PISA comparisons without taboos! Switzerland shows how structural questions can be discussed offensively

Die Schweiz hat sowohl bei PISA 2000 als auch bei PISA 2003 besser abgeschnitten als Deutschland. ... Nun sind dort erstmals auch die Ergebnisse der Kantone miteinander verglichen worden, was angesichts der Ländervergleiche in Deutschland die Frage aufwirft, ob man mit solchen Daten auch anders umgehen kann. [Der] Blick über die Grenzen liegt nicht zuletzt deshalb nahe, weil die Unterschiede in den Schulsystemen wie auch der kulturellen und sprachlichen Besonderheiten in keinem Land größer sind als in der Schweiz. Einen politisch-ideologischen Streit findet man jedoch in der Schweiz kaum, während er in Deutschland so heftig ist wie in keinem anderen PISA-Teilnehmerland. Während in Deutschland die Effizienz der föderalen Zuständigkeit für die Schulpolitik in Frage gestellt wird, ist dies in der Schweiz kein Thema. Dort werden im Vergleich zwischen den Kantonen Strukturprobleme offen benannt, während diese in Deutschland zum Tabu erklärt werden. (DIPF/Orig.)In Switzerland the latest Pisa data are discussed very openly and also structurally. Besides, the "system question" is not tabooed. The data of the German federal states by no means are to be interpreted so unambiguously structural-conservatively as it happens in many - often much too quickly formulated - announcements. (DIPF/Orig.

PISA and the question of systems. In favour of an analysis of PISA without taboos and ideologies

Es werden erste Reaktionen auf die PISA-Ergebnisse reflektiert und daraus resultierende Handlungsfelder genannt. Es wird kritisch angemerkt und argumentiert, dass auf bildungspolitischer Ebene die Systemfrage des gegliederten Schulsystems, insbesondere die Dauer der gemeinsamen Grundschule tabuisiert wird. Anschließend hebt der Autor hervor, dass in keinem anderen föderal strukturierten Land die Kopplung von sozialer Herkunft und Schülerleistung derart ausgeprägt ist wie in Deutschland. Abschließend wird an Beispielen aus Belgien und der Schweiz diskutiert, ob integrierte Schulsysteme überlegen sind. (DIPF/Mar)According to the PISA study, student achievement is better in those countries with an integrated school system than in Germany. A close look at the international data however shows that other factors than "system" play a role which have to be analyzed. (DIPF/Orig.

The PISA-Aftermath: In favour of a new "culture" of "formation" (Bildung)

Wer nach PISA nach Folgerungen fragt, wird Antworten nicht allein in äußeren, strukturellen Merkmalen der Schulen finden. Eine grundlegende und nachhaltig wirksame Änderung dürfte erst dann zustande kommen, wenn sich alle Verantwortlichen an einen "Runden Tisch" setzen und eine "neue Kultur der Bildung" begründen. Über erste Ansätze dazu ist bereits zu berichten. (DIPF/Orig.)When probing the consequences of PISA, the answers are not only to be found in the outer, structural, traits of the schools. A fundamental and lastingly effective change is only to be expected when all of those in charge gather at a round table and lay the foundations of a new culture of "Bildung". First attempts in this direction are already reportable. (DIPF/Orig.

Can a book poison the educational climate? Against the "basta-education" of Bernhard Bueb!

Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich kritisch mit dem 2006 erschienenen Buch "Lob der Disziplin". Zunächst geht der Beitrag auf "empirische Befunde" zum Verhalten von Kindern und Jugendlichen ein (Shell-Jugendstudie u.a.). Dem wird "Buebs Bild von jungen Menschen" gegenübergestellt. Anschließend wird Buebs Ansicht sowohl zur "Demokratisierung und Reformen" als auch zur Bestrafung in Hinblick auf die Kindererziehung beurteilt. (DIPF/So)An educational book has scaled the best seller lists for the first time and found a wide medium echo with the polemics "praise of the discipline". Bueb contradicts in this almost all recognized educational principles today and leads back in the old authoritarian ages. It is necessary, to criticize theses clearly and to continue to stand up for a humane, democratic and emancipa-tory education. "Love and good example" must remain the foundation of a good child-oriented education! (DIPF/Orig.

Can a book change the schools?

In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat kein Buch auf dem "pädagogischen Markt" so überzeugend und beeindruckend den Prozess und das Programm einer "guten Schule" beschrieben wie das Buch von Enja Riegel: "Schule kann gelingen". Die anschaulich beschriebene konkrete Praxis der Helene-Lange-Schule kann ansteckend wirken und das Dilemma des deutschen Schulwesens überwinden helfen, wenn man von diesem Beispiel lernen würde. (DIPF/Orig.)In the last decades no other book on the pedagogical book-market has as convincingly and impressively described process and the programme of a good school as Enja Riegel\u27s "School can succeed". Written in clear and lucid language with a focus on the Helene-Lange-School, the enthusiasm of this book might be infectuous and contribute significantly to overcome the dilemma of the German school-system. (DIPF/Orig.

Not lack of knowledge, lack of action is the problem. In favor of an offensive school reform

Die Ergebnisse der Schulleistungsvergleiche und der empirischen Unterrichtsforschung zeigen, dass die schulischen Leistungen sich unter nahezu gleichen sozioökonomischen, materiellen und personellen Rahmenbedingungen durch das konkrete Handeln von Schulleitung und Lehrern wesentlich verbessern lassen. Dagegen fallen quantitative Faktoren wie Ressourcen, Klassengröße, Unterrichtsausfall kaum ins Gewicht. Sie werden aber oft überschätzt und vorgeschoben. Als sehr förderlich haben sich folgende Faktoren bei Untersuchungen in Rheinland- Pfalz und in Brandenburg erwiesen: positives Schulklima, effizientes Schulmanagement, kooperatives, innovatives Lehrerkollegium, anspruchsvoller Unterrichtsstil, effektives Zeitmanagement (mit Zeit für Humor und Emotionen), kompetente Unterrichtsführung, positives Arbeitsklima, gute Feedbackkultur, abwechlungsreiche Unterrichtsmethodik. Aber es fehlt an Entschlossenheit, diese Erkenntnisse im Bildungssystem umzusetzen. Vertiefende Forschungen dazu sind erforderlich. (DIPF/Sch.)The numerous empirical studies on student achievement have clearly shown the kind of factors determining the quality of learning in schools. However, it remains unclear why it is so difficult to let the results have an impact in practice. Actors on all levels and in all realms of education are called upon to draw the obvious conclusions for their field of action. (DIPF/Orig.

Better family relationships - higher well-being: The connection between relationship quality and health related resources

Family relationships form very important social relationships. They provide the social context enabling the development for a healthy personality and fostering social competencies and the capacity for social adjustment. Several constructs constitute a complex sample of health beneficial attributes, such as resilience, sense of coherence, self-compassion and others, that haven't been investigated in connection with perceived quality of family relationships and collective family efficacy. In three studies we investigated, if perceived quality of family relationships – assessed with a relatively new measure: the Evaluation of Social Systems Scale – was associated with these advantageous health-related qualities, additionally confirming EVOS’ construct validity. In study 1 (N = 207) and 2 (N = 305) university students filled out several paper-pencil-questionnaire whereas in study 3 (N = 528) a heterogeneous sample took part in an online-survey. Controlling for participants’ age and sex, better family relationships were associated with reduced psychological distress (r = −.30 to −.37), more satisfaction with life (r = 0.40), stronger resilience (r = 0.37), sense of coherence (r = 0.37), self-compassion (r = 0.33), optimism (r = 0.32), general self-efficacy (r = 0.27), and self-esteem (r = 0.34). Results highlight the importance of the family environment not only for psychological health and quality of life, but also for individual adaptation and well-being. In future research, this should be especially addressed in designing and providing preventative interventions for families. Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.mph.2019.200160

Through the tunnel, to the light: Why sense of coherence covers and exceeds resilience, optimism, and self-compassion

Sense of coherence (SOC), resilience, dispositional optimism, and self-compassion are highly related aspects of personality that promote health and well-being. We systematically compared these constructs and explored their criterion validity when predicting psychological distress. With the help of structural equation modeling, we examined SOC's factor structure and incremental validity over resilience (N1 = 208) as well as over optimism and self-compassion (N2 = 308) in two studies. Despite strong overlap (shared variance) SOC clearly outperformed its competitors. Neither resilience, nor optimism, nor self-compassion had significant incremental validity over SOC on a latent level. A two-factor model for SOC explained most variance in psychological distress. Results highlight the importance of salutogenic factors even in a neck-to-neck comparison with other potentially health-benefitting personality variables. Meaningfulness appears to contribute to SOC's uniqueness

An investigation of the mediating role of personality and family functioning in the association between attachment styles and eating disorder status

Background: This study examined relationships between attachment style, eating disorders (EDs), personality variables and family functioning. Methods: In our study, 253 women (M = 25.72 years, SD = 8.73) were grouped into one of four categories either according to self-reported ED diagnosis or by exceeding cut-offs for a clinical diagnosis on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) or Short Evaluation of Eating Disorders (SEED): anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), other eating disorder (O-ED), no eating disorder (Non-ED). The ED group (AN, BN, O-ED) included 106 women (M = 24.74 years, SD = 7.71), and the Non-ED group 147 women (M = 26.42 years, SD = 9.37). Approximately half of the ED group had a comorbid disorder (59.4%), while the majority of the Non-ED group had no psychological disorder (89.1%). Results: Participants with an ED were significantly more often insecurely attached (Adult Attachment Scale; AAS), emotionally unstable, less extraverted (Big-Five-Test of Personality; B5T) and showed less positive family functioning (Experiences in Personal Social Systems Questionnaire; EXIS.pers). Results showed partial mediation for attachment and EDs through neuroticism, extraversion and family functioning. Discussion: The study found further evidence for elevated problems with attachment, personality, and family experiences in individuals with EDs, while suggesting mechanisms that may link these constructs. Implications for research and practice were discussed. Conclusion: This study supports findings that acknowledge the mediating role played by personality factors and family functioning in the relationship between attachment and EDs