What Works in School? Expert and Novice Teachers’ Beliefs about School Effectiveness

In 2009, John Hattie first published his extensive metasynthesis concerning determinants of student achievement. It provides an answer to the question: “What works in school?” The present study examines how this question is answered by pre- and in-service teachers, how their beliefs correspond to the current state of research and whether they differ according to the teachers' level of expertise. Thus, it takes on a novel approach as it draws on data from two sources in the field of education -- empirical research and teachers’ beliefs -- and examines their similarities and differences. The teachers’ beliefs were elicited by asking N = 729 participants to estimate the effect sizes of several determinants of student achievement. Those were compared to the empirical effect sizes found by Hattie (2009). Profile correlations showed that expert teachers’ beliefs are more congruent with current research findings than those of novice teachers. We further examined where expert and novice teachers’ beliefs differ substantially from each other by using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and comparing group means in latent variables. Our findings suggest that teachers’ beliefs about school effectiveness are related to professional experience: Expert teachers showed a stronger overall congruence with empirical evidence, scoring higher in achievement-related variables and lower in variables concerning surface- and infrastructural conditions of schooling as well as student-internal factors. Results are discussed with regard to teacher-education practices that emphasize research findings and challenge existing beliefs of (prospective) teachers

Is a Long Essay Always a Good Essay? The Effect of Text Length on Writing Assessment

The assessment of text quality is a transdisciplinary issue concerning the research areas of educational assessment, language technology, and classroom instruction. Text length has been found to strongly influence human judgment of text quality. The question of whether text length is a construct-relevant aspect of writing competence or a source of judgment bias has been discussed controversially. This paper used both a correlational and an experimental approach to investigate this question. Secondary analyses were performed on a large-scale dataset with highly trained raters, showing an effect of text length beyond language proficiency. Furthermore, an experimental study found that pre-service teachers tended to undervalue text length when compared to professional ratings. The findings are discussed with respect to the role of training and context in writing assessment

Studies on the Acculturation of Young Refugees in the Educational Domain: A Scoping Review of Research and Methods

Given that children and adolescents constitute a growing and significant share of forced migrants worldwide, assessing the state of research on and the methods used to study the acculturation of this group is both timely and essential. The acculturation of refugee children and adolescents in host countries occurs primarily within educational institutions and through the acquisition of the language of the new host society. This scoping review of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1987 and 2016 (N = 192 eligible studies) examined the extent to which individual-level factors (e.g., gender, age) and contextual factors (e.g., country of residence) emphasized by acculturation models have been considered in research involving young refugees in the educational domain. In addition, the research designs and methods applied in these studies were evaluated, and content analysis was performed to examine whether individual-level factors considered in the sample of studies were related to educational outcomes of young refugees. Overall, the review revealed that very few studies provided adequate information on sample composition, or considered individual and contextual factors, thus leaving crucial gaps in the knowledge about the acculturation of young refugees. Guidelines for future research are proposed to remedy the identified research deficits

Educational challenges of home learning

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird herausgearbeitet, welche Faktoren auf Seiten der Eltern, der Lehrkräfte und der digitalen Infrastruktur dazu beitragen, häusliches Lernen im Sinne eines erfolgreichen Wissens- und Kompetenzaufbaus zu gestalten. Dazu wird die einschlägige Literatur zu Effekten von Hausaufgaben aufgearbeitet. Die Autoren zeigen, wie wichtig die Ansprechbarkeit der Eltern und ihre Strukturierungshilfen sind. Sie verweisen auf die regelmäßige Erteilung von nicht zu umfangreichen Arbeitsaufträgen durch die Lehrkräfte, die gekoppelt sein müssen mit zeitnahen Rückmeldungen an die Schüler*innen, und deuten die großen Potenziale an, die mit digitalen Lernhilfen verbunden sind. Abgeschlossen wird mit ganz konkreten Hinweisen für die Praxis. (DIPF/Orig.)In this paper, the authors identify the factors on the part of parents, teachers, and the digital infrastructure that contribute to the successful development of knowledge and skills in home learning. To this end, the relevant literature on the effects of homework is reviewed. They show how important the responsiveness of parents and their structuring aids are. They refer to the issue of not too extensive work assignments by teachers, which must be combined with timely feedback to the students, and indicate the great potential that is associated with digital learning aids. They then conclude with very concrete suggestions for educational practice. (DIPF/Orig.

Massive X-ray screening reveals two allosteric drug binding sites of SARS-CoV-2 main protease

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 is creating tremendous health problems and economical challenges for mankind. To date, no effective drug is available to directly treat the disease and prevent virus spreading. In a search for a drug against COVID-19, we have performed a massive X-ray crystallographic screen of repurposing drug libraries containing 5953 individual compounds against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), which is a potent drug target as it is essential for the virus replication. In contrast to commonly applied X-ray fragment screening experiments with molecules of low complexity, our screen tested already approved drugs and drugs in clinical trials. From the three-dimensional protein structures, we identified 37 compounds binding to Mpro. In subsequent cell-based viral reduction assays, one peptidomimetic and five non-peptidic compounds showed antiviral activity at non-toxic concentrations. Interestingly, two compounds bind outside the active site to the native dimer interface in close proximity to the S1 binding pocket. Another compound binds in a cleft between the catalytic and dimerization domain of Mpro. Neither binding site is related to the enzymatic active site and both represent attractive targets for drug development against SARS-CoV-2. This X-ray screening approach thus has the potential to help deliver an approved drug on an accelerated time-scale for this and future pandemics

X-ray screening identifies active site and allosteric inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 is creating tremendous human suffering. To date, no effective drug is available to directly treat the disease. In a search for a drug against COVID-19, we have performed a high-throughput X-ray crystallographic screen of two repurposing drug libraries against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)), which is essential for viral replication. In contrast to commonly applied X-ray fragment screening experiments with molecules of low complexity, our screen tested already approved drugs and drugs in clinical trials. From the three-dimensional protein structures, we identified 37 compounds that bind to M^(pro). In subsequent cell-based viral reduction assays, one peptidomimetic and six non-peptidic compounds showed antiviral activity at non-toxic concentrations. We identified two allosteric binding sites representing attractive targets for drug development against SARS-CoV-2

Lightweight design with composites - Fatigue behaviour of long fibre reinforced composites

Lightweight Design with Composites - Fatigue Behaviour of Long Fibre Reinforced Composites. Based on the data of experimental investigations with flat specimens made of long-fibre reinforced thermosetting material the influences of different fibre orientations, fibre contents and mean stresses on the fatigue strength behaviour of sheet moulding compound (SMC) were studied. Additionally the interaction between different stress ratios and the mean stress sensitivity of long-fibre reinforced SMC, as material with a high damage tolerance, were determined

Proficient beyond borders: assessing non-native speakers in a native speakers’ framework

Abstract Background English language proficiency is considered a basic skill that students from different language backgrounds are expected to master, independent of whether they are native or non-native speakers. Tests that measure language proficiency in non-native speakers are typically linked to the common European framework of reference for languages. Such tests, however, often lack the criteria to define a practically relevant degree of proficiency in English. We approach this deficit by assessing non-native speakers’ performance within a native speakers’ framework. Method Items from two English reading assessments—the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the National Assessment (NA) for English as a foreign language in Germany—were administered to N = 427 German high school students. Student abilities were estimated by drawing plausible values in a two-dimensional Rasch model. Results Results show that non-native speakers of English generally underperformed compared to native speakers. However, academic track students in the German school system achieved satisfactory levels of proficiency on the PISA scale. Linking the two scales showed systematic differences in the proficiency level classifications. Conclusion The findings contribute to the validation and international localization of NA standards for English as a foreign language. Practical implications are discussed with respect to policy-defined benchmarks for the successful participation in a global English-speaking society