Wie effektiv ist Mentoring? Ergebnisse von Einzelfall- und Meta-Analysen

"Mentoring gilt als eine Fördermethode, die vielfältige positive Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten eröffnet. Die Literaturlage ist jedoch widersprüchlich: Berichten über extrem wirkungsstarkes Mentoring stehen die Resultate von Meta-Analysen gegenüber, die Mentoringprogrammen nur geringe bis niedrige Förderwirkungen attestieren. In diesem Beitrag wird versucht, diese Widersprüchlichkeit aufzulösen. Es werden sowohl Fallstudien als auch die verfügbaren Meta-Analysen mit der doppelten Zielsetzung untersucht: 1) die hohe Streuung der Effektstärken aufzuklären und 2) Charakteristika eines erfolgreichen Mentoring zu identifizieren. Der Beitrag schließt mit einer Liste praktischer Empfehlungen zur Gestaltung von Mentoringprogrammen." (Autorenreferat)"Mentoring is a method of individualized support and encouragement which has been shown to open up numerous developmental opportunities, although extant research on the practice presents contradictory interpretations. Accounts of highly effective mentoring programs from individual studies are contradicted by the results of meta-analyses, which have attested to the marginal efficacy of such programs. This article attempts to identify the reasons for these seemingly contradictory results and thereby establish a critical perspective from which ostensibly disparate results may be comparatively re-examined to uncover hitherto overlooked corroborative evidence. The examination of relevant case studies and meta-analyses will be focused on the accomplishment of two objectives: 1) to find explanations for the high dispersion of effect sizes described in various studies and 2) to identify characteristics indicative of successful mentoring efforts. The article will conclude with a summary of practical recommendations on how best to design mentoring programs." (author's abstract

Deficits in fine motor skills and their influence on persistence among gifted elementary school pupils

This article addresses the causes of underachievement in scholastic education. Whereas many studies have been able to show that motivational deficits provide an explanation for underachievement, little research has yet explored the possible influences of deficits in fine motor skills. The aim of our empirical study was, therefore, to investigate the influence of fine motor skills and how they may affect underachievement. We hypothesized that deficits in fine motor skills could possibly be mediated by persistence. The participants in this investigation were 53 gifted fourth-grade pupils (15 underachievers, 38 achievers) attending primary schools in Germany. In fact, underachievers and achievers could be differentiated on the basis of their fine motor skills and persistence levels. The differences attributed to persistence decreased when fine motor skills were statistically controlled

Do nimble hands make for nimble lexicons? Fine motor skills predict knowledge of embodied vocabulary items

Much is known about short-termbut very little about the long-termeffects of reading interventions. To rectify this, a detailed analysis of follow-up effects as a function of intervention, sample, and methodological variables was conducted. A total of 71 intervention-control groups were selected (N = 8,161 at posttest) from studies reporting posttest and follow-up data (M = 11.17 months) for previously established reading interventions. The posttest effect sizes indicated effects (dw = 0.37) that decreased to follow-up (dw = 0.22). Overall, comprehension and phonemic awareness interventions showed good maintenance of effect that transferred to nontargeted skills, whereas phonics and fluency interventions, and those for preschool and kindergarten children, tended not to. Several methodological features also related to effect sizes at follow-up, namely experimental design and dosage, and sample attrition, risk status, and gender balance

Implizite Theorien von Eltern und deren Zusammenhänge mit elterlichem lernbezogenen Verhalten sowie den impliziten Theorien und dem Lern- und Leistungsverhalten ihrer Kinder: Ein Literaturüberblick

Während implizite Theorien (auch bekannt als Mindsets) von Lernenden sowie deren Zusammenhänge mit Lern- und Leistungsverhalten sehr umfassend untersucht wurden, gibt es nur wenige Studien zu impliziten Theorien von Eltern und deren Zusammenhängen mit elterlichem lernbezogenen Verhalten sowie den impliziten Theorien und dem Lern- und Leistungsverhalten ihrer Kinder. Zudem ist wenig über die genauen Wirkmechanismen bekannt sowie über die Bedingungen, unter denen elterliche implizite Theorien elterliches Verhalten vorhersagen. Der vorliegende Beitrag gibt einen systematischen Überblick über Studien zu diesen Themen. Hierfür wurde in verschiedenen Datenbanken eine systematische Literaturrecherche nach relevanten Artikeln aus Fachzeitschriften durchgeführt, die zwischen 1990 und 2021 veröffentlicht worden waren. Bei dieser Recherche konnten insgesamt 11 passende Artikel identifiziert werden, deren Befunde gegliedert nach den untersuchten Bereichen dargestellt werden. Neben Befunden zu elterlichen impliziten Theorien und ihren Zusammenhängen mit deren lernbezogenem Verhalten sowie den impliziten Theorien und dem Lern- und Leistungsverhalten ihrer Kinder werden vermittelnde Mechanismen diskutiert und es wird thematisiert, unter welchen Rahmenbedingungen implizite Theorien von Eltern besonders relevant erscheinen. Basierend darauf werden Forschungslücken aufgezeigt und theoretische und praktische Implikationen herausgearbeitet

Online Mentoring for Talented Girls in STEM: The Role of Relationship Quality and Changes in Learning Environments in Explaining Mentoring Success

Although participation rates of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are continually improving, low rates are still an issue in many countries. While previous studies found positive effects of online mentoring for increasing girls’ interests in STEM, research concerning explanatory mechanisms is lacking. We found evidence that in a 1‐year online mentoring program for girls (age: M = 13.82 years, N = 998) in STEM, suitably implemented mentoring (operationalized via relationship quality in a program that systematically incorporates structural and organizational aspects of successful mentoring) was associated with positive changes in the learning environments of the mentees (as indicated by their increasing educational capital). These positive changes were associated with increases in the program‐related mentoring outcomes STEM activities and elective intentions in STEM. Finally, we found that suitably implemented online mentoring was indirectly related to an increase in these two mentoring outcomes via an increase in educational capital. These results indicate the importance of paying close attention to learning environments when planning interventions

Ist die Identifikation Begabter schon im Vorschulalter möglich? Ein Literaturüberblick

"Es besteht breiter Konsens, dass eine Identifikation Hochbegabter zum frühestmöglichen Zeitpunkt wünschenswert wäre. In diesem Artikel wird es um die Frage gehen, ob Hochbegabung schon im Vorschulalter reliabel erfassbar ist. Dazu werden Forschungsbefunde zu Identifikationsverfahren anhand der Intelligenz, effektiver Informationsverarbeitung, der Motivation sowie des Schlafverhaltens, besonderer Leistungen wie frühes Lesen und des häuslichen Lernumfeldes besprochen. Insgesamt bieten diese Informationsquellen lediglich eingeschränkte diagnostische Möglichkeiten. Es werden zwei Verbesserungsansätze diskutiert und es erfolgt ein Plädoyer für eine neue Zielsetzung früher Identifikation." (Autorenreferat)"There is wide consensus that the identification of gifted students should take place as early as possible. In this article we will review the research literature to determine if this is possible at preschool age, including the research relating to the identification based on intelligence, effective information processing, motivation, sleeping behaviour, exceptional achievements such as early reading and the learning environment at home. We conclude that these sources of information only provide limited diagnostic possibilities. Finally, we offer two strategies for improving the diagnostic quality and advocate a new conceptual approach to the early identification of gifted students." (author's abstract

Feinmotorische Defizite als Ursache des Underachievements begabter Grundschüler

'Underachievement ist eines der unerfreulichsten und gleichzeitig hartnäckigsten Probleme der Begabtenförderung. Zwar wurden bereits einige ihrer Ursachen identifiziert, doch ist der Erkenntnisstand noch sehr lückenhaft. Insbesondere liegen bislang keine Erkenntnisse vor, inwiefern die Feinmotorik einen Erklärungsbeitrag leisten kann. In der von uns durchgeführten Forschungsstudie mit Schüler/innen der vierten Jahrgangsstufe Grundschule zeigte sich, dass sich Underachiever (n = 15) und Achiever (n = 48) erstens hinsichtlich ihrer Konzentration und zweitens hinsichtlich des Zusammenwirkens von Feinmotorik und Konzentration unterschieden. Die Befunde werden vor dem Hintergrund der Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-Hypothese diskutiert und auf pädagogische Implikationen hin untersucht.' (Autorenreferat)'The underachievement of gifted students is one of the most disturbing and at the same time enduring problems of gifted education. Although some of the reasons for underachievement have already been identified, the state of knowledge is still fragmentary and cannot fully explain the phenomenon. In particular the contribution of fine-motor-skills has not been investigated yet. In a study of 4th grade students, it was demonstrated that underachievers (n = 15) differed from achievers (n = 48) in terms of their fine-motor-skills and concentration, and second in the interaction of these functions. The findings are discussed with regard to the attention-deficit-hypotheses and in terms of educational implications.' (author's abstract

Key issues in professionalizing mentoring practices

Mentoring has experienced a tremendous upswing over the past decades, which has only recently slowed down somewhat. One possible factor explaining mentoring's popularity are numerous case studies suggesting that it is one of the most effective ways of helping individuals to develop. Meta‐analyses indicating effect sizes for mentoring that are below what would theoretically be possible appear to contradict the success stories, however. This circumstance raises questions about the professionalization of mentoring practices. We focus on seven key issues for future efforts at professionalizing mentoring. Key issues 1 and 2 address observation of the state of the art within formal mentoring when programs are planned and implemented: the consideration of recent research and of best practices. While both areas can overlap, they provide complementary sources of pertinent information for the professionalization of mentoring. Key issues 3–6 address the need to align mentoring activities to the specific context and goals of individual mentoring programs by observing idiographic program characteristics, mentoring dynamics, the orchestration of mentoring goals, and the provision of mentoring resources. Finally, key issue 7 highlights ongoing evaluation as the basis of the effective, continuous improvement of mentoring programs

Nine years of online mentoring for secondary school girls in STEM: an empirical comparison of three mentoring formats

Online mentoring can be useful for supporting girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Yet, little is known about the differential effects of various online mentoring formats. We examine the general and relative effectiveness of three online mentoring formats, one‐on‐one mentoring, many‐to‐many group mentoring, and a hybrid form of the two. All three formats were implemented in different years in the Germany‐wide online‐only mentoring program, CyberMentor, whose platform enables communication and networking between up to 800 girls (in grades 5–13) and 800 women (STEM professionals) each year. We combined longitudinal mentee data for all first‐year participants (N = 4017 girls, Mage = 14.15 years) from 9 consecutive mentoring years to evaluate and compare the three mentoring formats. Overall, all formats effected comparable increases in mentees’ STEM activities and certainty about career plans. However, mentees’ communication behavior and networking behavior on the mentoring platform differed between the three formats. Mentees in the hybrid mentoring format showed the most extensive STEM‐related communication and networking on the platform. We also analyzed the explanatory contributions of STEM‐related communication and networking on interindividual differences in the developmental trajectories of mentees’ STEM activities, elective intentions in STEM, and certainty about career plans, for each format separately

Gifted Education in German-Speaking Europe

The authors first briefly describe how the concepts of talents and giftedness found in German-speaking Europe have evolved in the school system and in general over the past two centuries, and how the variety of gifted-education efforts found within and beyond schools as well as counseling efforts attest to these changes. They then discuss four hallmarks of gifted education in German-speaking Europe: (a) the ongoing development of gifted promotion methods through the integration of newer insights about learning and social aspects; (b) the development of new methods of gifted education, particularly in the areas of mentoring, self-regulated learning, and hybrid approaches; (c) a decidedly scientific approach, which is increasingly characterized by systemic perspectives; and (d) the results of research on the effectiveness of various approaches to gifted education in German-speaking Europe