Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Educational system; Germany'

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-169).
This case study is an ethnographic account of the experiences of immigrant origin adolescents of an integrated public comprehensive school. Field work was conducted from March - April 2007 in Oldenburg, Germany. The aim was to investigate the experiences of everyday racism and xenophobia; and in doing so, give voice to the experiences of marginalized groups within the German education system.

Die Arbeit untersucht die kulturellen Bestimmungsfaktoren des Bildungserwerbs von Zuwandererschülern im Vergleich zu Schülern aus nichtgewanderten Familien. Genauer handelt es sich bei den untersuchten Migrantengruppen um ex-sowjetische (Spät-)Aussiedler in Deutschland und ex-sowjetisch jüdische Zuwanderer in Israel, die nach dem Zusammenbruch des Sowjetregimes ausgewandert sind. Den Ausgangspunkt der Arbeit bildet die Frage, ob sich Bildungsdisparitäten zwischen Migranten und Einheimischen sowie innerhalb einer Migrantengruppe auf Differenzen in den kulturellen Orientierungen der Zuwandererfamilien und auf die damit verbundenen kulturspezifischen Fertigkeiten der Schüler zurückführen lassen. Die bisherige soziologische Bildungsforschung klammert kulturelle Aspekte bei der Erklärung von Unterschieden im Bildungserwerb zwischen Schülern mit und ohne Migrationshintergrund weitestgehend aus. Die Arbeit versucht auf theoretischer Ebene, die kulturelle Dimension ethnischer Bildungsungleichheiten zu erfassen. Zur systema-tischen Erschließung der kulturellen Dimension migrantenspezifischer Ungleichheiten im Bildungssystem werden im Theoriekapitel drei Theoriestränge – integrations- bzw. assimilationstheoretische Ansätze, der Kultureller Kapitalansatz, der Ressourcen-Investitionsansatz – miteinander verknüpft und daraus Hypothesen abgeleitet. Die aufgestellten Annahmen werden mit den Daten des Immigrants’ Children in the Educational System of Germany and Israel-Projekts (BMBF-Förderung, Laufzeit: 2006-2010) bei ex-sowjetischen Zuwanderern in Deutschland und in Israel empirisch überprüft. Die Arbeit liefert Befunde, wie die intergenerationale Übertragung kultureller und kulturspezifischer Fertigkeiten in Migrantenfamilien im Vergleich zu einheimischen Familien verläuft und welche Bedeutung der Kultur des Herkunftslandes im Vergleich zu der des Aufnahmelandes beim Bildungserwerb von Migranten zukommt. Zusätzlich stellt die Arbeit die konträren Argumente der assimilationstheoretischen Ansätze gegenüber und fragt nach der empirischen Gültigkeit der theoretischen Ansätze.

Die Beschäftigungsfähigkeit ist einer der größten Anliegen in El Salvador, besonders für Jugendlichen (UNPD, 2008). Außerdem betont die Studie über die Herausforderungen des Bildungssystems in El Salvador die Notwendigkeit, eine Anknüpfung zwischen Akademie und Industrie zu haben (Barraza, 2008). In diesem Kontext begann El Salvador in 2008 die Umsetzung von einigen Elementen des Deutschen Dualsystems (neues System) im Bereich der technologischen Ausbildung, mit der Absicht, einen Versuch zu machen ob dieses System bessere Kompetenzen bei Studenten entwickelt, welche ihnen bessere Arbeitseinsatzmöglichkeiten anbietet. Im Dualsystem wird die Ausbildung von der Akademie und Industriesektor geleistet. Grundsätzliche Ziele waren: (1) Analyse der Einflüsse zur Ansteigung der Beschäftigungsfähigkeit unter Gebrauch einer besseren Kombination von Theorie und Praxis während des Studiums – Möglichkeiten einer Dualerfahrung aus Deutschland unter den Bedingungen in El Salvador (2) Analyse der Möglichkeiten und Probleme unter Berücksichtigung des Kompetenzschwerpunktes für die Entwicklung und Beschäftigungsfähigkeit der Studenten; (3) Festlegung, ob die Studenten mit Studienausgang in 2008-2010, die im Dualsystem teilgenommen haben, bessere berufliche Kompetenzen zur Einsetzung im Produktivprozess erlangt haben im Vergleich zu diejenigen aus dem traditionalem System (ohne Unternehmenserfahrung); (4) Festlegung der Einflussfaktoren die den Industriesektor an der Teilnahme am Dualsystem motivieren; und (5) Darstellung der Folgen aus der Umsetzung dieses Systems unter den salvadorianischen Gegebenheiten und Anregungen zu deren Anpassung zu entwickeln. Bei der Untersuchung ging es um die Erstellung eines Vergleichs zwischen Studenten der Studienrichtung Mechatronik mit Ausgang in 2008 – 2010; ein Student aus dem Dualsystem und einer aus dem traditionellen System. Die angewandte wissenschaftliche Methodologie war eine Verknüpfung von einer quantitativen und qualitativen Methode mit Fragebogen, Interviews und Messungen der Kompetenzen, nötige Zeit zum Erwerben einer Arbeitsstelle und Gehaltsbedingungen. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchung waren: (a) Beide Gruppen hatten ähnliche Kompetenzen laut ihrer akademischen Benotung, aber bessere Kompetenzen für die Duale Gruppe wenn Arbeitsbedingungen eingeschlossen sind. In Bezug auf die Motivation der Entscheidungsträgern hat die Untersuchung folgendes erwiesen: (1) Vorherige Kenntnis über das System (2) Personen sind mit bessere Kompetenzen bedarfsgerecht für die Industrie ausgebildet; (3) Minderung des Risikos, falsche Leute aufzunehmen; (4) Optimierung der Ausbildungskosten, (5) Innovation einer neuen Studienrichtung die vom Unternehmen benötigt wird; (6) Soziale Verantwortung; und (7) Verbesserung der Produktivität und Qualität. Schlussfolgerung ist, das Dualsystem könnte eine Möglichkeit für die Verbesserung der Kompetenzniveaus als auch für die Beschäftigungsfähigkeit der Studenten in El Salvador sein, jedoch bringt es neue Herausforderungen für das technologische Ausbildungssystem
Employability is one of the biggest concerns in El Salvador, especially for young people (UNPD, 2008). Besides, the study about challenges in the educative system in El Salvador, outlines the necessity to have a link between academy and industry (Barraza, 2008). Under this context 2008, El Salvador began the implementation of some elements of the German Dual System (New system) in technological education, with the purpose to experiment if this system developed better competences in students allowing them better job opportunities. In Dual System, the formation is developed between the academy and the enterprise. The main purposes were: (1) To analyze influences to rise employability under using of better combination of theory and practice in studies - possibilities of dual experiences from Germany for El Salvador`s conditions; (2) to analyze possibilities and problems using competences approach for student’s development and employability; (3) to determine if the students of cohort 2008-2010 who study under dual system acquire better professional competences to be inserted in the productive process that those from traditional system (without enterprise curriculum); (4) to determine the factors that motivates industrialists to participate in dual system; and (5) to show consequences of implement this system under the Salvadoran reality and develop suggestions its adaptation. The research was comparing students from cohort 2008 – 2010 in Mechatronic career; one in dual and other in traditional system. The scientific methodology to apply were a combination of quantitative and qualitative method with questionnaires, interviews and measurements about competences, time to get a job and the salary conditions. Results of the research are: (a) both groups had similar competences according academics grades, but better competences for Dual group when jobs conditions are included. About decision makers motivations, findings were: (1) Previous knowledge about the system; (2) People with better competences according the needs of the company; (3) to reduce the risk to hire wrong people; (4) Optimize training costs, (5) the innovation of a new career that enterprise needs; (6) social responsibility; and (7) to improve the productivity and quality. In conclusion, Dual system could be an opportunity in El Salvador for improving the level of competences, and the employability of the students, but it means new challenges in technological educational system

La présente recherche interroge l’espace public européen présent dans les télévisions régionales en France et en Allemagne. L’Union européenne est une construction politique complexe, qui fait dans sa communication extérieure elle-même l’amalgame entre « Union européenne » et Europe. Prenant en compte les spécificités culturelles et interdisciplinaires inhérentes à notre cotutelle franco-allemande, nous avons choisi de combiner trois méthodes. En premier lieu, la méthode de Hickethier propose une analyse structurelle des programmes de télévision, bien adaptée à notre contexte bilingue et binational parce qu’elle rend possible la comparaison des données de la même manière au-delà des langues en codant les données en variables. Puis nous avons réalisé une analyse herméneutique mettant en lumière les points communs dans le traitement de l’information européenne. La troisième méthode a consisté en plusieurs entretiens d’experts avec des journalistes et des responsables médiatiques dans les deux régions étudiées. Les télévisions publiques, dans les systèmes allemand et français, ont comme mission l’éducation des citoyens. Ainsi le Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk regroupe l’ensemble de service public médiatique pour les Länder de Saxe, Saxe-Anhalt et Thuringe ; France 3 en revanche est une chaîne nationale dédiée aux régions. Toutes deux situées aux frontières de la France et de l’Allemagne, elles devraient hypothétiquement faire montre d’une certaine volonté et présenter les évènements se produisant dans les pays voisins, en Belgique et au Royaume-Uni pour France 3 et en Pologne et en République Tchèque pour le MDR, ouvrant ainsi des fenêtres sur l’Europe. Nous avons collecté et analysé plus de 43 heures de programmes télévisés dédiés à l’information d’octobre à décembre 2013. De tous les programmes analysés, un cinquième parle en effet de l’Europe ou de l’Union européenne. Néanmoins, la majorité des informations européennes consiste en une simple mention du nom « EU », « Bruxelles » ou même d’un autre pays européen. Contrairement à nos attentes, l’Europe n’apparaît pas essentiellement comme un monstre technocratique et dirigeant présenté d’un point de vue négatif, au contraire : les informations européennes sont présentes essentiellement dans le domaine de la culture et du sport. En outre, de nombreux exemples de reportages de qualité montrant des similitudes sur les deux chaînes ont été trouvés. Par exemple, le traitement des informations concernant l’intégration des Roms sont présents sur les deux chaînes de manière didactique. L’émission « MDR-Aktuell » du 5/12/2013 proposait un reportage dans un village proche de la frontière germano-tchèque alors que France 3 Nord-Pas-de-Calais interviewait en Roumanie une famille Rom ayant vécu trois ans dans la banlieue de Lille. Cette « série spéciale » de France 3 est symptomatique d’un phénomène rencontré à plusieurs reprises sur les deux chaînes analysées : l’information européenne sert de « prétexte informatif » à parler de questions qui concernent en fait le pays du média considéré. Un deuxième phénomène récurrent concerne la tendance de chacun des médias à construire une perspective de l’Autre opposé au « chez soi », dans le contexte européen ou même de l’Etat-nation. Ceci est présent surtout dans les productions des plus petites rédactions (Boulogne-sur-Mer ou Magdebourg), alors que les grandes rédactions comme Lille ou Leipzig parlent plus d’une perspective européenne transcendante. Ceci fut particulièrement visible dans le traitement de l’information concernant la tempête Xaver qui a balayé l’Europe le 5/12/2013. Dans ce cas, on peut parler d’européanisation synchrone de l’information, puisque le même évènement est traité simultanément par différentes télévisions. (...)
My research investigates the European public sphere present in both French and German regional television programmes, with the aim of identifying European elements based on regional content. The French media system is centralized like the French republic, whilst the German media system, a “present of the Allies”, is based in and on each Länder. France 3 is a national TV channel, based in Paris, with regular programming content dedicated to the regions. Analyzed in this thesis are regional productions for Picardy and Nord-Pas-de-Calais, broadcast on France 3 Nord-Pas-de-Calais and France 3 Picardie. The Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, analyzed in this thesis, is the regional TV broadcaster for the Länder of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. Both are situated along the French and German borders and should be willing to present events from the neighboring countries of Belgium and the United Kingdom, Poland and the Czech Republic. This study was undertaken in cooperation between two universities in France and Germany. In order to reconcile these scientific and cultural realities with each other and to cover the needs of both schools of thought, I utilized three methods. First, I used a sociological method after Hickethier that proposes a structural analysis of the television programmes. This method allows a comparison that transcends cultures and languages by coding each relevant element into variables. Second, I used a hermeneutical analysis illuminating the common Europen themes of French and German TV programmes. The third method consists of interviews with experts, journalists and further relevant media personnel in France and Germany. This study shows that in 43 hours of TV programmes, collected between October and December of 2013, from France 3’s and MDR’s information programmes and shows, one-fifth of the programmes make mention of the European Union or of the specific countries themselves. Contrary to our hypothesis, the European Union was not represented as a technological, controlling behemoth, but in a positive or a neutral manner, most often in conjunction with themes of culture and sport. These themes are most often covered in news magazines like “Brisant”, while more serious magazines like “MDR-Aktuell” cover economic and political themes in a more negative manner. This study also found examples of similar qualitative reporting by both French and German television stations. For example, the information concerning the integration of the Roma in both countries is presented in a didactic manner. Broadcast on December 5th, 2013, the programme,“MDR-Aktuell”, included coverage of a village situated 50 km south of the Czech-German border in Bohemia where Roma and Czechs live peacefully together. France 3 Nord-Pas-de-Calais followed a positive path in presenting a segment in Romania in which France 3 journalists interviewed a family who lived in a ghetto in Lille (North France). This “Special Series” illustrates a phenomenon common to all the TV programmes analysed in this study: using Europe as a frame of reference in order to discuss regional or even national problems. A second recurrent phenomenon concerns each television station branch’s tendency to speak from a more narrow perspective and to construct “Othering”. This is revealed through the thematic analysis we performed on each TV branch’s production on the hurricane “Xaver”, which occurred all over Europe on December 5th, 2013. In conclusion, this study has found that regional television in both France and Germany, despite working with several ontological differences due to differing political and media systems, offer European content, some with greater educational value to the EU. Interviews with experts provide an impetus for both France 3 and MDR’s journalists and directors to promote a positive image of its European neighbours and of the EU on regional television

Cette thèse de doctorat a pour but d'établir une comparaison de l'évolution de la profession et du vécu de la profession enseignante sur la période allant de 1970 à 2000. Cette période permet d'axer la comparaison sur les évolutions politiques, différentes dans les deux zones géographiques : en Allemagne, la Réunification bouleverse l'ensemble de la société et entraîne tout le système scolaire dans une période de réformes ; en France, l'évolution politique et de la société est, en comparaison, linéaire. Les réformes concernant la formation et le statut des enseignants sont ici mises en perspective par rapport aux différents types de modernisation.Après avoir justifié la comparaison entre la France, la RDA et les nouveaux Länder, ce travail entend définir les types de modernisation à l’oeuvre dans les zones géographiques et politiques observées. La méthodologie employée pour la récolte et l'analyse des données est celle de la sociologie interactionniste des professions, et s'appuie sur un matériel empirique composé de récits de carrière récoltés effectués d'enseignants et enseignantes situés à Lyon et à Leipzig, et dont la carrière dans l'enseignement a débuté entre 1970 et 2000.Un deuxième bloc s'attache à l'évolution des systèmes scolaires dans les pays concernés, en se concentrant sur la formation et le statut des enseignants. Les contextes historiques et éducatifs nécessaires à l'étude sont définis ici.La troisième grande partie est composée du traitement des entretiens, et compare l'évolution relatée par les enseignants de la profession. Cette partie est découpée en huit sous-parties, catégories d'analyse construites après analyse des entretiens. Ces sous-parties appelées « items » sont le coeur de la comparaison, en éclairant les catégories construites sous plusieurs angles : évolution temporelle, évolution politique, groupes professionnels, caractères communs et personnels
The main objective of this thesis is to establish a comparison of the teachers professions evolution and lived careers, in the time period going from 1970 to 2000. This period allows us to concentrate the comparison on the political evolutions, which are different in the two considered geographic areas: in GDR and Germany, the Reunification disrupts the whole society and leads the land in a total reform period; in France, the political and societal evolution is, in comparison, quite linear. The reforms about the teachers education and status are taken in this work under the perspective of the different types of modernization.After the justification of the interest of comparing France, the GDR and the new Länder of Germany, this thesis aims the definition of the types of modernization we can find in the considered geographic and politic contexts. The methodology we used in this work to gather and analyse the data is the interactionist profession sociology, and the empiric data used is a corpus of teachers career interviews realised in Lyon and Leipzig. The interviewed teachers began their career as teacher between 1970 and 2000.A second part is centered in the observation of the evolution of the school systems in the concerned countries, and especially teachers education and status. The historical and educative contexts we used for this study are defined here.The third part is the empiric part, and is about the analysis of the interviews. The evolutions the teachers told about the profession are compared in this part. It is composed of eight categories, built after the interviews analysis. They are at the heart of the comparison, and shows the categories we built under many lights: temporal evolution, political evolution, professional groups, personal and common features

碩士
東吳大學
德國文化學系
96
The study aims to understand the early childhood education system in Germany. This study is mainly based on literature analysis. Early childhood education and care policy in Germany has long tradition. Facilities catering for children were as an emergency solution to protect and care for children of working mothers in the first half of the 19th Century. Friedrich Fröbel (1782- 1852) invented a type of educational facility for early childhood by establishing the first kindergarten (1840). According to the Child and Youth Welfare Act of 1990 child care institutions have to encourage the child's development into an individually responsible and socially competent person. For children 0- 3 years, the Krippe is the norm. For children from 3 years until entrance into school, the Kindergarten is the main service. Hort is the third major service, catering for school- age children up to 12 years of age. Krippen, Kindergarten and Horte can be run as separate center but also as a mixed form for children of different age groups. Children in institutions of elementary education are looked after primarily by Erzieher/innen (kindergarten pedagogues) and Kinderpfleger/innen (children's nurses). The early years of childhood are receiving increased public policy attention. There is great openness to the need for change, including the quantitative and qualitative development. In future, the number of allday care- services need to be increased, and the number of places on offer for children before nursery age needs to be expanded. And the qualification of the staff should be enhanced.

博士
國立暨南國際大學
比較教育研究所
91
The purpose of this study is to compare the educational tracking systems between Germany and Taiwan. To attend to the purpose, both documentary and interview data were solicited for this study. First, the author clarifies the theoretical basis of educational tracking system. Secondly, the author describes the historical development of the educational tracking systems in Germany and Taiwan; then explores the influential factors affecting the development of tracking systems in both societies. Thirdly, the author compares the first selection of tracking system between Germany and Taiwan. Fourthly, the author makes comparisons between the different school types after the first selection between Germany and Taiwan. Fifthly, the author compares the second selection of tracking system between Germany and Taiwan. Finally the author analyzes the patterns of tracking system in these two countries and presents suggestions to the educational tracking system in Taiwan.

The topic of the presented thesis is a comparison of selected contemporary Czech and German history textbooks, designed for high schools. It analyzes the Czech and the German high school system, with a focus on the teaching history. It compares the structure of the textbooks, verbal and visual content, control methods and the adoption process of the subject matter.

The importance of tracking and educational reforms over the last decades in Germany, and their consequences in terms of inequalities, connects the three papers of this dissertation. In my first paper, I examine causal effects of relative school-starting age on children’s math, science, and reading competencies in primary school, as well as on teacher track recommendation at the end of grade four and actual track choice in grade five. I employ a fuzzy regression discontinuity design to account for the endogeneity of school-starting age. I find substantial positive effects on math, science, and reading competencies; my results also provide evidence that students who are the oldest in their cohort are more likely to receive a high-track teacher recommendation or attend a high-track school, compared to students who are among the youngest. I do not find differential effects depending on the student’s gender or socioeconomic background. In my second paper, I analyze the interacting influences of school type attended and school certificate earned on students’ transition chances to fully qualifying vocational training in Germany. More specifically, employing linear probability models, I explore whether those chances are different for intermediate (Realschule) certificate graduates depending on the type of school at which the certificate was obtained, and whether students attending the lowest-track Hauptschule who graduated with an intermediate certificate have better transition chances compared to their peers who earned lower school certificates. I find that intermediate certificate graduates who attended a Hauptschule have lower transition chances than intermediate certificate graduates who attended a Realschule or comprehensive school. I also find that students who attended a Hauptschule and graduated with an intermediate certificate have better transition chances compared to their Hauptschule peers who graduated with lower credentials. There is no evidence that students who earned an intermediate certificate enter vocational training positions of differing socioeconomic status or prestige depending on type of school attended. In my third paper, using school-fixed effects regression models, I investigate socioeconomic status gaps in students’ cognitive achievement in grade nine within different school types in Germany. I also explore the association between socioeconomic background and attainment of the intermediate secondary certificate and transition to upper secondary education in multi-track schools. My results provide suggestive evidence that socioeconomic status gaps in cognitive achievement exist within all school types. I also find that more privileged students are significantly more likely to earn an intermediate certificate or transition into upper secondary education. The decomposition of primary and secondary effects reveals that secondary effects are stronger at this transition in the German school system

It is generally recognised that education systems play a fundamental role in our societies and economies. They provide populations with access to knowledge and the opportunity to develop competences and skills. These are important for the well-being of individuals, the good functioning of societies and economic growth. Despite the fact that Federal Republic of Germany and Czech Republic are neighbouring countries and both are members of European Union, each has a different educational system and different system of university financing. The aim of this master thesis is to determine the main differences in financing of education in the Czech Republic and Federal Republic of Germany with a focus on tertiary education and also to propose a suggestion that would lead to the improvement of the tertiary education financing system of the Czech Republic. In the Czech Republic public universities receive funds from the state budget towards their running and capital costs. Higher education institutions receive a financial contribution based on the number of students and graduates, the economic costliness of the relevant study programme and certain quality and performance indicators. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports is also used to finance public universities through project grants. Part of the budget is allocated to schools on the basis of qualitative criteria. In Germany the public financing arrangements for the education system are the result of decision making processes in the political and administrative system in which the various forms of public spending on education are apportioned between Federation, states (Länder) and local authorities (Kommunen) and according to education policy and objective requirements.

Germany has historically been a country where peoples from various countries have worked and settled, and diverse cultures have existed. Yet, German schools still adhere to what could be described as assimilative and deficit-oriented practices (Gogolin & Krüger-Potratz, 2006; Schanz, 2006). In addition, the German education system has a high degree of social selection (Auernheimer, 2006a) that creates severe educational inequities between German and immigrant students. After four years of primary school, students are streamed into one of the three major secondary school types Gymnasium, Realschule, and Hauptschule, based on achievement. Since these schools provide education of varying quality, students are denied equal opportunities. The purpose of this study is to explore and critically analyze possible ways to alleviate the existing inequities in the German school system, which are reflected in the achievement gap between immigrant and German mainstream students (Hormel & Scherr, 2004; Schofield, 2006). Using a case study approach, I analyze the educational work of the award-winning German primary school “Kleine Kielstraße” located in Dortmund with a culturally and linguistically diverse student population, situated in a socially disadvantaged district. My purpose was to gain insight into the school’s practices and strategies for recognizing diverse students and for striving to provide equitable education for all students. Despite the strategic steps taken by this school based on the competence and the enthusiasm of the principal and staff, it is quite evident that structural changes in the highly selective, three-tiered German secondary school system are required before educators can effectively challenge the built-in inequities. Though the German school system is designed and programmed to discriminate and deny equal opportunity, the participating school demonstrates a pedagogical approach that provides more equitable education for all students regardless of their cultural background and ethnicity. This thesis explores these strategies of the school to create an understanding that a progressive “Intercultural Pedagogy” can go a long way in providing a better education despite structural inequities.
Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-03 15:00:06.839

Title: Analysis of teaching geography in upper secondary educational level in Germany Author: Bc. Eliška Jindřichová Department:Department of social geography and regional development Supervisor: RNDr. Dana Řezníčková, Ph. D. This thesis contains an analysis of the conception of geographical education on ISCED level 3 in Germany. It aims to answer the following basic conceptual questions: Under which conditions is geography being taught? In what manner is geography being taught? What are the expected effects of geographical education on the pupils? During the discussion of conditions, the current status of geography as a teaching subject is presented and the possibilities for cross-curricular collaboration are pointed out. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of form and content, learning objectives/goals and creation of geographical skills. Another part of the thesis is the description of the process and methods used to evaluate the gained geographical knowledge of pupils. The basic method for obtaining relevant data is content analysis of the curricula of the federal states of Germany, resulting in a set of complete record sheets. Based on the chosen method of data collection and analysis, I got all the answers to the three basic conceptual questions and compare the resulting data to Czech...

This volume contains the papers presented at the International Conference on “Models in Developing Mathematics Education” held from September 11-17, 2009 at The University of Applied Sciences, Dresden, Germany. The Conference was organized jointly by The University of Applied Sciences and The Mathematics Education into the 21st Century Project - a non-commercial international educational project founded in 1986. The Mathematics Education into the 21st Century Project is dedicated to the improvement of mathematics education world-wide through the publication and dissemination of innovative ideas. Many prominent mathematics educators have supported and contributed to the project, including the late Hans Freudental, Andrejs Dunkels and Hilary Shuard, as well as Bruce Meserve and Marilyn Suydam, Alan Osborne and Margaret Kasten, Mogens Niss, Tibor Nemetz, Ubi D’Ambrosio, Brian Wilson, Tatsuro Miwa, Henry Pollack, Werner Blum, Roberto Baldino, Waclaw Zawadowski, and many others throughout the world. Information on our project and its future work can be found on Our Project Home Page http://math.unipa.it/~grim/21project.htm It has been our pleasure to edit all of the papers for these Proceedings. Not all papers are about research in mathematics education, a number of them report on innovative experiences in the classroom and on new technology. We believe that “mathematics education” is fundamentally a “practicum” and in order to be “successful” all new materials, new ideas and new research must be tested and implemented in the classroom, the real “chalk face” of our discipline, and of our profession as mathematics educators. These Proceedings begin with a Plenary Paper and then the contributions of the Principal Authors in alphabetical name order. We sincerely thank all of the contributors for their time and creative effort. It is clear from the variety and quality of the papers that the conference has attracted many innovative mathematics educators from around the world. These Proceedings will therefore be useful in reviewing past work and looking ahead to the future.

This Master thesis called Approach to university and non-university media studies in the Great Britain and Germany: A comparative study compares the approaches of Great Britain and Germany to tertiary education, which is thematically linked to the media. The thesis shows specific concepts in this field of study in two different environments that have developed under different historical circumstances and as a result of different processes of adoption of media studies as a university subject. The boundaries of this subject are not specifically stated, which provides countries with an opportunity to put their own concept into this subject. This thesis examines tertiary education connected to media institutions of higher education, within individual study programs, in leading professional publications, in the national assessment of educational documents and in approach of multinational organizations. The text defines relevant bodies and syllabi, identifying core competences of graduates of these studies, the processes through which they become experts and educational activities connected to media education. The thesis analyzes differences, expectations and methods in the documents using an in-depth analysis. The core question is whether the approaches of the Great Britain and Germany remain different...

This thesis Development of Medial Education and Literacy in Germany presents formation and progresive development of medial education in our neighbouring state. Firstly the basic concepts are explained, then description of Medial eduacation evolution is following. This thesis presents also current state of medial education: which way it tends and how it is practised in particular grade of education. The practical part ilustrates findings from the qualitative research: the experts from Germany responded three fields of questions: general introduction into medial education, medial education at school and non-school medial education.

Πρόσφατα, υπό την επιρροή Διεθνών Οργανισμών και της ΕΕ, η Γερμανία και η Φινλανδία πήραν μέτρα που αφορούν την ανάπτυξη και εξασφάλιση της ποιότητας στην εκπαίδευση γενικά, και στη σχολική μονάδα ειδικότερα. Στην παρούσα μελέτη επιχειρείται η συγκριτική προσέγγιση του γερμανικού και του φινλανδικού εκπαιδευτικού συστήματος στο παράδειγμα της εκπαιδευτικής αξιολόγησης, στην πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση, στη Γερμανία (Βάδη – Βυρτεμβέργη) και στη Φινλανδία. Και οι δύο χώρες αποτελούν μέλη της Ε.Ε. με ισχυρή κρατική πρόνοια αλλά με διαφορετικές ιστορικές, εθνικές καταβολές και διαφορετικό κοινωνικό οικονομικό και πολιτικό υπόβαθρο.
In recent years, under the influence of International Institutes and the EU, initiatives have been taken in Germany and Finland concerning the quality assurance and quality development of education at both the level of the school system and the level of the individual school. In the present study a comparative approach of the German and Finnish educational systems is attempted, in the paradigm of educational school evaluation, focusing on the primary education in Germany (Baden-Wuertemberg) and in Finland. The two countries constitute members of the EU with strong social welfare system but with specific historic and national heritage and different social, economic and political background.

This study, largely based on literature review supplemented with information from lectures and interviews, attempts to give guidelines and make recommendations on how the gap between the school and the working world can be narrowed in South Africa to improve the employability of school-leavers. Chapter One involves the identification of the problem to be investigated. Chapter Two defines the economic role and function of the school in society in the light of different theories and practices. The present state of education in South Africa, with specific focus on how it relates to the working world, is examined in Chapter Three. Chapter Four examines the relationship between schooling and the working world in selected countries. Chapter Five proposes some guidelines and recommendations for the closer integration of the school with the world of work in South Africa. Chapter Six deals with final conclusions, new perspectives and guidelines for future research.
Educational Studies
M. Ed.

A fundamental change in societal values and economic structures is required to address increasing pressures on ecosystems and natural resources. Transition research has developed in the last decades to analyze the co-dynamics of technological, institutional, social and economic elements in the provision of key functions such as energy, water and food supply. This doctoral dissertation provides conceptual and methodological contributions to the pro-active governance of sustainability transitions. Three research gaps are identified that are addressed in this dissertation. First, a comprehensive conceptualization of learning in sustainability transitions is currently missing that comprises learning at multiple societal levels (ranging from individuals to policy-actors). Learning concepts are often not explicitly discussed in transition research even though learning is considered as fundamental for innovation processes, niche formation and development as well as breakthrough and diffusion of innovations. Second, methods for the analysis and design of transition governance processes are lacking that specify case-specific intervention points and roles of actors in the implementation of innovations. Third, participatory modeling approaches are only applied to a limited extent in transition research despite a high potential for supporting communication and learning. The conceptualization of multi-level learning developed in this doctoral research conceptualizes learning at different societal levels as specific learning contexts ranging from individual and group contexts to organizational and policy contexts. The conceptual framework further differentiates between learning processes, intensity, objects, outcomes, subjects and factors, allowing for a more detailed analysis of learning within and across learning contexts. Thus, learning contexts can be linked by processes that involve actors from different learning contexts (e.g., community groups and policy-makers), as well as exchanges of physical aspects, institutions and knowledge (in the form of ‘learning factors’). This research has also provided a classification of model uses in transition research that supports a purposeful discussion of the opportunities of modeling and promising future research directions. The methodology developed in this doctoral research aims at the analysis and design of transition governance processes by specifying the various opportunities to contribute to sustainability transitions through purposeful action at different societal levels, as well as related roles of stakeholders in implementing such processes of change. The methodology combines different streams of previous research: 1) a participatory modeling approach to identify problem perceptions, case-specific sustainability innovations as well as related implementation barriers, drivers and responsibilities; 2) a systematic review to identify supportive and impeding learning factors from the general literature that can complement case-specific factors; and 3) a method for the analysis and design of case-specific transition governance processes. Three case studies in Canada (topic: sustainable food systems), Cyprus (water-energy-food nexus) and Germany (sustainable heating supply) have been selected to test and iteratively develop the methodology described above. The results for each case study reveal that there are learning objects (i.e., learning requirements) in all learning contexts, which underscores the importance of multi-level learning in sustainability transitions, ranging from the individual to the group, organizational and policy levels. Actors have various opportunities to actively facilitate societal transformations towards sustainable development either directly through actions at their particular societal levels (i.e., context-internal learning) or indirectly through actions that influence learning at other societal levels. In fact, most of the learning factors require cooperation across learning contexts during the implementation process. The comparing of learning factors across case studies underline the importance of several factor categories, such as ‘physical a ‘disturbance or crisis’, ‘information and knowledge’. Of the 206 factors identified by stakeholders, 40 factors are case-specific and not contained in the general, review-based factor list. This underscores the value of participatory research, as general, top-down analyses might have overlooked these case-specific factors. The methodology presented in this dissertation allows for the identification and analysis of case-specific intervention points for sustainability transitions at multiple societal levels. The methodology furthermore permits the analysis of interplay between individual, group, organizational and policy actions, which is a first step towards their coordination. The focus on sustainability innovations links the broad topic of sustainability transitions to a set of opportunities for practical interventions and overcoming their implementation barriers. The methodology presented allows for the analysis and design of these interlinkages between learning contexts. While the methodology cannot provide any ‘silver bullets’ for inducing sustainability transitions, it is flexible enough to identify an appropriate abstraction level for analyzing and designing transition governance processes. The methodology developed in this doctoral research also provides several contributions for the development of participatory modeling methods in transition research. Thus, the participatory method supports an integrated analysis of barriers and drivers of sustainability innovations, and allows application in practice and education. The concepts and methods developed in this research project allow for reflection on transition governance processes from a systemic viewpoint. Experiences in the case studies underline the applicability of the concepts and methods developed for the analysis of case-specific transition governance processes. Despite substantial differences in the geographic location, culture and topics addressed, all case studies include promising sustainability innovations and the engagement of multiple actors in their implementation. The diversity and multitude of initiatives in the case study regions provides an optimistic outlook on future opportunities for large-scale sustainability transitions.