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The educational disadvantages of migrant students are a persistent problem in many Western countries. Against this background, policymakers often call for more diversity in the teacher workforce, arguing that migrant students might benefit from being taught by migrant teachers. Despite the popularity of this claim, there is almost no research-based rationale for increasing the diversity of teachers in Europe. This paper is a step toward filling this research gap for Germany, aiming to assess whether migrant teachers reduce ethnic educational disadvantages. Our analyses are based on a nationally representative large-scale assessment of ninth graders that provides information on the migration status of both students and teachers, with achievement tests and teacher-assigned grades in German as dependent variables. The results run contrary to widely held expectations, indicating little evidence that migrant students benefit from being taught by migrant teachers.

Despite the benefits of a PhD for degree-holders as well for society as a whole, doctoral student attrition is a common phenomenon. Unfortunately, the empirical literature on dropout from doctoral education is scant, especially for non-US countries--an omission we address in the current study. Building on Tinto's model of student attrition and rational choice theory, the study empirically assesses the association of different individual, institutional, and external factors with the propensity to leave doctoral studies. Unlike most studies in the field, it draws on longitudinal data using event history modelling, observing doctoral students in multiple disciplines and a wide range of universities. The key results can be summarized as follows: In Germany, women are more likely to dropout than men. The probability of dropping out strongly depends on the discipline and the availability of a scholarship. A close contact with the supervisor and exchange with other PhDs are associated with a lower dropout probability. Moreover, having children increases dropout rates. The study findings provide first empirical guidance for interventions that can possibly help reducing dropout.

In recent years, universities have been increasingly complaining that the basic mathematics skills of new students barely satisfy the requirements of many degree courses. They criticise the high dropout rates, especially in mathematics and natural sciences degrees, and link them to the lack of basic skills of university entrants. Many universities are reacting to this problem by setting up or reorganising preparatory courses in subjects with mathematical content. School knowledge in mathematics is usually repeated in these preparatory courses. The orientation of these preparatory courses is, however, very heterogeneous and ranges from the teaching of skills to development of general competences. The type of preparatory course (e-learning or classroom based course) also varies. The effect of such preparatory courses is being examined at many universities via preliminary tests and follow-up tests. Using Kassel University as an example, we are examining the possible correlations between the examination results in maths, attendance of a preparatory course and the test results at the start of the course. We are also looking at whether correlations between the type of preparatory course, classroom-based or e-learning, and the exam results can be established. We are also interested in whether it is possible to predict the course progress with the help of a test at the start of the course. The article shows the possibilities and the limits in deriving information from data on test and exam results. This could be an interesting perspective for many universities.

Being aware of someone else's existing knowledge is a prerequisite to effectively adapting an explanation to that person's learning needs. However, such knowledge awareness introduces the potential for motivated self-evaluation based on relative knowledge, that is, for social comparison. Because favorable social comparisons are actively defended, we propose that knowledge awareness might undermine information sharing in explanation when social comparison motives are active. We tested this hypothesis in a series of experiments in which participants provided explanations to an ostensible learning partner with or without knowledge awareness. Both dispositionally and situationally motivated social comparison interacted with knowledge awareness to reduce information sharing in explanation. Intriguingly, knowledge awareness uniformly facilitated adaptation of the information that was shared to address partner knowledge deficit. These results illustrate a tension in the components of effective explanation. At the same time that knowledge awareness effectively coordinates explanation content, it can lead to knowledge hoarding by knowledgeable explainers who are motivated to rely on knowledge differences between the self and the explanation recipient for self-evaluation. (Contains 4 figures and 4 footnotes.)

The historical air pollution with halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) in Germany was assessed by investigating tree leaf and shoot samples which have been archived in the German environmental specimen bank. Samples covered the period from 1985 to 2016. 43 HFRs comprising polybrominated diphenyl ethers as well as emerging brominated and chlorinated compounds such as Dechlorane Plus, DBDPE, or DPTE, were analysed in 115 samples from ten sub sites originating from six areas characterised by different land uses, including urban as well as a background site. HFRs were observed in each sample showing the widespread distribution of HFRs in Germany in tree leaves and shoots as bioindicators of past and present atmospheric pollution. Analytes observed at elevated concentrations were BDE 209, DBDPE and DPTE. Observed HFR-levels differed between analytes as well as sampling locations, particularly prior to the year 2000. They were typically highest at conurbation areas. Concentrations at the background site often belonged to the lowest ones observed, however, lowest values were not exclusively found there. The quantification frequencies appeared to decrease from the past to most recent samples. With few exceptions, atmospheric pollution of both, legacy and emerging HFRs, decreased significantly. [Display omitted] • Archived tree samples revealed atmospheric presence of HFRs since the mid-1980s. • Concentrations of PBDEs including BDE 209 declined. • Concentrations of emerging HFRs mostly declined as well. • Temporal trends remain unclear for DBDPE and PBT. • PBDE replacement by emerging HFRs cannot be shown by their temporal trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]