In school improvement studies, randomized experiments are rare. A special problem is the assignment to the experimental and control groups, taking into account the different…
Abstract
Purpose
In school improvement studies, randomized experiments are rare. A special problem is the assignment to the experimental and control groups, taking into account the different starting conditions at the schools in terms of school improvement competencies. The purpose of this paper is to take the example of an intervention study conducted in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, the extent to which the challenges involved with a quasi-experimental design were addressed is examined.
Design/methodology/approach
The intervention study was conducted with 54 math teachers (experimental group: n=29; control group: n=25) and their grade 7 and 8 classes (n=1,054) at 13 secondary schools. It aimed to increase teacher cooperation on teaching for promotion of students’ self-regulated learning. T-tests, Mann-Whitney tests, ANOVA, multilevel regression analyses were conducted.
Findings
At the beginning of the intervention, the teachers in the two groups did not differ significantly in prior cooperation on teaching processes and in attitudes toward cooperation. However, they differed in prior cooperation on school framework conditions and teaching processes. The intervention was effective in increasing teachers’ cooperation intensity on instruction, and teachers’ attitude toward binding cooperation. However, teaching processes did not change depending on experimental or control group.
Research limitations/implications
Teacher cooperation practice was assessed only by teachers’ self-report. No indicators on the quality of the cooperation among teachers were included.
Practical implications
The paper discusses the challenges and limitations of conducting intervention studies on school improvement. Implications for further research are given.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils an identified need to study how quasi-experimental designs can be implemented in intervention studies on school improvement.
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Christine Bieri Buschor, Esther Forrer and Katharina Maag Merki
This article presents some of the initial results of the National Young Adult Survey (YAS), which is currently collecting data on the cross‐curriculum competencies of 14,905 18�…
Abstract
This article presents some of the initial results of the National Young Adult Survey (YAS), which is currently collecting data on the cross‐curriculum competencies of 14,905 18‐ to 22‐year‐olds in Switzerland. Young adults show a willingness to continue their education during the first five years after school. Using a regression model, it was found that the willingness of these young people to continue their education and training is dependent on achievement motivation, contingency beliefs, self‐efficacy, cooperation, independence and level of education.
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Professor Tobias Feldhoff, Professor Falk Radisch and Professor Eckhard Klieme