Das professionelle Handlungswissen von DaZ-Lehrenden in der Erwachsenenbildung am Beispiel Binnendifferenzierung : eine qualitative Studie

Das Forschungsfeld der vorliegenden Arbeit sind die Deutsch als Zweitsprache-Kurse, die im Zeitraum der Untersuchung (2002) noch vom Sprachverband Deutsch (vormals: für ausländische Arbeitnehmer) unterstützt wurden. Da sich mit diesem wichtigen und breiten Anwendungsgebiet der Fremdsprachendidaktik bisher nur wenige Studien beschäftigt haben, ist als Forschungsansatz eine explorativ-qualitative Herangehensweise gewählt worden. Die Kurse für erwachsene Einwanderer zeichnen sich durch eine große Heterogenität der Teilnehmenden aus, dementsprechend ist die zentrale Fragestellung der Studie, in der das professionelle Handlungswissen von Lehrenden erforscht wird, die Frage der Binnendifferenzierung. Ausgehend von bereits seit den siebziger Jahren des 20. Jahrhunderts vorliegenden allgemeindidaktischen Entwürfen zur Arbeit mit heterogenen Lerngruppen, in denen das Prinzip der Binnendifferenzierung entwickelt wird, werden im ersten Teil der Arbeit didaktische Möglichkeiten der Binnendifferenzierung im Deutsch als Zweitsprache-Unterricht entworfen. Ausgehend von diesem Vorverständnis ist dann die Befragung der Lehrenden durchgeführt worden, die im zweiten Teil der Arbeit dargestellt, ausgewertet und diskutiert wird. Dabei geht es nicht um eine Evaluation der Praxis anhand vorgefasster Kategorien, sondern im Gegenteil um eine explorative Erforschung des Problembereiches der Arbeit mit heterogenen Lerngruppen im Deutsch als Zweitsprache Unterricht. Anhand der am Material entwickelten Kategorien werden zentrale didaktische Gesichtspunkte herausgearbeitet, die charakteristisch für das Forschungsfeld Deutsch als Zweitsprache mit erwachsenen Einwanderern sind. Diese Kategorien sind nicht deckungsgleich mit denen, die durch die hermeneutisch orientierte Vorgehensweise im ersten Teil der Arbeit entwickelt werden konnten. Anhand dieser Diskrepanz wird das Theorie-Praxis-Verhältnis der didaktischen Forschung und Lehre aufgeschlüsselt und kritisch betrachtet. Ausblick der Arbeit ist der Verweis auf die Professionalisierungsdebatte und die Notwendigkeit einer praxisbezogenen Forschung, welche die Bedürfnisse von Lehrenden direkt einbezieht und im Sinne einer Aktionsforschung gleichzeitig zur Weiterbildung der Lehrenden beiträgt. Nur auf diesem Weg kann die Unterrichtspraxis unmittelbar weiter entwickelt werden. Aus der vorliegenden Studie ergeben sich viel versprechende Anknüpfungspunkte für kooperative Aktionsforschungsprojekte, die von den Lehrenden in den Interviews angeregt werden.

Capturing Emergent Semantics from Social Annotation Systems

The ongoing growth of the World Wide Web, catalyzed by the increasing possibility of ubiquitous access via a variety of devices, continues to strengthen its role as our prevalent information and commmunication medium. However, although tools like search engines facilitate retrieval, the task of finally making sense of Web content is still often left to human interpretation. The vision of supporting both humans and machines in such knowledge-based activities led to the development of different systems which allow to structure Web resources by metadata annotations. Interestingly, two major approaches which gained a considerable amount of attention are addressing the problem from nearly opposite directions: On the one hand, the idea of the Semantic Web suggests to formalize the knowledge within a particular domain by means of the "top-down" approach of defining ontologies. On the other hand, Social Annotation Systems as part of the so-called Web 2.0 movement implement a "bottom-up" style of categorization using arbitrary keywords. Experience as well as research in the characteristics of both systems has shown that their strengths and weaknesses seem to be inverse: While Social Annotation suffers from problems like, e. g., ambiguity or lack or precision, ontologies were especially designed to eliminate those. On the contrary, the latter suffer from a knowledge acquisition bottleneck, which is successfully overcome by the large user populations of Social Annotation Systems. Instead of being regarded as competing paradigms, the obvious potential synergies from a combination of both motivated approaches to "bridge the gap" between them. These were fostered by the evidence of emergent semantics, i. e., the self-organized evolution of implicit conceptual structures, within Social Annotation data. While several techniques to exploit the emergent patterns were proposed, a systematic analysis - especially regarding paradigms from the field of ontology learning - is still largely missing. This also includes a deeper understanding of the circumstances which affect the evolution processes. This work aims to address this gap by providing an in-depth study of methods and influencing factors to capture emergent semantics from Social Annotation Systems. We focus hereby on the acquisition of lexical semantics from the underlying networks of keywords, users and resources. Structured along different ontology learning tasks, we use a methodology of semantic grounding to characterize and evaluate the semantic relations captured by different methods. In all cases, our studies are based on datasets from several Social Annotation Systems. Specifically, we first analyze semantic relatedness among keywords, and identify measures which detect different notions of relatedness. These constitute the input of concept learning algorithms, which focus then on the discovery of synonymous and ambiguous keywords. Hereby, we assess the usefulness of various clustering techniques. As a prerequisite to induce hierarchical relationships, our next step is to study measures which quantify the level of generality of a particular keyword. We find that comparatively simple measures can approximate the generality information encoded in reference taxonomies. These insights are used to inform the final task, namely the creation of concept hierarchies. For this purpose, generality-based algorithms exhibit advantages compared to clustering approaches. In order to complement the identification of suitable methods to capture semantic structures, we analyze as a next step several factors which influence their emergence. Empirical evidence is provided that the amount of available data plays a crucial role for determining keyword meanings. From a different perspective, we examine pragmatic aspects by considering different annotation patterns among users. Based on a broad distinction between "categorizers" and "describers", we find that the latter produce more accurate results. This suggests a causal link between pragmatic and semantic aspects of keyword annotation. As a special kind of usage pattern, we then have a look at system abuse and spam. While observing a mixed picture, we suggest that an individual decision should be taken instead of disregarding spammers as a matter of principle. Finally, we discuss a set of applications which operationalize the results of our studies for enhancing both Social Annotation and semantic systems. These comprise on the one hand tools which foster the emergence of semantics, and on the one hand applications which exploit the socially induced relations to improve, e. g., searching, browsing, or user profiling facilities. In summary, the contributions of this work highlight viable methods and crucial aspects for designing enhanced knowledge-based services of a Social Semantic Web.

Decision‐Making in Public Good Dilemmas: Theory and Agent‐Based Simulation

In many real world contexts individuals find themselves in situations where they have to decide between options of behaviour that serve a collective purpose or behaviours which satisfy one’s private interests, ignoring the collective. In some cases the underlying social dilemma (Dawes, 1980) is solved and we observe collective action (Olson, 1965). In others social mobilisation is unsuccessful. The central topic of social dilemma research is the identification and understanding of mechanisms which yield to the observed cooperation and therefore resolve the social dilemma. It is the purpose of this thesis to contribute this research field for the case of public good dilemmas. To do so, existing work that is relevant to this problem domain is reviewed and a set of mandatory requirements is derived which guide theory and method development of the thesis. In particular, the thesis focusses on dynamic processes of social mobilisation which can foster or inhibit collective action. The basic understanding is that success or failure of the required process of social mobilisation is determined by heterogeneous individual preferences of the members of a providing group, the social structure in which the acting individuals are contained, and the embedding of the individuals in economic, political, biophysical, or other external contexts. To account for these aspects and for the involved dynamics the methodical approach of the thesis is computer simulation, in particular agent-based modelling and simulation of social systems. Particularly conductive are agent models which ground the simulation of human behaviour in suitable psychological theories of action. The thesis develops the action theory HAPPenInGS (Heterogeneous Agents Providing Public Goods) and demonstrates its embedding into different agent-based simulations. The thesis substantiates the particular added value of the methodical approach: Starting out from a theory of individual behaviour, in simulations the emergence of collective patterns of behaviour becomes observable. In addition, the underlying collective dynamics may be scrutinised and assessed by scenario analysis. The results of such experiments reveal insights on processes of social mobilisation which go beyond classical empirical approaches and yield policy recommendations on promising intervention measures in particular.

Normative and cognitive influences on female entrepreneurial reluctance at the base of the pyramid - an explorative study of cleaning ladies in Istanbul

Previous research has considered entrepreneurship as a way out of poverty and as a chance to foster economic growth. Moreover, specifically start-ups headed by women have played an important role in the economic development and it has been argued that gender-related issues, amongst others, play a significant role for the performance of a country or region. Against this background, this qualitative study explores desires, reluctances and constraints toward entrepreneurial activities of a comparably homogenous group of potential (poor) entrepreneurs in an emerging economy—cleaning ladies in Istanbul. We focus on this particular context as still rather little is known on reasons why women do not start a business (in Turkey). We believe exploring the reasons why certain individuals choose not to become entrepreneurs is at least as telling as investigating why they do so. We draw upon the social dimensions of entrepreneurship by Shapero and Sokol (1982) alongside Institutional Theory and posit that normative and cognitive forces may shape individual decisions on entrepreneurship. We identified two basic clusters of women and discuss possible hindrance factors undermining entrepreneurial desires and limitations for entrepreneurship as well as possible avenues for policy makers (and MNCs) to foster entrepreneurship in the given community.

Urban and peri-urban agricultural production along railway tracks: a case study from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region

Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) contributes to food security, serves as an opportunity for income generation, and provides recreational services to urban citizens. With a population of 21 Million people, of which 60 % live in slums, UPA activities can play a crucial role in supporting people’s livelihoods in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). This study was conducted to characterize the railway gardens, determine their role in UPA production, and assess potential risks. It comprises a baseline survey among 38 railway gardeners across MMR characterized by different demographic, socio-economic, migratory, and labour characteristics. Soil, irrigation water, and plant samples were analyzed for nutrients, heavy metals, and microbial load. All the railway gardeners practiced agriculture as a primary source of income and cultivated seasonal vegetables such as lady’s finger (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench), spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), red amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.), and white radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus) which were irrigated with waste water. This irrigation water was loaded with 7–28 mg N l^(−1), 0.3–7 mg P l^(−1), and 8–32 mg K l^(−1), but also contained heavy metals such as lead (0.02–0.06 mg Pb l^(−1)), cadmium (0.03–0.17 mg Cd l^(−1)), mercury (0.001–0.005 mg Hg l^(−1)), and pathogens such as Escherichia coli (1,100 most probable number per 100 ml). Levels of heavy metals exceeded the critical thresholds in surface soils (Cr, Ni, and Sr) and produce (Pb, Cd, and Sr). The railway garden production systems can substantially foster employment and reduce economic deprivation of urban poor particularly slum dwellers and migrant people. However this production system may also cause possible health risks to producers and consumers.

Förderung des Leseverständnisses durch Lesestrategien: Eine Interventionsstudie in der Grundschule

Anliegen dieser Dissertation ist die Untersuchung des Einflusses eines Lesestrategietrainings auf die Entwicklung des Leseverständnisses in den Klassen 2 und 4. In einer experimentellen Studie mit Prä-Post-Test-Design wurde die Wirksamkeit eines 25 Sitzungen umfassenden Trainings der Strategien Vorhersagen, kleinschrittiges Wiederholen und Zusammenfassen den Effekten einer lesefernen Kontrollbedingung gegenübergestellt. Die Lesestrategien wurden peergestützt vermittelt, d. h. in Dyaden aus einem leseschwächeren und einem lesestärkeren Kind. In drei Teilstudien wurden Fragestellungen zur differenzierten Analyse der Trainingswirksamkeit untersucht: (1) Wird die Trainingswirksamkeit durch die Effizienz der Worterkennungsprozesse beeinflusst?, (2) Kann die Entwicklung der Leseflüssigkeit durch das Lesestrategietraining gefördert werden? und (3) Können leseschwache Kinder von der Zusammenarbeit mit lesestärkeren Tutor(inn)en hinsichtlich der Verbesserung ihres Leseverständnisses profitieren?. Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation sprechen dafür, dass das eingesetzte peergestützte Lesestrategietraining das Leseverständnis und die Leseflüssigkeit von Zweit- und Viertklässler(inne)n unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen positiv beeinflussen konnte. Die Leseleistungen vor dem Training, die Effizienz der Worterkennungsprozesse und die Rolle im dyadischen Lernen erwiesen sich als relevante Einflussfaktoren für die Wirksamkeit des Strategietrainings. Zweitklässler(innen), die aufgrund guter Prä-Test Leseleistungen die Tutor(inn)enrolle erhielten, konnten ihr Leseverständnis gegenüber Kindern mit gleichen Leseleistungen in der Kontrollbedingung signifikant steigern. Leseschwache Zweitklässler(innen) hingegen schienen nur bei (relativ) effizienten Worterkennungsprozessen die Lesestrategien zur Steigerung ihres globalen Leseverständnisses nutzen zu können, wobei sie keinen Zugewinn aus der dyadischen Zusammenarbeit ziehen konnten. Bei ineffizienten Worterkennungsprozessen hatte das Strategietraining negative Auswirkungen auf das allgemeine Leseverständnis. Anders in Klasse 4: Kinder, die aufgrund unterdurchschnittlicher Leseleistungen im Prä-Test als Tutand(inn)en am Training teilnahmen, verbesserten ihr Leseverständnis und konnten dabei von der Zusammenarbeit mit lesestarken Tutor(inn)en profitieren. Für die Tutor(inn)en in Klasse 4 zeigte sich kein Effekt des Strategietrainings gegenüber der Kontrollgruppe. In beiden Klassenstufen stellte sich im Verlauf des Strategietrainings eine schnellere Entwicklung der Leseflüssigkeit der schwachen Leser(innen) ein. Zusammengefasst erzielte das Training die größten Effekte für gute Leser(innen) in Klasse 2 und schwache Leser(innen) in Klasse 4 – beide Gruppen konnten ihr Leseverständnis praktisch bedeutsam gegenüber Kindern mit gleichen Leseleistungen in der Kontrollbedingung steigern.

From evolution to co-evolution – An empirical study of the role of innovation, policy and public research in industrial dynamics

In the past decades since Schumpeter’s influential writings economists have pursued research to examine the role of innovation in certain industries on firm as well as on industry level. Researchers describe innovations as the main trigger of industry dynamics, while policy makers argue that research and education are directly linked to economic growth and welfare. Thus, research and education are an important objective of public policy. Firms and public research are regarded as the main actors which are relevant for the creation of new knowledge. This knowledge is finally brought to the market through innovations. What is more, policy makers support innovations. Both actors, i.e. policy makers and researchers, agree that innovation plays a central role but researchers still neglect the role that public policy plays in the field of industrial dynamics. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to learn more about the interdependencies of innovation, policy and public research in industrial dynamics. The overarching research question of this dissertation asks whether it is possible to analyze patterns of industry evolution – from evolution to co-evolution – based on empirical studies of the role of innovation, policy and public research in industrial dynamics. This work starts with a hypothesis-based investigation of traditional approaches of industrial dynamics. Namely, the testing of a basic assumption of the core models of industrial dynamics and the analysis of the evolutionary patterns – though with an industry which is driven by public policy as example. Subsequently it moves to a more explorative approach, investigating co-evolutionary processes. The underlying questions of the research include the following: Do large firms have an advantage because of their size which is attributable to cost spreading? Do firms that plan to grow have more innovations? What role does public policy play for the evolutionary patterns of an industry? Are the same evolutionary patterns observable as those described in the ILC theories? And is it possible to observe regional co-evolutionary processes of science, innovation and industry evolution? Based on two different empirical contexts – namely the laser and the photovoltaic industry – this dissertation tries to answer these questions and combines an evolutionary approach with a co-evolutionary approach. The first chapter starts with an introduction of the topic and the fields this dissertation is based on. The second chapter provides a new test of the Cohen and Klepper (1996) model of cost spreading, which explains the relationship between innovation, firm size and R&D, at the example of the photovoltaic industry in Germany. First, it is analyzed whether the cost spreading mechanism serves as an explanation for size advantages in this industry. This is related to the assumption that the incentives to invest in R&D increase with the ex-ante output. Furthermore, it is investigated whether firms that plan to grow will have more innovative activities. The results indicate that cost spreading serves as an explanation for size advantages in this industry and, furthermore, growth plans lead to higher amount of innovative activities. What is more, the role public policy plays for industry evolution is not finally analyzed in the field of industrial dynamics. In the case of Germany, the introduction of demand inducing policy instruments stimulated market and industry growth. While this policy immediately accelerated market volume, the effect on industry evolution is more ambiguous. Thus, chapter three analyzes this relationship by considering a model of industry evolution, where demand-inducing policies will be discussed as a possible trigger of development. The findings suggest that these instruments can take the same effect as a technical advance to foster the growth of an industry and its shakeout. The fourth chapter explores the regional co-evolution of firm population size, private-sector patenting and public research in the empirical context of German laser research and manufacturing over more than 40 years from the emergence of the industry to the mid-2000s. The qualitative as well as quantitative evidence is suggestive of a co-evolutionary process of mutual interdependence rather than a unidirectional effect of public research on private-sector activities. Chapter five concludes with a summary, the contribution of this work as well as the implications and an outlook of further possible research.

Finding Spaces for Urban Food Production – Matching Spatial and Stakeholder Analysis with Urban Agriculture Approaches in the Urban Renewal Area of Dortmund-Hörde, Germany

Using the case of an economically declined neighbourhood in the post-industrial German Ruhr Area (sometimes characterized as Germany’s “Rust Belt”), we analyse, describe and conclude how urban agriculture can be used as a catalyst to stimulate and support urban renewal and regeneration, especially from a socio-cultural perspective. Using the methodological framework of participatory action research, and linking bottom-up and top-down planning approaches, a project path was developed to include the population affected and foster individual responsibility for their district, as well as to strengthen inhabitants and stakeholder groups in a permanent collective stewardship for the individual forms of urban agriculture developed and implemented. On a more abstract level, the research carried out can be characterized as a form of action research with an intended transgression of the boundaries between research, planning, design, and implementation. We conclude that by synchronously combining those four domains with intense feedback loops, synergies for the academic knowledge on the potential performance of urban agriculture in terms of sustainable development, as well as the benefits for the case-study area and the interests of individual urban gardeners can be achieved.