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The purpose, aim and goals of higher education itself have been discussed and researched in the context of massified and marketised higher education in Germany, with a focus mainly on higher education national policies or the view of faculty staff. By shifting the perspective instead to the students, this article asks what higher education means to them nowadays. This study is based on 95 interviews with German graduate students from three disciplines (i.e. business administration/management, medicine and musicology) and it offers a typology of what students understand as the purpose of higher education. Six types were reconstructed from the empirical material, along three main lines of higher education's purpose (i.e. occupational, personal and societal). This paper also shows how the chosen discipline becomes more salient for the student's perception of higher education purpose than their social background. This questions previous research that found strong ties between instrumentalism and social background in higher education. This paper also demonstrates that social differences do matter in their egalitarian or elitist variation of understanding within non‐instrumentalist types. Overall, this study illustrates how heterogenous contemporary higher education purpose has become, which mirrors a further general differentiation in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocational education and training (VET) and higher education serve different purposes and pursue different logics. However, in view of the increase of qualification requirements for skilled workers, many education systems are responding by linking VET to higher education. Therefore, the borders between VET and higher education have developed in different ways in different nations. In our paper, we analyze different approaches of tertiarization and academization of VET to answer to what extent VET and higher education are affected by the described changes. To answer these questions, we use a heuristic that includes an objective, an organization, a program, and a system dimension. We analyze the cases of China and Germany as they differ greatly in the dimensions of the heuristic. The study is based on the analysis of documents in the selected countries. Based on our findings, we point out consequences for the purpose and equality between VET and higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning in the mid-1980s, European governments have increasingly implemented performance-based funding systems for higher education. While a focus on the transnational pressures that contributed to the widespread adoption of performance-based funding in Europe accounts for the impetus for performance-based funding policies, it fails to address how and why the resultant performance-based funding policies are as distinct and different as they are. In this paper, I argue that an institutional logics perspective offers a theoretical account of the performance-based funding policy formation process. I use the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, and France as case studies. I contend that in these three cases, different local logics drove the performance-based funding policy formation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the conditions and factors influencing non-university researchers' career transitions back into academia. Using affiliation data in publications of German researchers, their cross-sector career transitions from the public research organisation Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and industry to universities are analysed. Although the rate of transitions is small, there are distinctive windows of opportunity at a junior career stage, especially for Fraunhofer researchers. Researchers who publish more and in more acclaimed journals, Fraunhofer researchers who co-publish with universities, and women are more likely to gain a university affiliation over the course of their career. These results indicate the influence of institutional proximity for cross-domain career transitions. The quality and impact of academic knowledge could be improved if the higher education sector was more open to recruitment of researchers from other sectors. Policy needs to target the barriers that preclude applied researchers from pursuing university careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the motivations of middle-class Asian students who choose German universities of applied sciences under the third wave of international student mobility. It aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the students' qualitative experiences in Asian countries that influenced their preference for German universities of applied sciences and their expectations of their German degree as cultural capital. The research analyzes the family, school, peer experiences of 23 Asian students currently enrolled in a German university of applied sciences to understand their motivations for choosing this type of institution and Germany. The findings reveal that the cultural capital that influenced their choice includes differentiation strategies of middle-class students, reasonable education investment choices of Asian students, and the use of a German degree as a trump card in the labor market. The study provides implications for the development of international higher education by connecting Asian students' aspirations for global cultural capital to a complex and atypical structure that encompasses global, national, and individual dimensions simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women in academia are typically outnumbered by men, a phenomenon metaphorically known as "the leaky pipeline." This study contributes by showing a motherhood penalty in the career pipeline at the postdoctoral stage in Germany—that is, during habilitation. Based on CV information and an email survey, the paper examines which factors are associated with being awarded a habilitation and whether these factors differ between women and men as well as mothers and fathers. Using Cox regressions of retrospective career trajectories of almost all psychologists at German universities in 2019 (2527 scientists with 37,423 publications), the study shows that SSCI/SCIE articles and having a PhD from abroad increase the habilitation risk more strongly for women and mothers than for men and fathers. Net of career factors observed by CVs, however, mothers have a 42% significantly lower habilitation risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the accumulation of financial resources in higher education. Its focus lies on the Quality Pact for Teaching (QPT) , a large-scale funding programme that aimed to improve the quality of tertiary education in Germany. Starting in 2011, the QPT allocated almost 2 billion euros over a 10-year period. Yet, unlike prior national funding schemes, the QPT was strongly inspired by New Public Management measures and marked the first time that a substantial amount of teaching grants was awarded in a competitive manner. My estimations show that institutions with a successful history of acquiring third-party funds coped best under these novel circumstances, thus revealing a clear pattern of cumulative advantage. Although typically dedicated to research purposes, the level of previous third-party funding emerges as a strong predictor of QPT success. Therefore, it appears that the QPT unintentionally contributed to steeper financial gaps in Germany's academic landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares the private higher education (HE) systems in Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We examine the historical, political, and demographic contexts of private universities in both countries, as well as the role of the state in regulating and shaping the private HE sector. We then explore the interrelation of the public and private HE sectors in Germany and the UAE, with a focus on how competitive and market forces, as well as state regulation, affect the HE system. Finally, we reflect on the homogenising and differentiating drivers that contribute to explaining the private HE landscape in both countries. We use neo-institutionalist approach to identify different varieties of isomorphism in the two countries. Even though the growth and shape of the private higher education sector in both countries reflect international normative, mimetic and coercive pressures, our study suggests that the development of the private sector is moderated by country-specific historical developments as well as by political contexts that accelerate or slow down market dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities have increasingly been subjected to policy- and industry demands to produce multi- and interdisciplinary knowledge. This paper explores the extent to which different higher education policy instruments are used to promote interdisciplinarity in teaching and research at universities in the German higher education system comparing them across different federal states. Based on a manifest content analysis of higher education laws and performance agreements with universities in the 16 German states, we were able to distinguish between three types of states: Those a) with a general use of policy instruments aimed at all universities in a state, whereas considerable differences could be observed with regard to the degree of coercion (enabling versus prescriptive provisions) and scope (teaching or research), b) a directed use of policy instrument, targeting specific universities, and c) a hybrid use of policy instruments using both general and directed elements. This paper provides a novel mapping of the promotion of interdisciplinarity in German higher education policies through a variety of policy instruments and hereby contributes to the extant literature on interdisciplinarity in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Commercial speed‐reading training programs are typically marketed with the promise to dramatically increase reading speed without impairing comprehension. From the perspective of reading psychology, it seems quite unlikely that speed‐reading training can indeed have such effects. However, research on the effectiveness of modern speed‐reading training programs on reading performance in typical readers is sparse. The present study had two goals. First, we sought to extend prior research on speed‐reading by assessing the effects of a speed‐reading application on reading performance in a pre‐training and post‐training design with a control group. Second, we aimed to identify the mechanism underlying speed‐reading training programs. Methods: We assessed reading speed, comprehension and eye movements of 30 German‐speaking undergraduates (Mage = 22.77 years, SDage = 3.41 years) before and after they received a commercial, app‐based speed‐reading training, a metacognitive training or no training. Results: Results revealed higher reading speed in the speed‐reading condition and metacognitive condition compared with the control condition, although not to the extent claimed in the application. Eye‐movement data indicated that the increase in reading speed was due to fewer and shorter fixations in measures reflecting late but not early lexical processing. No differences in comprehension performance were observed between the three conditions. Conclusions: We discuss our findings in support of the idea that the increase in reading speed was not caused by a change in basic characteristics of participants' reading behaviour, but rather by an increase in their awareness of their own reading process. Further research is needed to investigate whether the observed effects are maintained over time. Highlights: What is already known about this topicSpeed‐reading training programs typically aim to dramatically increase reading speed without decreasing comprehension.To attain this benefit, they often provide exercises (e.g. visual search tasks) aimed at modifying basic parameters of reading behaviour, such as the number and duration of fixations during reading. Reading research contradicts the claims made by speed‐reading applications. What this paper addsThis study experimentally evaluated a modern speed‐reading application with typical readers in a pre–post training design with a control group.Additionally, we assessed the effectiveness of a metacognitive training that intended to raise participants' awareness of their own reading process.Participants in the training conditions showed slightly increased reading speed (~35 wpm) compared with the control condition without comprehension being affected. Implications for theory, policy or practiceParticipants were not able to double their reading speed, as often promised by speed‐reading training programs.There was no evidence that the observed increase in reading speed was due to the modification of participants' basic characteristics of reading behaviour (e.g. perceptual span).One possible explanation for the positive effect of speed‐reading training and metacognitive training is that readers' awareness of their reading process was raised. Merely this metacognitive effect may have helped participants engage with the text, thereby reducing rereading behaviour and increasing reading speed without compromising comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Physical education (PE) and PE teacher education have great potential to target goals that are important from an education for sustainable development (ESD) perspective. However, ESD has not been studied extensively in the PE context. The purpose of this paper is to explore subjective theories of PE teacher educators about the concepts of sustainability and ESD because they are important precursors of implementing ESD in PE teacher education. Design/methodology/approach: This study was conducted using a qualitative cross-sectional design. Subjective theories about sustainability and ESD from N = 9 PE teacher educators from a university in Germany were assessed in a multistage process, including semistructured interviews and the structure-formation technique. Subsequently, subjective theories were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings: The results reveal a wide range of subjective theories about the concept of sustainability. PE teacher educators described the dimensions of the sustainability concept (ecological, economic, social and political) to different depths and placed different emphases in terms of the levels of action needed to reach sustainable development. The subjective theories regarding the concept of ESD mostly include instrumental and emancipatory aspects of ESD. These subjective theories differ in that they emphasize different forms of ESD. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to examine subjective theories regarding the concepts of sustainability and ESD in the context of PE teacher education. This study is one of only a few studies to provide detailed insights into the subjective theories of teacher educators in the area of sustainability and ESD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of ecosystem services has great potential to anchor nature conservation and species protection more firmly in a broader social debate. As an assessment framework, it illustrates the benefits of natural services in the broadest sense and is the subject of intense debate with regard to its scope and the operationalization required for spatial planning. In the sense of an integration into the social debate about the sustainable use of natural resources, the concept should be included in the canon of educational offers - beyond the 'classical' offers and topics of environmental education. This paper exemplifies how the concept is taught in school education (using the example of the Federal State of Saxony, Germany), and in higher education in selected subject areas in Germany as well as in the further education landscape for planning practitioners (in Germany, Austria and Switzerland). The paper shows approaches and deficits for a future goal-oriented operationalization of the concept. The focus is explicitly on environmental education and the provision of educational offers for actors in spatial planning, and reflects the current landscape of educational offers in the mentioned fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students from a lower socioeconomic background have a higher risk of dropping out of higher education. The underlying mechanisms of this association between socioeconomic background and higher education dropout are not well understood. Previous research in higher education has followed Tinto's model of academic and social integration to explain dropout but has largely neglected social inequality therein. In contrast, social stratification research draws on rational choice theory to explain social inequality in educational attainment but has rarely been applied to explain dropout from higher education. In our paper, we combine these two strands of research. Utilizing data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we draw on a largescale, representative sample of students in Germany to quantify the relative contribution of each theoretical approach for explaining social inequality in dropout from higher education. Binary logistic regression models reveal that both students' integration and costs-benefit considerations are associated with their dropout risk net of each other. While academic and social integration appears to better predict dropout, rational choice theory accounts for a larger proportion of social inequality therein. We conclude that combining Tinto's model and rational choice theory provides a more comprehensive perspective of dropouts from higher education and social inequality therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design, survey instruments, data, and their potential for use of a longitudinal study of (prospective) teachers in Germany that follows their professional and competence development from teacher education into the first years in the teaching profession. The Panel of Teacher Education Students (Lehramtsstudierenden-Panel (LAP)) is linked to the Starting Cohort 5 of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), which initially included about 18,000 first-year students in the winter term 2010/2011 and an oversampling of teacher education students (about 5,500 students). From 2014 onwards, multiple survey instruments--for example, aspects of preparatory service and of professional competence, instructional practices, and professional development--were specifically addressed to (prospective) teachers. The data was collected in 19 waves between 2010 and 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas the economic impact of universities is undisputed, the social impact of universities remains vague. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether and how universities influence firms' social engagement. Based on survey data of more than 7,000 German firms, our results reveal that universities positively affect firms' social engagement mainly through teaching activities. Hence, our findings give impetus to a reinforcement of the university mission 'teaching' as a central lever for social change and increased social awareness as well as to a reorientation of the third university mission toward social needs. This paper thereby contributes to our understanding of the changing missions and values of universities and adds to the literature by exploring the underlying mechanisms of the social impact of universities. We conclude the paper with fruitful future avenues of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contributes to design discourse by drawing on Educational Design Research (EDR) that has been conducted into what we call a Zone of Possibility (ZoP) over the past seven years. We define a ZoP as a place where individuals can overcome the constraints of expectations and power structures to effect desired change. Specifically, this paper presents details of how our initial research question (RQ1) has evolved to the one presented in the conclusions (RQ2); both RQs are summarised below in the section "Research Questions." To describe this evolution, the paper is presented as 3 cases (Confer, ZoP Stokes Croft and Google Lens in HE) that have provided insights to explore the concept of the ZoP and its implications for EDR. Specifically, one of the main conclusions is the importance of bridging positioning practices as "successful communication" and an understanding of social context in hybrid contexts (ie, the ZoP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employability has become one of the most important outcomes of higher education despite it being weakly conceptualised for the sector. The lack of an accepted conceptualisation to address students' and graduates' employability results in difficulties when comparing research findings and therefore in assessing quality in higher education provision. This paper addresses this gap in the conceptualisation of employability and adapts an established framework so that it aligns with the higher education sector. Employability is defined as 'the ability to find, keep and progress in graduate employment'. A holistic framework composed of four categories ('individual factors'; 'individual circumstances'; 'enabling support system'; 'labour market') is used to classify and measure employability. This allows for an understanding of how specific initiatives enhance the employability of students and graduates, and suggests ways to measure this impact. Also, the limitations of HEIs to impact students' employability are addressed using the framework. The examples of Germany and England show how differences in employability occur due to differences in the surrounding labour market. The paper concludes that in a complex and holistic discussion it is necessary to highlight the various indicators, including the labour market, which were used to report more nuanced aspects of employability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to supplement existing research on a joint approach to integrate sustainability into higher planning education (HPE) by facilitating an international transformative learning process. It looks at three different urban master's programs in Serbia (Belgrade) and Germany (Berlin and Stuttgart). Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, students' assessments of the pedagogical model, individual learning outcomes and the long-term value of the pedagogical model in respect of key competences for sustainability are presented and discussed. Basic assumptions of the study include that assessment from the students' perspective can provide feedback on the transformational learning experience with the aim of improving the experience and thus learning outcomes; help identify limitations and target specific areas for improvement in the pedagogical model; and improve the evaluation of effectiveness in developing knowledge and skills for sustainability in HPE. Findings: The paper provides evidence that a learner-centered and action-oriented approach, as well as a global dialogue among peers from different backgrounds and nationalities, is an effective way to educate future generations of urban planners to become "change agents" for societal transformation toward a more sustainable future within their respective contexts. Originality/value: The paper is a supplement to the existing research on educational initiatives that attempts to integrate sustainability into the curricula, especially of urban-related programs; showcases outcomes of the pedagogical model(s) for sustainable development applied, especially when addressing the competences of students working in developing, transitional and developed countries or different geographic contexts; and shows long-term learning outcomes after the students move into work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial mobility of students and academics as part of the internationalisation of higher education is becoming increasingly relevant in securing top-tier positions, especially within academia. While the number of doctoral candidates is rising, new positions are not created at the same rate, leading to scarcer career opportunities in academia and the need to develop alternative career paths. Previous studies have much focused on the connection between mobility and career development among junior academics in the STEM fields, but the significance of mobility for SSH PhD candidates and their career development remains unanswered. Does spatial mobility have any effects there, and if so, which? For this reason, this paper studied doctoral SSH candidates from Germany with mobility experiences in the Netherlands. The findings show that spatial mobility affects the perception of the PhD candidate's career in several, sometimes ambivalent ways. It shows that the experience of mobility narrows the planning to a career in academia, contributes to the informal learning process of the candidate, and expands the horizon for possible opportunities in academia. The perceived asset of mobility varies alongside the internationalisation of disciplines and whether the candidate plans to return to Germany or pursue an international career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobility is becoming a defining feature of today's globalising society. Individuals move for a variety of reasons, including finding employment or pursuing education. This paper focuses on the interrelationship between two different types of migrants who have all moved out of one specific country to another. It builds on the perceptions of Turkish graduates of German universities who moved cross-border recently to study in German universities, the self-styled 'New Wave Turks', to understand their place within the existing Turkish diaspora there. Although the existing Turkish diaspora in Germany is well researched, as is how diasporas can facilitate further mobility, the interaction between these newcomers and the existing Turkish diaspora in Germany has received little scholarly attention. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews with recent Turkish graduates of German universities, we explored how the existing diaspora provides support but also challenges for the newcomers, complicating their experiences. We argue that international student mobility led to the emergence of a new form of 'total diaspora' in Germany, comprising both the existing Turkish diaspora and newly joined Turkish graduates of German universities. Social media was instrumental for these newcomers in setting themselves apart within the total diaspora, allowing them to create their own community identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses two high-profile cases of alleged plagiarism in doctoral theses to discuss the debate on academic malpractice in the German context. The two cases received intense media attention which led to a hitherto unseen interrogation of academic standards in higher education and of the integrity of the research community. The paper analyses this debate and highlights structures and developments in German higher education that potentially explain academic malpractice. The focus of the analysis is on postgraduate education and the way doctoral supervisees are inducted by their supervisors into good academic practice. The paper also discusses the notion of ‘academic relativism’ regarding standards of academic practice that, while permissible in a certain era, are not acceptable today. Against this background, the paper argues in favour of a critical evaluation of the ways in which the German higher education sector has become the subject of narrowly defined aspects of performance management regimes, regulating institutions and incentivising researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationalization impacts universities and changes their core missions. Consequently, many western universities adopted a business model approach to deal with opportunities and challenges internationalization poses to their missions. Resulting from increased scrutiny from the public and policy makers on the ability of universities to efficiently utilize public resources to achieve institutional missions, interest is growing to analyze this development and its effects upon the university business model. This paper's purpose is to examine and evaluate how internationalization within the university mission impacts the university business model. Using a sample of German universities, this study develops a unique, three-stage, mathematical analysis to investigate this connection. By determining the internationalization and overall efficiencies of each institution relative to peers in the dataset, it is found that no direct correlation between the relative internationalization and overall institutional efficiencies exists, while also evidencing the usefulness of efficiency analysis in allocating resources for internationalization and overall university mission achievement. These results show that while the relative efficiency of internationalization may contribute to a university's overall relative efficiency, other components in the university business model may also be critical in determining overall relative efficiency, and the interplay of these components should be investigated in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the student experience of multidisciplinarity within the undergraduate Geography curriculum. It considers the drivers that have underpinned this development before considering the findings of research into student experiences in two universities in the south of England. The results suggest that most students view this development positively and recognize a number of advantages that it brings, citing expanded opportunities for learning, working with people from other disciplines, expansion of perspectives and perceived benefits to employability. However, for a minority this development is more problematic. The research points here to issues with specialist knowledge and disciplinary pedagogies, social issues within the classroom and class organization and some reservations regarding groupwork. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Case studies are central to the way management is currently taught at universities. Among other benefits attributed to the case study method is that it promotes networked thinking by learners. Networked thinking takes account of interactions and repercussions, making it crucial to decision-making within the complex system of rules that shapes current business reality. However, there is virtually no empirical evidence of the extent to which the case study method actually delivers the advantages attributed to it. This paper aims to remedy that gap in the literature. The paper considers the extent to which the case study method promotes networked thinking on the part of students on business and management courses. The research is designed as an intervention study involving pre- and post-testing. The study finds that students who have worked on a case study correctly identify more interactions in post-testing than in pre-testing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose Nowadays, several higher education institutions around the world are integrating sustainability topics into their daily operations, functionality and education systems. This paper presents a case study from a pilot project implemented by the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald (hereafter, Greifswald University), Germany on its way towards a “carbon-neutral university”. The purpose of this paper is to share an institutional process targeting a gradual transformation towards achieving carbon neutrality. This might be relevant to other higher education institutions striving for a systematic and progressive change from a traditional system to a low emission or carbon-neutral pathway.Design/methodology/approach To achieve carbon neutrality, three major transformative strategies were adopted: carbon reduction, carbon offsetting and mainstreaming sustainable actions via teaching and research.Findings A locally adaptable institutional framework on sustainability was successfully developed to: promote changes in daily operations, implement interdisciplinary research, incorporate sustainability into teaching and education and enhance outreach programs. Strong commitment from all stakeholders resulted in reduction of the university’s carbon footprint from 8,985 to 4,167 tCO2e year−1. Further, the unavoidable emissions could be locally offset through enhanced carbon sequestration on the university-owned forests.Originality/value Based on the experiences of Greifswald University, this paper presents major challenges and success lessons learned during the process of gradual institutional transformation to achieve the target of carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Victor von Richter (1841-1891) was one of the important chemists of the second half of the 19th century. The purpose of this paper is to familiarize readers with the important events in the life of Richter and his writing activities, in particular with his chemistry textbooks for higher education, well-known in different countries. In addition, his research activities is briefly described, and especially the chemical reactions named after him. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on the institutionalization of transdisciplinarity (TD) in higher education institutions and how they institutionalize Transdisciplinarity (TD). As such, universities have engaged in different activities to enact TD policies that aim at incorporating TD in their research and teaching. We take the Methodology Center at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg as a case study. We analyze the institutionalization process of TD to shed light on the obstacles that TD faces to become a widespread policy and practice at universities. In adopting a neo-institutionalist approach in our research, we develop a two-level analysis that allow us to compare the formal characteristics given to TD policies with the actual TD practices taking place in universities. Our findings reveal that TD institutionalization at the Methodology Center is at a mid-level and that overall TD institutionalization is an iterative process, in which the two levels mutually can reinforce or hinder each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the high costs of implementing personnel development programs in enterprises and increasingly in universities as well are commonly accepted, the scientifically-grounded evaluation of a program's effectiveness is often neglected. The aim of this paper was to evaluate a personnel development program for academics at a German university (N=1426). We investigated the program's effectiveness on Kirkpatrick's four levels. We examined short- and long-term effects with a repeated measurements design. In sum, 123 training programs were clustered into 26 primary studies. We conducted t-tests and aggregated the effect sizes (d) using meta-analytical techniques. We found a high short-term effect and a moderate to high long-term effect for the learning level, and a small to moderate long-term effect for the behavior level. Participants' organizational commitment did not increase. Our results have appealing practical implications for university HR managers, trainers, and evaluators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metacomprehension as reflected in judgements of one's learning is crucial for self-regulated study, yet their accuracy is often low. We investigated text difficulty as a constraint on metacomprehension accuracy in text learning. A total of 235 participants studied a 10-section expository text and afterwards took a knowledge test. They made judgements of learning after each section. Sections were of high, medium or low difficulty; we manipulated between participants the order of difficulty levels across sections. In blocked orders, texts in each block (sections 1-4; sections 5-6; sections 7-10) were of the same difficulty level. In mixed orders, difficulty varied throughout the learning unit either from easy to difficult or from difficult to easy. Our general tenet was that orders would trigger different extents of experience-based processing and thus influence metacomprehension accuracy to different degrees. As hypothesized, accuracy was higher for blocked difficulty orders. Late-section judgement magnitude decreased more strongly in the blocked groups. At the same time, late-section judgement accuracy was higher in the blocked group. We discuss implications and limitations of the influence of fluctuations in text difficulty on judgements of learning accuracy together with some avenues for further research. Lay Description What is already known about this topic? Metacomprehension as reflected in judgements of one's learning (JOL) is crucial for effective self-regulated study., JOL accuracy is often low., Text difficulty appears to bias metacomprehension in topically non-coherent series of texts., What this paper adds? This paper establishes text difficulty as a constraint on metacomprehension accuracy in topically coherent texts., This paper explains text difficulty effects as different relative weights of experience-based and theory-based processing, respectively., Implications for practice and/or policy: Taking systematic text difficulty effects into account may help avoid unintended adverse effects of difficulty order on metacomprehension accuracy., Arranging difficulty levels block-wise may enhance experience-based processing and thus judgement accuracy., Additionally, with topically coherent texts, increasing difficulty across texts benefits performance in a later knowledge text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The refugee influx in the European context has challenged national systems and individual higher education institutions to develop and iterate solutions for prospective and, increasingly, enrolled university students. In the German setting, enormous federal investment has supported a robust response, though one which in several aspects lacks cohesion. This paper discusses possible implications of refugee student enrolment in German universities, and offers recommendations for policy initiatives in the same context. Key proposals include: revisiting the numerus clausus admissions system; expanding the existing student services model; emphasizing an early focus on subject-specific language proficiency (Fachsprache); emergency funds for small student expenses; the development of internships for refugee students; and support for student and staff collaboration and information sharing at both the state and federal levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions are present in all learning processes, including those in entrepreneurship education. In this paper, we investigate which kinds of emotions exist in entrepreneurship education at university and in which contexts they occur, and show how the concept of liminal spaces – spaces of transformation in which students encounter high degrees of uncertainty, while their potential for learning is maximised – can be used in order to understand the role of negative emotions for entrepreneurship education. Providing examples from courses on entrepreneurship for Engineering and Business Administration students at a German university, we are able to confirm findings of existing literature on the type and sources of emotions. Moreover, our findings suggest that reflection of students on emotional processes that involve the endurance of uncertainty contribute significantly to the achievement of learning outcomes and that – within the limits of existing learning cultures and guidelines for assessment – teachers can facilitate such processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relation of professional identity and resistance in organizations. While prior literature points out that protecting identities from managerialistic changes is an end for which resistance is a means, this study focuses on how identity can also serve as a discursive means for resistance. We present the findings of a qualitative research project about the impact of the implementation of quality management in German higher education. The findings of our study show that academics, especially full professors, counter quality management with a repertoire of discursive resistance, often drawing on identity claims. We identify three main types of identity claims that are used as resources for discursive forms of micro-resistance: professional autonomy, expertise for teaching quality and specificities of academic disciplines. These findings add to the debate about the dynamics of identity during organizational and institutional changes in higher education by empirically illustrating how identity can be mobilized as a means to resist. Our study has the implication for quality management that its relations to academic identities are decisive for the everyday discourses and micro-practices of resistance it provokes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities play a crucial role in promoting sustainable development. Accordingly, the project “Sustainability at Higher Education Institutions: develop — network — report (HOCHN)” (2016-2018) aims to facilitate sustainable development at universities in Germany. One of the project’s research focuses is sustainability governance. It investigates the variety of different protagonists and structures that are involved in the processes of developing and managing sustainability. To this end, a heuristic technique referred to as the “governance equalizer” is applied. It covers five dimensions that have been adapted for this research: politics, profession, organisation, knowledge and visibility. This paper introduces the concept of the governance equalizer and locates it in the context of sustainability in higher education institutions. Against this backdrop, it presents and discusses findings from preparatory expert interviews on sustainability governance, with the aim of validating the governance equalizer and identifying focal points for subsequent stakeholder interviews in German universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes time to first degree at German universities. The database is the 'Absolventenpanel' 2001, a panel study conducted by the 'Hochschul-Informations-System.' The German university system is characterized by a long duration of study; the regular time is often exceeded. One potential reason might be the high proportion of students reporting part-time work during their studies. This paper focuses on the relationship between the working status of German students and their time to degree. Besides that, additional individual characteristics and parental background are included. Analysis is carried out for ten fields of study separately. The descriptive analysis reveals a positive correlation between the amount of part-time work and the duration of study. In the empirical analysis, the Cox proportional hazards model is applied. The results confirm that part-time work has an increasing effect on time to degree. These results and the aspect that mainly socially underprivileged students are engaged in part-time working during their studies should be considered in the political discussions of tertiary education financing and the Bologna process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the introduction of tuition fees at German public universities as an exogenous shock, this paper investigates its causal impact on the enrolment and migration decision of high-school graduates. Specifically, we conduct a quasi-experimental analysis by exploiting the spatial and temporal variation in tuition fee regimes as a result of a Federal Constitutional Court decision. Our empirical results show that the introduction of tuition fees had a particular impact on student migration. We observe three effects: first, male students show a stronger migration response compared to female students. Second, changes in migration behaviour are sensitive to geographical distance. Finally, comparing different types of higher education institutions, we find that the migration effect is larger for universities compared to technical colleges and colleges of arts or music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principles of sustainable development are becoming extremely relevant for organisations. In the case of universities, these institutions can act as agents in promoting these principles within society. The literature contains a wide range of studies which show how universities may play a critical role in disseminating sustainability principles on the one hand, and their translation into practice, on the other. At present, many higher education institutions are becoming more aware of their impact on the environment, and trying to understand the environmental needs and implications of their operations. Going further, some universities are incorporating sustainability principles into their activities. One of the questions that universities are now facing is how education for sustainable development can be translated into practice so that it can be effective in transforming society. This paper will discuss the need for and the usefulness of integrative approaches to implement sustainable development in higher education. In addition to a theoretical review of the state of the art, the paper will use case studies from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and Bournemouth University (UK) to illustrate the effectiveness of integration of sustainable development principles in university research and teaching activities, and the many benefits integrative approaches may bring about. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers how engaging with the principles of inclusive research can enhance research studies that set out to understand the experiences of student teachers on initial teacher education programmes. It does so by describing the methodological development of an on-going study of student teachers' perspectives on working with diverse groups of learners in classrooms. This study, involving 340 student teachers at two universities (in Germany and England), has two broad aims: first, to build authentic learning opportunities that encourage student teachers to articulate, share and reflect on their developing professionalization regarding inclusive classroom practices; and second, to gather evidence from their emerging insights that can usefully inform the future work of teacher educators. Although the study does not ‘fit’ conventional views of inclusive research (not least because its participants are student teachers rather than people with learning disabilities) the paper explores how, and why, drawing on more participatory approaches has supported its overall aims. The benefits and difficulties of placing the perspectives, needs and interests of the student teachers at the centre of the research are examined, and the ethical challenges of aligning the values associated with inclusive education with those underpinning inclusive research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, I analyze how recent calls to internationalize publication behavior affect research practices at an automotive engineering department in Germany. Automotive engineering is a field with traditionally rather scarce publication activity and strong connections to industry. Substantial authority to define suitable research problems and ways of organizing knowledge production on a daily basis was therefore reserved for local academic elites as well as corporate partners. However, as engineers are increasingly expected to prove their performance through publishing in international peer-reviewed journals, the judgment as to what should be considered “interesting” or “robust” research is partly relegated to a gradually globalizing community of academic peers. This generates a variety of tensions with established ways of coordinating epistemic work at the department studied here. For example, the thematic interests of journals tend to exert a disruptive centrifugal pull in the context of an otherwise highly modular research culture, and possibilities to publish in international venues are unequally distributed across individual research projects. But while department members agree that there is a lack of fit between current practices and new expectations towards their publishing behavior, their opinions about the conclusions that should be drawn differ significantly. Some researchers argue that profound organizational changes are necessary to foster the academic rigor of German engineering research. Others believe that evaluation criteria should simply be adapted. This situation is arguably characteristic for research areas with a traditionally strong orientation to local stakeholders, and it suggests a need for more deliberative, participatory approaches to research evaluation in such fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing panel data and taking heterogeneity and persistent inefficiency into account, we show the limitations of standard efficiency analysis for higher education institutions. It is the first time that the concept of longterm inefficiency is considered in the analysis of traditional universities. This inclusion allows for more accurate estimations and more purposeful policy recommendations. The new specification improves the accuracy of the heterogeneity assumption and exposes inefficiency’s tendency to be persistent. Thus, this paper finds that an efficiency increase can be achieved only if future measures aim at long-term conditions, which are presumably determined outside of individual institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education in Europe has undergone remarkable transformations over the last two decades. Germany is a very interesting case in point here. While the country was labeled as a laggard in the process, over the last decade the pace of higher education reforms in Germany has grown considerably. This paper will focus on the by now visible effects of these remarkable transformations, which have led to numerous consequences that go beyond the explicit intentions of policy-makers. Unintended consequences resulting from rapid institutional change will be discussed with regard to research, third-mission activities, and structural reforms concerning governance and organization. It can be assumed that, due to a variety of such unintended consequences, also in other European countries the next decade will be shaped by efforts aiming at reforming the reforms, re-regulating the significant changes brought about during the last two decades. The paper closes with a brief discussion of the necessary linkages to three related interdisciplinary research areas, from which both higher education research and policy-making will benefit, and a summary of the main points of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European quality assurance has a complicated history that must be viewed as taking place on two levels: first, in a national effort to deregulate the public sector and to make universities accountable for their teaching performance; and second, a supranational endeavor to accomplish European integration in the field of higher education. Similarly, the web of institutional constraints and opportunity structures in which accreditation agencies are embedded spans two policy levels, the national and the European. In this paper, we examine how German accreditation agencies achieve some level of autonomy in a highly entrenched institutional environment. The paper is based on a qualitative study comprising archival data and over 70 semi-structured interviews. Drawing on the insights of neo-institutional theory, we argue that quality assurance agencies seek political leverage at the European level in order to strengthen their standing in the higher education systems of their own countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:As one part of scientific meta-knowledge, students’ meta-modelling knowledge should be promoted on different educational levels such as primary school, secondary school and university. This study focuses on the assessment of university students’ meta-modelling knowledge using a paper–pencil questionnaire. Purpose:The general purpose of this study was to assess and to describe university students’ meta-modelling knowledge. More specifically, it was analysed to what extent the meta-modelling knowledge, as expressed in a questionnaire, depends on the scientific discipline to which university students relate their answer and the concrete model to which they refer while answering. Sample:N = 184 students from one German university voluntarily participated in this study. Design and methods:The questionnaire was developed based on a theoretical framework for model competence and includes constructed response items asking about the purpose of models, ways for testing models and reasons for changing models. Students written answers were first analysed qualitatively based on the theoretical framework to decide whether they expressed advanced understandings or not. Further analyses then were conducted quantitatively. Results:Findings suggest that only few university students possess an advanced meta-modelling knowledge. However, significant more students who relate their answers to the STEM-disciplines expressed advanced understandings than those who referred to social sciences or linguistics/philology. Furthermore, university students who expressed an advanced meta-modelling knowledge referred to rather abstract kinds of models in order to explain their view. Conclusions:The present study supports the assumption that meta-modelling knowledge may be situated and contextualised. Both the scientific discipline and the concrete model to which university students refer seem to be relevant item features influencing university students’ expressed meta-modelling knowledge. Implications for assessment and teaching are discussed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tune with the fundamental shift in Germany’s skill-b(i)ased immigration policy since 2005, higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly becoming ‘magnets’ for a skilled migrant workforce. While ‘internationalisation’ is often understood as something to be celebrated and (further) accomplished, some observers speak of clear signs of discriminatory experiences among racialised and migrant academics. This is a new aspect, as social inequalities have by and large been considered in migration studies to be the sole terrain of labour mobility into less-skilled sectors of the economy. Meanwhile, abundant literature on gender and higher education shows that women academics have poorer access to career progression than men, demonstrating gender-based academic career inequalities. However, the insights generated in these two strands of scholarship have seldom been in conversation with one another. This paper takes stock of the lack of an intersectional perspective, focusing on citizenship and gender within HEIs as hiring meso-level organisations that are becoming increasingly transnationalised. It explores the intersectionality of citizenship and gender in accessing academic career advancement by examining three key career stages, that is, doctoral researchers, postdoctoral researchers, and professors, in two case-study HEIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A striking number of young people in Germany with the Abitur – the qualification required for entry to higher education – do not, in fact, go on to university immediately after leaving school but opt first to do an apprenticeship. This phenomenon, where general and vocational curricula are taught independently and separately, is known as the ‘additive double qualification pathway’ and represents an extreme type of hybrid qualification. This paper considers a range of individual influences in an attempt to obtain a holistic view of the possible motives of those who opt for this pathway. The study focuses on apprentices with the Abitur who were surveyed as they were about to complete their vocational training and were on the point of moving on to a university or university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule). The research investigates four very different training occupations with relatively high proportions of Abitur holders: industrial clerk; bank clerk; optician; and motor vehicle mechatronics technician. It is a large-scale quantitative research study (n = 1234). The range of possible motives is hypothesised, systematically operationalised and finally tested empirically. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

External conditions, e.g. an increased social pressure towards HEI, often require the continuous development, improvement and assurance of quality within the whole organization. Quality assurance methods within academic and administrative processes have to be cross-linked in order to satisfy the complexity in the HEI's scope of duty. An efficient tool for such linkages is a quality management system (QMS) for HEI. Even though national and international regulations demand the introduction of QMS in HEI they do not offer information on the structure or assistance with design, implementation, and introduction. This paper presents the approach of RWTH Aachen University in the process of structuring, developing and implementing a QMS in a HEI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media postulates that affective factors as well as individual learner characteristics impact multimedia learning. The present study investigated how experimentally induced positive and negative emotions influence multimedia learning and how learner characteristics moderated this impact. Results showed that the group with the negative emotion induction outperformed the group with the positive emotion induction with regard to learning outcome. Cognitive resources (working memory capacity, prior knowledge) and openness to experience were significant predictors for learning. In addition, learners with highest prior knowledge or working memory capacity could compensate the emotional impact on learning. Neuroticism enhanced the emotional impact on learning outcome as a moderator. Lay description What is already known about this topic: Emotions and learner characteristics are assumed to influence multimedia learning., There are inconsistent results on emotional impact on multimedia learning., Cognitive resources were shown to be predictors of learning outcomes., There are inconsistent results on how much learners' personality predicts learning., What this paper adds: Negative emotions can lead to higher learning outcomes than positive emotions., Cognitive resources are significant predictors for learning outcomes., Openness to experience predicts learning outcomes., Neuroticism enhances the emotional impact on multimedia learning., Implications for practice and/or policy: Learner characteristics and emotions influence multimedia learning., A very positive emotional state can be harmful to learning., Learners' personality can enhance emotional impact on multimedia learning., Learning environments should be designed to attract learners' curiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the transition from higher education to work in comparative perspective has attracted increasing attention from scholars and practitioners alike. Previous studies reveal similarities and differences in labour market outcomes across countries, but explanatory frameworks mainly refer to fields of study, whereas differences by types of institutions and types of degrees remain largely descriptive. Therefore, this paper specifically focuses on these institutional structures by arguing that the institutional stratification of higher education systems is crucial for shaping graduate employment prospects. More specifically, it is assumed that the higher the vertical differentiation of types of institutions or types of degrees, the stronger the differences of employment outcomes. This assumption is tested empirically by analysing two country cases most different in the institutional set-up of their higher education systems: Germany and Britain. By applying hazard models to the German Socio-Economic Panel and two British cohort studies (NCDS and BCS70), the paper shows that the vertical differentiation of British higher education institutions and degrees differentiates the transitions to the service class more strongly than in Germany. Thus, for understanding transition patterns from higher education to work in comparative perspective, it is necessary to take into account the institutional structure of higher education systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines to what extent the participation of researchers in transnational academic mobility, their experiences and perceived outcomes vary by gender. Based on longitudinal statistics, original survey data and semi-structured interviews with former visiting researchers in Germany, the paper shows that the academic world of female researchers tends to be less international than that of their male colleagues, particularly in the natural sciences. This situation has improved since the 1980s but significant variations remain by source country, subject, career stage and length of stay. The paper argues that the underlying reasons go far beyond direct gender relationships and suggests that conceptualising transnational academic mobility as an integral part of mobilisation processes in Latourian 'centres of calculation' underlines the need for making this experience accessible to the widest possible range of researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper on gender inequality in higher education Buchman and DiPrete (2006) assume that the decrease in the gender gap in college completion in the US can partly be explained by changes in the allocation of familial resources in favour of women. However, they do not test this hypothesis empirically. In this paper I examine the effects of sibling sex composition on the graduation of women in more detail by analysing data from the German Life History Study. I assume that resources are the key issue to explaining the effects of sibling configuration on educational attainment. Tertiary education is a good case for testing sex composition effects due to the unequal distribution of resources between and within families, because the direct costs and opportunity costs of higher education are relatively high compared to those of earlier educational decisions. Accordingly, I expect that working class daughters are most likely to be disadvantaged if they are raised with brothers. The empirical results show that in fact, not the presence of a brother as such hinders educational attainment of sisters, but older brothers have a negative influence on their sisters chances of graduation. In accordance to the hypothesis, this effect is stronger for university graduation than for graduation at Fachhochschule. For social class differences in sibling effects it turns out that working class daughters are particularly less likely to graduate compared to service class daughters if there are older brothers in the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]