How do Teachers deal with 'Bildungsstandards'? A Study on the Implementation of National Standards into the German Educational System

Author(s):

Sigrid Zeitler(presenting / submitting)Nina Heller Barbara Asbrand

Conference:

ECER 2013

Network:

03. Curriculum Innovation

Format:

Paper

Session Information

03 SES 08 A, Implementing the National Curriculum

Paper Session

Time:

2013-09-12

09:00-10:30

Room:

D-402

Chair:

Jan Berkvens

Contribution

International Studies (TIMSS, PISA etc.) have shown the necessity to reflect on the output of an educational system as well. Schools are no longer considered to be controlled by fixing the input (curricula, teacher education) only, but also by mesuring the achievement of the students. From international evidence it is assumed that standardization of the learning output contributes to better student achievement.

In Germany the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (in the following: Standing Conference) consented to implement National Standards for learning outcome. The resulting 'Bildungsstandards' describe competencies which are regarded as fundamental for life in society. These competencies are designed in four subjects (German, First foreign language, Mathematics and Scientific Education). The way education is conceptualized in the 'Bildungsstandards' can be characterized as functional education (cf. Robinsohn 1969).

Once the Standing Conference has decided 'Bildungsstandards', they are not implemented yet. Due to the structure of Germany's educational system, a wide diversity in the ways of implementing the Standards can be found across the federal states. To describe the implementation of National Standards in the German educational system, different implementation strategies have to be considered.

To change the achievement of pupils, international comparative studies like TIMSS have shown some features necessary to be changed in 'the German' way of teaching. Therefore the way from the decision of National Standards to increasing competencies of pupils cannot omit the teachers. As Knapp (1997, p. 233) describes using the metaphor of the teacher as 'the last link in the chain of influence from policy to learning event', teachers are to be seen as crucial for the reform's success: They are supposed to innovate their lessons. Change, especially in the central part of school and teachers' profession is hard and is often accompanied by insecurity. Therefore the study presented analyses the perspective of teachers. As a conditional factor for their actual dealing with the National Standards, teachers' orientations are focussed.

Method

This contribution offers a qualitative-reconstructive approach to the implementation of national standards into the German educational system. Group discussions were arranged with teachers from several federal states, working at different kinds of schools and teaching different subjects. The groups were selected following the principles of theoretical sampling (cf. Glaser & Strauss 1969). The final sample consists of 27 groups (each about 4-6 teachers). The teachers were asked to talk about their considerations regarding the educational standards and their own lessons. Using the documentary method (Bohnsack 2007, Bohnsack, Pfaff & Weller 2010), the researchers reconstructed the orientations structuring the everyday practice of those teachers. Applying this method of analysis, it is possible not only to obtain information about the explicit knowledge of teachers, but also to reconstruct their implicit knowledge, which is relevant for their professional acting as well.

Expected Outcomes

One of the main results is the reconstruction of the system difference which teachers perceive between educational policy and educational system. While all teachers see this difference, they differ in the ways they construct their part within this policy-school relationship (meaning-genetic level of typecast). This is one important aspect to explain the ways the teachers deal with the standards. It can be assumed to be connected with the experience the teachers have in developing their practice and solving problems (socio-genetic level of typecast). Experience in school development turned out to be the central category in explaining the background of the orientations. Another factor explaining the inter-group differences is the teachers' respective interpretation of the reform. This aspect seems to be related to the degree to which the content of the innovation can be connected with concepts the teachers are experienced in, e.g. the development of competencies. As the more consistent the communication of the reform is perceived by the teachers, the more likely it is interpreted according to the original intention of the policy makers. Finally, these findings will be discussed regarding theoretical (Theory of Social Systems, Educational Governance, Diffusion of Innovations) and practical issues of implementing curricular innovations.

References

Bohnsack, R. (2007). Rekonstruktive Sozialforschung. Einführung in qualitative Methoden (6. Aufl.). Opladen / Farmington Hills: Barbara Budrich. Bohnsack, R., N. Pfaff, and W. Weller. 2010. Qualitative analysis and documentary method in international educational research. Opladen / Farmington Hills: Barbara Budrich. Ekholm, M. (1997). Steuerungsmodelle für Schulen in Europa. Schwedische Erfahrungen mit alternativen Ordnungsmodellen. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 43(4), 597-608. Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1969). The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Strategies for Qualitative Research. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. Gräsel, C., Jäger, M., & Willke, H. (2006). Konzeption einer übergreifenden Transferforschung und Einbeziehung des internationalen Forschungsstandes. Expertise II zum Transferforschungsprogramm. In R. Nickolaus & C. Gräsel (Hrsg.), Innovation und Transfer. Expertisen zur Transferforschung (S. 445-566). Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Verlag Hohengehren. Klieme, E., Avenarius, H., Blum et al. (2003). Zur Entwicklung nationaler Bildungsstandards. Eine Expertise. Bonn: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. Knapp, M. S. (1997). Between Systemic Reforms and the Mathematics and Science Classroom: The Dynamics of Innovation, Implementation, and Professional Learning. Review of Educational Research, 67(2), 227-266. Luhmann, N. (1987). Soziale Systeme. Grundriß einer allgemeinen Theorie. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. Mannheim, K. (1964). Wissenssoziologie. Berlin/Neuwied: Luchterhand. Polanyi, M. (1985). Implizites Wissen. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. Ravitch, D. (1995). National Standards in American Education: A Citizen's Guide. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution. Robinsohn, S. B. (1975). Bildungsreform als Revision des Curriculums (5. Aufl.). Neuwied/Berlin: Luchterhand. Rogers, E. M. (1995). Diffusion of Innovations (4. Ed.). New York/London/Toronto/Sydney/Tokyo/Singapore: The Free Press. Weinert, F. E. (2001). Concept of Competence: A Conceptual Clarification. In D. S. Rychen & L. H. Salganik (Hrsg.), Defining and Selecting Key Competencies (S. 45-65). Seattle/Toronto/Bern/Göttingen: Hogrefe & Huber. Zeitler, S., Heller, N., & Asbrand, B. (2012). Bildungsstandards in der Schule. Eine rekonstruktive Studie zur Implementation der Bildungsstandards. Münster: Waxmann.

Author Information

Sigrid Zeitler (presenting / submitting)

FAU Erlangen-Nuernberg

Schulpädagogik

Nuernberg

Nina Heller

Realschule Ebern

Barbara Asbrand

Goethe-Universität Frankfurt

Search the ECER Programme

Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
Search for authors and in the respective field.
For planning your conference attendance you may want to use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference
If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.