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The use of texts is an indispensable resource for students’ learning, especially in science domains. While developing understanding of a specific topic usually is the main goal of reading expository texts, an important consideration is how to best measure whether this understanding has been reached. In this study, we aimed to analyze gains in students’ reading comprehension based on reading three expository texts on chemistry and physics topics. By means of a pre–post design, we assessed the reading comprehension of 261 eighth grade students with regard to three levels of reading comprehension. Latent change scores were estimated to analyze changes in students’ total test scores, while also calculating difference scores based on the single items. Results indicate that students’ topic-related comprehension increases from pre- to posttest, while gains seem to be limited to word and sentence level questions. In line with other studies, these findings stress that students would benefit from explicit strategy instruction, at least when learning from reading is the goal of using science texts in classrooms.

Do children, like most adults, believe that only kin and close others are obligated to help oneanother? In two studies (total N = 1140), we examined whether children (~5- to ~10-yos) andadults across five different societies consider social relationship when ascribing prosocialobligations. Contrary to the view that such discriminations are a natural default in humanreasoning, younger children in the United States (Studies 1 and 2) and across cultures (Study 2)generally judged everyone—parents, friends, and strangers—as obligated to help someone-inneed.Older children and adults, on the other hand, tended to exhibit more discriminant judgments.They considered parents more obligated to help than friends followed by strangers—though thiseffect was stronger in some cultures than others. Our findings suggest that children’s initial senseof prosocial obligation in social-relational contexts starts out broad and generally becomes moreselective over the course of development.

ZusammenfassungLesemotivation ist von Bedeutung für Leseleistung und ist interindividuell unterschiedlich ausgeprägt. Jedoch ist bislang wenig bekannt über Veränderungen unterschiedlicher Lesemotivationsmuster und die Bedeutung des Geschlechts, der Leseleistung und der Unterrichtsgestaltung für solche Veränderungen. Mittels dieser Erkenntnisse könnten adaptive Lernangebote ausgeweitet werden. Die vorliegende Längsschnittstudie greift diese Frage auf und untersucht basierend auf Daten von N = 1313 Lernenden (50,0 % Mädchen) in der 5. und 6. Jahrgangsstufe, wie sich Wertüberzeugungen und Leseselbstkonzept interindividuell unterschiedlich verändern. Latente Profilanalysen verweisen auf drei motivationale Muster zu beiden Zeitpunkten: ‚Geringer intrinsischer Wert‘, ‚Moderate Lesemotivation‘ und ‚Hohe Lesemotivation‘. Hohe Lehrkraftunterstützung trägt dazu bei, dass Lernende im Verlauf des fünften Schuljahres in das Profil ‚Hohe Lesemotivation‘ statt in das Motivationsprofil ‚Geringer intrinsischer Wert‘ wechseln. Mädchen und Lernende mit hoher Leseleistung wechseln eher in das Profil ‚Hohe Lesemotivation‘ statt in das Profil ‚Moderate Lesemotivation‘. Implikationen für Unterricht werden diskutiert.

Previous research repeatedly illustrated that reading comprehension is essential for learning science and performances in both domains correlate highly. Because students with specific learning disorders with impairments in reading (SLD-IR) show deficits in reading comprehension, it seems reasonable to assume that this group may struggle to perform in other academic domains, such as science. As language in science is characterized by linguistic complexity, the question arises whether students with SLD-IR can be supported by reducing linguistic complexity. To address this lacuna, we aim to investigate in this registered report whether students with SLD-IR benefit more from linguistic simplification in science than their peers without SLD-IR. In an experimental study, we will present students with science items in an original version, inspired by academic language and a linguistically simplified version. We hypothesize that all students will benefit from simplification, but that students with SLD-IR will benefit to a higher degree. We will analyse our data by applying a multilevel logistic regression model.

This study examined the associations between classmates' reading-related gender stereotypes and students' reading self-efficacy, self-concept, motivation, and achievement. Our sample consisted of 1,508 fifth-grade students (49% girls; age: 10.89 years); data were collected at two time points. Multilevel analyses yielded two main results: First, there was a relation between students' individual reading-related gender stereotypes and their reading self-concept, self-efficacy, and motivation with boys experiencing negative and girls experiencing positive effects. Second, a contextual effect was found: after controlling for students' individual reading-related gender stereotypes, classmates' gender stereotypes were negatively related to all of the boys' reading outcomes. The results provide evidence for the assumption that classmates are important communicators of gender stereotypes and that they reinforce conforming behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading comprehension is an essential skill for learning in general and in science classes. Problems with reading comprehension might hinder students’ participation in learning science. Text in science includes specific language features that distinguishes it from narrative text, so should reading instruction be part of teaching science? The direct and inferential mediation (DIME) model of reading comprehension subsumes factors that influence reading comprehension. It was tested separately regarding narrative text as well as expository text in English; however, both have not been tested by directly comparing them to each other. In this study, we investigated to what degree general reading comprehension of narrative text is directly comparable to topic-specific reading comprehension of science text. Hence, first the applicability of the DIME model of reading comprehension in another language (i.e. German) was tested. Second, a general reading comprehension model was directly compared to a topic-specific model for reading comprehension of science text. Participants across the two studies were 704 German Grade 8 students who completed measures of comprehension and the DIME predictor variables. Results of two path analyses indicate the general applicability of the model for another language and additionally for both genres. However, some differences are highlighted that may be of importance in future science-specific studies as well as for teaching science.

Research shows that gender differences tend to exist in student motivational-affective factors in core subjects such as math, science or reading, where one gender is stereotypically disadvantaged.This study aimed to investigate strategies that could reduce these gender differences by conducting a meta-analysis on school-based intervention studies that targeted student motivational-affective factors. We therefore evaluated whether interventions had differential effects for male and female students' motivational-affective factors in a given academic subject. We also evaluated potential moderator variables.After conducting a systematic database search and screening abstracts for inclusion, we synthesized 71 effect sizes from 20 primary studies. All included studies were conducted in science or mathematics-related subjects, which are stereotypically female-disadvantaged.While the interventions had significant positive effects for both genders, there was no statistically significant difference between the two genders with regard to the intervention effects on motivational-affective factors. However, the descriptive effect size for female students (g = .49) was far greater than for male students (g = .28). Moderator analyses showed no significant effects for grade level, intervention duration, or school subject, but there was a significant influence of intervention method used.This study demonstrated that school-based interventions have positive effects on motivational-affective factors for both genders. It also provides evidence that interventions in subjects where female students are stereotypically disadvantaged may have greater effects for females than for males. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Stereotype threat is a possible reason for difficulties faced by girls and women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The threat experienced due to gender can cause elevated worry during performance situations. That is, if the stereotype that women are not as good as men in math becomes salient, this stereotype activation draws women's attention to task-irrelevant worry caused by the fear of conforming to the negative stereotype. Increased worry can reduce cognitive resources, potentially leading to performance decrements. We argue that such worry is more pronounced immediately after an unrelated self-control demand, which is assumed to temporarily decrease people's self-control exertion over their attention and stream of thought (i.e., relatively low self-control capacity). This prediction was examined in an experiment conducted with 102 participating university students enrolled in courses in which math plays a crucial role. After the manipulation of self-control capacity (low vs. high), stereotype threat was induced for the female students, but not the male students. Then, the students were asked to report their thoughts during a math performance situation (i.e., written thought protocols) three times. Multiple-group autoregressive path models revealed that when self-control capacity was relatively low, female compared with male students reported more intense worry in the initial two thought protocols. In contrast, in the relatively high self-control capacity condition, female and male students did not differ significantly in their reported worry at any time. These results expand on previous findings, suggesting that threat effects depend on definable situational self-control conditions.

Science performance is highly affected by students’ reading comprehension. Recently, there has been a growing attention to the role of linguistic features for science performance, but findings are ambivalent, especially when looking into item word count. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of students’ reading comprehension and item word count of given science measures on performance, controlling for students’ cognitive abilities, gender, family language, and school track. The sample consisted of N = 2051 German students in grades 10 and 11. Students completed (scientific) literacy measures. We then applied a multilevel logistic regression to investigate the hypothesized interaction effect of reading comprehension and word count on students’ science performance. The results showed a significant interaction of students’ reading comprehension and word count on science performance, controlling for several covariates. Particularly students with high reading comprehension benefit from science items with increasing word count. Our findings empirically support previous research, showing that reading comprehension is crucial for science performance and enhances the interaction between reading comprehension and linguistic features of written text in science subjects. Finally, theoretical and practical implications and limitations of this study are discussed.

The 2I/E model is an extension of Marsh’s (1986) classical internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model. Whereas the classical I/E model describes the formation of academic self-concept by the joint operation of social (external) and dimensional (internal) comparisons, the 2I/E model integrates temporal comparisons as an additional internal comparison process. In the 2I/E model, paths from achievement levels to self-concepts in the same subject are assumed to represent social comparisons, paths from achievement levels to self-concepts in another subject are assumed to represent dimensional comparisons, and paths from achievement changes to self-concepts in the same subject are assumed to represent temporal comparisons. The present research validated the 2I/E model in six empirical studies with a total of more than 20,000 students. Generally, there were strong positive social comparison paths, moderate negative dimensional comparison paths, and small positive temporal comparison paths. Furthermore, the relations of the 2I/E model were replicated with both grades and standardized test scores as achievement indicators (Study 1 and Study 2). Dimensional comparison effects were stronger between dissimilar subjects, like math and German, than between similar subjects, like German and English (Study 2 and Study 3). Also, the relations of the 2I/E model were shown when prior self-concepts were controlled for (Study 4). Overall, the 2I/E model seems to have the potential to enrich future theory and research on self-concept formation and comparison processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Zusammenfassung. In Leistungssituationen sind Personen angehalten Selbstkontrolle aufzuwenden, um ihre Aufmerksamkeit, Gedanken und Emotionen zielgerichtet zu regulieren. Selbstkontrolle wird als begrenzte mentale Kapazität betrachtet, die situativen Fluktuationen unterliegt und sich kurzfristig erschöpfen kann. In dieser Validierungsstudie stellen wir eine 5-Item-Skala zur Messung der momentan verfügbaren Selbstkontrollkapazität (SMS-5) basierend auf der State Self-Control Capacity Scale (SSCCS) vor, mit dem Ziel auch in kurzen zeitlichen Abständen intra- und interindividuelle Variabilitäten der momentan verfügbaren Selbstkontrollkapazität (d. h. die Ausprägung der empfundenen mentalen Erschöpfung) ökonomisch abzubilden und externe Kriterien im Lern- und Leistungskontext valide vorherzusagen. Die interne Struktur der SMS-5 erwies sich in Stichproben von Auszubildenden ( N = 2 395), Zehntklässlerinnen und Zehntklässlern ( N = 129) und Studierenden ( N = 95; N = 140) als eindimensional. Zusammenfassend zeichnete sich die SMS-5 als valides, reliables, über Ausbildungsgruppen, Geschlecht und Zeit invariantes und änderungssensitives Instrument zur ökonomischen Messung der momentan verfügbaren Selbstkontrollkapazität im Lern- und Leistungskontext ab, das gegenüber der SSCCS in der Vorhersage externer Kriterien vergleichbar gut abschnitt. Die SMS-5 empfiehlt sich besonders, um durch kurzfristig wiederholte Messungen, Veränderungen der Selbstkontrollkapazität im zeitlichen Verlauf von Lern- und Leistungshandlungen abzubilden.

In the present study we investigated which role manipulated (i.e., experimentally induced) and perceived (i.e., self-reported) self-control depletion plays in students’ (N = 176 seventh graders) ac...

Following expectancy-value theory, we investigated the role parents' reading-related gender stereotypes favoring girls play in explaining students' reading-related competence beliefs, intrinsic task values, and achievement. Drawing on a sample of 1508 students (49% girls, age at T1: 10.89 years) from 60 schools in Germany, we collected data at the beginning of Grade 5 and in the second half of Grade 6 using parent and student questionnaires. Structural equation modeling yielded two main results: First, parents' gender stereotypes favoring girls in reading and their sons' reading-related competence beliefs and intrinsic task values were negatively related. Second, we found indirect effects from parents' gender stereotypes through boys' reading-related intrinsic task values and competence beliefs to boys' reading achievement. Our results provide evidence for the assumption that parents' gender stereotypes are important in the perpetuation of gender differences, as they may affect the development of children's competence beliefs, intrinsic task values, and achievement.

Zusammenfassung. Erwartungen von Lehrkräften werden als wichtiger Faktor für die Leistungsentwicklung von Schülerinnen und Schülern gesehen. Offen ist bisher, inwiefern Merkmale der Lehrkräfte deren Erwartungen beeinflussen. Ein wesentliches Merkmal von Lehrkräften ist ihr Professionswissen. Basierend auf einer Stichprobe von 796 Grundschulkindern und ihren 50 Lehrkräften untersuchte die vorliegende Studie die Zusammenhänge zwischen dem Geschlecht von Grundschulkindern, den mathematikbezogenen Leistungserwartungen von Lehrkräften, dem Professionswissen von Lehrkräften und der Mathematikleistung von Grundschulkindern. Im Fokus stand die Frage, ob das Professionswissen von Lehrkräften mit den geschlechtsspezifischen Erwartungseffekten zusammenhängt. Mehrebenenanalysen zeigten einen positiven Zusammenhang zwischen den Erwartungen der Lehrkräfte und der Mathematikleistung der Grundschulkinder. Darüber hinaus hatten die Lehrkräfte bei der Mathematikleistung höhere Erwartungen an die Jungen als an die Mädchen. Zudem erklärten die höheren Leistungserwartungen an die Jungen die Leistungsunterschiede zwischen Jungen und Mädchen. Es konnte kein Zusammenhang zwischen dem Professionswissen und den geschlechtsspezifischen Erwartungseffekten gefunden werden. Mögliche Ansätze zur Minimierung von Erwartungseffekten werden diskutiert.

The present study investigated the role that personality traits and basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS) play in apprentices’ satisfaction with vocational education and training (VET) and life satisfaction in two different contexts (the company and the vocational school). Drawing on a German sample of N = 2,477 apprentices in their first year of VET, BPNS in the two contexts could be differentiated between. Furthermore, the way in which BPNS and personality traits were related to VET satisfaction and life satisfaction varied between the two contexts; personality traits mainly predicted life satisfaction, whereas BPNS at the company mainly predicted VET satisfaction. Our results indicate that personality traits are particularly relevant for general outcomes, whereas BPNS is more related to context-specific outcomes.

Studies provide evidence that distress, (health) anxiety, and depressive symptoms were high during the first weeks of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, decreasing over time (possibly due to individuals’ protective psychological factors). Relations between different lockdown restrictions, mental health issues, and protective factors need to be explored, since even small lockdown effects might increase the risk of future mental health issues. We merged objective lockdown stringency data with individual data (N = 1001) to examine differences in lockdown effects in strict lockdown (Romania) and mild lockdown (Hungary) conditions between March and May 2020 on stressors and mental health symptoms, taking protective factors into account. The stricter lockdown in Romania revealed higher levels of perceived risk of infection, distress intolerance, and COVID-19 health anxiety. Protective psychological factors were not affected by the lockdown measures. Surpassing psychological flexibility and resilient coping, self-control proved to be the most promising protective factor. It is recommended that future research merge objective data with study data to investigate the effects of different COVID-19 lockdown measures on mental health and protective factors. Policy decisions should consider lockdown-dependent consequences of mental health issues. Intervention programs are suggested to mitigate mental health issues and to strengthen peoples’ protective psychological factors.

Currently, there is no standard treatment protocol for apical periodontitis (AP). Thus, restorable teeth might get extracted and replaced prosthetically. This study evaluated German dentists&rsquo, preferred AP treatment decisions and the influencing factors for selecting tooth retention by initial/repeated surgical/non-surgical root-canal treatment (RCT) or extraction with/without prosthetic replacement. Through an online-survey, participants (n = 260) rated different treatment options for four case scenarios with AP in anterior/posterior teeth without/with previous RCT. Statistical analysis included the Friedman test for intra-case comparisons and Chi-squared test for factor-associations (p &le, 0.05). Tooth retention using initial/repeated RCT was ranked first in all scenarios and rated as (very) appropriate by most participants, while implant-supported crowns (ISC) and apicoectomy had the second ratings. ISC were preferred more on posterior teeth or previous root-canal-treated teeth. Rating levels of treatment options displayed significant differences for all case scenarios. Posterior tooth retention by RCT demonstrated a significant association with work experience. Tooth retention with previous RCT displayed a significant correlation with dentists&rsquo, privately insured patients. Most dentists preferred tooth preserving with initial/repeated RCT, while others selected non-evidence-based choices. This reflects a lack of consensus of AP treatment decisions in Germany. Fixed treatment guidelines and further evaluation of treatment&ndash, decision-correlated factors are recommended for correct treatment planning.

This study aims to provide empirical evidence for the generalized internal/external frames of reference (GI/E) model, according to which social and in particular dimensional achievement comparisons might affect subject domains and domain-specific interests for example in university. The study drew on N = 146 pre-service teachers' reports of their achievements at the beginning of their second semester and interest in their main subject and in educational studies in general at the end of that same semester. Structural equation modelling revealed that achievements were positive related to interests in the same domain. More importantly, achievement in specific subjects negatively was related to interest in educational studies, while achievement in educational studies was unrelated to interest in specific subjects. This pattern of relations indicates that dimensional achievement comparisons are more salient for subject-related studies than educational studies. Furthermore, the findings provide evidence supporting the theoretical assumptions of the GI/E model.

This study focused on how teachers’ gender stereotypes are connected to teacher expectations, and examined the relations between students’ gender, teachers’ gender stereotypes, teacher expectations of students’ reading ability, and students’ reading achievement. Our sample consisted of 54 teachers and 1358 fifth-grade students (49% girls; age at T1: 10.89 years); data were collected at two time points. Multilevel analyses yielded three main results. First, after controlling for students’ previous achievement, teacher expectations predicted students’ reading achievement. Second, teachers’ higher expectations concerning the reading ability of girls explained the differences between boys’ and girls’ reading achievement. Third, a cross-level interaction was found: teachers with stronger stereotypes favoring girls expected girls to have higher reading ability than boys. Thus, our results contribute to the understanding of gender-specific teacher expectations by explicitly investigating the role of teachers’ gender stereotypes.

The present study with 353 students aimed to examine the validity of a questionnaire called the Value Beliefs Questionnaire for University Students (VBQU) measuring five value beliefs among university students, namely: intrinsic value, attainment value, cost, utility for daily life, and utility for career. Furthermore, this study strived to explore the situated expectancy-value theory by linking those five value beliefs to multiple individual characteristics of university students (i.e., academic self-concept, procrastination, test anxiety, academic achievement). Results of CFA provided strong support for a 5-factor structure and a hierarchical structure of four major value factors (i.e., intrinsic, attainment, cost, utility) and two utility factors. Significant intercorrelations among the five value beliefs and correlations of the five value beliefs with the other individual characteristics of university students also established validity evidence of the VBQU. In line with (S)EVT, academic self-concept and intrinsic value significantly interacted with each other in predicting academic achievement.

Educational research emphasizes the advantages of multimethod designs. However, if the design comprises different perspectives, the question of construct validity emerges. We related this question to student and teacher ratings of student–student relations, which are of high interest in research on physical education. In our study, 2,160 students and their 114 physical education teachers answered parallel items. Data was analyzed by applying the multi-level correlated trait-correlated method minus one approach, which makes it possible to consider multiple indicators per trait and to distinguish between trait, method, and error components. The student–student relations subscales student conflicts, class cohesion, and pleasure in demonstrating were reliable and valid regarding the two perspectives. Moreover, teacher and student ratings of student–student relations were consistent to a certain extent. The administered questionnaire was suitable for both perspectives. The applied model provides a good...

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wurde die Entwicklung der Lesekompetenz im letzten Abschnitt der Sekundarstufe I (Klassenstufen 9 bis 10) untersucht. Neben der Veranderung der Testleistungen in der Gesamtpopulation wurden die Assoziationen ausgewahlter institutioneller (Schulform), familiarer (Zuwanderungshintergrund und soziookonomischer familiarer Status) und individueller Merkmale (Geschlecht) mit der Leistungsentwicklung erfasst. In Ubereinstimmung mit aktuellen Studien, die eine abflachende Entwicklung der Leseleistung in spateren Phasen der Beschulung zeigen, konnten wir keinen Leistungszuwachs in der Gesamtstichprobe feststellen. Ebenso fanden sich keine belastbaren Hinweise dafur, dass die betrachteten Erklarungsvariablen mit der Kompetenzentwicklung assoziiert sind. Die Auswertungen lieferten jedoch deutliche Indizien dafur, dass die schulerseitige Persistenz der Testbearbeitung, die mittels Positionseffekten erfasst wurde, sich systematisch in Abhangigkeit der Hintergrundvariablen veranderte, wobei starkere Abnahmen der Bearbeitungspersistenz an nichtgymnasialen Schulformen, bei Jungen, und Schulerinnen und Schulern aus soziookonomisch schlechter gestellten Familien festgestellt wurden. Die Nichtberucksichtigung des Testbearbeitungsverhaltens fuhrte zu „Scheineffekten“ der Erklarungsvariablen Schulform und Geschlecht, die sich bei einer genaueren Betrachtung jedoch nicht auf den realen Kompetenzzuwachs bezogen.

Fachtexte stellen Lesende im Unterricht bekanntermasen vor grose Herausforderungen. Es wird regelmasig bemangelt, dass die Texte aufgrund ihrer Gestaltung nicht fur die Zielgruppe geeignet seien. Eine Moglichkeit, dem zu begegnen, ist die sprachliche Veranderung der Texte, hierfur gibt es aus der Textverstandnisforschung auch belegte Empfehlungen. In dem hier vorgestellten Projekt wurden solche Masnahmen zur Vereinfachung der Texte in den Fachern Physik und Chemie eingesetzt und in drei aufeinanderfolgenden experimentellen Studien in randomisierten Gruppenvergleichen in einem Pra-Post-Design untersucht. Es zeigt sich erwartungswidrig, dass die hier angewandten Masnahmen die Textverstandlichkeit nicht beeinflussen – die Lesenden lernen aus allen Variationen gleich viel. Dies ist einerseits ermutigend, weil offensichtlich bestimmte Eigenschaften der Fachtexte unproblematisch sind. Andererseits ergibt sich damit die Frage, wie sich das Textverstandnis stattdessen verbessern lasst.

Personality development in emerging adults who do not attend college after high school has been largely overlooked so far. In this study, we investigated personality development in emerging German adults (NT1 = 1,886, MageT1 = 18.01 years, 29% female) undergoing vocational education and training (VET). The trainees were assessed at the start of VET, 1.5 years later, and another 1.5 years after that, just before graduation. Longitudinal latent change score analyses were applied. Bivariate analyses investigated life satisfaction and job strain as social and work-related aspects that are potentially reciprocally related to personality development. Mean-level personality changes included increases in neuroticism and decreases in agreeableness and conscientiousness in the first interval. In the second interval, neuroticism decreased and conscientiousness increased. Simultaneously, trainees reported a gradual decrease in extraversion and openness across the 3-year time span. Personality, especially agreeableness and conscientiousness, emerged as a stronger predictor of changes in job strain and life satisfaction than vice versa. For example, more agreeable and more conscientious trainees subsequently showed increases in life satisfaction. Trainees reporting higher job strain subsequently showed decreases in agreeableness. Trajectories of personality development partly support the maturity principle that has been established in many college student samples.

Trotz vieler Bemuhungen, die Geschlechtergerechtigkeit in der Bildung zu erhohen, existieren nach wie vor bedeutende schulische Geschlechterunterschiede, die zu ungenutzten Chancen von Madchen und Jungen fuhren. So schneiden Madchen schlechter in Mathematik und in den Naturwissenschaften ab, wahrend sie die Jungen in verbalen Bereichen ubertreffen. Dieses Kapitel soll zunachst einen Uberblick uber schulische Geschlechterunterschiede und deren Relevanz geben. Zudem werden Erklarungsansatze hierfur geliefert. Biologische und psychosoziale Einflusse bewirken in einem Zusammenspiel die Entstehung geschlechtsspezifischen Verhaltens. Eine besondere Relevanz scheinen in diesem Zusammenhang die Geschlechterstereotype aus der sozialen Umwelt zu haben. Die Frage, inwieweit Geschlechterstereotype signifikanter Anderer – wie die der Eltern, Lehrkrafte und Peers – zur Entwicklung und Aufrechterhaltung der schulischen Geschlechterunterschiede beitragen, bildet den Kern des vorliegenden Beitrags. Abschliesend werden Ansatzpunkte fur Interventionen zur Minimierung der Auswirkungen von Geschlechterstereotypen im schulischen Kontext diskutiert.

The widely-used Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) is usually applied as a unidimensional measure of trait self-control. However, there is no clear empirical evidence for the scale's unidimensional structure, while different multidimensional conceptualizations of the BSCS have recently been suggested. The authors of those multidimensional models used different BSCS item subsets to specify distinct facets of self-control in order to enhance the representation of the scale's internal structure or to increase the instrument's efficiency in predicting various outcomes. Up until now, little is known about the relative performance of these conceptualizations. In this article, we compare three two-dimensional representations of the BSCS with the unidimensional measure in two samples of university students (N = 205) and apprentices in vocational education and training (N = 1951). Of the two-dimensional models only the one that separates positively and negatively worded items showed a consistent improvement in model fit in both samples, compared to the unidimensional model. However, in comparison to the unidimensional measure, the two-dimensional measures did not substantially enhance the predictive power concerning outcome variables in either sample. We conclude that the BSCS's total score is a viable option for assessing trait self-control and for studying its relationship with achievement-related outcome variables.

Bei der Evaluation der Bildungsstandards in den naturwissenschaftlichen Fachern sieht das Itemdesign vor, benotigtes Vorwissen innerhalb der Testung vorzugeben und damit auch im Sinne einer Kompetenzorientierung Umgang mit Fachwissen zu evaluieren. Dies setzt voraus, dass die Schulerinnen und Schuler die Informationen angemessen rezipieren. Es wird daher angenommen, dass schriftsprachliche Fahigkeiten eine zentrale Rolle fur die Erfassung physikbezogener Kompetenzen in Leistungstests spielen, zumal einige Items schriftliche Antworten verlangen. Der vorliegende Beitrag geht daher der Frage nach, in welchem Umfang schriftsprachliche Fahigkeiten im Zusammenhang mit den Ergebnissen der Evaluation der Bildungsstandards im Kompetenzbereich Umgang mit Fachwissen des Fachs Physik steht. Die Studie zeigt an einer Stichprobe von N = 1961 Auszubildenden mittels Vergleich logistischer Modelle auf, dass die Items der Bildungsstandards von schriftsprachlichen Fahigkeiten beeinflusst werden. Ferner wiesen Items mit offenem Format im Mittel eine hohere Itemschwierigkeit auf im Vergleich zu Items mit geschlossenem Format, wobei sich eine Interaktion zwischen Antwortformat und schriftsprachlichen Fahigkeiten andeutet.

Diese Arbeit untersucht die Rolle beruflicher Interessen sensu Holland (1997) beim Übergang von der Sekundarstufe I in die Profiloberstufe allgemeinbildender Gymnasien in Schleswig-Holstein. Ausgehend vom Circumplexmodell beruflicher Interessen wurde die Vorhersageleistung der daraus abgeleiteten Parameter individueller Interessenprofile für die in Klassenstufe 11 gewählten Oberstufenprofile untersucht. Die Ergebnisse unterstützen die Validität der Profilmodellierung. Insbesondere zeigt sich, dass (1) die Interessenstruktur am Ende der Sekundarstufe I den von Holland postulierten Vorgaben entspricht, (2) die Interessenprofile mit der Wahl des Profils der Oberstufe assoziiert sind und (3) den betrachteten Parametern individueller Interessenprofile auch nach Kontrolle von Noten und des Geschlechts ein eigenständiger Beitrag zur Vorhersage späterer Wahlentscheidungen zukommt. In ihrer Gesamtheit liefern die Befunde robuste Hinweise dafür, dass berufliche Interessen bereits in der 9. Klasse eine wichtige handlungsleitende Funktion beim Treffen innerschulischer Wahlentscheidungen übernehmen.

Im Kontext der zunehmenden Aufgabe des Kurssystems zugunsten neigungsbezogener Profile in den Oberstufen allgemeinbildender Gymnasien prüfen wir, ob die Wahl eines sprachlichen Profils zu günstigeren Leistungsentwicklungen im Fach Englisch führt als die Wahl eines nicht-sprachlichen Profils. Insbesondere aufgrund der profilbezogen unterschiedlichen Belegungen von zweiter, dritter und ggf. vierter Fremdsprache wäre eine günstigere Entwicklung des sprachlichen Profils durch positiven Transfer zwischen schulisch erlernten Fremdsprachen zu rechtfertigen. Wir nutzen längsschnittliche Daten von N = 1.171 Schülerinnen und Schülern in 11. bzw. 13. Jahrgangsstufen aus Schleswig-Holstein. Wir beschreiben zunächst die an den fünf Profilen in der Qualifikationsphase belegten Fremdsprachen. Bezugnehmend auf den zurückliegenden Ländervergleich im Fach Englisch zeichnen wir Leistungsentwicklungen in zwei Teildomänen, dem Lese- und Hörverstehen, von der 9. über die 11. bis hin zur 13. Jahrgangsstufe nach. Mehrebenenanalysen sprechen sodann für eine schwache Bestätigung profilbezogener Transfereffekte, die sich gegenüber Effekten der leistungsbezogenen Komposition auf Klassenebene abgrenzen lassen.

Sprache ist konstitutiv fur wissenschaftliches Handeln. Vor diesem Hintergrund kann aus dem Konzept der Scientific Literacy die sprachliche Forderung von Lernenden als Bildungsziel auch fur den naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht abgeleitet werden. Fachdidaktische Forschung konzentriert sich bisher allerdings auf einzelne, ausgewahlte Aspekte, sodass weder ein einheitlicher theoretischer Rahmen noch eine koharente empirische Befundlage zu erkennen ist. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird versucht, einige zentrale Befunde aus Sprachdidaktik, Linguistik, Fachdidaktik und Kognitionspsychologie in einem Uberblick darzustellen und zugleich Lucken der empirischen Forschung aufzuzeigen. Basierend auf bestehenden empirischen Befunden und Modellen unterschiedlicher Forschungsdisziplinen wird fur die drei naturwissenschaftlichen Facher Physik, Chemie und Biologie ein ubergreifendes Modell vorgeschlagen, das sich zunachst auf die Interaktion zwischen verschiedenen Personenfahigkeiten (Vorwissen und sprachliche Fahigkeiten) und Textmerkmalen naturwissenschaftlicher Texte bezieht, da hier der Grosteil der empirischen Evidenz vorliegt. Der Beitrag fokussiert somit auf das Verstandnis expositorischer Texte.

According to expectancy-value theory, the gender stereotypes of significant others such as parents, peers, or teachers affect students’ competence beliefs, values, and achievement-related behavior. Stereotypically, gender beliefs about reading favor girls. The aim of this study was to investigate whether teachers’ gender stereotypes in relation to reading—their belief that girls outperform boys—have a negative effect on the reading self-concept of boys, but not girls. We drew on a longitudinal study comprising two occasions of data collection: toward the beginning of Grade 5 (T1) and in the second half of Grade 6 (T2). Our sample consisted of 54 teachers and 1,358 students. Using multilevel modeling, controlling for T1 reading self-concept, reading achievement, and school track, we found a negative association between teachers’ gender stereotype at T1 and boys’ reading self-concept at T2, as expected. For girls, this association did not yield a significant result. Thus, our results provide empirical support for the idea that gender differences in self-concept may be due to the stereotypical beliefs of teachers as significant others. In concluding, we discuss what teachers can do to counteract the effects of their own gender stereotypes.

This research aimed to identify reciprocal effects between reading comprehension and spelling in a shallow language in lower secondary school students. We drew on two samples from a German longitudinal study comprising N = 1227 and N = 994 students who were repeatedly tested at the beginning of grade 5 and grade 7. In both samples, we found reciprocal effects between reading comprehension and spelling with a greater effect from reading comprehension to spelling than vice versa. The results of our study not only add to our knowledge about the importance of proficient reading comprehension for spelling but also to the growing body of literature showing the importance of spelling knowledge for reading for understanding.

Although there is a vast amount of research on reading motivation, evidence for bidirectional associations between reading self-concept and reading achievement is still missing, whereas there is compelling empirical evidence that suggests reciprocal effects between academic self-concept and achievement in other domains. This paper aimed to rigorously test reciprocal effects between reading self-concept and reading achievement within a longitudinal design comprising four waves of data collection. Drawing on a sample of N = 1508 secondary school students, results of structural equation modeling yielded support for reciprocal effects between reading self-concept and reading achievement. Strong support was found for the skill-development hypothesis, i.e. achievement predicting self-concept. Moreover, the self-enhancement hypothesis (self-concept predicting achievement) was corroborated in early years of secondary school. Thus, to best support poor readers, reading skills should perhaps be fostered by boosting the reading skill itself and reading self-concept, the latter particularly at the beginning of secondary school.

Teachers' judgments of student characteristics are affected not only by the characteristic in question, but also by other factors. This article presents three studies examining whether students' achievement influences teachers' judgments of their engagement (as a proxy for motivation) and vice versa. First, a field study was conducted with N = 52 teachers and N = 1135 students. Structural equation modeling revealed an effect of student achievement on teacher judgments of student engagement and an effect of student engagement on teacher judgments of student achievement—above and beyond the association of each student characteristic with teacher judgments of that characteristic. These results were then replicated in two experimental studies involving a computer simulation of an instructional situation, the Simulated Classroom, with N = 40 and N = 181 teacher candidates, respectively. The psychological determinants of the effects observed are discussed, as are their practical implications.

Der vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich mit der Veränderung von Selbstkonzept und Interesse in der Grundschule. Dabei werden immersiv unterrichtete Kinder (englischsprachiger Unterricht in allen Fächern außer Deutsch) mit monolingual unterrichteten Kindern im Regelunterricht verglichen. Es wurde bei N = 590 Schülern (51.7 % immersiv) längsschnittlich von der zweiten bis zur vierten Jahrgangsstufe die Veränderung des Selbstkonzepts und des Interesses in den Domänen Englisch, Deutsch und Mathematik bei Kontrolle von Intelligenz, Geschlecht und Selbstkonzept/Interesse im ersten Schuljahr untersucht. Analysen von latenten Wachstumskurvenmodellen zeigen ein höheres Ausgangsniveau im Englischselbstkonzept bei immersiv unterrichteten Schülern. Für das Englischselbstkonzept lässt sich in beiden Gruppen eine identische Zunahme nachweisen. Das Deutsch- und Mathematikselbstkonzept sowie das Englisch-, Deutsch- und Mathematikinteresse unterscheiden sich nicht bedeutsam zwischen den Gruppen und erweisen sich als stabil über die Zeit. Die Ergebnisse sprechen gegen die Annahme, dass während der Grundschulzeit Verluste im Selbstkonzept und Interesse zu verzeichnen sind.

In der vorliegenden Untersuchung analysierten wir Leistungsveranderungen von Schulerinnen und Schulern der Sekundarstufe I in Mathematik und im Lesen. In zwei Stichproben (Kohorte 1: N = 1082 Jugendliche aus 54 Klassen; Kohorte 2: N = 888 Jugendliche aus 47 Klassen) aus unterschiedlichen Schulformen (Gymnasium vs. andere) wurden die Mathematik- und Leseleis¬tungen zu Beginn der 7. und zu Beginn der 9. Jahrgangsstufe erhoben. In Zweigruppen-Mehrebenenanalysen wurden die Effekte des Vorwissens, der Intelligenz, der Schulform, des auf Klassenebene aggregierten Vorwissens und der auf Klassenebene aggregierten Intelligenz auf spatere Leistungen analysiert. Die Befunde zeigen fur beide Stichproben, dass die Klassenkomposition (aggregiertes Vorwissen) jenseits aller ubrigen Effekte einen signifikanten Effekt auf die spateren Mathematik¬leistungen hat. Der geringere Effekt auf die Leseleistungen war nur signifikant, wenn Intelligenz nicht als Pradiktor im Modell enthalten war. Zusatzlich zeigen sich signifikante Effekte der Schulform auf die Mathematik¬leistungen, die im Lesen ausbleiben. Die Ergebnisse werden im Hinblick auf die Fachspezifitat von Kompositionseffekten diskutiert.