Bildungschancen von Grundschülern: Die Bedeutung des Klassen- und Schulkontextes am Übergang auf die Sekundarstufe I

Do context characteristics of class and school have an impact on elementary school pupils’ educational opportunities in addition to the confirmed individual effects of social origin and academic performance? The paper investigates the influence of the contextual performance- and SES-level as well as of the ethnic composition of the context on the probability of (1) obtaining a recommendation for higher secondary schools (Gymnasium) and (2) effectively attending a higher secondary school. To this end, we base our theoretical framework on the distinction between primary and secondary effects, as introduced by Boudon (1974), and extend it by a contextual perspective, as well as the related decisions of parents and teachers. The analyses are based on a survey of all 4^th graders of elementary schools in the city of Wiesbaden (Germany) during the school year 2006/07. The context effects are modelled by using logistic multilevel models. The results show that the affiliation to both school- and class context explains about 10 per cent of the total variance of academic achievement. Additionally, there is evidence that the context effects significantly influence the individual educational opportunities in particular when the individual marks are controlled for (secondary context effects). Furthermore, especially the SES-related context composition influences the educational outcomes when controlling for relevant individual variables. With respect to the accomplished transitions to the Gymnasium, the performance level of the school also has significant impact. Contrary to previous studies, we could not detect any effect of the ethnic composition of the context when SES is controlled for. While there are effects of the class context as well as of the school context with the educational recommendation as dependent variable, only the school context is of relevance concerning the effectively attained school transition.     

Sounding the Holocaust,silencing the city: memorial soundscapes in today’s Berlin

Silence appears frequently in discourses of the Holocaust – as a metaphorical absence, a warning against forgetting, or simply the only appropriate response. But powerful though these meanings are, they often underplay the ambiguity of silence’s signifying power. This article addresses the liminality of silence through an analysis of its richly textured role in the memorial soundscapes of Berlin. Beyond an aural version of erasure, unspeakability, or the space for reflection upon it, I argue that these silent spaces must always be heard as part of their surrounding urban environment, refracting wider spatial practices and dis/order. When conventions are reversed – when the present is silent – the past can resound in surprising and provocative ways, collapsing spatial and temporal borders and escaping the ritualized boundaries of formal commemoration. This is explored through four different memorial situations: the disturbing resonances within the Holocaust Memorial; the transgressive processes of a collective silent walk; Gleis 17 railway memorial’s opening up of heterotopic ‘gaps’ in time; and sounded/silent history in the work of singer Tania Alon. Each of these examples, in different ways, frames a slippage between urban sound and memorial silence, creating a parallel symbolic space that the past and the present can inhabit simultaneously. In its unpredictable fluidity, silence becomes a mobile and subversive force, producing an imaginative space that is ambiguous, affective and deeply meaningful. A closer attention to these different practices of listening disrupts a top-down, strategic discourse of silence as conventionally emblematic of reflection and distance. The contemporary urban soundscape that slips through the silent cracks problematizes the narrative hegemony of memorial itself.     

Rewilding in the Garden: are garden hybrid plants (cultivars) less resilient to the effects of hydrological extremes than their parent species? A case study with Primula

Urban Ecosystems - Urban green infrastructure, such as gardens, can mitigate some of the consequences of climate change, e.g. reducing flash-flooding or urban heat islands. Green infrastructure,...     

Midwives and clinical investigation: A review of the literature

Background

An allegation of negligence or an adverse outcome during childbirth can lead to clinical investigation of a midwife’s practice. Anecdotal evidence suggests midwives find this stressful and disturbing.

Between the village and the global city: the production and decay of translocal spaces of Thai migrant workers in Singapore

This paper explores the mobilities and structural moorings of Thai labour migrants in Singapore from a translocal perspective. We argue that combining the mobilities paradigm with the concept of translocality offers a fruitful avenue of investigation not only of the production of translocal spaces, but also of their temporality and mutability. Through a multi-sited research approach we shed light on the genesis as well as the decay of translocal connections. This paper shows that translocal structures are important moorings of migration, and raises the question of what happens to translocal spaces when migration flows dissolve.     

Mediating Role of Psychological Capital in the Relationship between Social Support and Wellbeing of Refugees

This study examines the relationship between social support from work and non‐work domains and the wellbeing of refugee employees. In addition, it examines the mediating influence of psychological capital on these relationships. Using data from 190 refugee employees living in Australia, we find that while perceived organizational support and perceived family support are positively related to the wellbeing of refugee employees, the relationship between perceived supervisor support and wellbeing is not significant. Additionally, while we find that PsyCap fully mediates the relationship between perceived organizational support and wellbeing, it only partially mediates the relationship between perceived family support and wellbeing.     

Attitudes Toward Aging and Retirement Homes Before and After Entry Into a Retirement Home

The change of one's habitual living conditions in favor of institutionalized living in a retirement home can be a stressful event. Therefore, the question arises: How does entry into a retirement home affect attitudes toward one's life and aging and toward retirement homes? In order to answer this question, we used longitudinal data from 53 older individuals who were surveyed before and after entry into a retirement home. The data revealed that attitudes toward one's life and aging changed negatively and attitudes toward retirement homes changed positively; however, there are gains and losses in both attitudes.     

Retaining Critical Human Capital: Volunteer Firefighters in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Effective delivery of services for the public good involves a multiplicity of organizations and actors, including those from the public, nonprofit, and private sectors. In some cases, service delivery is accomplished using programs that directly engage volunteers, including key public services like community-based and nonprofit volunteer fire departments. Volunteers in fire departments—often highly engaged volunteers with specialized training—provide vital services for a substantial portion of the United States, allowing local governments to realize considerable cost savings. Thus, issues of volunteer retention are a critical challenge for fire departments. Existing research has addressed issues of retention in a variety of settings; we argue that the challenging and particular context of fire departments is worthy of focused research. This article is an exploratory study of the predictors of voluntary firefighter retention in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We use data from a web-based survey of volunteer firefighters to examine the factors that influence volunteer retention, focusing specifically on volunteer management practices and broader job-related concepts. Results indicate that volunteer training, performance management, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment influence both short- and mid-term intent to remain, indicating that management practices and programs, as well as other contextual factors that shape satisfaction and commitment, are important in retaining volunteers.