Session Information
02 SES 05 B, VET and Development of Competence
Paper Session
Contribution
*Theoretical background*
Empirical results about the structure of professional competence in vocational education are rare. Some studies have shown that, in many occupations, professional competence can be divided in professional problem-solving competence and content knowledge (Nickolaus, 2011, p. 334; Nickolaus, Geißel, Abele, & Nitzschke, 2011, pp. 86–90; Gschwendtner, 2008, p. 106). In the occupations of mechatronics and electronics technicians, the professional problem-solving competence is predominantly operationalized as trouble-shooting in technical systems. For the occupation of electronics technician, besides the analytical dimension “trouble-shooting”, a constructive dimension of professional problem-solving competence is assumed, but not yet tested. The study of Leutner, Fleischer, Wirth, Greiff, and Funke (2012) and Kallies, Hägele, & Zinke, 2014) support the assumption. In accordance with these findings, studies about the structure of professional competence showed that the content knowledge has the highest influence on problem-solving competence (Jonassen, 2000; Nickolaus, Abele, Gschwendtner, Nitzschke, & Greiff, 2012, pp. 265–267; Scherer, 2012, pp. 40–42 and S. 16).
Following the theoretical framework of problem-solving of Jonassen (2000) Walker, Link, and Nickolaus (2015) specified the structure of professional competence for the occupation of electronics technicians for automation technology. There is an assumption about a direct influence of the general fluid cognitive ability on both problem-solving competences and the content knowledge. Furthermore, the content knowledge has a direct influence on both problem-solving competences, which are assumed to be two separate but correlated dimensions of the problem-solving competence.
*Objectives*
The core question of our study is whether analytical and constructive problem-solving competence are two separate dimensions, as assumed. The second research question addresses the influence of content knowledge and general fluid cognitive ability on the problem-solving competence.
*Instruments*
Analytical and constructive problem-solving competence: The approach to measuring analytical and constructive problem-solving competence was a set of realistic problems with the focus on professional activities such as programming (constructive problem-solving) and troubleshooting a programmable logic controller (PLC) (analytical problem-solving). The development of the items was based on the structure of the control program based on Benda (2008, p. 145). Following this approach for both problem-solving competence, items regarding the operating mode, the step chain and output routine were developed. In total, eight troubleshooting scenarios and eight programming scenarios were generated per problem-solving competence. To measure the analytical problem-solving competence, we used a simulation (Walker et al., 2016). The reliability of the analytical problem-solving instrument is SEM-Reliability =.75. In the constructive problem scenario, the apprentices had to program a certain part of the control programme of a PLC in a complex automation system where parcels were transported by a belt conveyor, measured by sensors and sorted by a pick-and-place unit with a vacuum gripper (Link & Geißel, 2015). The reliability of the constructive problem-solving instrument is SEM-Reliability=.83.
Content knowledge: In accordance with van Waveren and Nickolaus (2015) the items of the content knowledge test represent a three-dimensional content specific structure, consisting of the dimensions of automation/PLC (AT/PLC), electrical engineering (EE) and basic principles of electro-technology (BP) (van Waveren & Nickolaus, 2015, pp. 73–76). The latent correlations between the subdimensions are high (EE and BP is r=.89, between AT/PLC and BP r=.87 and between r=.83) but standalone. The reliability of the test is about EAP/PV-Reliability=.72 across all dimensions.
General fluid cognitive ability: We measured general fluid cognitive ability only with part one of the CFT 20-R (Weiß, 2006), i.e., the subset of continuing logical progressions, classifications, matrices and topologies were administered. The related loss of reliability from rtt=.95 (part one and two together) to rtt=.92 (only part one) seems acceptable considering the reduction of the test duration (Weiß, 2006, p. 48).
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Benda, D. (2008). Das große Handbuch Fehlersuche in elektronischen Schaltungen: Lesen und Auswerten von Schaltungsunterlagen, Fehlersuche mit Methode, Messen und Prüfen mit dem Oszilloskop. Franzis Elektronik. Franzis. Gschwendtner, T. (2008). Ein Kompetenzmodell für die kraftfahrzeugtechnische Grundbildung. In R. Nickolaus & H. Schanz (Eds.), Diskussion Berufsbildung: Vol. 9. Didaktik der gewerblich-technischen Berufsbildung. Konzeptionelle Entwürfe und empirische Befunde (pp. 103–119). Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Hohengehren. Jonassen, D. (2000). Toward a design theory of problem solving. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(4), 63–85. Kallies, H., Hägele, T., & Zinke, G. (2014). Betriebsuntersuchungen zur Analyse betrieblicher Tätigkeiten von Mechatronikern und Mechatronikerinnen sowie Elektronikern und Elektronikerinnen für Automatisierungstechnik. Bonn: Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB). Kane, M. T. (2013). Validating the Interpretations and Uses of Test Scores. Journal of Educational Measurement, 50(1), 1–73. Leutner, D., Fleischer, J., Wirth, J., Greiff, S., & Funke, J. (2012). Analytische und dynamische Problemlösekompetenz im Lichte internationaler Schulleistungsvergleichsstudien. Psychologische Rundschau, 63(1), 34–42. Link, N., & Geißel, B. (2015). Konstruktvalidität konstruktiver Problemlösefähigkeit bei Elektroniker/innen für Automatisierungstechnik. Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik (ZBW), 111(2), 208–221. Nickolaus, R. (2011). Die Erfassung fachlicher Kompetenzen und ihre Entwicklungen in der beruflichen Bildung: Forschungsstand und Perspektiven. In O. Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia (Ed.), Stationen Empirischer Bildungsforschung (pp. 331–351). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. Nickolaus, R., Abele, S., Gschwendtner, T., Nitzschke, A., & Greiff, S. (2012). Fachspezifische Problemlösefähigkeit in gewerblich-technischen Ausbildungsberufen. Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik (ZBW), 108(2), 243–272. Nickolaus, R., Geißel, B., Abele, S., & Nitzschke, A. (2011). Fachkompetenzmodellierung und Fachkompetenzentwicklung bei Elektronikern für Energie- und Gebäudetechnik im Verlauf der Ausbildung: Ausgewählte Ergebnisse einer Längsschnittstudie. In R. Nickolaus (Ed.), Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik : Beiheft. Lehr-Lernforschung in der gewerblich-technischen Berufsbildung (Vol. 25, pp. 77–94). Stuttgart: Steiner. Scherer, R. (2012). Analyse der Struktur, Messinvarianz und Ausprägung komplexer Problemlösekompetenz im Fach Chemie: Eine Querschnittstudie in der Sekundarstufe I und am Übergang zur Sekundarstufe II. Studien zum Physik- und Chemielernen: Vol. 141. Berlin: Logos Berlin. van Waveren, L., & Nickolaus, R. (2015). Struktur- und Niveaumodell des Fachwissens bei Elektronikern für Automatisierungstechnik. Journal of Technical Education (JOTED), 3(2), 62–91. Walker, F., Link, N., & Nickolaus, R. (2015). Berufsfachliche Kompetenzstrukturen bei Elektronikern für Automatisierungstechnik am Ende der Berufsausbildung. Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik (ZBW), 111(2), 222–241. Walker, F., Link, N., van Waveren, L., Hedrich, M., Geißel, B., & Nickolaus, R. (2016). Berufsfachliche Kompetenzen von Elektronikern für Automatisierungstechnik: Kompetenzdimensionen, Messverfahren und erzielte Leistungen (KOKO EA). Weiß, R. H. (2006). CFT 20-R: Grundintelligenztest Skala 2-Revision. Göttingen: Hogrefe.
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