Qualitätssicherung im Elementarbereich

In diesem Beitrag wurde ein empirischer Qualitätsbegriff zugrunde gelegt, nach dem pädagogische Qualität in Kindergärten (wie auch in anderen vorschulischen Bildungs- und Betreuungssettings) ein mehrdimensionales und quantifizierbares Konstrukt darstellt. Das Konstrukt ist rückgebunden an den empirischen Forschungsstand und ist damit offen für zukünftige Entwicklungen. Pädagogische Qualität und ihre Einzeldimensionen sind messbar. Und sie sind validierbar, indem behauptete oder vermutete Effekte auf kindliches Wohlbefinden sowie auf Bildungs- und Entwicklungsoutcomes in den verschiedenen Bereichen untersucht werden können. Pädagogische Qualität in diesem Sinn meint nicht die Qualität eines bestimmten pädagogischen Konzepts; sie ist jedoch kompatibel mit der in der Früherziehung traditionell vorhandenen „Ansätze“- und „Konzepte“-Pädagogik, insofern als solche holistischen Konzepte als spezielle Konfigurationen im Raster der verschiedenen Qualitätsdimensionen darstellbar werden. Der hier unterlegte Begriff pädagogische Qualität kann mehr oder weniger unmittelbar für Qualitätsverbesserungen fruchtbar gemacht werden. (DIPF/Orig.

Gütesiegel als neues Instrument der Qualitätssicherung von Humandienstleistungen: Gründe, Anforderungen und Umsetzungsüberlegungen am Beispiel von Kindertageseinrichtungen

Although there is general consensus that the quality of human services has to be regulated, there is only limited discussion regarding the fundamental nature of these regulations and how they might in turn be altered to produce better services. This paper focuses on one human service in particular: day care. It discusses strategies for improving day care quality through regulation from a primarily economic but also pedagogical perspective. The main argument is that the market on its own cannot ensure good day care quality. However this does not necessarily mean that the state itself has to regulate the quality, instead the state can set up a framework for a functioning quality assurance system. The requirements of such a quality assurance system are discussed in the second part of the paper. After defining these requirements we then evaluate the German quality assurance system in light of them. Our conclusion is that the existing German regulations do not guarantee a sufficiently high standard of service and thus further reforms are needed. We argue that a good first step in the reform process would be to start issuing certificates of approval for day care centers. A combination of this sort of evaluation system with subsidies to the demand side, for example day care vouchers, seems promising. Its main advantage is that it uses elements of competition, not only for the distribution of public resources, but for assuring quality as well - a combination which promises to produce more efficient and higher quality day care than is currently the case under the existing system. Obwohl heute ein weitgehender Konsens darüber vorliegt, dass der Qualitätssicherung bei Humandienstleistungen ein ganz besonderer Stellenwert zukommt, fehlt eine systematische Auseinandersetzung mit den Gründen und Möglichkeiten einer solchen Qualitätssicherung. Am Beispiel der Bildung, Erziehung und Betreuung von Kindern in Kindertageseinrichtungen sollen deshalb in diesem Beitrag systematische Überlegungen zu einer Qualitätssicherung zusammengetragen und diskutiert werden. In einem ersten Teil des Beitrags werden primär aus ökonomischer jedoch auch aus pädagogischer Perspektive die unterschiedlichen Gründe für eine Qualitätssicherung außerhalb des Marktes dargelegt. Eine solche Qualitätssicherung muss jedoch nicht vom Staat selbst übernommen werden, sondern dieser hat lediglich die Rahmenbedingungen für ein funktionierendes Qualitätssicherungssystem zu setzen. Welche Anforderungen ein solches Qualitätssicherungssystem prinzipiell erfüllen muss, diskutieren wir, bevor wir prüfen, inwiefern diese Anforderungen im deutschen Kindertageseinrichtungsbereich erfüllt sind. Als Ergebnis kann festgehalten werden, dass das deutsche Qualitätssicherungssystem zu keinen ausreichenden Ergebnissen führt und von daher reformbedürftig ist. Als Ansatzpunkt für solche Reformüberlegungen schlagen wir ein Gütesiegelsystem vor, das in Kombination mit einer Subjektsubventionierung über Kinderbetreuungsgutscheine, wettbewerbliche Elemente nicht nur bei der Zuteilung von Finanzmitteln, sondern auch bei der Qualitätssicherung nutzbar macht. Damit verspricht das Gütesiegelsystem im Vergleich zum bisherigen System effizient und sehr viel effektiver zu sein.

Zum Zusammenhang von pädagogischer Qualität in Kindertageseinrichtungen und Familien und dem Sprachstand von Kindern

März 200

Zur Erhebung des adaptiven Verhaltens von zwei- und dreijährigen Kindern im Sozio-oekonomischen Panel (SOEP)

Since the year 2003, SOEP has been systematically adding to its repertoire of survey instruments in the area of early childhood. The present study reports on the instrumental value of a 20-item "mother questionnaire" on the adaptive behavior of their two to three-year-old children (VABS) in the areas of language, everyday skills, motor skills, and social relationships. The survey was first employed in the year 2005. We study aspects of instrumental quality (reliability, validity, sensitivity to change), as well as bivariate and multivariate relationships with other characteristics of the child, the childcare situation, and the household and family. The authors conclude that SOEP-Vineland-Scale is very useful in the wider context of the SOEP data. Das SOEP baut seit dem Jahr 2003 das Erhebungsinstrumentarium für den Bereich der frühen Kindheit systematisch aus. Dieser Beitrag berichtet über die instrumentelle Güte eines 20 Items umfassenden Mütterfragebogens zum adaptiven Verhalten von zwei bis dreijährigen Kindern (VABS) in den Bereichen Sprache, Alltagsfertigkeiten, Motorik und soziale Beziehungen, der erstmals im Jahr 2005 eingesetzt wurde. Untersucht werden Aspekte der instrumentellen Güte (Reliabilität ; Validität ; Entwicklungssensitivität) sowie bi- und multivariate Zusammenhänge mit anderen Kindmerkmalen, der kindlichen Betreuungssituation und Haushalts- und Familienmerkmalen. Als Fazit kann festgehalten werden, dass die Autoren einen hohen Nutzen der Skala im Kontext des breiten Kranzes von SOEP-Daten sehen.

Molecular monitoring of minimal residual disease in two patients with MLL-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia and haploidentical transplantation after relapse

This report describes the clinical courses of two acute myeloid leukemia patients. Both had MLL translocations, the first a t(10;11)(p11.2;q23) with MLL-AF10 and the second a t(11;19)(q23;p13.1) with MLL-ELL fusion. They achieved a clinical remission under conventional chemotherapy but relapsed shortly after end of therapy. Both had a history of invasive mycoses (one had possible pulmonary mycosis, one systemic candidiasis). Because no HLA-identical donor was available, a haploidentical transplantation was performed in both cases. Using a specially designed PCR method for the assessment of minimal residual disease (MRD), based on the quantitative detection of the individual chromosomal breakpoint in the MLL gene, all patients achieved complete and persistent molecular remission after transplantation. The immune reconstitution after transplantation is described in terms of total CD3+/CD4+, CD3+/CD8+, CD19+, and CD16+/CD56+ cell numbers over time. The KIR and HLA genotypes of donors and recipients are reported and the possibility of a KIR-mediated alloreactivity is discussed. This report illustrates that haploidentical transplantation may offer a chance of cure without chronic graft-versus-host disease in situations where no suitable HLA-identical donor is available even in a high-risk setting and shows the value of MRD monitoring in the pre- and posttransplant setting

Didactic-ecological conditions in elementary-schools for the assignment of school-beginners to retention classes and its effect on elementary school success

Es wird über ein Forschungsprojekt berichtet, in dem - repräsentativ für das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen - Einflüsse schülerunabhängiger, didaktisch-ökologischer Bedingungen der Schulsituation auf die Zurückstellung/Schulkindergartenzuweisung von Schulanfängern (Querschnittanalyse) sowie Auswirkungen des Schulkindergartenbesuchs - zusammen mit anderen Bedingungen der Schule - auf den Grundschulerfolg untersucht werden (Längsschnittanalyse). Im Hinblick auf vermutete Beziehungen werden Kausalmodelle formuliert und hauptsächlich anhand des entsprechend aufbereiteten bildungsplanungsnahen Datenmaterials der amtlichen Schulstatistik überprüft. Von der Untersuchung werden über die spezielle Fragestellung hinausweisende inhaltliche und methodische Einsichten erwartet. (DIPF/Orig.)A current research project is outlined in which the effects of didactic-ecological conditions of elementary schools (as school environment, class size, time table, teacher attitudes etc.) on assignment to retention classes will be investigated (cross-sectional design). A second topic concerns the longitudinal effects of such student selection on later school success (grade 4). Data used are derived from official statistics for the federal state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, supplemented by questionnaire data on a random sample of schools in this state. The units of analysis are schools. The data will be analyzed in terms of structural equation models

Diversity of Salmonella enterica serovar Derby isolated from pig, pork and humans in Germany

Salmonella enterica serovar Derby (S. Derby) is one of the most prevalent serovars in pigs in Europe and in the U.S. and ranks among the 10 most frequently isolated serovars in humans. Therefore, a set of 82 epidemiologically unrelated S. Derby strains isolated between 2006 and 2008 from pigs, pork and humans in Germany was selected and investigated in respect to the transmission of clonal groups of the serovar along the food chain. Various phenotypic and genotypic methods were applied and the pathogenicity and resistance gene repertoire was determined. Phenotypically 72% of the strains were susceptible to all 17 antimicrobials tested while the others were monoresistant to tetracycline or multi-resistant with different resistance profiles. Four major clonal groups were identified based on PFGE, sequence data of the virulence genes sopA, sopB and sopD, VNTR-locus STTR5 and MLST revealing also the new sequence type ST774. Thirty different PFGE profiles were detected resulting in four clusters representing the four groups. The pathogenicity gene repertoire of 32 representative S. Derby strains analyzed by microarray showed six types with differences in the Salmonella pathogenicity islands, pathogenicity genes on smaller islets or prophages and fimbriae coding genes. The pathogenicity gene repertoire of the predominant types PAT DE1 and DE2 were most similar to the ones of S. Paratyphi B (dT+, O5−) and to a minor degree to S. Infantis and S. Virchow PATs. Overall this study showed that in Germany currently one major S. Derby clone is frequently isolated from pigs and humans. Contaminated pork was identified as one vehicle and consequently is a risk for human health. To prevent this serovar from entering the food chain, control measurements should be applied at the farm level

Sustainability assessments of energy scenarios: citizens’ preferences for and assessments of sustainability indicators

Background: Given the multitude of scenarios on the future of our energy systems, multi-criteria assessments are increasingly called for to analyze and assess desired and undesired effects of possible pathways with regard to their environmental, economic and social sustainability. Existing studies apply elaborate lists of sustainability indicators, yet these indicators are defined and selected by experts and the relative importance of each indicator for the overall sustainability assessments is either determined by experts or is computed using mathematical functions. Target group-specific empirical data regarding citizens’ preferences for sustainability indicators as well as their reasoning behind their choices are not included in existing assessments. Approach and results: We argue that citizens’ preferences and values need to be more systematically analyzed. Next to valid and reliable data regarding diverse sets of indicators, reflections and deliberations are needed regarding what different societal actors, including citizens, consider as justified and legitimate interventions in nature and society, and what considerations they include in their own assessments. For this purpose, we present results from a discrete choice experiment. The method originated in marketing and is currently becoming a popular means to systematically analyze individuals’ preference structures for energy technology assessments. As we show in our paper, it can be fruitfully applied to study citizens’ values and weightings with regard to sustainability issues. Additionally, we present findings from six focus groups that unveil the reasons behind citizens’ preferences and choices. Conclusions: Our combined empirical methods provide main insights with strong implications for the future development and assessment of energy pathways: while environmental and climate-related effects significantly influenced citizens’ preferences for or against certain energy pathways, total systems and production costs were of far less importance to citizens than the public discourse suggests. Many scenario studies seek to optimize pathways according to total systems costs. In contrast, our findings show that the role of fairness and distributional justice in transition processes featured as a dominant theme for citizens. This adds central dimensions for future multi-criteria assessments that, so far, have been neglected by current energy systems models

Molecularly defined diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumor (DLGNT) comprises two subgroups with distinct clinical and genetic features

Diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumors (DLGNT) represent rare CNS neoplasms which have been included in the 2016 update of the WHO classification. The wide spectrum of histopathological and radiological features can make this enigmatic tumor entity difficult to diagnose. In recent years, large-scale genomic and epigenomic analyses have afforded insight into key genetic alterations occurring in multiple types of brain tumors and provide unbiased, complementary tools to improve diagnostic accuracy. Through genome-wide DNA methylation screening of > 25,000 tumors, we discovered a molecularly distinct class comprising 30 tumors, mostly diagnosed histologically as DLGNTs. Copy-number profiles derived from the methylation arrays revealed unifying characteristics, including loss of chromosomal arm 1p in all cases. Furthermore, this molecular DLGNT class can be subdivided into two subgroups [DLGNT methylation class (MC)-1 and DLGNT methylation class (MC)-2], with all DLGNT-MC-2 additionally displaying a gain of chromosomal arm 1q. Co-deletion of 1p/19q, commonly seen in IDH-mutant oligodendroglioma, was frequently observed in DLGNT, especially in DLGNT-MC-1 cases. Both subgroups also had recurrent genetic alterations leading to an aberrant MAPK/ERK pathway, with KIAA1549:BRAF fusion being the most frequent event. Other alterations included fusions of NTRK1/2/3 and TRIM33:RAF1, adding up to an MAPK/ERK pathway activation identified in 80% of cases. In the DLGNT-MC-1 group, age at diagnosis was significantly lower (median 5 vs 14 years, p < 0.01) and clinical course less aggressive (5-year OS 100, vs 43% in DLGNT-MC-2). Our study proposes an additional molecular layer to the current histopathological classification of DLGNT, of particular use for cases without typical morphological or radiological characteristics, such as diffuse growth and radiologic leptomeningeal dissemination. Recurrent 1p deletion and MAPK/ERK pathway activation represent diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets, respectively—laying the foundation for future clinical trials with, e.g., MEK inhibitors that may improve the clinical outcome of patients with DLGNT