional dimensions (task, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation, time), which should form a classroom structure that fosters a mastery goal orientation. The aim of this study was to examine the entire multi-dimensional TARGET framework and its impact on mastery goal orientation in a longitudinal study with 1680 secondary school students. CFAs confirmed the existence of one latent factor TARGET comprising the six proposed dimensions. This study also provides the first empirical evidence, based on longitudinal data, that TARGET has a positive impact on student mastery goal orientations.

The Effect of Classroom Structure on Verbal and Physical Aggression among Peers: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study.

Teachers promote student learning and well-being in school by establishing a supportive classroom structure. The term classroom structure refers to how teachers design tasks, maintain authority, and evaluate student achievement. Although empirical studies have shown the relation of classroom structure to student motivation, achievement, and well-being, no prior investigations have examined the influence of classroom structure on aggression among peers. The present study examined whether a supportive classroom structure has an impact on verbal and physical aggression. At two points in time, data were collected from 1680 students in Grades 5 to 7 using self-report questionnaires. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that a supportive classroom structure at Time 1 was associated with less perpetrated verbal aggression at Time 2, 9months later. This finding has practical relevance for teacher training as well as for aggression prevention and intervention among children.

Förderung von Lebenslangem Lernen – eine Aufgabe der Schule

Die kontinuierliche Entwicklung zur „Wissens- und Informationsgesellschaft“ hat Lebenslanges Lernen (LLL) zu einem zentralen Thema der europaischen Bildungspolitik gemacht. Die Gesellschaften Europas (und nicht nur diese) stehen vor zahlreichen wirtschaftlichen, sozialen und strukturellen Veranderungen, die in die Lebens- und Arbeitsbereiche jeder einzelnen Person hineinreichen. Rasche berufliche und technische Veranderungsprozesse im individuellen Umfeld erfordern permanente Anpassungsleistungen und fuhren zu immer neuen Qualifikationsanforderungen. Zur erfolgreichen Bewaltigung dieser Herausforderungen sollten moglichst viele Menschen gute Voraussetzungen fur LLL mitbringen: „Politicians at the European level have recognised that education and training are essential to the development and success of todays knowledge society and economy“ (Europaische Kommission 2009a). Zentral dafur sind: (1) kontinuierliches Engagement und Bildungsmotivation sowie (2) die Kompetenz zum Selbstregulierten Lernen (Achtenhagen & Lempert 2000; Artelt, Baumert, Julius-McElvany & Peschar 2003; Weinstein & Hume 1998).

Fostering pupils’ lifelong learning competencies in the classroom: evaluation of a training programme using a multivariate multilevel growth curve approach

Abstract Evidence-based interventions to promote lifelong learning are needed not only in continuing education but also in schools, which lay important cornerstones for lifelong learning. The present article reports evaluation results about the effectiveness of one such training programme (TALK). TALK aims to systematically implement the enhancement of lifelong learning in secondary schools by optimizing teaching in terms of developing pupils’ competencies for lifelong learning. TALK is conducted within the framework of a three-semester course of studies for secondary school teachers. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of TALK, a questionnaire study with 1144 pupils was conducted in the form of a pretest–posttest–posttest design for both training and control groups. Multivariate multilevel growth curve analyses showed the benefit of TALK in terms of both pupils’ perceptions of classroom instructions and their individual motivation. Finally, TALK’s contribution to promote lifelong learning in schools is discussed and implications are given.

Lebenslang erfolgreich lernen – die LehrerInnen legen den Grundstein

Lebenslanges Lernen ist zu einem zentralen Thema der Bildungspolitik geworden und soll nicht zuletzt in der Schule systematisch gefordert werden. Nach begrifflichen Klarungen und einem Uberblick zum Forschungsstand werden Fordermasnahmen in der Schule sowie ihre schuler- und lehrerseitigen Bedingungen erortert. Als konkretes Beispiel wird das Projekt TALK vorgestellt und vor diesem Hintergrund eine Perspektive fur kunftige Bemuhungen entwickelt.

Den roten Faden finden

ZusammenfassungDie Vorbereitung einer beruflichen Karriere ist eine wesentliche Aufgabe des Jugendalters. Der Bewältigungsprozess dieser Entwicklungsaufgabe ist an sich schon krisenanfällig, Jugendliche mit psychischen Auffälligkeiten („mental health problems“) haben mit erschwerten Bedingungen zu kämpfen. Anliegen dieses Beitrags ist es, basierend auf theoretischen Überlegungen auszuführen, wie eine (berufliche) Rehabilitation für Jugendliche mit Mental-Health Problemen konzipiert und welche Ziele dabei verfolgt werden sollten. Weiters wird anhand eines konkreten Umsetzungsbeispiels aufgezeigt, wie (berufliche) Rehabilitation für diese Zielgruppe konkret durchgeführt werden kann. Dazu wird das berufsrehabilitative Kontinuum, entwickelt von pro mente: kinder jugend familie GmbH (pmkijufa), vorgestellt.AbstractThe preparation for a professional career is an essential task during adolescence. The coping process of this developmental task is in itself prone to crises but young people with mental health problems face more difficult conditions. The aim of this paper is to describe how (vocational) rehabilitation of young people with mental health problems should be designed and which objectives should be targeted, based on theoretical considerations. Furthermore, an example of concrete implementation is presented that demonstrates how (vocational) rehabilitation for this target group can be achieved. In this article the vocational rehabilitation continuum developed by pro mente: Children Youth Family (pmkijufa) is introduced.

Family involvement in a community-based mental health service for children and adolescents: A case study

It is a generally accepted assumption that the mental health of children and adolescents is best served if the context in which they live is taken into consideration. Therefore, interventions should be population-based and located in the community. “Pro Mente Kinder Jugend Familie” is a community-based non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to fostering the positive development of children and adolescents with mental health problems. It consists of an integrated network of different service domains. A central issue of this NGO is to provide support for children/adolescents and their families, although each of the different service domains tries to reach this goal in its own way. The purpose of this article is to illustrate, with the help of a case study: (1) how organizations can review the current state of their interventions (here family involvement) to analyse where improvement may be needed; and (2) the kinds of steps which can be taken, should a need for improvement be indicated. Within the framework of quality assurance, group discussions on “family involvement” were conducted in order to assess the corresponding goals, interventions and pitfalls and to gather ideas for potential improvements. Each service domain summarized the main results of their discussions, and these reports were subjected to a content analysis. The results showed that a broader discussion concerning the organizations main goals with regard to “family involvement” was needed, as was improvements of the interventions taken to reach these goals. A road map depicting the next steps planned, in the sense of organizational development, is discussed.

Indikatoren für die Evaluation der Behandlung psychischer Erkrankungen des Kindes- und Jugendalters: Bestrebungen innerhalb von Europa

In den Landern Europas wird im Gesundheitssystem vermehrt der Nachweis von Qualitatssicherungsmasnahmen seitens der GeldgeberInnen gefordert. Auch in der Politik werden Forderungen nach einer evidence based policy mehr und mehr gehort. Vorgestellt weden in diesem Beitrag Qualitatssicherungsmasnahmen im Bereich der Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie aus zwei EU-Landern (Osterrelch, UK) sowie die Entwicklung einer diesbezuglichen EU-weiten Strategie seitens der UEMS/CAP.

Erwartungen in himmelblau und rosarot: Erklärung für Geschlechterdifferenzen im lebenslangen Lernen

Befunde der padagogischen Geschlechterforschung der letzten Jahre zeigen, dass Schulerinnen und Schuler teils ausgepragte Differenzen in selbstbezogenen Kognitionen aufweisen. Auch ihre Eltern und Lehrkrafte unterscheiden in ihren zukunftsbezogenen Uberzeugungen deutlich zwischen weiblichen und mannlichen Lernenden. Zu solchen Erwartungskonstrukten zahlen die Erfolgszuversicht hinsichtlich der Leistungsfahigkeit, das allgemein-schulische und domanenspezifische Selbstvertrauen bzw. das Fahigkeitsselbstkonzept sowie das Bild von der eigenen Begabung. Mit diesen gleichzustellende erwartungsnahe bzw. formende mentale Konzepte sind geschlechtsdifferente Stereotypen, Vorurteile und Kausalattribuierungen des Lernerfolgs sowie das Selbstwertgefuhl (Ludwig 1991).