Facilitating diagnostic competencies in simulation-based learning environments in the university context (COSIMA, DFG FOR 2385, 04/2017-03/2020)

Associated people:
LMU: Prof. Dr. Martin R. Fischer, Prof. Dr. Birgit J. Neuhaus, Prof. Dr. Stefan Ufer, Dr. Christian Förtsch, Maria Kramer, Julia Schauberger
TUM: Prof. Dr. Tina Seidel

During class it is important for teachers to diagnose teaching and learning situations under high time pressure and draw conclusions for the ongoing teaching process out of it. Within this process the epistemic-diagnostic activities problem identification, evidence generation, evidence evaluation and drawing conclusions occur. The project focusses on the question how conceptual-strategic knowledge that is acquired during university education can be transferred into an actual teaching performance by using a simulation-based learning environment. Even though current models describe the structure of professional knowledge (e.g. Baumert & Kunter, 2006, Blömeke et al., 2008, Jüttner et al., 2013, Shulman, 1987, Tepner et al., 2012, von Aufschnaiter & Blömeke, 2010), the question how knowledge can be transferred into performance is still open. Additionally, the influence of using a simulation-based learning environment and scaffolding-conditions needs to be scrutinized. First indications from biology education research suggest the importance of conceptual-strategic pedagogical content knowledge for reflecting video-based teaching simulations (Schmelzing et al., 2010). Also, the order of knowledge instruction might be important for developing professional knowledge (Kleickmann, 2014). Effects of using video-based simulations to support the application of pedagogical content knowledge was shown in a study from language teaching, but only when scaffolding was integrated in the learning environment (Goeze et al., 2014).
Aim of the project is to foster professional knowledge and diagnostic competences of biology teachers in the context of simulation-based learning environments. First, validity of the simulation-based learning environment is scrutinized in a pre-study. Thereafter, three main studies with different research questions are conducted:

Study 1:

What influence does professional knowledge (content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge) have on performing epistemic-diagnostic activities and the quality of diagnosing within teaching situations?

Study 2:

What influence do two different types of direct instruction (combined or serial instruction of the knowledge dimensions) have on the acquisition of professional knowledge, the performance of epistemic-diagnostic activities and die quality of diagnosis.

Study 3:

What influence does scaffolding by self-explanation prompts have on the acquisition of diagnostic competences of pre-service biology teachers with different pre-knowledge?