02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Paper
What Makes a VET Classroom Difficult to Manage? A Multilevel Analysis of Classcontext and Classcomposition as Determinants for Classroom Management
Sylvia Rahn, Christoph Fuhrmann, Allkemper Inga, Shevchuk Anna, Glock Sabine
Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany
Presenting Author: Rahn, Sylvia;
Fuhrmann, Christoph
Teacher education standards emphasise that teachers should be aware of cultural and gender influences and should value diversity in the classroom. Above all, teacher shall "implement teaching strategies that are responsive to the particular needs of students from diverse … backgrounds" (Australien Institute, o. D., p. 1, KMK, 2019). At the same time, qualitative studies suggest that such pedagogical norms are already rejected by preservice teachers during their first extended teaching experiences (Liegmann & Racherbäumer, 2019).
Regarding classroom management as an important basic dimension of teaching quality (Praetorius et al., 2020), ethnically diverse classes, and – in terms of gender – male-dominated classes are considered challenging or even difficult teaching contexts (Downey & Pribesh, 2004; Schönbächler et al., 2011; Sloane, 2014). This is noteworthy as students with a migrant background particularly benefit from effective classroom management (Seiz et al, 2016).
Therefore, classroom management, which is considered to include preventive, proactive and reactive practices to be effective, is increasingly examined in a context-oriented manner in research on teaching quality (Fauth et al., 2020; Göllner et al., 2020; Helmke & Helmke, 2014; Praetorius et al., 2016).
While for primary schools and lower upper secondary school education, at least some empirical results for the relevance of context- and class-composition factors for the demands of classroom management are available, classroom management at vocational schools has rarely been studied with systematic consideration of the heterogeneous contextual conditions.
This is a relevant research desideratum since it is likely that class contexts are significant sources of variation for the efficiency of classroom management in German vocational schools, which include a variety of school types and educational programs (Pahl, 2014).
Hence, this presentation highlights two main research questions:
1. How relevant are class-composition factors (gender; proportion of students from migrant families) and the divergent educational programmes within vocational schools for classroom management and its efficacy? We expect to find empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that male dominated classes, classes with high proportions of migrants, and classes of vocational education programmes which do not provide a full vocational qualification are difficult to manage.
2. How important are preventive, proactive and reactive classroom management practices – in comparison with the context and composition factors – for the effectiveness of classroom management?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe analysed sample was obtained in 2022 as part of an ongoing DFG project at 26 vocational schools and includes over 4000 students from 314 classes.
Classroom management and its effectiveness were operationalised based on Helmke and Helmke's (2014) impact model of classroom management. In line with the literature, the main criteria used to measure the effectiveness of classroom management were "active learning time" and "absence of disruption", each with one scale. A total of eight scales were used to assess preventive, proactive, and reactive process characteristics of classroom management. Most of the items and scales were taken from well-established instruments on classroom-management; (KODEK-S by Thiel, Ophardt & Piowar, 2013; Linzer Diagnosis sheet on classroom management by Mayr et al., 2013). Only a few parts of the questionnaire are own developments. The scales have satisfactory to very good internal consistencies.
Intraclass correlations induce for both success criteria as well as for the process-dimensions of classroom management that a simultaneous multilevel regression-analysis of the data on two levels is necessary (Lack of disruptions: ICC1 = 0.31; active learning time: ICC1 = 0.21; for example for the classroom management processes: momentum and smoothness: ICC1 = 0.19; monitoring ICC1 = 0.18, classroom climate ICC = 0.24).
Therefore, results of the stepwise multilevel analysis of classroom management will be presented.
Separate models for both outcome variables of classroom management, that are the "absence of disruption" and "active learning time", will be calculated. The educational programmes of vocational schools, class-composition variables and the preventive, proactive and reactive features of classroom-management are introduced into the models as independent variables. Starting from the zero model, which estimates the constant of the regression model without considering the differences between the classes, and the intercept-only model, which assumes that the variance of the class-specific regression constant is 0, the education programme as the main context factor, the class composition variables and the scales on preventive, proactive and reactive classroom management practices will be be introduced into the models up to the random intercept and random slopes-models successively (Langner, 2009).
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsFirst calculations, still separated at individual and class levels, indicate−basing on individual student ratings—weak effects of student gender and the course of education attended on both criteria for the efficacy of classroom management, that are the absence of disruptions and (to an even lesser extent) to the active learning time. For the aggregated ratings of the students, slightly stronger correlations are found. The absence of disruption and the actively used learning time tend to decrease with increasing proportions of male and migrant students in the classes. These effects partly disappear when the course of education attended is controlled for. Overall, current results indicate that classes in school tracks of German vocational schools that do not lead to a full vocational qualification are more difficult to manage than classes in the apprenticeship system, for example. Moreover, the same applies to the male-dominated classes in the dual system of the German VET.
We expect that good preventive, proactive and reactive processes of classroom management reduce the influence of the class-context and class-composition on the two outcome factors. That means, if students perceive good preventive classroom behaviour such as monitoring, momentum and smoothness in the sense of Kounin (1970), if certain rules and routines are implemented, the scores of rule clarity are high, and teachers respond appropriately to disruptions, the classroom disruptions decrease and learning time should increase.
Moreover, the scales on the preventive, proactive and reactive dimensions of classroom management in total should statistically explain more variance in the outcome variables than the class context and the class composition factors.
The practical implications of the findings for the training and further education of teachers at vocational schools will be discussed. In addition, future research perspectives will be showed.
ReferencesAustralian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (o.D.) Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/standards
Downey, D. B., & Pribesh, S. (2004). When race matters: Teachers' evaluations of students' classroom behavior. Sociology of Education, 77, 267–282.
Fauth, B., Wagner, W., Bertram, C., Göllner, R., Roloff, J., Lüdtke, O. et al. (2020).Don't blame the teacher? The need to account for classroom characteristics in evaluations of teaching quality. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(6), 1284–1302. DOI: 10.1037/edu0000416.
Göllner, R., Praetorius, A.-K.,Wagner, W., Lenske, G., & Fauth, B. (2020). Do Student Ratings of Classroom Management Tell us more about Teachers or about Classroom Composition? Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 66 (Beiheft), 156–172.
Helmke, A. & Helmke, T. (2014). How effective is good classroom management? Efficient classroom management is not everything, but without it everything else does not work at all. Lernende Schule, 17(65), 9–12.
Kounin, J. S. (1970). Discipline and group management in classrooms. Oxford: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Kultusministerkonferenz (2019). Standards für die Lehrerbildung: Bildungswissenschaft. Bonn: Eigenverlag.
Langer, W. (2009). Mehrebenenanalyse. Eine Einführung für Forschung und Praxis. (2. Aufl.). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
Liegemann, A. B., & Racherbäumer, K. (2019). Vom Praxissemester bis zum Vorbereitungsdienst. Perspektiven auf Heterogenität zwischen Habitus und Norm. Zeitschrift für interpretative Schul- und Unterrichtsforschung, 8(1), 125-137.
Mayr, J., Eder, F., Fartacek, W. & Lenske, G. (2013). Linzer Diagnosebogen zur Klassenführung (LDK).
Pahl, J.‑P. (2014). Berufsbildende Schule: Bestandsaufnahme und Perspektiven (2. Aufl.).Bielefeld: wbv.
Praetorius, A.-K., Vieluf, S., Saß, S., Bernholt, A., & Klieme, E. (2016). The same in German as in English? Investigating the subject-specificity of teaching quality. Zeitschrift Für Erziehungswissenschaft, 19, 191–209.
Praetorius, A-K., Klieme, E., Kleickmann, T., Brunner, E., Lindmeier, A., Taut, S., & Charalambous, C. (2020). Towards developing a theory of generic teaching quality: Origin, current status, and necessary next steps regarding the three basic dimensions. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, (Suppl. 66), 15-36.
Schönbächler, M.-T., Herzog, W., & Makarova, E. (2011). 'Schwierige' Schulklassen: Eine Analyse des Zusammenhangs von Klassenzusammensetzung und wahrgenommenen Unterrichtsstörungen. Unterrichtswissenschaft, 39(4), 310–327.
Seiz, J., Decristan, J., Kunter, M., & Baumert, J. (2016). Differenzielle Effekte von Klassenführung und Unterstützung für Schülerinnen und Schüler mit Migrationshintergrund. Pädagogische Psychologie, 30(4), 237–249.
Sloane, P. F. (2014). Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen! Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik, 110(1), 1-16.
Thiel, F., Ophardt, D., & Piwowar, V. (2013). Abschlussbericht des Projekts „Kompetenzen des Klassenmanagements (KODEK). Entwicklung und Evaluation eines Fortbildungsprogramms für Lehrkräfte zum Klassenmanagement“. Berlin: Freie Universität Berlin.
02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Paper
Classroom Disruptions and Classroom Management in Learning Factory Settings at Vocational Schools
Pierre Meinokat, Ingo Wagner
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Presenting Author: Meinokat, Pierre
It is in the responsibility of vocational education and training (VET) to prepare students with adequate competencies and skills for their professional life. One new possibility of this preparation in VET that is becoming more and more widespread is the use of learning factories. A learning factory is understood as “a learning environment specified by processes that are authentic, include multiple stations, and comprise technical as well as organizational aspects” (Abele, 2019, p. 1027). Thus, learning factories simulate real production factories within the school environment in a modular and smaller dimension. Hence vocational students gather insights in real production processes early in their education and training. This meets the important demand for a closer link and easier transition between school and work (Bonnes & Hochholdinger, 2020). As learning factories facilitate parts of workspace simulations (Jossberger et al., 2018) and digital settings (Meinokat & Wagner, 2022) many components foster successful learning. Having excellent classroom management is essential to make professional, emotional and social learning possible (Evertson & Weinstein, 2006). To not waste precious learning time (Scherzinger & Wettstein, 2019) and as the most crucial factor regarding teachers’ health issues (Gonzalez et al., 2015; Kokkinos, 2007), dealing with classroom disruptions as part of the classroom management should be looked at in detail. For the setting of learning factories, research is alarmingly lacking (Abele et al., 2015; Scheid, 2018). In order to collect useful information about teaching in learning factories and thus, improve and disseminate international VET with learning factories, the following research questions arose:
- RQ1: What types of classroom disruptions occur in learning factories?
- RQ2: What preventive and interventive measures do teachers use to deal with classroom disruptions in learning factories?
- RQ3: Which key classroom management factors influence a low level of classroom disruptions in learning factories?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedTo obtain answers to the research questions while maintaining a certain flexibility (Denzin & Lincoln, 2018), which is necessary due to the weak state of research, this study used semi-standardized, guideline-based interviews with teachers at vocational schools in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, who were actively teaching at learning factories. The federal state is characterized by a high number of vocational schools with learning factories. After contacting them it was possible to conduct seven expert interviews with teachers, partly held online and face-to-face. These experts were asked to report on real situations which were not evaluated during the interviews, creating a good validity.
Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim before evaluation (Hussy et al., 2013). A qualitative content analysis according to Mayring (2019) was conducted. A high scientific quality of research was ensured by the quality criteria, also from Mayring (2019). The created interview guideline, the interview orientation that was always presented in the same way, the systematic evaluation, and the gapless documentation result in a high level of objectivity. Again, taking advantage from a detailed interview guideline and carrying out the interviews by always the same interviewer creates a high reliability.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsIn general, results show that learning factories can be successfully integrated in VET. Considering types of classroom disruptions (RQ1) according to the teachers the high monetary value of a learning factory and the increased need for maintenance and preparation give the feeling that the learning factory deserves special treatment. Thus, disruptions seem to occur less frequent than in regular classroom lessons. Nevertheless, teachers feel well prepared for upcoming challenges with their expertise from teaching experiences in other settings. The mainly reported difference is that disruptions that can destroy (parts of) the learning factory do have a huge impact on the entire group and the teaching in general.
Asked about preventive and intervening measures (RQ2), the interviewees again can rely on their experiences from other settings. For the case of learning factories teachers agree that prevention is more important than intervention. Students recognize the special status of a learning factory and teachers report on less need for correcting disruptive behavior. All the teachers compose their student groups with care when planning to use the learning factory. Once in action, learning is heavily group orientated, leading to minor. Facing disruptions in the learning factory, teachers assess the severity of a disruption individually and take appropriate action. This is often accompanied by a multi-stage escalation process, at the end of which there is exclusion and/or contact with the students’ work company.
Teachers report: mutual trust is the most important factor (RQ3) when it comes to good classroom management in VET. For learning factories this trust is the foundation for a successful teaching and learning. Teachers need to prepare precisely before teaching. During the lessons they need to shift their role to a mentoring position, creating possibilities for the students to learn by themselves while ensuring compliance with the rules.
ReferencesAbele, E. (2019). Learning Factory. In S. Chatti, L. Laperrière, G. Reinhart, & T. Tolio (Eds.), CIRP Encyclopedia of Production Engineering (pp. 1027–1031). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-53120-4_16828
Abele, E., Metternich, J., Tisch, M., Chryssolouris, G., Sihn, W., ElMaraghy, H., Hummel, V., & Ranz, F. (2015). Learning Factories for Research, Education, and Training. Procedia CIRP, 32, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2015.02.187
Bonnes, C., & Hochholdinger, S. (2020). Approaches to Teaching in Professional Training: A Qualitative Study. Vocations and Learning, 13(3), 459–477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-020-09244-2
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2018). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (Fifth edition). SAGE.
Evertson, C. M., & Weinstein, C. S. (2006). Classroom Management as a Field of Inquiry. In C. M. Evertson & C. S. Weinstein (Eds.), Handbook of classroom management: Research, practice, and contemporary issues (pp. 3–15). Routledge.
Gonzalez, L., Brown, M., & Slate, J. (2015). Teachers Who Left the Teaching Profession: A Qualitative Understanding. The Qualitative Report. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1601
Hussy, W., Schreier, M., & Echterhoff, G. (2013). Forschungsmethoden in Psychologie und Sozialwissenschaften für Bachelor [Research Methods in Psychology and Social Sciences for Bachelors]. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34362-9
Jossberger, H., Brand-Gruwel, S., van de Wiel, M. W. J., & Boshuizen, H. (2018). Learning in Workplace Simulations in Vocational Education: A Student Perspective. Vocations and Learning, 11(2), 179–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-017-9186-7
Kokkinos, C. M. (2007). Job stressors, personality and burnout in primary school teachers. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(Pt 1), 229–243. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709905X90344
Mayring, P. (2019). Qualitative Content Analysis: Demarcation, Varieties, Developments. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung, 20(16), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-20.3.3343
Meinokat, P., & Wagner, I. (2022). Causes, prevention, and interventions regarding classroom disruptions in digital teaching: A systematic review. Education and Information Technologies, 27(4), 4657–4684. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10795-7
Scheid, R. (2018). Learning Factories in Vocational Schools. In D. Ifenthaler (Ed.), Digital Workplace Learning (pp. 271–289). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46215-8_15
Scherzinger, M., & Wettstein, A. (2019). Classroom disruptions, the teacher–student relationship and classroom management from the perspective of teachers, students and external observers: a multimethod approach. Learning Environments Research, 22(1), 101–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-018-9269-x
02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Paper
How to Analyse the Work of VET Teachers in Germany? The Work Task Analysis TAGMA based on Action Regulation Theory
Lea Besser2, Anne Traum1, Franz Kaiser1, Renate Rau2
1University of Rostock, Germany; 2University of Halle, Germany
Presenting Author: Kaiser, Franz
Vocational education and training (VET) have been suffering from a shortage of teachers in many countries (Kalisch & Kaiser 2019; OECD 2021). The question arises how the qualification to become a VET teacher and the working conditions as well as work attractiveness of VET teachers can be improved.
A lot is known about the curricula and standards of VET teacher education and the different ways to become VET teacher in Europe (Hoppe & Kaiser 2021; Misra 2011) but we still have a lack of knowledge about the current working conditions of VET teachers and their needs for competencies.
To close this lack a reseach team form two German Universities with scientific backgrounds in work psychology and in Vocational education set up a study to analyse teachers at their workplaces in Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania in Germany in 2021 and 2022.
The aim of the analysis is to derive redesign proposals for working conditions and qualification opportunities for VET teachers. This contribution will report on the procedure, the theoretical background and the results of the work analysis.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedMore than twenty teachers at VET schools in different branches and programmes were observed and interviewed in a structured manner on the basis of content-based regular scales in a research-project founded by the national ministry in Germany in 2021. In addition interviews with school leaders took place and talks with other VET teachers in the same state to comment the main findings in 2022.
The theoretical basis of the study is the theory of mental regulation of action (Hacker 1973; Volpert 1974) based on activity theory linked to Vygotsky, Leontjew and Galperin. The applied survey instrument TAG-MA was developed by Rau, Schweden, Hoppe und Hacker (2021). Different work characteristics, such as sequential completeness, degrees of freedom and the level of cognitive requirements, are assessed.
In order to clarify the impressions and open questions with the workers, additional interviews took place after the workplace observations. In all of this, however, the quality of teaching or the actions of the teachers are not evaluated or judged from a pedagogical point of view. Rather, the work tasks and the shape of the conditions are evaluated against the background of stress and personality development.
In the synopsis of the scales of disturbances and external interruptions, work peaks, work breaks, multitasking requirements and possibilities to hand over and take over tasks, which are graded under the minimum profile, there is a risk of too high work intensity, at least in phases. A real problem is the time of work peaks, especially during examination periods. These phases of work intensification go hand in hand with long working hours and the non-observance of rest periods and reduce the opportunities for recovery between work shifts. As a result, performance prerequisites can be impaired (Rau, 2017).
In 2022, after the analysis of the first findings (Besser et.al. 2022), a further step of analysis took place in which active vocational school teachers at other schools in Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania were confronted with the findings. With the help of structural maps, they had to put the characteristics and competencies from the findings into a hierarchy and context and were able to assess their importance and relevance from their point of view. This might offer insights on the influence oft he branches and main vocational subject they teach.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsFirst findings are published in an article in German 2022 (Besser et.al.).
The lack of the opportunity to work with others reveals the discrepancy between the cooperation requirements that result from teaching and the prevailing individual (non-cooperative) way of teaching, planing and follow-up of lessons (Kremer, 2003). Neither teacher teamwork nor close cooperation with the training companies is an integral part of the work activity of VET teachers in Germany. Eder and Koschmann (2011) blame this circumstance on the lack of practical experience of VET teachers and the lack of organisational framework conditions. In addition to the potential restrictions on teaching quality, there is also the danger of social isolation (cf. DIN EN ISO 6385, 2016).
The existing contradictions between the curricula concretised within the school and the examinations drawn up supra-regional with professional associations (including the Chamber of Industry and Commerce IHK, Chamber of Crafts) and training companies pose problems for the work of teachers in the vocational school. In contrast to the learning field orientation of the curricula, which are aligned towards holism, process orientation and procedural knowledge, in the examination mostly declarative knowledge questions with a high level of detail are asked (Berben, 2014).
Intrinsic learning opportunities can be increased among teachers not only by improving feedback but also by increasing the degrees of temporal freedom. Thus, 90-minute teaching units should be the norm. Research shows that longer teaching units are associated with a greater didactic variety and that more learning processes can be completed (Wackermann & Hater, 2016). The observed didactic diversity is likely to be the result of the increase in the degrees of freedom in terms of content that arise as a consequence of the increase in the degrees of freedom in terms of time through longer (90-minute) teaching units.
ReferencesBesser, L., Rau, R. & Traum, A. (2022). Objektiv-bedingungsbezogene Tätigkeitsanalysen an Schulen der beruflichen Bildung. Welche Arbeitsinhalte und Ausführungsbedingungen prägen die Tätigkeit von Berufsschullehrkräften? In: S. Mühlpfordt & G. Prodehl (Hrsg.). Gesundheitsschutz und Gesundheitsförderung im Lehrberuf. PABST, Lengerich.
DIN EN ISO 6385. (2016). Grundsätze der Ergonomie für die Gestaltung von Arbeitssystemen [Principles of ergonomics for the design of work systems]. Berlin: Beuth.
Eder, A., & Koschmann, A. (2011). Die Rolle von Lernortkooperation bei der Umsetzung lernfeldorientierter Lehrpläne an berufsbildenden Schulen in Niedersachsen [The role of learning site cooperation in the implementation of learning field oriented curricula at vocational schools in Lower Saxony]. Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik Online, (20), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.25656/01:7796
Hacker, W. (1973). Allgemeine Arbeits- und Ingenieurpsychologie - Psychologische Struktur und Regulation von Arbeitstätigkeiten. Berlin: Verlag der Wissenschaften.
Hoppe, M. & Kaiser, F. (2021). Comparing vet teacher education at university level in five European countries. In C. Nägele, B.E. Stalder, & M. Weich (Eds.), Pathways in Vocational Education and Training and Lifelong Learning. Muttenz and Bern online, (pp. 165–171). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.463642
Kalisch, C. & Kaiser, F. (2021) (eds.). Bildung beruflicher Lehrkräfte. Wege in die pädagogische Königsklasse. Bielefeld: wbv
Kremer, H.-H. (2003). Handlungs- und Fachsystematik im Lernfeldkonzept [Action and subject systematics in the learning field concept]. bwp@ Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik - online, (4), 1–13. [Online document]. Access date: 20.01.2022. Available at: http://www.bwpat.de/ausgabe4/ kremer_bwpat4.pdf
Misra, P. K. (2011). VET teachers in Europe: Policies, practices and challenges. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 63(1), 27-45. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2011.552732
OECD (2021). Teachers and Leaders in Vocational Education and Training, OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training. Paris: OECD https://doi.org/10.1787/59d4fbb1-en.
Rau, R. (2017). Zum Stellenwert von Erholung in der Welt der "Arbeit 4.0" [On the place of recreation in the world of "work 4.0"]. In R. Romahn (Ed.), Arbeitszeit gestalten. Wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse für die Praxis (pp. 61–77). Weimar: Metropolis-Verlag
Rau, R., Schweden, F., Hoppe, J. & Hacker, W. (2021). Verfahren zur Tätigkeitsanalyse und -gestaltung bei mentalen Arbeitsanforderungen (TAG-MA). Kröning: Asanger.
Volpert, W. (1974): Handlungsstrukturanalyse als Beitrag zur Qualifikationsforschung. Pahl-Rugenstein, Köln 1974
Wackermann, R., & Hater, J. (2016). Der Einfluss der Stundenlänge (45 vs. 60 Minuten) auf ausgewählte Aspekte der Unterrichtsqualität im Physikunterricht am Gymnasium. Eine Prä-Post-Untersuchung mit zwei Lehrkräften [The influence of lesson length (45 vs. 60 minutes) on selected aspects of teaching quality in high school physics classes. A pre-post investigation with two teachers]. Perspectives in Science, 10, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pisc.2015.12.009
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