School development processes involve emotional involvement because they go hand in hand with uncertainties, since it is impossible to predict whether intentions will actually lead to the desired result (Baker 2006; Cuban 1990). The commitment of all those involved, headmasters, teachers, students and parents, is important. Are they in favour of a reform process and what do they expect from it? The empirical research this proposal draws on, was carried out against the backdrop of the implementation of a new school type at the stage of Secondary I (10-14-year-olds), the New Middle School (NMS), introduced in 2009/10 as a school trial; integrated into the regular school system in 2012/13. It was at the same time a structural and a pedagogical reform, with new concepts of teaching like team-teaching, open-and project based-learning and new time-structures. It can therefore be regarded as a major change, which caused many uncertainties for the persons involved. In this context, the question arises as to how the learning motivation of pupils develops over the course of time in lower secondary education and which factors influence this development. Is it possible to counteract the trend known from the literature of “decreasing learning motivation during schooling” and what role do factors such as “well-being in class”, “co-operation between classmates” and “relationship with teachers” play in a time of change? This proposal draws on data from the NOESIS Longitudinal Student Survey, in which since the school year 2010/11 three cohorts of students are surveyed from the 4th grade (end of comprehensive primary education) to the end of compulsory education (9th grade). For the longitudinal and multi-level analytical analyses, N = 800 student data from the 5th-8th grade (2010-2014) were used (Projektteam NOESIS 2016). The analyses show a high motivation to learn shortly after entering the NMS, whereas it subsequently decreased every year. Good relationships with classmates and teachers have a positive impact on the development of learning motivation and increase the well-being of students. Both the composition of the class and the comparison with the peer group in the setting of the classroom play a significant role in the development of the motivation to learn and can therefore counteract insecurities, which arise from major changes in the school structure. These findings will be contrasted against research findings from England, focusing especially on the different classroom settings (stable group setting vs. subject related settings) in the two countries.

Baker, D. (2006). Institutional Change in Education: Evidence from Cross-National Comparisons. In H.D. Meyer & B. Rowan (Eds.), The New Institutionalism in Education (p. 163-186). Albany: SUNY Press. Cuban, L. (1990). Reforming again, again, and again. Educational Researcher, 19(1), 3-13. Projektteam NOESIS (Eds.) (2016). Was Schulen stark macht: Zur Evaluation der Niederösterreichischen Mittelschule. Graz: Leykam.