Futures of area-based initiatives in German education: results from a quantitative Delphi survey

Abstract

To support schools, improve learning outcomes, create innovative learning opportunities, and reduce social disadvantage, many countries have introduced policies to mandate or incentivize educational networks in the last decade. This study focuses on Germany, where around 80% of municipalities established area-based initiative (ABI) structures following a broad range of ABIs. However, research has revealed a gap between intentions and implementation: There is a strong bias toward governance structures, while educational aims have not been achieved.To provide a foundation for purposeful development, a Delphi study has been conducted. Based on a sample of 180 nationwide ABI experts, data was collected in two steps using an online questionnaire on preferred and probable developments in crucial ABI fields. Statistical analyses offer insights into the relation between desirability and expectation and the degree of consensus or divergence among experts. The study shows that after 10 years of experience, the discrepancy between intentions and implementation is expected to remain. Further, it reveals tendencies on the level of governance and thereby contributes to identifying the scope of ABIs. The study concludes that, for future development, it is necessary to define ABIs’ contributions to their initial aims and to reassess their legitimacy.

Options for making responsive future strategy to foster sustainability transitions in the German agri-food sector: a Delphi-based approach

“…Secondly, studies delving deeper into discrepancies e.g., between desirability and probability or contested opinions, could offer more concrete recommendations for action [17,20,27,44,58]. This could complement research by showing for instance,how proactive strategies can be developed that not only help to act more sustainably in the presence of less desirable scenariosnot only [6] but also to move from less desirable to more desirable scenarios.…”

“…Nevertheless, the Foresight literature also points out limitations that can impede the valuable analytical toolbox from fully contributing to sustainability transitions by inspiring research and innovation agendas. Firstly, current studies are calling for a more nuanced assessment of future options, such as by looking at combinations within future options or working out more specific instructions from different viewpoints [16,20,39]. However, this imperative remains only partially addressed in current practices.…”

“…Additionally, even though it has been highlighted several years ago [28], current research still emphasizes the need to focus more on projections that have, for instance, a higher desirability but a lower probability [25]. Furthermore, in studies addressing discrepancies [17,20,27], a deeper elaboration of concrete proposals to help decision-makers act on the results remains limited [6,80]. Consequently, there is a risk that valuable knowledge for promoting sustainable transitions is left undiscovered, such as on how reactions can be encouraged in the absence of consensus [58].…”

«Skolen har jo som mandat å utjevne sosial ulikhet» – lærerpraksis i en utjevningspolitisk kontekst

“…Vi kan ikke se at det finnes studier som undersøker hvordan områdesatsinger relaterer til laereres praksis i skolen. Dette framstår også som tilfellet internasjonalt, til tross for at ulike utdanningsorienterte områdesatsinger har blitt gjennomført i land som England (Dyson et al, 2012;Rees et al, 2007), Tyskland (Duveneck et al, 2021) og Sverige (Bunar, 2011). For å sette søkelyset på hvordan områdesatsinger relaterer til laereres praksis i skolen, tar vi i denne artikkelen utgangspunkt i et teoretisk perspektiv som beskriver forholdet mellom skolepolitikk og laererpraksis.…”