Educational Systems and Gender Segregation in Education: A Three-Country Comparison of Germany, Norway and Canada

How do institutional settings and their embedded policy principles affect gender-typed enrolment in educational programmes? Based on gender-sensitive theories on career choice, we hypothesised that gender segregation in education is higher with a wider range of offers of vocational programmes. By analysing youth survey and panel data, we tested this assumption for Germany, Norway and Canada, three countries whose educational systems represent a different mix of academic, vocational and universalistic education principles. We found that vocational programmes are considerably more gender-segregated than are academic (e.g. university) programmes. Men, more so than women, can avoid gender-typed programmes by passing on to a university education. This in turn means that as long as their secondary school achievement does not allow for a higher education career, they have a higher likelihood of being allocated to male-typed programmes in the vocational education and training (VET) system. In addition, social background and the age at which students have to choose educational offers impact on the transition to gendered educational programmes. Overall, gender segregation in education is highest in Germany and the lowest in Canada. We interpret the differences between these countries with respect to the constellations of educational principles and policies in the respective countries.

Feasibility and acceptance of electronic quality of life assessment in general practice: an implementation study

Background Patients' health related quality of life (HRQoL) has rarely been systematically monitored in general practice. Electronic tools and practice training might facilitate the routine application of HRQoL questionnaires. Thorough piloting of innovative procedures is strongly recommended before the conduction of large-scale studies. Therefore, we aimed to assess i) the feasibility and acceptance of HRQoL assessment using tablet computers in general practice, ii) the perceived practical utility of HRQoL results and iii) to identify possible barriers hindering wider application of this approach. Methods Two HRQoL questionnaires (St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire SGRQ and EORTC QLQ-C30) were electronically presented on portable tablet computers. Wireless network (WLAN) integration into practice computer systems of 14 German general practices with varying infrastructure allowed automatic data exchange and the generation of a printout or a PDF file. General practitioners (GPs) and practice assistants were trained in a 1-hour course, after which they could invite patients with chronic diseases to fill in the electronic questionnaire during their waiting time. We surveyed patients, practice assistants and GPs regarding their acceptance of this tool in semi-structured telephone interviews. The number of assessments, HRQoL results and interview responses were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results Over the course of 1 year, 523 patients filled in the electronic questionnaires (1–5 times; 664 total assessments). On average, results showed specific HRQoL impairments, e.g. with respect to fatigue, pain and sleep disturbances. The number of electronic assessments varied substantially between practices. A total of 280 patients, 27 practice assistants and 17 GPs participated in the telephone interviews. Almost all GPs (16/17 = 94%; 95% CI = 73–99%), most practice assistants (19/27 = 70%; 95% CI = 50–86%) and the majority of patients (240/280 = 86%; 95% CI = 82–91%) indicated that they would welcome the use of electronic HRQoL questionnaires in the future. GPs mentioned availability of local health services (e.g. supportive, physiotherapy) (mean: 9.4 ± 1.0 SD; scale: 1 – 10), sufficient extra time (8.9 ± 1.5) and easy interpretation of HRQoL results (8.6 ± 1.6) as the most important prerequisites for their use. They believed HRQoL assessment facilitated both communication and follow up of patients' conditions. Practice assistants emphasised that this process demonstrated an extra commitment to patient centred care; patients viewed it as a tool, which contributed to the physicians' understanding of their personal condition and circumstances. Conclusion This pilot study indicates that electronic HRQoL assessment is technically feasible in general practices. It can provide clinically significant information, which can either be used in the consultation for routine care, or for research purposes. While GPs, practice assistants and patients were generally positive about the electronic procedure, several barriers (e.g. practices' lack of time and routine in HRQoL assessment) need to be overcome to enable broader application of electronic questionnaires in every day medical practice.

Lernprozesse dokumentieren, reflektieren und beurteilen. Lerntagebuch und Portfolio in Bildungsforschung und Bildungspraxis

Die Beiträge greifen "den Wandel von einer Lehr- hin zu einer Lernkultur" auf und konzentrieren sich dabei auf "zwei Indikatoren dieses Wandels: die Einführung von Lerntagebüchern und die Implementierung von Portfolios im Bildungsbereich, und zwar im schulischen Unterricht, in der Lehrer-Grundausbildung sowie in der Weiterbildung. Der Lerntagebuch- und Portfolio-Ansatz implizieren eine bestimmte Haltung gegenüber dem Lernen und Lehren. Der Einsatz von Tagebüchern und Portfolios führt Lehrende dazu, ihren Unterricht für neue Zugänge zu öffnen und ihre Rolle als Lernbegleiter/innen und -berater/innen zu professionalisieren. Andererseits erfordern Tagebücher und Portfolios von Lernenden eine aktive, selbstreflexive und eigenverantwortliche Auseinandersetzung mit ihrem Lernprozess. In diesem Band werden zum einen praxisbezogene Erfahrungen, zum anderen aktuelle Erkenntnisse aus der Forschung zum Potenzial des Lerntagebuch- und Portfolio-Ansatzes präsentiert. Jeweils drei bis fünf Beiträge zum Kontext Schule, Hochschule und Weiterbildung sind drei Hauptteilen zugeordnet: 1. Grundüberlegungen zur neuen Lernkultur und zur Arbeit mit Lerntagebuch bzw. Portfolio; 2. Lerntagebücher in Forschung und Praxis; 3. Portfolios in Forschung und Praxis.