Volume 44, Issue 3

This paper presents ethnographic data on the use of learning materials in science education at the secondary school level. In science classes teachers and students transform ambiguous things into clearly defined and independent objects. This objectification of things is achieved in the course of three distinct phases: first, learning materials are prepared in an experimental set-up in designated rooms; second, they are put into practice when experiments are conducted; and, third, they are transferred to language and signs on the blackboard and in notebooks. This practical achievement is stabilized via an asymmetric distribution of activities and the design of learning materials. In relying on an epistemological paradigm that emphasizes visual appraisal at a distance science classes perpetuate a perspective in which cultural subjects and material objects are clearly distinguished.

This contribution traces the discursive construction of the humanistic notion of “Bildung” and the transformation of the field of the German humanities since the beginning of the 19 th century. On the basis of academic self-reflection within the humanities, the analysis investigates in what way this discursive construction has responded to changes in the broader social field in which it is embedded. At the same time, this discourse shows a remarkable persistence in the face of social change. The historically stable topoi of a “Bildung” that is decidedly “free” and “scientific” are elements of a strategy of academic positioning and distinction that favors the humanities. In light of the current rather lopsided focus on natural and technical sciences within the sociology of science, this paper addresses a research gap by contributing to a sociological understanding of the German humanities.

Demographic change has contributed to new models of school structure in Germany in recent years. This article investigates whether the changing number of pupils has also had an effect on individual educational opportunities. Using data from Federal Statistical Office we evaluate the effect of demographic change on how many students can transfer to and remain in an academic-track upper secondary school (Gymnasium). Our units of analysis are the German federal states from 1949 to 2012 and the German counties (Kreise) from 1995 to 2012. By means of fixed effects models we show that declining numbers of pupils increase the chances of transition to and remaining in an upper secondary school. With respect to underlying mechanisms, we discuss the effects of favorable pupil-teacher ratios and of municipal interests in maintaining the viability of local secondary schools in a period of demographic decline.

In this contribution the findings of a recent study published in this journal by Skarbek-Kozietulska, Preisendörfer and Wolter (2012) on the validity of answers supplied by delinquent respondents are further investigated. Skarbek-Kozietulska et al. found a negative latency effect suggesting that, in particular, late respondents deny their delinquent behavior. They reasoned that the negative latency effect could be correlated with certain characteristics of the tailored design method (TDM) without themselves being able to offer empirical support for this contention. In an analysis of experimental data we try to clarify whether monetary incentives as a further element of TDM could also be a significant cause for the negative latency effect. On the basis of our data, such an explanation can be rejected.