In this study presented here, the international feedback method "Learning Stories" was implemented in the project “WEICHENSTELLUNG” (setting of the course). The aim was to foster the (intrinsic) motivation and the self-esteem of the children from the project WEICHENSTELLUNG, both basic psychological constructs for the transition process from primary school to secondary school.

The target group of the German project WEICHENSTELLUNG are children from families who cannot sufficiently support their children in the transition to secondary school. These are supported in the project by students of teaching from the fourth to the sixth grade.

The Learning Stories were established in 1996 in early childhood education in New Zealand (Carr, May & Podmore, 1998). In Germany, the approach was adapted by the German Youth Institute (Leu, Flämig, Frankenstein, Koch, Pack, Schneider & Schweiger, 2007). In addition to New Zealand and Germany, the Learning Stories are used in Switzerland (Simoni & Wustmann Seiler, 2013) and in various other European countries such as Ireland (Early Childhood Ireland, undated), but not yet in primary education as in this study.

The approach of the Learning Stories takes a resource-oriented and dialogical perspective with a focus on the development of learning dispositions. In this way, the diversity of learners can be addressed and individual support can take place. All learning dispositions can be related to (intrinsic) motivation and self-esteem (Carr, 2001).

During the transition from primary to secondary school, several studies have shown that intrinsic motivation decreases (Raufelder, 2018). According to the self-determination theory of motivation (Deci & Ryan, 2017), intrinsic motivation is a form of motivation that is not controlled by external impulses. The three basic psychological needs, the need for competence, the need for relatedness and the need for autonomy, are fundamental components of the theory and through their satisfaction intrinsic motivation is fostered. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is a form of motivation that is controlled by external stimuli.

In addition to the theory of self-determination, research on self-esteem contingencies was used in this study on the construct of self-esteem. Self-esteem contingencies are factors that can influence self-esteem both externally and internally by individuals deriving their self-esteem from them (Morf & Koole, 2014). In this study, the model of Crocker and Wolfe (2001) was used.  The development of self-esteem during the transition to secondary school is individual and therefore diverse. Overall, there is a risk of instability of self-esteem, as the model of Hopson and Adams (1976) shows.

This study focused on the feedback function of the Learning Stories. Overall, feedback is attested to a medium to high effect size for learning (from d=0.48 to d=0.79, Wisniewski, Zierer & Hattie, 2019). Feedback processes are influenced by the perception of the recipient (Krause, 2007), which can be applied to the “Angebot-Nutzungs” (offer-use)-model of educational research (Helmke, 2003). The Learning Stories can be understood as an offer that has a different effect on (intrinsic) motivation and self-esteem through mediating processes of perception and use, influenced by the respective learning requirements in the area of (intrinsic) motivation and self-esteem. In this way the emphasis on the individual and diverse learning prerequisites of children can be included in the feedback process.

The main question of the study is "To what extent can Learning Stories foster the (intrinsic) motivation and self-esteem  of the children from the project WEICHENSTELLUNG at the transition from primary to secondary school from the point of view of the persons involved in the WEICHENSTELLUNG project?”    

The study combines qualitative and quantitative methods, with a focus on the qualitative sub-study (Morse & Cheek, 2014). Reasons for combining both methods include adequacy as well as a holistic view of the research question (Lamnek, 2010). The experimental group consisted of one year of the project WEICHENSTELLUNG (n=14). As a comparison group for the quantitative sub-study (non-randomized formation, Rost, 2013), the classmates of the children from the project WEICHENSTELLUNG were used. In the study, there are a total of four measurement dates, so it is a longitudinal study (e.g. Rost, 2013). Two psychometric scales were used to capture the theoretical constructs of self-esteem and (intrinsic) motivation. Prior to the transition, surveys were carried out at two points in time. At the first measurement time (T1), the experimental and comparison groups have filled in the standardized test "ALS" (“Aussagen-Liste zum Selbstwertgefühl für Kinder und Jugendliche” (list of statements on self-esteem for children and adolescents); Schauder, 2011; Cronbach's Alpha .80) and the questionnaire "SRQ-A" (Self-Regulation Questionnaire – Academic; Ryan & Connell, 1989; Cronbach's Alpha .92). At the second measurement time, the qualitative sub-study was added to the quantitative survey by conducting problem-centered interviews (PZI) (Witzel, 1985) with the experimental group in the sense of the in-depth design according to Mayring (2001). This principle was adopted for the two measurement points after the transition. With the beginning of the two-year survey in 2018, the Learning Stories were introduced into the WEICHENSTELLUNG project and used by the students with the children over the four measurement dates. The PZI aims "[...] on a recording of individual actions as well as subjective perceptions and processing methods of social reality that is as unbiased as possible" (Witzel, 2000, p. 2) and is thus well suited to reconstruct the perceptions of the children according to the research question. The ALS is designed for children from 8 years to 15 years and 11 months. The response scale is five-pointed. There are 18 items. Through self-statements, it is possible to make statements about the quantity of self-esteem. Schauder (2011) recommends the ALS for longitudinal studies. The SRQ-A is an index questionnaire with 17 items (in a shorter version). Ryan and Connell (1989) designed the first SRQs to guide the different regulatory styles of motivation into an index of relative autonomy. The response scale is four-level (Likert scale). Here, too, children's self-statements are used.

The quantitative analyses of the study show that the self-determined motivation of the children from the WEICHENSTELLUNG project increases continuously over the course (up to T3). The course of self-esteem, on the other hand, is unstable. Four types could be formed from the analysis of the interviews: children who report that they did not perceive the Learning Stories as beneficial (type 1); Children who report that they perceived the Learning Stories as beneficial in terms of self-esteem (type 2); Children who report that they perceived the Learning Stories as beneficial in terms of motivation (type 3) and children who report that they perceived the Learning Stories as beneficial in terms of self-esteem and motivation (type 4). Before the transition, the types were distributed among the 14 cases as follows: Type 1 – 6 cases; Type 2 – 3 cases; Type 3 – 2 cases; Type 4 – 5 cases (double coding results in more than 14 cases) After the transition, the distribution is as follows: Type 1 – 3 cases; Type 2 – 2 cases; Type 3 – 0 cases; Type 4 – 4 cases Here, too, the picture emerges that overall (intrinsic) motivation can be better fostered by the Learning Stories than self-esteem. Nevertheless, the self-esteem is also mentioned. From the data, hypotheses can be formed, which at the same time provide explanations for the different perceptions of the effects of the Learning Stories. The study can provide a method that helps children from families with special challenges to keep the two important psychological constructs of motivation and self-esteem stable during the transition. The limitations of this study are the missing control group, which could not be formed for ethical reasons. Furthermore, the study is not a representative study, but serves primarily to generate hypotheses.

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