Activity Orientation And Tacit Knowing As Guiding Principles In Order To Test Social Skills - Outline Of A Methodological Concept

Author(s):

Burkhard Vollmers(presenting / submitting)Werner Kuhlmeier

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

02 SES 11 B, Social Perspectives in VET

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-04

17:15-18:45

Room:

B027 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Karen Evans

Contribution

Social skills, as other aspects of professional action competence as well, can be measured in vocational education research with focus on cognitions or with focus on actions. With a view to research activities in professional skills in Germany this fundamental distinction between these two strategies was made by diverse researchers, for example Erpenbeck (2009) and Dietzen (2011). Cognition orientated measurements concentrate on recallable knowledge and self-ratings of persons tested. Tasks and scales are presented mainly in the form of paper-pencil-tests. Each person works on her own during the test.

By contrast activity orientated tasks require that persons manage complex simulations of professional situations. In order to test social skills researchers use tasks containing interactions and communication. Appropriate methodological options are group tasks and role plays. Trained observers have to rate the achievments of the persons tested. Such observer ratings can be compared to self- ratings of the individuals examined.

Dietzen (2011) pointed out that the two different settings of testing social skills require the application of two diverse forms of knowledge. Cognition orientated settings refer to knowledge related to specific domains or related to specific situations. The assumption is that this knowledge can be attributed to inner dispositions. Normally these dispositions are modelled as competence structures or levels. Testing concepts and designs claim a one-to-one relation between these inner dispositions and test achievements.

Dietzen (2011) emphasized, with reference to Neuweg (2001) and Polanyi (1985), that within activity orientated settings processes of weighing up and decision making come to the fore. Acting with uncertainty is required. A tacit subsidiary awareness is necessary that enables the indvidual to manage the concrete demands of the situation. Internalized unconscious experiences that stem from similar situations make it possible that the person acts intuitively. The person accomplishes the tasks without being able to express details of her tacit personal knowledge behind.

What possibilities exist within test settings that focus on professional social skills if the intention is to transform parts of the tacit background knowledge into the expressed foreground knowledge? To put this question into a different form: How can we as researchers reduce the gap between cognition orientated settings and activity orientated settings? There are two procedures of solution. One is to formulate the paper-pencil-tasks as work episodes that demand for creative solutions. For instance you describe conflicts between persons in professional situations (examples of situation based tasks are givven by Reetz/ Kuhlmeier 2012). By doing this cognition orientated settings move towards practice. But still complete professional actions are not executed.

The opposite procedure of solution is to design activity orientated settings in a way that enables persons to reflect upon their actions and to express verbally their reflections. The background of their actions and accomplishments has to come into the mind of the individuals examined, when they have to answer some questions after completing the tasks. In the following this procedure of solution will be adressed.

Method

The proposed methodological concept integrates the diversification of cognition orientated and activity orientated test settings (Erpenbeck 2009, Dietzen 2011). In order to examine social skills the concept access to group tasks and role plays that were constructed, applied and evaluated within the German transition system in the last decade (Bleck/ Enggruber 2005, Vollmers 2009, Vollmers/ Kindervater 2010). In addition some methodological aspects of the so called crisis oder breaching experiments are adopted. American sociologist Harold Garfinkel designed this kind of experiments. His intention was to study the basic rules of interaction and communication in day-to-day situations (see Rafalovich 2006 for details of designing breaching experiments). The complete design of proper test situations consists of two steps. In the first place the role play or group task for the profession in focus has to be constructed. The second step is to design a related short qualitative interview. The role play or group task contains a kind of conflict or crises that represents an obstacle for the person during the task. The methodological steps to get a complete action orientated setting are as follows: Work process analysis with experts: Which situations and conflicts are typical in professional work? Construction of a role play sczenario and instructions for all roles involved. Rehearsal playing and definition of criteria of observation. Construction of scales of observation and of self-ratings. Training of the observers. Construction of final versions of role play, of manual and of items and scales of observation. After completion of this procedure one proceeds with the second step. The interview guideline has to be designed. It consists of questions referring to personal explanations given for the observed behaviour. The focus of the questions is mainly on phases, when the conflict or crisis started, then escalated and when finally a solution was found.

Expected Outcomes

The presented scenario involves two levels of data collection. The first one is the activity orientated mesasurement of professional social skills. It meets all criteria of such a setting (complete professional actions, simulation of typical tasks in work surroundings, trained observers rate achievements). Furthermore a qualitative cognition orientated examination has to be conducted. It delivers informations which personal intentions, social norms and social rules guided the person in critical situations during the test. The interviewer demands the individual to give an explanation why she conducted or omitted certain actions. The interview is easier, if a video recording is presented that demonstrates the situations of crises or conflict during the recent test setting. After the collection, the analysis and the interpretation of the complete dataset researchers or educators should give personal feedback to the individual. So the person concerned recognizes, how she reacts in situation of conflicts and crises and what kind of behaviour should have been more appropriate. If feedback is given towards a group or a working team all members learn which solutions are more or less adequate in different social situations. Therefore this methodological approach not only contributes to the diagnostics of professional social skills but also to a better, more reflected professional action competence of individuals.

References

Bleck, C., Enggruber, R. (2005): Modelle der Kompetenzfeststellung im beschäftigungs- und bildungspolitischen Diskurs - unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Gender Mainstreaming. Online: www.prowork.cc/cms/upload/pdf/Modelle_gesamt.pdf Dietzen, A. (2011): Demarkationslinien der Kompetenzforschung? Konzepte und Kontroverse kognitivistischer und erfahrungsgeleiteter Ansätze. In: Bohlinger, S., Münchhausen, G. (Eds.): Validierung von Lernergebnissen. Recognition and validation of prior learning. Bertelsmann, Bielefeld, S. 293-318. Erpenbeck, J. (2009): Kompetente Kompetenzerfassung in Beruf und Betrieb. In: Münk, D., Severing, E. (Eds.): Theorie und Praxis der Kompetenzfeststellung im Betrieb. Status quo und Entwicklungsbedarf. Schriften zur Berufsbildungsforschung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Berufsbildungsforschung (AG BFN). Bertelsmann, Bielefeld, S. 17-44. Neuweg, G. H. (2001): Könnerschaft und implizites Wissen. Zur lehrlerntheoretischen Bedeutung der Erkenntnis- und Wissenstheorie Michael Polanyis. 2. Auflage, Waxmann, Bielefeld. Polanyi, M. (1985): Implizites Wissen. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main. Orginal: The Tacit Dimension. Chicago 1966. Rafalovich, A. (2006): Making Sociology Relevant: The Assignment and Application of Breaching Experiments. Teaching Sociology, 34, 2, 156-163. Online: http://tso.sagepub.com/content/34/2/156 Reetz, L., Kuhlmeier, W. (2012): Exploration der Grundlagen zum berufsbezogenen Lernen in der Stadtteilschule. Teilprodukt III: Indikatoren und diagnostisches Verfahren zur Erfassung der Lernentwicklung und des Lernstandes. Universität Hamburg. Vollmers, B. (2009): Das Rollenspiel Verkauf aus dem Modellversuch VAmB : ein Instrument der pädagogischen Diagnostik sozialer Kompetenzen. Wirtschaft und Berufserziehung. Zeitschrift für Berufsbildung und Bildungspolitik. 61.Jg., Heft 10, S. 19-23. Vollmers, B./ Kindervater, A. (2010): Sozialkompetenzen in simulierten Berufssituationen von Auszubildenden mit Lernschwierigkeiten. Ein empirischer Vergleich von Beobachterurteilen und Selbsteinschätzungen im Modellversuch VAmB. Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik, 106, 4, S 517-533.

Author Information

Burkhard Vollmers (presenting / submitting)

Hamburg University, Germany

Werner Kuhlmeier