Concept of diversity relevant to learning in teaching
Imke Buß
Diversity of students is often considered under classical aspects such as gender, educational background, life situation (e.g. parenthood, employment) or migration background. In the following, we will first give an overview of the research on the study situation of different student groups, i.e. the currently frequent consideration of student diversity.
Related to the composition of the student body and the study situation of parents or students with disabilities, Middendorff et al. (2013) analyze the nationwide social survey. Krenmayr (2008) and Kunadt et al. (2014) show that students with children interrupt their studies more often and thus have a longer study time. Reconciling studies and non-university responsibilities is also the focus of numerous analyses among working students (Kunadt et al. 2014; Brandstätter and Farthofer 2003; Sprietsma 2015). All these aspects deal with students' life situation and often involve gender. When it comes to students' preconditions, educational background or migration background are often in focus. El-Mafaalani (2012) uses the example of graduates from working-class backgrounds to show that parts of this group struggle with resistance and a lack of understanding towards the desire to study and distance themselves from their milieu of origin. Students from non-academic parental homes worry more about succeeding in their studies (Fischer 2015). Finally, graduates with a Turkish migration background try to meet the high educational aspirations of their families and at the same time the expectations of the majority society (El-Mafaalani 2012). Bargel (2010) shows that students are disadvantaged due to their social background, especially in terms of access to higher education. Differences in performance are hardly discernible, only the "cultural and social security in the academic milieu" has a negative impact on students' security in oral examination situations (Bargel 2010). The sensitivity of higher education and faculty to the life situations and challenges of their diverse student body is certainly a credit to this research on student diversity.
However, the question that arises in the course is which diversity aspects specifically influence the learning process and thus promote or hinder learning success. Is there a causal relationship between learning success and, for example, gender or migration background? Or are there, for example, other causes hidden behind the disadvantages experienced by foreign students or students with a migration background? How can teachers achieve the best learning outcomes for their diverse students through the design of their teaching? To answer these questions, the following is the result of an extensive literature review that focuses on the impact of diversity on teaching. The result of the analyses is the concept of diversity relevant to learning (see Figure 1). The goal of the concept is to capture important clues of student diversity that provide a kind of "lens" for instructors in designing their teaching. As a limitation, the concept does not claim to be exhaustive. Further, it is a theoretical concept that has not been empirically tested.
In their research report, Szczyrba et al. (2012) use the example of the TH Köln for the first time to show factors influencing learning under the term "learning-relevant diversity". These include, among others, students' own activity or motivation, students' self-reflection on the learning process, and interest in studying. Viebahn (2008) analyzes learning differences from the perspective of educational psychology. He differentiates numerous aspects of learning disparity, which will also be used in the following. For example, he distinguishes between cognitive (knowledge, intelligence) and affective dispositions (motives and learning attitudes) in learning dispositions. The ability to organize studies (information acquisition, learning control, etc.) varies among students, as do the reasons for their choice of studies and their interest in the subject (Viebahn 2008, pp. 27, 57). Finally, the author points out the different living conditions of students.
Figure 1: Concept of diversity relevant to learning and selected implications for learning
Literature: Artelt and Lompscher (1996); Berg et al. (2014); Buß (2016); Fischer (2015); Viebahn (2008); Corleis (2012); Szczyrba et al. (2012). Own representation.
Figure 1 summarizes the elements of diversity relevant to learning as well as selected effects of diversity on learning. The concept draws on and brings together findings from a wide range of research. The individual elements of diversity relevant to learning are presented below.
First, (1) students enter college with certain prior experiences from their previous life (e.g., from employment or study abroad experiences). Under certain circumstances, these experiences can be helpful for the individual or group learning processes and thus interesting for the teachers. Prior knowledge refers, on the one hand, to one's school or professional career, which is often measured in terms of university entrance qualifications. Prior knowledge can also refer to knowledge about the higher education system or behavior within higher education. We know from research on vocationally qualified students that this group has advantages in learning organization as well as having to overcome subject-specific challenges (e.g., in mathematics, English) (Berg et al. 2014). Depending on their educational or migration background, students and their families have different levels of information about the higher education system; this can lead to differences in the appropriate choice of subject or orientation to higher education (Viebahn 2008, p. 41 f.; Becker 2010).
The (2) learning processes are influenced by numerous psychological and social factors. The competence to learn and work in a self-directed manner facilitates both the preparation and follow-up of events and examinations as well as the independent elaboration of learning content. Weinert defines this self-direction as "the agent being able to influence gravely and momentously the essential decisions whether, what, and whereupon to learn" (Weinert 1982, p. 102). Self-direction is particularly strong in teaching formats in which the learning content or learning paths are little predetermined (e.g., in projects, in homework, or virtual teaching). However, repetition and application processes in learning for exams after well-prepared lectures also demand the control of learning processes. Learning strategies play an important role in self-directed learning. Organizing learning alone or in a learning team, critically examining or repeating and checking the success of these strategies is challenging for many students (Artelt and Lompscher 1996). Finding good learning strategies for oneself in the learning process influences learning success and can be required and encouraged by university teachers. Learning activities are supported by the motivation to carry out the study. A distinction can be made here between interest in the subject and motivation to perform (Viebahn 2008, p. 72 ff.). Meeuwisse et al. (2010) show that activating learning environments have a significant impact on the social and academic interaction of teachers with students and influence overall study success. Thus, if learning formats promote student interaction or integration (e.g., through instructor feedback or study groups), this has a positive impact on academic progress triggered by a sense of belonging to the university (Tinto 1975). This is also shown by results of a recent study at the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences (Buß 2016).
Difficulties in speech comprehension (3) are caused in courses where there is so-called "quiet noise". This noise is caused by background noise that makes it difficult to focus on the (teaching) person who is currently speaking. Students with peripheral or central hearing impairments as well as students who communicate by means of a second and foreign language are particularly affected by this (Corleis 2012). In lectures as well as in group work, teachers can take care to keep quiet noise to a minimum.
Finally, life circumstances have an impact on study behavior. Time constraints (4), for example, due to work or family responsibilities, increase the challenges of regularly attending events in a concentrated manner or finding self-study time (Van Den Berg and Hofman 2005, p. 427). Finally, multiple physical and psychological disabilities affect learning.
Brief descriptions of diversity dimensions relevant to learning can be found in this toolbox. Which teaching format, method, or exam addresses the diversity dimensions and how was analyzed in the analysis of common teaching methods. These analyses are also in the toolbox.
Literature
Artelt, C.; Lompscher, J. (1996): Learning strategies and study problems among Potsdam students. In: Lompscher & Mandl. Teaching and learning problems in university studies. Bern: Verlag Hans Huber.
Bargel, T. (2010): Barriers and disadvantages for educational upgraders. Konstanz.
Berg, H.; Grendel, T.; Haußmann, I.; Lübbe, H.; Marx, A. (2014): The transition of vocationally qualified students into higher education - Results of a model project in Rhineland-Palatinate. In: Mainzer Beiträge zur Hochschulentwicklung (20). Available online at www.studieren-ohne-abitur.de, last checked 03.02.2016.
Brandstätter, H.; Farthofer, A. (2003): Influence of employment on academic success. In: Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology A&O (47 (3)), pp. 134-145.
Buß, I. (2016): Unpublished results of a student survey within the project Open Study Model Ludwigshafen. Ludwigshafen.
Corleis, B. (2012): Activity and participation of students under the diversity aspect "impairments in language comprehension" in teaching/learning situations at universities. Paper presented at the 41st Annual Conference of the German Association for Higher Education Didactics. Mainz. Available online at www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/zq/files/2018/04/Doc-Corleis.pdf, last checked 06/17/2020.
El-Mafaalani, A. (2012): Educational climbers from disadvantaged backgrounds. Habit transformation and social mobility among natives and people of Turkish origin. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
Fischer, T. (2015): Do students without an academic educational background care more about their studies? An analysis in the context of teaching conditions. In: Kathrin Rheinländer (Ed.): Inequality-sensitive university teaching. Positions, preconditions, perspectives. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, pp. 177-197.
Krenmayr, J. (2008): Studying with a child. Female students between lecture hall and nursery. Diploma thesis. Vienna.
Kunadt, S.; Schelling, A.; Brodesser, D.; Samjeske, K. (2014): Family friendliness in practice: results from the project" Effektiv!-Für mehr Familienfreundlichkeit an deutschen Hochschulen". In: GESIS Center of Excellence - Women and Science (18), pp. 1-100.
Meeuwisse, M.; Severiens, S. E.; Born, M. P. (2010): Learning Environment, Interaction, Sense of Belonging and Study Success in Ethnically Diverse Student Groups. In: Research in Higher Education 51 (6), pp. 528-545.
Middendorff, E.; Apolinarski, B.; Poskowsky, J.; Kandulla, M.; Netz, N. (2013): The economic and social situation of students in Germany 2012: 20th Social Survey of the German Student Union conducted by the HIS Institute for Higher Education Research. Available online at www.sozialerhebung.de/download/20/soz20_hauptbericht_gesamt.pdf, last checked 25.04.2016.
Sprietsma, M. (2015): Student employment: advantage or handicap for academic achievement? Discussion Papers, 15-085. ZEW.
Szczyrba, B.; van Treeck, T.; Gerber, J. (2012): Teaching and learning diversity at Cologne University of Applied Sciences. Research report.
Tinto, V. (1975): Dropout from Higher Education: A Theoretical Synthesis of Recent Re-search. In: Review of Educational Research (45 (1)), pp. 89-125.
van den Berg, R.; Hofman, A. (2005): Student Success in University Education: A Multi-measurement Study of the Impact of Student and Faculty Factors on Study Progress. In: Higher Education 50 (3), pp. 413-446. doi: 10.1007/s10734-004-6361-1.
Viebahn, P. (2008): Learning differences and social diversity in higher education: differential higher education didactics from a psychological perspective. Bielefeld: UVW Webler.
Weinert, F. (1982): Self-directed learning as a prerequisite, method, and goal of teaching. In: Unterrichtswissenschaft (2), pp. 99-110.
Citation
Buß, Imke (2017): Taking learning-relevant diversity into account in teaching?! In: Rump, Jutta; Buß, Imke; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra: Toolbox for good teaching in a diverse student body. Working Papers of the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, No. 6. www.hwg-lu.de/arbeitspapiere
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