Perceiving Achievement in Schools: How do Self-appraisals, Peer Appraisals and Achievement Relate to Each Other?

Self-appraisals of achievement (short: self-appraisals) are guiding students’ behavior in school and they determine academic success. In addition, peer appraisals about a student were shown to have an effect on that student’s future development, including academic achievement. In turn, academic achievement is undoubtedly a precursor of both self-appraisals and peer appraisals. However, beyond the notion that these three constructs are associated, major aspects of their interrelations are not well understood. Since self-appraisals and peer appraisals provide a potential lever to positively affect students’ academic achievement, it is vital to better understand the strength of their connection, their functional relationship, and their relatedness in terms of shared correlates. Therefore, the present thesis aims at investigating the links between self-appraisals, peer appraisals, and achievement with schools as context. Study 1 targeted the link between self-appraisals and achievement by investigating the association between postdictions of and performance in the final school exam in Germany (the Abitur). Using the domains of math and English, the average correlation between both postdictions and exam grades, their average deviation (i.e., postdiction bias), as well as individual differences in postdiction bias were explored in a sample of 2,164 high school students. On average, students’ postdictions were highly associated with achievement, indicating that students could accurately appraise their performance. Individual differences in postdiction bias were predicted by cognitive abilities, internal and contextual references, as well as evaluative tendencies. Study 2 targeted the triangular connection of self-appraisals, peer appraisals, and achievement. An interpersonal approach to academic self-concept in math was proposed that disentangled variance of self-concept ratings into several components: a “trait” of perceived achievement that was shared with peers (target effect), a “method“ of how a student rated peers’ achievement (perceiver effect), and a student’s self-appraisal that was not shared with others (self-enhancement). The interpersonal approach was investigated using a sample of 1,549 school students in 87 classes of two age cohorts, who rated their own and their peers’ competence. Results supported the validity of the target effect as representing a shared competence appraisal. In turn, this shared appraisal predicted achievement gains. Conversely, self-enhancement had a comparatively small effect on improvements in achievement. Study 3 mainly targeted the link between achievement and peer appraisals by investigating whether the internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model would be equally valid for peer ratings of competence as it is valid for academic self-concept. The I/E model posits that students’ academic self-concept in one domain (e.g., math) is positively associated with achievement in the same domain, but negatively associated with achievement in a comparison domain (e.g., English). The I/E model was compared between peer ratings of competence and academic self-concept in math and English, using a sample of 850 seventh grade students in 47 classes, who rated every classmate’s competence in both domains within a round-robin design. Results supported the I/E model for academic self-concept but not for peer ratings. In a general discussion, findings of the three studies are summarized against the background of the current state of research that is relevant for interpersonal achievement perception, including research in education, motivation, cognition, and personality. Thereby, it is emphasized how this thesis may be used to inform future research on an interpersonal conception of achievement appraisals and how the results may inform practice in schools to foster the optimal level of self-appraisals

Außenpolitik Nordkoreas unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Juche-Ideologie

Die Außenpolitik Nordkoreas unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Juche-Ideologie: Wie schafft es Nordkorea trotz seiner ökonomischen Probleme und seiner oberflächlich betrachteten Nichtkompatibilität innerhalb „internationalen Staatengemeinschaft“ zu Überleben? Der Grund liegt neben einer starken innenpolitischen Repression in der massiven wirtschaftlichen Unterstützung aus dem Ausland. Zu den größten wirtschaftlichen Wohltätern gehört neben China und Südkorea auch der ideologische Hauptfeind USA. In der Arbeit habe ich versucht, die Handlungsmuster, Veränderungen und Brüche in der nordkoreanischen Außenpolitik seit Gründung der DVRK aufzeigen. Ich habe für meine Arbeit die Form der kritischen Deskription gewählt. Um die Politik eines Landes zu verstehen ist es wichtig sich mit der Geschichte und Kultur auseinander zu setzen. Hier habe ich mich die Methode einer historisch-empirischen Rekonstruktion angewandt. Der Schwerpunkt der Arbeit liegt auf der außenpolitischen Auseinandersetzung um das nordkoreanische Atomwaffenprogramm. Kim Il Sung der nordkoreanische Langzeitpräsident entwickelte eine eigene politische Philosophie, die Juche-Ideologie. Kern dieser Ideologie ist das Streben nach Souveränität. Die Führung der DVRK trachtet danach, weder ökonomisch noch politisch von anderen Ländern abhängig zu sein. Die Führung des Landes will keinerlei politische Veränderungen. Nordkorea braucht sein Atomprogramm um humanitäre Hilfslieferungen erpressen zu können. Andererseits ist aus Sicht der nordkoreanischen Führung, das Atomprogramm der einzige militärische Schutz vor den USA. Kein anderes Land, hat aus unterschiedlichen Gründen ein Interesse am Untergang der DVRK. Die Auseinandersetzung um das nordkoreanische Atomprogramm wird in bisheriger form noch einige Zeit weitergehen

Virtual Reality applications for visualization of 6000-year-old Neolithic graves from Lenzburg (Switzerland)

The last decade has seen a steady increase in the application of virtual 3D approaches in cultural heritage research. Although a large literature exists about the advantages of 3D methods in this field, here we go one step further and elucidate a) how image-based 3D reconstructions can be displayed in virtual reality (VR) space using freeware game engine software and low-cost VR hardware and b) highlight the relative benefits and advantages with a focus on interactive museum displays of relatively large archaeological objects. Specifically, we present three 3D models of different stone grave structures from the Neolithic necropolis of Lenzburg (Northern Switzerland, 4450-3500 BCE). The site has been excavated in 1959/60 and certain graves were subsequently preserved for museum display. By means of VR applications, it is now possible to experience these approximately 6000-year-old tombs with an innovative approach circumventing various barriers or constraints and offering interactive display options

Nutzung von Social-Media-Daten in der Bildungsforschung. Version 1.2

Diese Publikation möchte Forschende dabei unterstützen, Anforderungen und Prozesse bei der Erhebung und Verwendung von Social-Media-Daten zu erkennen und zu reflektieren und somit einen produktiven und rechtssicheren Umgang mit diesen Daten zu ermöglichen bzw. zu erleichtern. Die vorliegende Handreichung präsentiert zuerst einen allgemeinen Einstieg in die Definition von Social Media (Kapitel 2) und thematisiert verschiedene Zugangswege zu Social-Media-Daten sowie die Verknüpfung dieser Daten mit Daten aus anderen Erhebungsformaten (Kapitel 3). Anschließend wird vertiefend auf zentrale Rechtsbereiche eingegangen, die bei der Forschung mit Social-Media-Daten tangiert sein können (Kapitel 4). Die Beschreibung bezieht sich auf entsprechende Gesetze und Rechtsvorschriften, hat jedoch den Anspruch, anhand praktischer Bezüge die rechtlichen Grundlagen und ihre Bedeutung für die Forschungspraxis zu reflektieren. In Kapitel 5 wird der Aspekt des Datenschutzes konkret anhand des Themas der informierten Einwilligung diskutiert, wobei speziell auch auf Besonderheiten bei der Erhebung von Daten in und mit Social Media eingegangen wird. Die Handreichung gibt abschließend Hinweise und Empfehlungen für das Archivieren und Publizieren von Social-Media-Daten mit Hinweisen auf vertiefende Informationsquellen zu diesem Thema (Kapitel 6). (DIPF/Orig.

Who are Leibniz PostDocs and what is it like to work at a Leibniz institute? Report of the first Leibniz PostDoc Survey 2020

Postdoctoral researchers play a critical role in scientific research. This is the case not only for the Leibniz Association but for research worldwide. However, postdoctoral researchers are often overlooked or misrepresented as a homogeneous group of researchers. The principal aim of the Leibniz PostDoc Survey was to understand who Leibniz PostDocs are and to provide some insight into their experiences, interests, and needs. This report summarizes the results of the first Leibniz PostDoc Survey, which was open for submission from July to October 2020. The report includes a summary of the key findings and recommendations as well as a comprehensive description of all results from each survey question

The Iceman's Last Meal Consisted of Fat, Wild Meat, and Cereals

The history of humankind is marked by the constant adoption of new dietary habits affecting human physiology, metabolism, and even the development of nutrition-related disorders. Despite clear archaeological evidence for the shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture in Neolithic Europe [1], very little information exists on the daily dietary habits of our ancestors. By undertaking a complementary -omics approach combined with microscopy, we analyzed the stomach content of the Iceman, a 5,300-yearold European glacier mummy [2, 3]. He seems to have had a remarkably high proportion of fat in his diet, supplemented with fresh or dried wild meat, cereals, and traces of toxic bracken. Our multipronged approach provides unprecedented analytical depth, deciphering the nutritional habit, meal composition, and food-processing methods of this Copper Age individual