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ADHS bei Jugendlichen
(2024)
ADHS galt lange als eine Störung des Kindesalters. Aber bis zu 80 % der Patienten sind auch noch als Jugendliche betroffen. Gerade sie brauchen Hilfe bei ihren Problemen!
In der Schule müssen sie öfter die Klasse wiederholen, im sozialen und emotionalen Bereich gibt es Konflikte mit Gleichaltrigen und Eltern. Unbehandelt drohen psychische Störungen, Drogenmissbrauch oder delinquentes Verhalten.
Das vorliegende Lerntraining ist das erste multimodale Behandlungskonzept für Jugendliche im Alter von 12 bis 17 Jahren. Es werden konkrete Probleme und Aufgaben aus Schule und Umwelt behandelt, um daran allgemeine Strategien herzuleiten. Eltern und Lehrer werden intensiv in die Behandlung mit einbezogen.
FRAKIS (Fragebogen zur frühkindlichen Sprachentwicklung) ist ein Elternfragenbogen zur Erfassung des Sprachstandes bei deutsch-sprachigen Kindern zwischen 18 und 30 Monaten und die deutsche Adaptation des MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory for Toddlers. Es gibt eine Langform (FRAKIS) und Kurzform (FRAKIS-K). Der lange Fragebogen enthält eine Wortliste von 600 Wörtern und Skalen zur Flexionsmorphologie und Syntax, die Kurzform eine Wortschatzliste von 102 Wörtern und drei Fragen zur Grammatik. Beide Fragebögen sind an einer Stichprobe von 1240 Kindern normiert. Die Normierungsstudie wird im Manual dargestellt. Normen werden in monatlichen Altersgruppen für Mädchen und Jungen getrennt, und für alle Kinder angegeben. Mit FRAKIS und FRAKIS-K stehen im deutschsprachigen Bereich erstmals Elternfragebögen zur Verfügung, die auf empirisch gesicherten, strengen Normierungsverfahren beruhen. Die Normwerte bringen ein Bezugssystem für das Ausmaß an Variabilität im frühen Spracherwerb. FRAKIS-K ist geeignet für die Sprachstandsbestimmung im Rahmen der kinderärztlichen Vorsorgeuntersuchungen. Kinder mit spätem oder verzögertem Sprachbeginn können identifiziert werden. Darüber hinaus sind die Fragebögen geeignet für eine Verlaufsbeobachtung der frühen Sprachentwicklung, ob in Forschung oder Praxis.
Bereits im vorschulischen Bereich, aber vor allem in der Grundschule entwickeln Kinder wichtige Kompetenzen für spätere Bildungsabschlüsse. Doch die Kompe-tenzunterschiede zwischen den Schüler:innen sind bereits zu Beginn der Grund-schulzeit beträchtlich. Somit kommt den Lehrkräften die überaus wichtige Aufga-be zu allen Kindern den für sie besten Bildungsweg zu ermöglichen. Um dieser Herausforderung zu begegnen, müssen Diagnostik und Förderung im Unterricht Hand in Hand gehen. Deshalb wird die Diagnosekompetenz von Lehrkräften als wichtige Voraussetzung für gelingenden Unterricht angesehen. Diese Dissertation widmet sich nun eben dieser wichtigen Kompetenz. Dabei wird sie als mehrdimen-sionales Konstrukt angesehen, zu dem neben der Beurteilung von fachlichen Kompetenzen auch die Einschätzung des Leistungsstandes und die Schlussfolge-rung hinsichtlich notwendiger Förderung im Unterricht gehören. Anhand dreier Artikel sowie ergänzender theoretischer Betrachtungen wurde die Diagnosekompe-tenz hinsichtlich möglicher Einflussfaktoren, der Bedeutung für den Unterricht sowie für die Lehrer:innenbildung untersucht.
Development of self-concept and task interest has been shown to be affected by social comparison processes in a variety of cross-sectional studies. A potential explanation for these effects is an effect of social comparative performance feedback on an individual’s self-evaluation of performance, which in turn influences development of self-concept and task interest. There are, however, only few studies addressing this topic with experimental designs. This study was aimed at closing this research gap by experimentally manipulating social comparative performance. Feedback given was based on 2 × 2 experimental conditions: social position (high vs. low) and average performance of the reference group (high vs. low). Results show a strong effect of social position on self-evaluation of performance and smaller effects on self-concept and task interest.
Development of self-concept and task interest has been shown to be affected by social comparison processes in a variety of cross-sectional studies. A potential explanation for these effects is an effect of social comparative performance feedback on an individual’s self-evaluation of performance, which in turn influences development of self-concept and task interest. There are, however, only few studies addressing this topic with experimental designs. This study was aimed at closing this research gap by experimentally manipulating social comparative performance. Feedback given was based on 2 × 2 experimental conditions: social position (high vs. low) and average performance of the reference group (high vs. low). Results show a strong effect of social position on self-evaluation of performance and smaller effects on self-concept and task interest.
Im Rahmen dieses Projekts wurde zunächst auf der Grundlage des COACTIV-Modells der professionellen Kompetenz von Lehrkräften (Baumert & Kunter, 2011) und dessen Spezifizierungen und Ergänzungen für inklusive Bildungsprozesse (Gebhardt et al., 2018; Ries et al., 2020) ein Modell für den sonderpädagogischen Schwerpunkt emotionale und soziale Entwicklung entwickelt. Ein besonderer Fokus lag hier auch auf der Förderung von Beziehungs- und Reflexionskompetenzen. Unter Nutzung des entwickelten Modells wurde ein Praktikumskonzept zur Professionalisierung von angehenden Lehrkräften im sonderpädagogischen Schwerpunkt emotionale und soziale Entwicklung erstellt. Die relevanten Kompetenzbereiche wurden mithilfe verschiedener Methoden und Techniken praxisnah operationalisiert und einer gezielten Förderung zugänglich gemacht. Neben der Vermittlung von theoretischem Grundlagenwissen erhielten Studierende die Möglichkeit, im Tandem eine von regelmäßigen Supervisionen und kollegialen Fallberatungen begleitete Einzelfallförderung an Schulen durchzuführen und diese im Einzelfalldesign zu evaluieren. Das Seminarkonzept wurde in geltende Studienordnungen implementiert und soll perspektivisch mit den eigens konzipierten Inhalten und Materialien als Open Educational Resources zur freien Verfügung für andere Ausbildungsstandorte gestellt werden. Zudem erfolgt aktuell eine summative Evaluation des Seminarkonzepts im Kontrollgruppendesign.
Kinder mit internalisierenden Problemen erleben täglich herausfordernde akademische sowie soziale Situationen im Schulkontext. Dabei ist entscheidend, dass Lehrkräfte in der Lage sind diese Kinder zu identifizieren, um pädagogisch adäquat handeln zu können. Aufgrund der nach innen gerichteten Symptome stellt das Erkennen internalisierender Probleme eine große Herausforderung dar. Zur Diagnostik werden vorwiegend standardisierte Fragebögen eingesetzt, welche den Schulkontext sowie spezifische Altersgruppen und die damit einhergehende Veränderlichkeit von Emotionswahrnehmungen der betroffenen Kinder nur unzureichend berücksichtigen. Dieser Beitrag präsentiert die Ergebnisse einer Interviewstudie und diskutiert den Einsatz von Interviews als Methode zur Identifikation emotional relevanter Situationen aus der Perspektive von Kindern. Die Ergebnisse sollen der Ableitung alters- und kontextspezifischer Items dienen, um die Diagnostik internalisierender Schwierigkeiten weiterzuentwickeln.
Zukünftige Lehrkräfte auf den Umgang mit Heterogenität vorzubereiten, besonders im Primarschulbereich, ist ein Ziel der Lehrkräftebildung. Ein Ansatz dazu ist die Förderung diagnostischer Kompetenzen von Studierenden. E-Learning-Angebote bieten hierzu angesichts der Individualisierung von Lernprozessen sowie der Möglichkeiten einer Integration in bereits bestehende Seminare viele Vorteile. Im Rahmen der Qualitätsoffensive Lehrerbildung wurde daher ein Online-Training entwickelt, das die mathematische Diagnosekompetenz von Studierenden stärken soll. Das Training ist ein E-Learning-Angebot, das im Selbststudium durchlaufen werden kann und aus Lehrvideos, interaktiven Schüler:innenvideos und interaktiven Übungen besteht. An der Universität Potsdam wurde das Training bisher in drei Seminaren des Lehramtsstudiums für die Primarstufe integriert und evaluiert. Aus der Evaluation mittels Fragebögen ging hervor, dass von Studierenden und Lehrenden die Integration positiv bewertet wird.
Um der großen und zunehmenden sprachlichen Heterogenität der Lernenden gerecht werden zu können, müssen Lehrkräfte schulische Lerngelegenheiten sprachbildend und sprachsensibel gestalten. Sprachliche Unterstützungsangebote müssen hierfür diagnostisch basiert sein und sollten alle relevanten Facetten von Sprache in den Blick nehmen. Im PSI-Teilprojekt „MeWis“ wurde untersucht, welche Vorstellungen Lehramtsstudierende bezüglich der komplexen und facettenreichen Struktur sprachlicher Kompetenzen haben. Im Rahmen ihrer Lehramtsausbildung (Primarstufe sowie Inklusionspädagogik) wurden n = 196 Bachelorstudierende gebeten, ihre Vorstellungen zur Struktur sprachlicher Kompetenzen in Concept Maps (CMs) zu dokumentieren. Die Analysen der CMs zeigen, dass sich in den Vorstellungen der Studierenden ein ausgeprägtes Ungleichgewicht zwischen Schriftlichkeit und Mündlichkeit findet, wobei die Studierenden die schriftsprachlichen Kompetenzen Lesen und Schreiben deutlich höher gewichten und das Zuhören als rezeptive mündliche Kompetenz kaum Erwähnung findet. Ergänzend greifen die Studierenden in ihren CMs häufig die in der Sprachbildung intensiv thematisierte Unterscheidung von Alltags-, Fach- und Bildungssprache auf. Erkenntnisse des MeWis-Projekts sind in die Arbeit der AG Sprachbildung der Universität Potsdam eingeflossen und auf diese Weise in der Lehramtsausbildung verstetigt worden.
Lehramtsstudierende äußern vielfach den Wunsch nach umfangreichen praktischen Lerngelegenheiten. Insbesondere fallbasierte Lehr-Lern-Konzepte scheinen diesen Ansprüchen gerecht zu werden. Dieser Beitrag stellt ein an der Universität Potsdam entwickeltes Seminarkonzept vor, welches diesen Transfer zu fördern versucht. Die Basis des Konzepts bildet der Einsatz erfahrungsbasiert entwickelter Textvignetten pädagogischer Situationen. Im Rahmen der Begleitseminare zum Praktikum in pädagogisch-psychologischen Handlungsfeldern (PppH) wurde die kollegiale Fallbesprechung als eine Form zur angestrebten Transferförderung in dieses Seminarkonzept integriert. Dieser Beitrag skizziert zunächst die erfahrungsbasierte Entwicklung der Vignetten sowie die theoretischen Grundlagen des Seminarkonzepts. Im Anschluss werden die praktische Implementation und erfahrungsbasierte konzeptionelle Änderung (design-based-research) in der Lehre beschrieben sowie erste Ergebnisse der systematischen empirischen Erprobung im Rahmen des PppH vorgestellt. Abschließend diskutieren die Autoren die Herausforderungen der praktischen Umsetzung auch mit Blick auf das Verstetigungsvorhaben.
We tested whether a brief self-affirmation writing intervention protected against identity-threats (i.e., stereotyping and discrimination) for adolescents' school-related adjustment. The longitudinal study followed 639 adolescents in Germany (65% of immigrant descent, 50% female, M-age = 12.35 years, SDage = .69) from 7(th) grade (pre-intervention at T1, five to six months post-intervention at T2) to the end of 8(th) grade (one-year follow-up at T3). We tested for direct and moderated (by heritage group, discrimination, classroom cultural diversity climate) effects using regression and latent change models. The self-affirmation intervention did not promote grades or math competence. However, in the short-term and for adolescents of immigrant descent, the intervention prevented a downward trajectory in mastery reactions to academic challenges for those experiencing greater discrimination. Further, it protected against a decline in behavioral school engagement for those in positive classroom cultural diversity climates. In the long-term and for all adolescents, the intervention lessened an upward trajectory in disruptive behavior. Overall, the self-affirmation intervention benefited some aspects of school-related adjustment for adolescents of immigrant and non-immigrant descent. The intervention context is important, with classroom cultural diversity climate acting as a psychological affordance enhancing affirmation effects. Our study supports the ongoing call for theorizing and empirically testing student and context heterogeneity to better understand for whom and under which conditions this intervention may work.
Background:
The current meta-review of meta-analyses on psychotherapy research for complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and samples at risk of complex traumatization has three aims: first, to provide an overview of efficacy of individual psychotherapies; second, to compare the quality of the meta-analyses; and third, to assess statistical power.
Methods:
The literature search was conducted until August 2020. Meta-analyses providing individual treatment effect estimates focusing on CPTSD or samples at risk of complex traumatization (i.e., victims of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), war or torture, refugees, and veterans with PTSD) were eligible for inclusion. The effect sizes were classified according to Cohen as small, medium, or large. The "A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews" (AMSTAR) was applied to assess the quality of the meta-analyses, and power was assessed post-hoc.
Results:
Twenty-four meta-analyses were suitable for inclusion. The efficacy of the interventions varied (g = -0.04 (CI -0.39; 0.48), controlled, to d = 2.73 (1.69; 3.76), uncontrolled). Overall, 16 effect estimates were large. On average, the quality of the meta-analyses was good (average AMSTAR total score 7.71 points (range 3-11). Considering quality assessments and power together, nine meta-analyses were evaluated as high quality.
Limitations:
No meta-analysis for CPTSD was eligible and the number of individuals with complex traumatization was not directly assessed in the at-risk groups.
Conclusions:
For at-risk groups for complex traumatization, on average, good-quality empirical evidence exists. Given the limited research on CPTSD, future studies are needed to further investigate the efficacy of interventions.
Public Significance Statement As we have entered an age of unprecedented mass displacement, global solutions are necessary. Participatory science offers an opportunity for a transformative shift toward equitable partnerships between researchers and communities toward innovation and may provide a key to unsolved problems, as well as tap into the possibilities for progress and growth. This special issue on participatory research with immigrant and refugee communities offers a roadmap for advancing the field of psychology.
Objectives:
The major global problems of our day, including mass displacement, climate change, violence, and pandemic, necessitate global solutions. In a world where injustice and inequities are rampant, psychologists stand at the precipice of social change and action, with an opportunity to unambiguously decolonize our research methodologies, and engage in scholarship that provides immediate benefits to communities.
Method:
Participatory methods offer an opportunity to co-create an empowering, equitable, inclusive, and ethical science in partnership with communities.
Results:
This special issue on Collaborative and Participatory Research to Promote Engagement, Empowerment, and Resilience for Immigrant and Refugee Youth, Families, and Communities highlights exemplary interdisciplinary work that has emerged in learning from and working in partnership with immigrant and refugee youth, families, and communities.
Conclusions:
The special issue offers six major components of participatory methodologies that provide a roadmap to decolonizing psychological science, recognize the potentials for innovation and impact, and advance the field.
In 1988 the youth-led movement "Schools without racism, schools with courage" was established in Belgium and quickly spread throughout Europe. German schools adopted this movement in 1995. Decades later, racism is not yet a strong developmental science research topic for studies of youth in Germany and Europe. In this commentary we argue that it should be. With increasing hate crimes and harassment, there is also a need to understand how families are socializing young people to be prepared for, cope with, resist, and disrupt racism. This type of ethnic-racial socialization affects important developmental processes-adolescent ethnic-racial identity development and intergroup and institutional understanding and relations-and requires a more prominent place of study in a migration-diverse Germany. Studying these issues in this particular sociohistorical context will also contribute to a more context-specific understanding of youth experiences of racism.
Across continental Europe, educational research samples are often divided by 'migrant background', a binary variable criticized for masking participant heterogeneity and reinforcing exclusionary norms of belonging.
This study endorses more meaningful, representative, and precise research by offering four guiding questions for selecting relevant, social justice oriented, and feasible social categories for collecting and analysing data in psychological and educational research. Using a preregistered empirical example, we first compare selected social categories ('migrant background', family heritage, religion, citizenship, cultural identification, and generation status) in their potential to reveal participant heterogeneity.
Second, we investigate differences in means and relations between variables (discrimination experiences, perceived societal Islamophobia, and national identity) and academic motivation among 1335 adolescents in Germany (48% female, M-age = 14.69). Regression analyses and multigroup SEM revealed differential experiences with and implications of discrimination for academic motivation.
Results highlight the need for a deliberate, transparent use of social categories to make discrimination visible and centre participants' subjective experiences.
Dieser Beitrag diskutiert die diagnostischen Kompetenzen Lehramtsstudierender vor allem in Bezug auf internalisierende Verhaltensbesonderheiten. Da diese häufig weniger Einfluss auf den Verlauf des Schulalltags von Lehrpersonen haben als externalisierendes Erleben und Verhalten von Kindern, werden internalisierende Verhaltensbesonderheiten von Kindern häufig seltener wahrgenommen und seltener als pädagogisch relevant eingestuft. Daher erfahren diese Kinder oft weniger förderdiagnostische Unterstützung. Mit dem Ziel der Entwicklung diesbezüglicher diagnostischer Kompetenzen der Studierenden wird das Psychodiagnostische Praktikum (PDP) mit praktischen Abschnitten und begleitenden Seminarsitzungen zeitgleich zum Praxissemester durchgeführt. Um Veränderungen in der Selbstwahrnehmung der Studierenden in Bezug auf ihre diagnostischen Kompetenzen im Rahmen des PDP abzubilden und damit das Gesamtkonzept zu evaluieren, wird ein selbstentwickelter Fragebogen verwendet. Der Beitrag stellt die konzeptuellen Gedanken des Fragebogens sowie die Ergebnisse einer ersten Pilotstudie vor.
Schulpraktika bilden die zentrale Grundlage der Lehrerbildung in Potsdam. Bereits im Potsdamer Modell der Lehrerbildung (1993) sind sie festgehalten, seit der Integration des Schulpraktikums (Praxissemesters) 2008 absolvieren alle Potsdamer Lehramtsstudierenden fünf Pflichtpraktika. Während die Ziele der Praktika klar beschrieben sind, sind die tatsächlichen Lernerfolge nicht immer klar – ebenso wenig, wie die Begleitung der Praktika aussehen muss, um die Studierenden bestmöglich zu unterstützen. Auch die Integration in weitere Lehrveranstaltungen des Studiums ist ein noch offenes Feld, das weiterer Betrachtung verdient. Die unterschiedliche Ausrichtung der Potsdamer Praktika, Perspektivwechsel im Orientierungs-/Integriertem Eingangspraktikum, Selbstreflektion im Praktikum in pädagogisch-psychologischen Handlungsfeldern, Unterricht als Profession in den Fachdidaktischen Tagespraktika, Anwendung von Diagnostik im psychodiagnostischen Praktikum und die Synthese all dessen im Schulpraktikum, bieten dafür zahlreiche Ansatzpunkte.
Schulpraktika sind nicht nur ein zentraler und von Studierenden hoch geschätzter Bestandteil des Studiums, sondern werden auch zunehmend für die Bildungsforschung interessant. Fragen nach der Kompetenzentwicklung, Selbsteinschätzungen und der Entwicklung der Reflexionsfähigkeit von Studierenden stehen dabei ebenso im Fokus wie die Einschätzung der universitären Begleitung und der Einbindung ins weitere Studium.
Der vorliegende Band versammelt Studien von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler der Universität Potsdam, die die fünf Pflichtpraktika im Lehramtsstudium unter unterschiedlichen Blickwinkel beforschen. Besonders hervorzuheben ist, dass die Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler aus unterschiedlichen Disziplinen stammen und somit die Praktika mit verschiedenen Instrumenten und aus unterschiedlichen Blickwinkeln betrachten. Die präsentierten Ergebnisse bilden eine gute Grundlage, um die Praktika in Potsdam und an anderen Standorten weiterzuentwickeln.
Cultural diversity approaches in schools and adolescents’ willingness to support refugee youth
(2022)
Background Culturally diverse schools contribute to adolescents' intergroup relations. Complex and inclusive social identities are mechanisms that can explain the link between structural school cultural diversity (i.e., proportion of students of immigrant descent and the number of different ethnic groups) and positive intergroup relations. We expected that similar mechanisms might be at play linking cultural diversity approaches in schools with adolescents' intergroup relations. Aim We examined the link between two sub-dimensions of cultural diversity approaches (i.e., equal treatment; heritage and intercultural learning) and adolescents' prosocial intentions and behaviour towards refugee youth. Then, we explored the mediating role of identity inclusiveness (i.e., perceived similarity of the self with others). Sample and methods We sampled culturally diverse eighth grade adolescents from 54 classrooms in Berlin (N = 503, M-age = 13.76 years, 50.6% female). Surveys measured perceived cultural diversity norms, adolescents' perceived identity inclusiveness with refugee youth, prosocial intentions to support refugee youth, and willingness to donate to a project for refugee youth. Results Multilevel models revealed that adolescents' perception of heritage and intercultural learning predicted adolescents' prosocial intentions towards refugee youth, but not their willingness to donate. Equal treatment was not a significant predictor of adolescents' prosocial intentions towards refugee youth, or their willingness to donate. Identity inclusiveness did not mediate the relation between cultural diversity approaches and prosocial intentions. However, identity inclusiveness did positively relate adolescents' prosocial intentions and willingness to donate. Conclusions We conclude that culturally diverse schools that engage in heritage and intercultural learning might help to promote positive relations between local and refugee youth in schools and society. Fostering inclusive identities may enhance local adolescent's prosocial intention and behaviour.
Refugee youth in protracted humanitarian contexts are faced with limited access to quality education. They may sustain traumatic experiences from conflicts and discrimination yet have limited psychosocial support access. Comprehending the magnitude and effects of these challenges is vital for designing and executing educational interventions in such contexts. This study evaluates the implementation quality of the Youth Education Pack intervention through the lens of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies minimum standards framework. It explores the types of discrimination experienced by refugee youth in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Nine participants comprising refugee students (N = 2), former refugee students (N = 2), teachers (N = 3), and project supervisors (N = 2) participated in the study. The first author conducted interviews and observations in the camp. The data were qualitatively coded deductively and analysed in Nvivo 12. We found that the YEP intervention faced contextual challenges that hindered the achievement of the implementation quality standards outlined in the INEE minimum standards for education. Refugee youth and refugee teachers experienced various forms of discrimination, including at individual, institutional, and structural levels. We conclude that providing refugee youth with an inclusive and high-quality education is central to providing secure and long-term solutions to their challenges and adversities and may promote their psychosocial wellbeing.
Refugee youth in protracted humanitarian contexts are faced with limited access to quality education. They may sustain traumatic experiences from conflicts and discrimination yet have limited psychosocial support access. Comprehending the magnitude and effects of these challenges is vital for designing and executing educational interventions in such contexts. This study evaluates the implementation quality of the Youth Education Pack intervention through the lens of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies minimum standards framework. It explores the types of discrimination experienced by refugee youth in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Nine participants comprising refugee students (N = 2), former refugee students (N = 2), teachers (N = 3), and project supervisors (N = 2) participated in the study. The first author conducted interviews and observations in the camp. The data were qualitatively coded deductively and analysed in Nvivo 12. We found that the YEP intervention faced contextual challenges that hindered the achievement of the implementation quality standards outlined in the INEE minimum standards for education. Refugee youth and refugee teachers experienced various forms of discrimination, including at individual, institutional, and structural levels. We conclude that providing refugee youth with an inclusive and high-quality education is central to providing secure and long-term solutions to their challenges and adversities and may promote their psychosocial wellbeing.
Für ein besseres Miteinander
(2022)
Das Rahmenkonzept der Universitätsschule Potsdam beschreibt die Wertegrundlage und das pädagogisch-didaktische sowie das wissenschaftliche Fundament einer zu gründenden Universitätsschule Potsdam. Wie andere Universitätsschulen soll sich auch diese Schule durch eine enge und institutionalisierte Beziehung zwischen Schule und Universität auszeichnen, die den ständigen Wissenstransfer zwischen Schulpraxis, Wissenschaft, Lehrkräftebildung und Schulverwaltung unterstützt. Das Rahmenkonzept legt die Grundlagen für eine inklusive Schule, deren Schüler:innen einen Querschnitt der Gesellschaft abbilden, und die in ungleichheitssensiblen Bildungsangeboten alle Bildungsabschlüsse des Landes Brandenburg anbietet. Die Universitätsschule soll den starken Segregationsprozessen in Potsdam entgegenwirken.
Im Leitbild werden die Grundwerte (Nachhaltigkeit, Inklusion und Bildungsgerechtigkeit, Menschenrechte und Demokratie, Gemeinschaft, Ganzheitlichkeit) und die Bildungsziele (Transferfähigkeit, kritisch-reflexives Denken und lebensbegleitendes Lernen, Diversitätsbewusstsein und Transkulturalität, Selbstkompetenz und Beziehungskompetenz, Kulturtechniken und digitale Kompetenz) der Universitätsschule dargestellt. Das Pädagogische Konzept veranschaulicht, wie Werte und Bildungsziele in den Bereichen Schulform, Schulkultur, Lernkultur sowie Lernorte und Lernumgebung ausgestaltet werden können. Schließlich wird die Universitätsschule als lernende und lehrende Institution beschrieben, die ein Ort des Transfers von Bildungsinnovationen ist. Dafür soll eine Transferwerkstatt in der Schule verankert werden, die den Wissensaustausch der schulrelevanten Akteur:innen unterstützt und gestaltet.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) both are rare genetic neuromuscular diseases with progressive loss of motor ability. The neuromotor developmental course of those diseases is well documented. In contrast, there is only little evidence about characteristics of general and specific cognitive development. In both conditions the final motor outcome is characterized by an inability to move autonomously: children with SMA never accomplish independent motoric exploration of their environment, while children with DMD do but later lose this ability again. These profound differences in developmental pathways might affect cognitive development of SMA vs. DMD children, as cognition is shaped by individual motor experiences. DMD patients show impaired executive functions, working memory, and verbal IQ, whereas only motor ability seems to be impaired in SMA. Advanced cognitive capacity in SMA may serve as a compensatory mechanism for achieving in education, career progression, and social satisfaction. This study aimed to relate differences in basic numerical concepts and arithmetic achievement in SMA and DMD patients to differences in their motor development and resulting sensorimotor and environmental experiences. Horizontal and vertical spatial-numerical associations were explored in SMA/DMD children ranging between 6 and 12 years through the random number generation task. Furthermore, arithmetic skills as well as general cognitive ability were assessed. Groups differed in spatial number processing as well as in arithmetic and domain-general cognitive functions. Children with SMA showed no horizontal and even reversed vertical spatial-numerical associations. Children with DMD on the other hand revealed patterns in spatial numerical associations comparable to healthy developing children. From the embodied Cognition perspective, early sensorimotor experience does play a role in development of mental number representations. However, it remains open whether and how this becomes relevant for the acquisition of higher order cognitive and arithmetic skills.
Are we good friends?
(2021)
Empirical studies already examined various facets of the friendship construct. Building on this, the present study examines the questions of how the number of friendships and their quality differ between students with and without SEN and whether a homophily-effect can be identified. The sample consists of 455 fourth-graders from 28 inclusive classes in Austria. The results indicate that students with SEN have fewer friends than students without SEN. Furthermore, students without SEN preferred peers without SEN as a friend. This homophily-effect was shown for students with SEN, too. However, students with and without SEN rated the quality of their friendships similarly and no interactions between the SEN status of oneself or of the friend was found for the quality of the friendship. The results show that, in the context of inclusion, the issue of friendship needs to be increasingly addressed to improve the situation of students with SEN.
Language skills and mathematical competencies are argued to influence each other during development. While a relation between the development of vocabulary size and mathematical skills is already documented in the literature, this study further examines how children's ability to map a novel word to an unknown object as well as their ability to retain this word from memory may be related to their knowledge of number words. Twenty-five children were tested longitudinally (at 30 and at 36 months of age) using an eye-tracking-based fast mapping task, the Give-a Number task, and standardized measures of vocabulary. The results reveal that children's ability to create and retain a mental representation of a novel word was related to number knowledge at 30 months, but not at 36 months while vocabulary size correlated with number knowledge only at 36 months. These results show that even specific mapping processes are initially related to the acquisition of number words and they speak for a parallelism between the development of lexical and number-concept knowledge despite their semantic and syntactic differences.
Classroom noise impairs students' cognition and learning. At a first glance, it seems useful to prevent the negative effects of noise on academic learning by wearing noise-cancelling (NC) headphones during class. The literature and guidelines emphasize the academic benefits of wearing NC headphones (decreased auditory distraction, increased concentration, learning improvement, and decreased distress). These benefits are particularly expected for students with special needs. None of the recommendations to wear NC headphones during class refer to any empirical studies, indicating a potential research gap and lack of evidence. Therefore, the question arises: Is there any empirical evidence supporting academic benefits of wearing NC headphones during class for typically developing students or students with special needs? A total of 13 empirical studies (quantitative and qualitative) were identified through a systematic scoping review of the existing literature. A wide range of outcomes (cognition, learning, academic performance, behaviour, and emotions) were reported related to the use of NC headphones. Most of the studies refer to specific groups of students with special needs (learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, etc.). In view of the limited number of studies, small sample sizes, and lack of replication studies, all studies give the impression of being pilot studies on the academic benefits of wearing NC headphones. The practice of wearing NC headphones during class is an understudied topic. The current body of evidence does not meet the standards for evidence-based practices in both general and special education. Implications for educational practice and future research are discussed.
Purpose:
This study examines the contribution of number morphology to language comprehension abilities among children with specific language impairment (SLI) and age-matched controls. It addresses the question of whether number agreement facilitates the comprehension accuracy of object-initial declarative sentences. According to the predictions of the structural intervention account for German, number agreement should assist the correct interpretation of object-initial sentences.
Method:
This study examines German-speaking children with SLI and a control group of age-matched typically developing children on their sentence comprehension skills for auditory presented subject-verb-object and object-verb-subject (OVS) sentences. The sentences were manipulated with respect to the number properties of the noun phrases (e.g., one plural and one singular, or both singular) and the number agreement of the verb.
Results:
The group of children with SLI demonstrated poorer comprehension accuracy in comparison to controls. Comprehension difficulty was limited to OVS sentences among children with SLI. In addition, children with SLI comprehended OVS sentences in which number agreement (with plural subject and verb inflection) indicated the noncanonical word order more accurately than OVS sentences with two singular noun phrases and therein did not differ from controls.
Conclusion:
The study suggests that number agreement helps alleviate the difficulty with OVS sentences and enhances comprehension accuracy, despite the finding that children with SLI exhibit lower comprehension accuracy and more heterogeneous interindividual differences, relative to controls.
Ethnic-racial identity (ERI) is an important aspect of youth development and has been well-studied for the last several decades. One issue less discussed is how the construct of ERI translates across different countries and cultures. The purpose of our paper is to describe the sociohistorical context of Germany and implications for the study of ethnic-racial identity in Europe. We discuss the German adaption of the Identity Project, an 8-week school-based ethnic-racial identity exploration intervention developed in the United States. We use this as a concrete example of how we thought through the focal construct of ERI to figure out how and whether it is a salient social identity category for youth in Germany where, in response to the history of racially motivated genocide, discussions of "race" are taboo. Digging into the ways ERI may not be directly transferable to different contexts can help us understand its nature as a socially constructed identity with real-life implications. Our hope with this paper is to further discussion, question our conceptualizations, and acknowledge how a detailed understanding of sociohistorical contexts is needed for the study of ERI.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) both are rare genetic neuromuscular diseases with progressive loss of motor ability. The neuromotor developmental course of those diseases is well documented. In contrast, there is only little evidence about characteristics of general and specific cognitive development. In both conditions the final motor outcome is characterized by an inability to move autonomously: children with SMA never accomplish independent motoric exploration of their environment, while children with DMD do but later lose this ability again. These profound differences in developmental pathways might affect cognitive development of SMA vs. DMD children, as cognition is shaped by individual motor experiences. DMD patients show impaired executive functions, working memory, and verbal IQ, whereas only motor ability seems to be impaired in SMA. Advanced cognitive capacity in SMA may serve as a compensatory mechanism for achieving in education, career progression, and social satisfaction. This study aimed to relate differences in basic numerical concepts and arithmetic achievement in SMA and DMD patients to differences in their motor development and resulting sensorimotor and environmental experiences. Horizontal and vertical spatial-numerical associations were explored in SMA/DMD children ranging between 6 and 12 years through the random number generation task. Furthermore, arithmetic skills as well as general cognitive ability were assessed. Groups differed in spatial number processing as well as in arithmetic and domain-general cognitive functions. Children with SMA showed no horizontal and even reversed vertical spatial-numerical associations. Children with DMD on the other hand revealed patterns in spatial numerical associations comparable to healthy developing children. From the embodied Cognition perspective, early sensorimotor experience does play a role in development of mental number representations. However, it remains open whether and how this becomes relevant for the acquisition of higher order cognitive and arithmetic skills.
Being perceived as a foreigner regardless of one's generational status, citizenship, or self-identification is called foreigner objectification. This is a form of identity denial and is linked to psychological distress. To test how foreigner objectification could be measured in Europe, we assessed whether the Foreigner Objectification Scale demonstrated reliability and validity with German adolescents. The sample included 806 9th graders from 17 high schools. The results showed that the scale demonstrates good reliability, scalar measurement invariance across gender and citizenship status, and partial scalar measurement invariance across family heritage, generational status, and cultural self-identification. Adolescents who scored higher on the scale also reported greater school behavioral disengagement, lower life satisfaction, and stronger ethnic identity. Our findings suggest that the scale is psychometrically sound and is linked in theoretically consistent ways to adjustment and ethnic identity. We conclude that this scale offers another way to capture subtle discrimination experiences that add to a more comprehensive understanding of discrimination and the related implications in Europe.
Rehabilitationspädagogik
(2021)
Die Rehabilitationspädagogik ist eine jüngere eigenständige Hybridwissenschaft im Feld der Humanwissenschaften. Sie setzt theoriebildend im Sinne des Neunten Buchs Sozialgesetzbuch (SGB IX) an den längerfristigen Folgen einer Krankheit oder eines biologischen Mangels an. Dabei orientiert sie sich konzeptionell zum Beispiel an der UN-Behindertenrechtskonvention (UN-BRK) und an der International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Des Weiteren an den Konzepten der Humanontogenetik von K.-F. Wessel, insbesondere: dem ganzen Menschen, der Hierarchie der Kompetenzen, den sensiblen Phasen und der Souveränität.
Die Rehabilitationspädagogik ist Bestandteil der komplexen gesundheitlichen Rehabilitation und eine Tochterdisziplin der allgemeinen Pädagogik. Bei ihrem rehabilitationspädagogischen Prozess gilt das Richtziel, die umfassende Teilhabe des Menschen an individuellen Lebensbereichen durch rehabilitationspädagogische Mittel, Methoden und Organisationsformen zu unterstützen.
Die Dissertation setzt sich mittels Methoden der Hermeneutik mit der DDR-Rehabilitationspädagogik von K.- P. Becker und Autorenkollektiv kritisch-konstruktiv auseinander. Sie legt eine aktuelle fortführende Theorie der Rehabilitationspädagogik unter der Berücksichtigung der UN-BRK, der ICF und des SGB IX vor und liefert eine neue Sichtweise auf die Rehabilitationspädagogik aus historischer und aktueller Perspektive.
The color-evasive ideology (commonly termed "colorblindness") proposes that ethnic and cultural group memberships should be deemphasized. Yet there is a conceptual confusion around the meaning and measurement of color-evasiveness, and this construct is not used consistently in the international as well as German literature. Our purpose is to investigate whether two underlying forms of the color-evasive ideology (i.e., stressing similarities and ignoring differences) are two distinct, albeit related, constructs. We tested this hypothesis by applying these two forms of the color-evasive ideology to teachers' cultural diversity beliefs. In two cross-sectional field studies conducted with pre-service teachers (Study 1, n = 210), and in-service teachers (Study 2, n = 99), questionnaire items on the stressing similarities ideology and items on the ignoring differences ideology loaded on two separate factors, providing a better fit to the data than the one-factor model. Mean scores on these two types of color-evasive ideology also differed substantially, indicating that participants across the two studies mainly endorsed the stressing similarities perspective. The stressing similarities and ignoring differences ideologies related differently to other intergroup ideologies (i.e., multiculturalism and polyculturalism), and showed different patterns to psychosocial functioning in culturally diverse classrooms (i.e., cultural diversity-related stress).
Ethnic discrimination has a negative impact on the socioemotional, behavioral, relational, and academic adjustment ofadolescents, while belonging with classmates, teachers, heritage, and national group may promote positive socioemotional and academicadjustment. We investigate (1) whether greater discrimination by peers and a lower sense of belonging with classmates, teachers, heritagegroup, and national group are associated with lower socioemotional and academic adjustment of adolescents of immigrant descent inGermany; and (2) whether a sense of belonging with these different sources acts as a protective factor lowering the negative effects ofdiscrimination on adjustment. Our sample included 439 7th-grade adolescents (51% female,Mage= 12.4 years) of immigrant descent from15 Berlin secondary schools. Results showed that higher discrimination was related to greater physiological stress, depressive symptoms,and disruptive school behavior. Higher heritage (but not national) identity, a higher sense of belonging with classmates and with teacherswere associated with better socioemotional and academic adjustment. An examination of interaction effects between discrimination andforms of belonging on adjustment revealed that, while the association between discrimination and poorer adjustment weakened for thosewith higher heritage identity, the association between discrimination and physiological stress increased for those with higher teacherrelatedness. We conclude that heritage identity (but not national identity or sense of belonging with classmates) can indeed be a protectivefactor against the negative effects of discrimination for adolescents of immigrant descent in Germany. Even though belonging with teachersmay exacerbate discrimination effects, further investigation with longitudinal data is needed. The findings underline the important role ofheritage ties among adolescents of immigrant descent as a source of adjustment, especially in light of discrimination experiences.
Despite evidence that acculturation hassles (such as discrimination and language hassles) relate to poorer adjustment for adolescents of immigrant descent, we know less about the psychological processes underlying these associations. In this study, we test whether reduced psychological needs satisfaction in terms of a lower sense of belonging, autonomy, and competence, mediates the associations of acculturation hassles with psychological distress and academic adjustment. Our sample included 439 seventh graders from 15 schools in Germany (51% female, M-age = 12.4 years, SD = .73). Results revealed that adolescents who experienced greater discrimination and language hassles showed a lower sense of belonging with classmates and subsequently, greater psychological distress. Those who experienced greater language hassles also exhibited a lower sense of perceived competence, and ultimately poorer academic adjustment. We conclude that self-determination theory (SDT) provides an important framework to explain key processes underlying the links between acculturation hassles with psychological distress and academic (mal-)adjustment. Strengthening belonging and competence among adolescents of immigrant descent may enhance their well-being in the face of acculturation hassles.
Are we good friends?
(2020)
Empirical studies already examined various facets of the friendship construct. Building on this, the present study examines the questions of how the number of friendships and their quality differ between students with and without SEN and whether a homophily-effect can be identified. The sample consists of 455 fourth-graders from 28 inclusive classes in Austria. The results indicate that students with SEN have fewer friends than students without SEN. Furthermore, students without SEN preferred peers without SEN as a friend. This homophily-effect was shown for students with SEN, too. However, students with and without SEN rated the quality of their friendships similarly and no interactions between the SEN status of oneself or of the friend was found for the quality of the friendship. The results show that, in the context of inclusion, the issue of friendship needs to be increasingly addressed to improve the situation of students with SEN.
Modellen der Sprachaneignung zufolge sind für die die Entwicklung sprachlicher Fähigkeiten auch die sprachlichen Fähigkeiten von wichtigen Interaktionspartnern (z. B. Peers) bedeutsam. Da objektive Kompetenzmaße von Interaktionspartnern selten verfügbar sind, könnten alternativ Fremdeinschätzungen der sprachlichen Fähigkeiten erhoben werden. Im Beitrag wurden daher Schülerurteile über sprachliche Fähigkeiten von Mitschüler(inne)n im Deutschen und den Herkunftssprachen Türkisch und Russisch als potentielle Indikatoren tatsächlicher Sprachfähigkeiten untersucht. Mit Hilfe von Mehrebenenmodellen wurde analysiert, welchen Einflussfaktoren die Fremdeinschätzungen unterlagen, wie akkurat diese ausfielen und unter welchen Bedingungen akkuratere Einschätzungen gelangen. In allen Sprachen ergaben sich moderate Zusammenhänge zwischen den Fremdeinschätzungen und objektiven Leistungsmaßen, wobei die Urteilsakkuratheit insbesondere von Merkmalen auf der Beziehungsebene zur eigeschätzten Person (gemeinsamer Unterricht, geteilter Sprachhintergrund, Beziehungsqualität) moderiert wurde. Im Deutschen zeigten sich negative leistungsbezogene Vorurteile gegenüber Jugendlichen mit türkischer und russischer Herkunftssprache. Die Ergebnisse werden in Bezug auf Möglichkeiten und Grenzen von Fremdeinschätzungen sprachlicher Fähigkeiten sowie auf Konsequenzen leistungsbezogener Vorurteile diskutiert.
We examined state evaluation anxiety, trait evaluation anxiety, and neuroticism in relation to New Zealand first-year university students' (n = 234) task performance on either a test or essay assessment. For both assessment types, the underlying components of state evaluation anxiety (cognitive worry, emotionality, and distraction) reflect linear-as opposed to nonlinear-associations with task performance. Results of several regression models show differential effects of both state evaluation anxiety and neuroticism on task performance depending on the assessment type. The multi-dimensionality of anxiety and its relative contribution on task performance across authentic types of assessment are discussed.
Mismatch of the South African foundation phase curriculum demands and learners’ current knowledge
(2020)
Against the background of the low mathematical performance of South African learners in international panel studies, there is an urgent need to improve mathematical education. In particular, the curriculum and its structure raise questions. It is logical that the prescribed curricula should align with learners' developmental trajectories. Given the hierarchical structure of mathematics, the curricular requirements should pay attention to learners' current knowledge of mathematical concepts. The aim of this study was to compare the curricular requirements as defined by the CAPS with the conceptual current knowledge of South African learners. South African Grade 1 learners (N = 602) were assessed on a test of numeracy concepts, based on a theoretically informed and empirically validated model of developing mathematical proficiency. The content of the CAPS for Grade 1 was aligned to the model levels by two experts (Cohen's kappa = .753, p < 0.001). Results show that the curricular requirements go far beyond the current knowledge required to engage with these new concepts of the vast majority of South African Grade 1 learners. The mismatch may to some extent be responsible for the unsatisfactory results in international comparison studies. These results show that the intended curriculum is beyond the grasp of most South African Grade 1 learners. These children are unlikely to develop new arithmetic concepts based on their lack of required foundation knowledge. We therefore argue that the intended curriculum for Grade 1 should focus more on counting skills, ordinal relations between numbers and-most importantly-set-based number representations and part-part-whole relations.
It is unclear to what extent teachers can accurately assess the social inclusion of their students with and without SEN. The study aims to shed light on these desiderata. Students (N = 1.644) with SEN (learning, behavior, and language problems) and without SEN and their teachers (N = 79) participated in the study. Sociometric peer nominations, students' self-perceived social inclusion, and teachers' assessments regarding students' social inclusion and self-perceived social inclusion were administered. The results suggest that teachers are moderately accurate in identifying social acceptance and social rejection, while accuracy is low when assessing students' self-perceived social inclusion. That said, rating accuracy varied strongly between teachers, ranging from no agreement to a perfect concordance. Teachers seem to be more accurate in estimating the social acceptance of students with learning problems. The results emphasize the importance of differentiating between various social inclusion criteria (i.e., students' self-report vs. peer nominations) and accounting for inter-individual differences in teachers' rating accuracy.
We examined whether German adolescents who participated in an adapted 8-week school-based intervention, the Identity Project, reported greater changes in heritage and global identities and perceptions of classroom cultural climate. We used a longitudinal, wait-list control design pooling eight classrooms across the school years of 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. The sample included 195 seventh graders (M-age = 12.35 years, SD =.79, 39% female, 83% of migration background). Findings showed moderate support for more heritage identity exploration and greater perceptions of unequal treatment and critical consciousness climate in the intervention group. There were also important differences across conditions regarding how identity and climate related to adolescent outcomes. We conclude that the Identity Project can be adapted and applied in other cultural contexts such as Germany. It provides a necessary space for adolescents to engage in discussions about diversity, cultural heritage, social inequities, and their relevance to one's identities.
We examined whether German adolescents who participated in an adapted 8-week school-based intervention, the Identity Project, reported greater changes in heritage and global identities and perceptions of classroom cultural climate. We used a longitudinal, wait-list control design pooling eight classrooms across the school years of 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. The sample included 195 seventh graders (M-age = 12.35 years, SD =.79, 39% female, 83% of migration background). Findings showed moderate support for more heritage identity exploration and greater perceptions of unequal treatment and critical consciousness climate in the intervention group. There were also important differences across conditions regarding how identity and climate related to adolescent outcomes. We conclude that the Identity Project can be adapted and applied in other cultural contexts such as Germany. It provides a necessary space for adolescents to engage in discussions about diversity, cultural heritage, social inequities, and their relevance to one's identities.
This study examines the discourse basis for referent accessibility and its relation to the choice of referring expressions by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and typically developing children. The aim is to delineate how the linguistic and extra-linguistic context affects referent accessibility to the speaker. The study also examines the degree to which accessibility effects are modulated by cognitive factors such as working memory capacity. In the study, the contrast levels between the referent and a competitor (one contrast/two contrasts) and the syntactic prominence of the referent (subject/object position in the preceding question) were manipulated in an elicited production task. The results provide evidence that the referring expressions of children with ASD correlate with the discourse status of referents to a similar extent as in typically developing controls. All children were more likely to refer with lexical NPs to referents that contrasted on two levels with a highly prominent competitor, compared to referents that contrasted on one level. They were also more likely to produce pronouns for referents previously mentioned in the subject than the object position. The effect of both discourse factors was modulated by the age and working memory capacity of the children with and without ASD. Accordingly, the study suggests that children with ASD do not generally differ from children with typical development in their referential choices when the discourse status of a referent allows them to model the referent's accessibility from their own discourse perspective in a way that is modulated by working memory capacity.
Culturally diverse schools may constitute natural arenas for training crucial intercultural skills. We hypothesized that a classroom cultural diversity climate fostering contact and cooperation and multiculturalism, but not a climate fostering color-evasion, would be positively related to adolescents’ intercultural competence. Adolescents in North Rhine-Westphalia (N = 631, Mage = 13.69 years, 49% of immigrant background) and Berlin (N = 1,335, Mage = 14.69 years, 52% of immigrant background) in Germany reported their perceptions of the classroom cultural diversity climate and completed quantitative and qualitative measures assessing their intercultural competence. Multilevel structural equation models indicate that contact and cooperation, multiculturalism, and, surprisingly, also color-evasion (as in emphasizing a common humanity), were positively related to the intercultural competence of immigrant and non-immigrant background students. We conclude that all three aspects of the classroom climate are uniquely related to aspects of adolescents’ intercultural competence and that none of them may be sufficient on their own.
In his essay, Mel Ainscow looks at inclusion and equity from an international perspective and makes suggestions on how to develop inclusive education in a ‘whole-system approach’. After discussing different conceptions of inclusion and equity, he describes international policies which address them. From this international macro-level, Ainscow zooms in to the meso-level of the school and its immediate environment, defining dimensions to be considered for an inclusive school development. One of these dimensions is the ‘use of evidence’. In my comment, I want to focus on this dimension and discuss its scope and the potential to apply it in inclusive education development. As a first and important precondition, Ainscow explains that different circumstances lead to different linguistic uses of the term ‘inclusive education’. Thus, the term ‘inclusive education’ does not refer to an identical set of objectives across countries, and neither does the term ‘equity’.
In his essay, Mel Ainscow looks at inclusion and equity from an international perspective and makes suggestions on how to develop inclusive education in a ‘whole-system approach’. After discussing different conceptions of inclusion and equity, he describes international policies which address them. From this international macro-level, Ainscow zooms in to the meso-level of the school and its immediate environment, defining dimensions to be considered for an inclusive school development. One of these dimensions is the ‘use of evidence’. In my comment, I want to focus on this dimension and discuss its scope and the potential to apply it in inclusive education development. As a first and important precondition, Ainscow explains that different circumstances lead to different linguistic uses of the term ‘inclusive education’. Thus, the term ‘inclusive education’ does not refer to an identical set of objectives across countries, and neither does the term ‘equity’.
Cognitive representations and beliefs are what comprise an individual’s self-concept. A positive self-concept is related to and influences academic achievement, and the relationship between a domain-specific self-concept and achievement in the same domain is positive and strong. However, insufficient attention has been paid to these issues among multilingual children. More importantly, since instruction strongly contributes to the development of metacognition and executive functions (EFs), and since the bilingual advantage hypothesis holds that the constant management of multiple languages entails benefits for EF, we bring together these important issues in the present study. We examine the relationship between domain-specific self-concepts and standardized assessment of reading and spelling competences against the background of potential differences in self-concept between monolingual and multilingual German children. While between-group comparisons revealed no significant differences for self-concept nor reading competency, monolinguals outperformed multilinguals in spelling. Correlations between domain-specific self-concepts and academic achievement in reading comprehension, reading fluency, and spelling were positive and significant for both groups. Regardless of language background, children’s evaluations of their academic achievement (reading and spelling) were realistic. We argue, on a theoretical basis, that metacognition and EFs could facilitate a bilingual advantage and improve educational outcomes.