Completed doctorates

Topic: Modeling, Measuring and Fostering (Pre-Service) Teachers’ Professional Knowledge to Integrate Technologies in Mathematics Education

In his dissertation at the interface between mathematics didactics and empirical educational research, Armin Fabian investigated how the professional knowledge of prospective mathematics teachers regarding the use of technology (TPACK, short for technological pedagogical and content knowledge) can be conceptualised, reliably measured, and effectively promoted. The dissertation comprised three studies that focused on these aspects: (1) a systematic literature review of previous conceptualisations of TPACK, (2) a correlational online study to examine the empirical relationship between TPACK and other knowledge components; and (3) a quasi-experimental field study to test whether mathematics-specific, evidence-based short-term interventions could be a successful strategy for promoting TPACK. The dissertation provides valuable theoretical insights and practical ideas for the training of mathematics teachers with regard to the didactically elaborated use of technology in the classroom.

Since February 2020 Armin Fabian has been a postdoc at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology.

Publications (selection):

Fabian, A., Backfisch, I., Kirchner, K., & Lachner, A. (2023). A systematic review and meta-analysis on TPACK-based interventions from a perspective of knowledge integration [under revision].

Fabian, A., Fütterer, T., Backfisch, I., Lunowa, E., Paravicini, W., Hübner, N., & Lachner, A. (2024). Unraveling TPACK: Investigating the inherent structure of TPACK from a subject-specific angle using test-based instruments. Computers & Education, 217, 105040 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105040).

Lachner, A., Fabian, A., Franke, U., Preiß, J., Jacob, L., Führer, C., Küchler, U., Paravicini, W., Randler, C., & Thomas, P. (2021). Fostering pre-service teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK): A quasi-experimental field study. Computers & Education, 174, 104304 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104304).

Topic: Skill or Will? Comprehensive Conceptualization of Technology-Enhanced Teaching and its Relation to Teachers‘ Professional Knowledge and Motivation

Iris Backfisch completed her dissertation in July 2020 at the University of Tübingen's Department of Psychology. The dissertation was titled ‘Skill or Will? Comprehensive Conceptualisation of Technology-Enhanced Teaching and its Relation to Teachers’ Professional Knowledge and Motivation’. This dissertation was funded by the BMBF's Teacher Education Quality Programme and was based at the Tübingen School of Education and the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen. In her dissertation, Iris Backfisch examined the influence of teachers' motivation and knowledge on the quality of teaching with digital media. The results showed that, while teaching experience and subject-related didactic knowledge are helpful, motivational factors of teachers are crucial. In particular, the perceived usefulness of digital media in the classroom played a decisive role. Teachers who found digital media useful integrated them into their lesson plans in a way that was more conducive to learning (Backfisch, Lachner, Hische, Loose, & Scheiter, 2020) and also implemented their lessons to a higher standard (Backfisch, Lachner, Stürmer, & Scheiter, under review). The prominent role of teacher motivation was also evident in a study with Norwegian teachers conducted by Iris Backfisch during her research stay at the University of Oslo (Backfisch, Scherer, Siddiq, Lachner, & Scheiter, under review).

Iris Backfisch has been working at the Research and Transfer Centre for Digitalisation in Teacher Education at the University of Tübingen since March 2020 (www.tuedilb-tuebingen.de).
 

Publications (selection):
Backfisch, I., Lachner, A., Hische, C., Loose, F., & Scheiter, K. (2020). Professional knowledge or motivation? Investigating the role of teachers’ expertise on the quality of technology-enhanced lesson plans. Learning and Instruction, 66. doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2019.101300

Backfisch, I., Lachner, A., Stürmer, K., & Scheiter, K. (2020). Gelingensbedingungen beim Einsatz digitaler Medien im Unterricht – Kognitive und motivationale Voraussetzungen von  Lehrpersonen. In: Beck, N., Bohl. T., & Meissner, S. Forschungs- und Entwicklungsfelder der Lehrerbildung auf dem Prüfstand. Ergebnisse der ersten Förderphase der Qualitätsoffensive Lehrerbildung an der Tübingen School of Education. Tübingen: Tübingen University Press.

Backfisch, I., Scherer, R., Siddiq, F., Lachner, A., & Scheiter, K. (under review). Teachers’ Technology Use For Teaching: Comparing Two Explanatory Mechanisms.

Backfisch, I., Lachner, A., Stürmer, K., & Scheiter K. (under review). Variability of Teachers’ Technology Integration in the Classroom: A Matter of Utility!

Lachner, A., Backfisch, I., & Stürmer, K. (2019). A test-based approach of Modeling and Measuring   Technological Pedagogical Knowledge. Computers & Education, 142, 103645. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103645

Topic: In Search of New Insights into Teacher-Learner Interactions: The Potential of Students’ (Non)Attentionrelated Behavior During Instruction and Its Measurement

Patricia Goldberg's dissertation offers an interdisciplinary view of the importance of attention and its relationship to observable behaviours during teacher-learner interactions. The aim of Patricia Goldberg's dissertation was to evaluate the appropriate measurement and potential of students' (in)attentive behaviours during class in order to gain new insights into teacher-learner interactions. To this end, she developed and validated a new observational tool (Study 1). She was also able to show that students' (non-)attentive behaviour was primarily determined by factors specific to individual classrooms rather than by individual student characteristics (Study 2). With regard to the interaction between teachers and students, it was shown that inexperienced teachers were more likely to focus on students who displayed behaviour that supported the lesson than on students who displayed behaviour that could indicate a lack of understanding or interest (Study 3).

Patricia Goldberg will have the opportunity to continue her research at the Hector Research Institute for Education Sciences and Psychology as a postdoc.

Publications (selection):
Goldberg, P., Sümer, Ö., Stürmer, K., Wagner, W., Göllner, R., Gerjets, P., Kasneci, E., & Trautwein, U. (2019). Attentive or Not? Toward a Machine Learning Approach to Assessing Students’ Visible Engagement in Classroom Instruction. Educational Psychology Review. 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09514-z

Goldberg, P., Schwerter, J., Seidel, T., Müller, K., & Stürmer, K. (2021). How does learners’ behavior attract preservice teachers’ attention during teaching? Teaching and Teacher Education, 97, 103213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103213

Topic: Learning by Explaining: How Implementation- and Student-Related Boundary Conditions Determine the Effectiveness of Generating an Explanation to a Fictitious Peer

Generating an explanation for a fictitious person is considered an effective learning strategy for increasing one's own knowledge. Cognitive and metacognitive thought processes are stimulated in learners and should lead to deeper knowledge. However, previous studies showed mixed findings regarding the effectiveness of learning instructions and large variances between studies. This could be an indication that explaining is not necessarily effective, but is linked to other conditions. However, such conditions have not been systematically investigated so far.
Leonie Jacob closed this research gap in her dissertation, which she defended in June 2021. In summary, her dissertation shows that learning by explaining can be an effective learning strategy to promote learners' knowledge, but that it always depends on the conditions of the learning instruction. It was shown that explaining is mainly effective in oral form; written explanations, on the other hand, do not stand out from control instructions. Furthermore, the learning strategy only seems to be effective when learners have to explain complex processes. Interestingly, explaining learned information was particularly beneficial for learners with low academic self-concept.

Leonie Sibley has been a postdoc at the Chair "Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning" at the Institute of Education in Tübingen since 2021, where she continues to study the conditions for the success of learning instructions and digital media in adaptive teaching.

Publications (selection):
Jacob, L., Lachner, A., & Scheiter, K. (2022). Do school students´ academic self-concept and prior knowledge constrain the effectiveness of generating technology-mediated explanations? Computers & Education, 182, Article: 104469. https://doi.org/10.101/j.compedu.2022.104469

Richter, J., Lachner, A., Jacob, L., Bilgenroth, F., & Scheiter, K. (2022). Self-concept but not prior knowledge moderates effects of different implementations of computer-assisted inquriry learning activites on students' learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12673

Jacob, L., Lachner, A., & Scheiter, K. (2021). Does increasing social presence enhance the effectiveness of writing explanations? PLOS ONE, 16(4): e0250406. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250406

Lachner, A., Fabian, A., Franke, U., Preiß, J., Jacob, L., Führer, C., Küchler, U., Paravicini, W., Randler, T., & Thomas, P. (2021). Fostering pre-service teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK): A quasi-experimental field study. Computers & Education, 174, Article: 104304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104304

Lachner, A., Jacob, L., & Hoogerheide, V. (2021). Learning by writing explanations: Is explaining to a fictitious student more effective than self-explaining? Learning and Instruction, 74, 101438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101438

Jacob, L., Lachner, A., & Scheiter, K. (2020). Learning by explaining orally or in written form? Text difficulty matters. Learning and Instruction, 68, 101344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101344

Topic: Empirical educational research meets history didactics: An investigation of learning processes in learning arrangements with eyewitness reports

In her dissertation, Lisa Zachrich addressed the special learning experience of students with eyewitness accounts at the interface of history didactics and empirical educational research. The aim of the dissertation was to gain insights into the learning processes in a very specific learning arrangement in history class in order to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the special power of eyewitness reports. Lisa Zachrich located her four dissertation studies in the offer-utilisation model of instructional effectiveness: In the first study, she designed a conceptual model that can describe the special learning experience with eyewitness reports. In the second study, she developed a standardised questionnaire based on this model to capture the underlying learning processes. The third study used the questionnaire and examined in an experimental setting how the authenticity of videotaped eyewitness reports affects the learning processes. Finally, the fourth study aimed to explore the interplay between learning requirements and lesson design and its significance for the acquisition of historical skills in a learning arrangement with eyewitness reports. The dissertation offers both a model for description and a standardised questionnaire for recording learning processes for further research.

Lisa Zachrich is currently working as a research assistant on a BMBF project at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology on the professionalisation of teachers and police officers in the prevention of antisemitism.

Publications (selection): 
Zachrich, L., Wagner, W., Betram, C., & Trautwein, U. (2024). Really? It depends! How authentic learning material affects involvement with personal stories of the past. Learning and Instruction, 92, 101921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.101921  

Bertram, C., Ziai, R., Weiß, Z. & Zachrich, L. (2022). Artificial intelligence in history education. Linguistic content and complexity analyses of student writings in the CAHisT project (Computational assessment of historical thinking). Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2021.100038

Zachrich, L., Wagner, W., Bertram, C., & Trautwein, U. (2023). Das "Aura-Erlebnis" in der Begegnung mit Zeitzeug*innenberichten. In M. Waldis & M. Nitsche (Hrsg.), Geschichtsdidakisch intervenieren. hep-Verlag.

Zachrich, L., Baron, C., Weller, A. & Bertram., C. (2020). Historical Experiences: A Framework for Encountering Complex Historical Sources. History Education Research Journal (HERJ) 17(2). 243-275.

Topic: Teachers' perception and interpretation of data. Exploring and supporting databased decision making

Teachers are expected to use data for the design and further development of schools and teaching in the context of the so-called new governance. The availability of data is a necessary but insufficient prerequisite for this complex process, which is becoming increasingly relevant due to increased datafication and digitalisation. In addition, the (adequate) perception and interpretation of data is of particular importance, as they are at the very beginning of the complex process.Against this background, this cumulative dissertation investigates teachers' data perception and interpretation, firstly, exploratively in several think-aloud studies focused on cognitive processes in ecologically valid settings, secondly, confirmatorily in an intervention study with a view to promoting corresponding competencies already in pre-service teachers, and thirdly, conceptually with regard to the corresponding competencies of teachers in the context of increasing digitalisation.

Even though this work does not consider the entire (assumed) chain of effects of data-based decisions, but rather focuses only on the perception and interpretation of data, it contributes to insights into how teachers deal with data in their everyday lives, how the corresponding skills can be fostered in prospective teachers, and the central role of data literacy in the context of digitalisation.

The work was examined by Prof. Dr Thorsten Bohl and Prof. Dr Marcus Syring; Prof. Dr Taiga Brahm chaired the examination board. Sarah Bez continues to work in the Institute of School Education in the Institute of Education.

Publications (selection):

Bez, S., Poindl, S., Bohl, T., & Merk, S. (2021). Wie werden Rückmeldungen von Vergleichsarbeiten rezipiert? Ergebnisse zweier Think-Aloud-Studien. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 67(4), 551–572. https://doi.org/10.3262/ZP2104551

Bez, S., Tomasik, M. J., & Merk, S. (2023). Data-based decision making in einer digitalen Welt: Data Literacy von Lehrpersonen als notwendige Voraussetzung. In K. Scheiter & I. Gogolin (Hrsg.), Bildung für eine digitale Zukunft (S. 339–362). Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-37895-0_14

Wurster, S., Bez, S., & Merk, S. (2023). Does learning how to use data mean being motivated to use it? Effects of a data use intervention on data literacy and motivational beliefs of pre-service teachers. Learning and Instruction, 88, 101806. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101806

Topic: Beyond the Screen: How Feedback-Related, Learner-Related, and Context-Related Factors Determine the Effectiveness of Computer-Based Feedback on Learning

Computer-based feedback (CBF) is considered a helpful supplement in teaching-learning contexts, as it saves time by providing learners with immediate, individualised formative feedback.
In her dissertation, Salome Wagner addressed the question of which factors decisively determine the effectiveness of CBF for promoting learning, based on three scientific articles. In the first, theoretical-conceptual article, the potentials and risks of CBF tools for promoting writing, as well as possible feedback-related influencing factors, were developed. The second article is based on a meta-analysis that statistically examined the effectiveness of system-generated feedback for improving writing skills. Moderation analyses showed that specific CBF is more effective than general feedback and that learners with less prior knowledge benefit from CBF, especially at a lower text level. The third article comprises three experimental studies (N > 900 students) on the synergistic and interactive effects of corrective and elaborative CBF and strategy instruction for promoting problem solving in physics. It was found that corrective CBF reduced the effect of previous instruction, whereas the combination with elaborative CBF produced additive effects. In summary, the findings suggest that the effectiveness of CBF depends on feedback-, person- and context-related factors. It is recommended to use elaborated CBF, as this has been shown to be effective for higher and lower performers, regardless of complexity, domain, sequence and type of feedback provision.

Salome Wagner was supervised by Prof. Dr. Andreas Lachner and Prof. Dr. Katharina Scheiter (University of Potsdam). Prof. Dr. Andreas Lachner and Prof. Dr. Taiga Brahm provided the reviews. Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bohl was the chairman of the examination board. She continues to work at the University of Tübingen as a research associate and coordinator of the Transfer and Professionalisation unit at the Tübingen Center for Digital Education (TüCeDE). From 1 June 2024, she will coordinate the Educational Research Data Network at the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education in Frankfurt am Main.

Publications:

Wagner, S., Sibley, L., Weiler, D., Burde, J. P., Scheiter, K., & Lachner, A. (2024). The more, the better? Learning with feedback and instruction. Learning and Instruction, 89, 101844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101844

Wagner, S. & Lachner, A. (2021). Feedback – Ja, klar?! Digitale Medien zur Förderung von Schreibkompetenzen. leseforum.ch, 3, 1-16.

Topic: Students of teaching analyse practice. A comparison of the effects of different case-based teaching-learning arrangements

A central challenge in teacher education is to facilitate the connection between theory and practice. Case-based learning and the analysis of practice are ways of meeting this challenge. In his dissertation, Jürgen Schneider investigated how teaching cases can be used to promote the analysis of teaching among students of teaching. On the one hand, the medium for presenting the case (video vs. text) was compared and, on the other hand, the teaching-learning model of the case-based arrangement (problem-based vs. instructional) was compared at the same time. These teaching cases were used in seminars for students of teaching in which the topic of classroom management was covered. The extent to which the teaching cases led to an improvement in teaching analysis was determined using a vignette test. The results show that the discussion of situations could be better promoted by seminars with text cases and in problem-based seminars than in video-based or instructional seminars. Furthermore, the field study design showed that the attitudes of lecturers towards the case work to be taught were significantly related to the students' theory-practice links.

Jürgen Schneider has been a post-doc at the Research and Transfer Centre for Digitalisation in Teacher Education at the University of Tübingen until September 2022 (www.tuedilb-tuebingen.de) and then transferred to the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education.

Publications (selection):
Schneider, J., Rosman, T., Kelava, A., & Merk, S. (2022). Do Open-Science Badges Increase Trust in Scientists Among Undergraduates, Scientists, and the Public? Psychological Science, 33(9), 1588-1604. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976221097499 

Schneider, J., Backfisch, I., & Lachner, A. (2021). Facilitating Open Science Practices for Research Syntheses: PreregRS Guides Preregistration. Research Synthesis Methods, jrsm.1540. https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1540

Schneider, J., & Cramer, C. (2020). Relationierung von Theorie und Praxis: Was bedeutet dieses Konzept für die Begleitung von Praktika in der Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung? In K. Rheinländer & D. Scholl (Eds.), Verlängerte Praxisphasen in der universitären Lehrerbildung: Spannungsfelder zwischen Theorie, Praxis und der Bestimmung von Professionalisierung (pp. 23–38). Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt.

Schneider, J. (2016). Lehramtsstudierende analysieren Praxis: Ein Vergleich der Effekte unterschiedlicher fallbasierter Lehr-Lern-Arrangements (Thesis). Tübingen. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.15496/publikation-13255

Topic: Portofolio work in teacher education
In the specialist literature, portfolio work is said to have great potential (e.g. in-depth learning, increasing reflexivity) for teacher education. At the same time, from an empirical perspective, it is largely unclear to what extent the ascribed potential is actually realised. In her dissertation, which was supervised by Prof. Dr. Colin Cramer and Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bohl, Lina Feder examined the significance of portfolio work for teacher education and compared the postulated potential with existing research findings.

The dissertation project examined this overarching question in three systematic reviews within the framework of the PORTO project (portfolio work in teacher education): In the first paper, a classification model of the potentials attributed to portfolio work was developed by analysing a corpus of literature (N = 71 texts). The potential most frequently attributed to portfolio work is the increase in the reflective capacity of prospective teachers. In the second article, an analysis of a corpus of German-language portfolio articles (N = 23 texts) was used to analyse the extent to which research findings on the achievement of potential existed and which topics were investigated beyond these. The result showed that there were hardly any studies that indicated the achievement of potential. Research findings were predominantly available on students' attitudes towards portfolio work and their usage behaviour. In the third article, an English-language analytical corpus of portfolio articles (N = 246 texts) was analysed for quantitative effects of portfolio work and research topics beyond these effects. Overall, there were only a few findings that indicated an added value of portfolio work, while – in line with the German-language research – research findings on students' attitudes towards portfolio work and their usage behaviour are far more common.

Lina Feder worked at the Tübingen School of Education from 2016 to 2019 and then returned to secondary school teaching.

Publications (selection):
Feder, L., & Cramer, C. (2018). Potenziale von Portfolioarbeit in der Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung. Eine Analyse der Portfolioliteratur. Die Deutsche Schule, 110(4), 354–367.

Feder, L., & Cramer, C. (2019). Portfolioarbeit in der Lehrerbildung. Ein systematischer Forschungsüberblick. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 22(5), 1225–1245.

Feder, L., & Cramer, C. (under review). Research on Portfolios in Teacher Education: A systematic Review.

Feder, L., Cramer, C., Bohl, T., & Wenz, K. (2019). Portfolioarbeit in der Lehrerbildung. Potenziale – empirische Forschungslage – konzeptuelle Kontextualisierung. In Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Hrsg.), Verzahnung von Theorie und Praxis im Lehramtsstudium Erkenntnisse aus Projekten der „Qualitätsoffensive Lehrerbildung“ (S. 40–47). Berlin: BMBF. 

Feder, L., Fütterer, T., & Cramer, C. (2021). Einstellungen Studierender zur Portfolioarbeit. Theoriebasierte Erfassung und erste deskriptive Befunde. In N. Beck, T. Bohl & S. Meissner (Hrsg.), Vielfältig herausgefordert. Forschungs- und Entwicklungsfelder der Lehrerbildung auf dem Prüfstand (S. 209–221). Tübingen: Tübingen University Press.

Topic: Learning support in pupils' work phases: offer, use and effect. A multi-perspective video and questionnaire study on surface and depth structures in secondary school teaching.

Work phases of pupils take up a significant amount of time in school lessons and offer teachers an opportunity to support individual pupils and small groups in their learning process. In her dissertation, Eva Prinz examined how teachers implement this learning support and to what extent observed forms of learning support as an expression of their quality are related to proximal contextual variables. These included the design of the work phase of pupils, characteristics of the learners and the teacher, as well as the perception, use and benefit for the pupils. The analyses were based on 60 video-recorded lessons with 30 teachers of mathematics in 8th grades of non-academic school types in Baden-Württemberg with over 600 pupils. Written surveys and a performance test were used to collect the teachers and pupils variables. Among other things, the analyses show that the quality of learning support varies depending on the design of the work phase of the pupils. In this context, pupils receive different offers from the teacher depending on their differential prerequisites and perceive the quality of the learning support differently. While both the quality of the learning support and the pupils‘ perception influence motivation, no direct effects of the quality of the learning support could be determined for the pupils’ cognitive activity and learning progress.

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bohl and Prof. Dr. Sebastian Kuntze (PH Ludwigsburg) supervised Eva Prinz's work. Prof. Dr. Taiga Brahm was the chair of the examination board. Dr. Eva Prinz continues to work as a lecturer in educational science in the department of School Edcuation.

Topic: Science studies on the professional development of teachers. Systematics of the diverse conceptions of subject didactics and educational science

The work comprised, firstly, the development of a methodological approach for the systematic processing of imprecise terms – the Conceptual Systematic Review (CSR). The method draws on the tools of qualitative and quantitative content analysis and on the family of methods used in systematic reviews to create classifications of the use of terms in scientific literature in the sense of empirical social science research. Secondly, this method was applied to the terms ‘subject didactics’ and ‘educational science’, which are important for teacher training, and the results were used to create classifications of the respective use of terms in scientific literature. Such classifications offer the possibility of conceptually capturing a confusing term, creating systematic overviews, promoting interdisciplinary communication and providing orientation in confusing areas of scientific discourse.

Felix Schreiber was supervised by Prof. Dr. Colin Cramer and PD Dr. Dr. Martin Harant. Felix Schreiber will take up a postdoc position for 24 months starting in January 2021, which he acquired as part of the University of Tübingen's Innovation Grant. The focus will be on communicating and further developing the research initiated in the doctorate.

Publications (selection):
Schreiber, F., Cramer, C., & Randak, M. (2022). Aufgaben und Verortungen der Fachdidaktik in wissenschaftlicher Literatur. Systematische Annäherung an den Begriffsgebrauch. Beiträge zur Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung, 40(1), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.25656/01:24548

Schreiber, F., & Cramer, C. (angenommen). Was sind Bildungswissenschaften? Systematik vielfältiger Auffassungen in der wissenschaftlichen Literatur. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft.

Schreiber, F., & Cramer, C. (2022). Towards a Conceptual Systematic Review: Proposing a Methodological Framework. Educational Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2022.2116561

Topic: Promoting competence in physical education: diagnostics, intervention and evaluation in the context of ‘health and fitness’

Health promotion is of central importance in skills-based physical education. In her dissertation, Carmen Volk examined the extent to which competencies for a health-effective design of sporting activity in physical education can be promoted. To this end, (1) a new test to measure fitness knowledge was developed and evaluated, (2) health- and fitness-oriented teaching projects were designed in which practical and theoretical sports content was linked by means of learning tasks, and (3) their effectiveness was tested in a cluster-randomised intervention study. The result is a new test to measure fitness knowledge for group comparisons in intervention studies in physical education. In addition, extensively documented and evaluated competence-oriented teaching plans are provided for teaching practice.

Dr. Carmen Volk completed her doctorate at the Institute of Sports Science and has been working as a postdoc at the Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Care Research since April.

Publications (selection):
Volk, C., Rosenstiel, S., Demetriou, Y., Krustrup, P., Thiel, A., Trautwein, U., Wagner, W., Höner, O., & Sudeck, G. (2021). Effects of a physical education intervention programme for ninth-graders on physical activity-related health competence: findings from the GEKOS cluster randomised controlled trial. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 55, Article 101923. doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.101923

Volk, C., Rosenstiel, S., Demetriou, Y., Sudeck, G., Thiel, A., Wagner, W., & Höner, O. (2021). Health-related fitness knowledge in adolescence: evaluation of a new test considering different psychometric approaches (CTT and IRT). German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research. doi.org/10.1007/s12662-021-00735-5

Volk, C.*, & Haible, S.* (2020). Förderung bewegungsbezogener Gesundheitskompetenz im Sportunterricht. Theoretischer Hintergrund, Ziele, Inhalte und Methoden der gesundheits- und fitnessbezogenen Unterrichtsvorhaben in den Bewegungsfeldern „Laufen, Springen, Werfen“ und „Spielen“ (Klassenstufe 9). Zentrales Repositorium für Open Educational Resources der Hochschulen in Baden-Württemberg. uni-tuebingen.oerbw.de/edu-sharing/components/render/3146e9fb-233a-4562-84a5-46cda6646670

Haible, S.*, Volk, C.*, Demetriou, Y., Höner, O., Thiel, A., Trautwein, U., & Sudeck, G. (2019). Promotion of physical activity-related health competence in physical education: study protocol for the GEKOS cluster randomized controlled trial. BMC Public Health, 19, Article 396. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6686-4

*shared first autorship

Topic: Förderung von Kompetenzen zur gesundheitswirksamen Gestaltung sportlicher Aktivität von Jugendlichen im Sportunterricht

Promoting health is an important goal of competency-oriented physical education. In her dissertation, Stephanie Rosenstiel examined which competencies are relevant for adolescents to make physical activity health-effective and how these competencies can be taught in physical education. As part of a DFG project, a teaching plan was developed that combines health- and fitness-related knowledge elements with practical sports skills and abilities. This was examined for its effectiveness in a cluster-randomised controlled study. Analyses using a person-oriented approach showed that in particular adolescents with a low initial level of self-regulation (ability to align one's own physical activity with health), knowledge, motivation and fitness benefited from the intervention, while other adolescents in some cases showed declines, particularly in the motivational area. Based on the results, appropriate prerequisites of adolescents can be taken into account in future teaching projects.

Stephanie Rosenstiel will continue to have the opportunity to pursue her research at the Institute of Sports Sciene as a postdoc and research associate in the field of educational and health research in sport.

Publications (selection):
Haible, S.*, Volk, C.*, Demetriou, Y., Höner, O., Thiel, A., Trautwein, U. & Su-deck, G. (2019). Promotion of physical activity-related health competence in physical education: Study protocol for the GEKOS cluster randomized con-trolled trial. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 296. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-6686-4

Volk, C.* & Haible, S.* (2020). Theoretischer Hintergrund, Ziele, Inhalte und Methoden der gesundheits- und fitnessbezogenen Unterrichtsvorhaben in den Bewegungsfeldern „Laufen, Springen, Werfen“ und „Spielen“. Zentrales Repositorium für Open Educational Resources der Hochschulen in Baden-Württemberg.

Haible, S. (2020). Materialpool zum gekos-Unterrichtsvorhaben “Laufen, Springen, Werfen”. Zentrales Repositorium für Open Educational Resources der Hochschulen in Baden-Württemberg.

Haible, S., Volk, C., Demetriou, Y., Höner, O., Thiel, A. & Sudeck, G. (2020). Physical activity-related health competence, physical activity, and physical fitness: Analysis of control competence for the self-directed exercise of adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(1), 39. doi:10.3390/ijerph17010039

Volk, C., Rosenstiel, S., Demetriou, Y., Krustrup, P., Thiel, A., Trautwein, U., Wagner, W., Höner, O. & Sudeck, G. (2020). Effects of a physical education intervention programme for ninth-graders on physical activity-related health competence: Findings from the GEKOS cluster randomised controlled trial. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Rosenstiel, S., Volk, C., Schmid, J., Wagner, W., Demetriou, Y., Höner, O., Thiel, A., Trautwein, U. & Sudeck, G. (2020). Promotion of physical activity-related health competence in physical education: A person-oriented approach for evaluating the intervention of the GEKOS cluster randomized controlled trial. Manuscript submitted for publication.

* Stephanie Haible and Carmen Volk contributed equally to this work.

Topic: Visual Representations in Economic Education from an Interdisciplinary Perspective

We not only encounter diagrams and graphs all the time in our daily lives, but they are also used to vividly present technical principles and models. In his dissertation, Malte Ring conducted three interrelated empirical studies to examine how well pupils read diagrams, how diagrams are used in economics classes, and how pupils can be supported in linking diagrams and the corresponding text. The results showed that pupils are able to read diagrams well, but that they have difficulties in particular when it comes to linking visual representations with subject content and critically analysing data presentation. Linking diagrams and subject texts by highlighting equivalent information only leads to learning success in pupils with a high level of prior knowledge. Based on the findings, Malte Ring is working on a follow-up project that focuses on the role of visualisations in explanations by teachers.

Malte Ring has been an academic councillor at the Chair of Economic Education and Economic Didactics (Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences) since 1 November 2021.

Publications (selection):
Ring, M., Brahm, T., & Randler, C. (2019). Do difficulty levels matter for graphical literacy? A performance assessment study with authentic graphs. International Journal of Science Education, 41(13), 1787–1804. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2019.1640915

Ring, M., & Brahm, T. (2020). Logical pictures in secondary economic education: textbook analysis and teacher perception. RISTAL. Research in Subject-Matter Teaching and Learning. (3), 86–107.

Ring, M., Brahm, T., Richter, J., Scheiter, K., & Randler, C. (2020). Does active or passive signaling support integration of text and graphs? Manuscript Submitted for Publication.

Topic: Visual narration in wordless picturebooks. Analysis of picture-based narrative structures and didactic conceptions for a literary-aesthetic German class in elementary school 

This dissertation project develops both the aesthetic specifics and narratological dimension of so-called ‘worldless picture books’ and narrative-didactic concepts for their use at the primary school level. This is achieved through an interdisciplinary approach that motivates a networking of picture book theory with visual literacy studies, transmedial narratology and cognitive research, and also establishes relationships with narrative and literary didactics.
Based on an analytical-narratological typology of narrative wordless picture books, which differentiates between ‘monoszenic’, ‘pluriszenic’, ‘linear’ and ‘multi-perspective’, the respective demands on the visual literacy and narrative skills of their child readers are shown. To illustrate the narrative-didactic potential of this text-free literary genre, a particularly complex picture book is analysed from each category, showing structural and pictorial-compositional parallels to the conventions of representation and sequencing techniques of film and comics.
The highlighted (transmedia) narrative potential is then processed in literary-aesthetic follow-up actions, which use acoustic, scenic and graphic-creative approaches to the visual material to encourage narrative exchange and the playful construction of original stories.

Dr. Anne Krichel is continuing her research as a research associate at the Institute for German Language and Literature II at the University of Cologne.

Publications (selection):
Textlose Bilderbücher. Visuelle Narrationsstrukturen und erzähldidaktische Konzeptionen für die Grundschule. Münster/New York: Waxmann 2020.

Transmedialität im (fast) textlosen Bilderbuch. Das Potenzial visueller Narration für einen literarästhetischen Deutschunterricht in der Grundschule am Beispiel von David Wiesners Herr Schnuffels (2014). In: Anders, Petra/Wieler, Petra (Hgg.). Literalität und Partizipation. Reden, Schreiben, Gestalten in und zu Medien. Stauffenburg Deutschdidaktik, Band 5. Tübingen: Stauffenburg 2018, S. 167-189.

Welt- und Wortbegegnung: Zur Sprache finden mit textlosen Bilderbüchern. Das erzähldidaktische Potenzial textloser Bilderbücher im fächerübergreifenden Literaturunterricht der Primarstufe am Beispiel von David Wiesners Herr Schnuffels. In: Bilderbücher: Erfahrungsräume zwischen Bild und Text. Sache – Wort – Zahl. 12/2016, S. 15-21.

(zus. mit Michael Staiger) Digitales Erstlesen. Zum didaktischen Potenzial von Spiel- und Lern-Apps. In: kjl&m 4/2019, S. 29-34.

Visual Literacy (2019): http://www.kinderundjugendmedien.de/index.php/152-fachlexikon/fachdidaktik/2797-visual-literacy

Editorships:
(zus. mit Andre Kagelmann, Matthias Knopp, Arno Meteling, Frank Münschke) Multimodales Erzählen im Deutschunterricht II: Schrift - Bild - Ton. Themenheft der Online-Zeitschrift "MiDU - Medien im Deutschunterricht", H. 2/2020.

(zus. mit Ben Dammers, Michael Staiger) Das Bilderbuch. Theoretische Grundlagen und analytische Zugänge. Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler 2022.

Topic: Teaching religion as an attitude. Understanding the professional actions of a teacher of religion

Although confessional religious education at state schools in Germany is firmly anchored in law and in institutions, its continued existence is repeatedly called into question in a pluralistic and transforming society. This raises the question of the professionalism of its central actors. The term ‘attitude’ is used to describe their professionalism and is substantiated by means of hermeneutic-theoretical investigations. Attitude as an aspect and fundamental characteristic of the professionalism of religious education teachers is understood as a meta-reflective concept that is thought of from multiple perspectives and emphasises the subjectivity of the teacher, in particular their own beliefs, as well as the importance of their relationships for successful religious teaching and learning processes. In her dissertation, Edeltraud Gaus presents a theory of the professional attitude of a teacher of religious education that complements established professional discourse in an interdisciplinary dialogue with the educational sciences.

Publications (selection):
Art. Haltung, Lehrende, in: Wissenschaftlich Religionspädagogisches Lexikon im Internet (WiReLex), 2024. https://bibelwissenschaft.de/stichwort/400032/

Religionslehrpersonen. Haltung bewahren angesichts von Krisen, in: WzM, Heft 4/2024, 326-331.

Professionell Religion unterrichten: Der Umgang der Religionslehrperson mit persönlicher Religiosität durch Ausbildung einer reflexfiven Haltung, in: Uta Müller/ Martin Harant/ Dominik Balg/ Simon Meisch (Hgg.): Quellen des Sinns. Fragen von Religiosität, Spiritualität und Ethik in Bildung und Unterricht; Schriftreihe Nr. 2 der Tübingen School of Education. Lehrerbildung. kreativ. innovativ. ungewöhnlich, Tübingen 2024, 79-95.

Theologische Grundlegungen und die Relevanz von Reflexions- und Kommunikationsprozessen als Teil interreligiöser Kooperation, in: Ibrahim Koçyiğit, Senol Yağdı (Hgg.): Interreligiöse Hermeneutik in pluralen Gesellschaften. Begründungen, Herausforderungen, Chancen und Grenzen. Wiener Beiträge zur Islamforschung, Springer Wiesbaden 2024, 281–309. (zusammen mit E. Binici und E. Migge) https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-658-44523-2_14.