This chapter introduces the scope and research program of Stage 4 of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Stage 4 follows the target persons through secondary education up to their transitions to higher secondary education, vocational education and training, or direct entry into the labor market. From a life-course perspective, this stage allows us to monitor individuals’ educational trajectories in lower secondary education as results of a dynamic interdependence of educational decision-making, different learning environments, and competence development while also paying attention to the educational careers of migrants and returns to education. Following a general introduction, this chapter gives an overview of the general survey program of Stage 4 regarding the tests and questionnaires administered to students as well as the questionnaires and interviews administered to their teachers, principals, and parents. It then goes on to outline the specific research focus of Stage 4 on the interrelated development of reading and orthography as well as on the cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors related to these two competencies. With regard to orthography, stage-specific tests are applied to assess the students’ competency trajectories in this crucial domain. With regard to reading, Stage 4 focuses on the development of students’ reading engagement. A third key aspect of the stage-specific research introduced in this chapter is the quality of instruction.

This article introduces the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). This German longitudinal study produces a vast amount of data for the scientific community, and researchers all around Europe are invited to use the data to address various research questions empirically. Therefore, the authors provide information about the purpose as well as the design of this educational study that has just released data from several starting cohorts, ranging from newborns to adults. As the authors have coordinated the starting cohort of students in lower-secondary school, this target group will be introduced in more detail, with the implementation of NEPS's design being outlined, as well as the tests and survey contents. The analytical potentials are exemplified by the authors' stage-specific research on German-language instruction, the development of orthography competence, and engagement in reading and orthography in lower-secondary school. An overview of different modes of access to the available data completes this research report.

This chapter introduces the scope and the research program of stage 4 of the German National Educational Panel Study. Stage 4 follows the target persons through secondary education up to their transitions to higher secondary education, vocational education and training, or direct entry into the labor market. From a life-course perspective, this stage allows us to monitor individuals’ educational trajectories in lower secondary education as results of a dynamic interdependence of educational decision-making, different learning environments, and competence development while also paying attention to the educational careers of migrants and returns to education. Following a general introduction, this chapter gives an overview of the general survey program of stage 4 regarding the tests and questionnaires administered to students as well as the questionnaires and interviews administered to their teachers, principals, and parents. Thereafter, the specific research focus of stage 4 on the interrelated development of reading and orthography as well as on the cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors related to these two competencies is outlined. With regard to orthography, stage-specific tests are applied to assess the students’ competency trajectories in this crucial domain. With regard to reading, stage 4 focuses on the development of the students’ reading engagement. A third key aspect of the stage-specific research introduced in this chapter is the quality of instruction.

Didaktik Deutsch : Halbjahresschrift fur die Didaktik der deutschen Sprache und Literatur 14 (2009) 26, S. 54-81 Padagogische Teildisziplin: Empirische Bildungsforschung; Fachdidaktik/Sprache und Literatur;

This text presents an outline of research and publications on two studies comparing print and hypertext literacy of fourth-grade students. This set of studies, named Reading at the Computer (RaC), consists of two consecutive assessments: a pilot study (RaC-2001), conducted in 2001 as a supplementary study to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS-2001), and an advanced study (RaC-2003), conducted in 2003 in the context of the first cycle of a longitudinal assessment in the Federal State of Hamburg called Kompetenzen und Einstellungen von Schulerinnen und Schulern Jahrgangsstufe 4 (KESS-4)(1). KESS-4 applied, among other instruments, some of the tests and background questionnaires from PIRLS-2001.

Education students often complain about the style of learning practiced at universities. In addition to theoretical knowledge, they want to gain more experience with “real” students. We are investigating new ways of combining theoretical learning and practical teaching by using digital communication techniques. We design courses for the study of German in primary and secondary schools, where our students cooperate with high school students via E-mail, messageboard, and chat. We aim to interest future teachers of German language and literature in media literacy and to prepare them for their future tasks in German classrooms against the background of the new information society. We developed the coursework over the last 5 years in the light of the experience we have gained, research performed, and the changes in hardware and software. Our program can also be transferred to other fields of teacher education.