Improving Socio-Emotional Competencies Using a Staged Video-Based Learning Program? Results of Two Experimental Studies

Abstract

Relationship quality between teachers and their students is a critical aspect for well-being and effective learning in school. Accordingly, teacher training should promote competencies for creating and maintaining positive relationships in the classroom. The Helga Breuninger Foundation developed a video-based online training (Intus 3) that intends to focus on student teachers' interpersonal competencies by reflecting on staged videos. Although this training is well-designed, there is only little empirical evidence in general and so far no experimental research investigating the effects of Intus 3. Accordingly, we investigated whether this program is able to improve the capacities of student teachers' interpersonal competencies, affective well-being, and affective attitudes toward challenging students. We conducted two randomized experimental studies (n1 = 132, n2 = 242) within lectures in teacher education at the University of Potsdam, introducing the basics of inclusive education in two consecutive semesters. We compared groups first working with Intus 3 to waiting control groups that wrote an expository text based on empirical research discussing the relevance of teacher-student relationships with a longitudinal design with four measurement points. Latent change models showed that prior work with Intus 3 showed few effects but complex effects in comparison to the prior text work groups. In the larger and extended study 2, an increase of empathic concern was significant after the prior work with Intus 3. The results will be discussed with the perspective of the potential of further development of online training courses for affective learning for teachers and teacher students.

Analyzing Relationships Between Causal and Assessment Factors of Cognitive Load: Associations Between Objective and Subjective Measures of Cognitive Load, Stress, Interest, and Self-Concept

“…This instrument was designed to measure students' mental load and mental effort on 12 rating scale items. Besides its development in the context of student assessment in biology education, it has been widely applied in various other contexts (e.g., Nebel et al, 2016;Knigge et al, 2019). Evidence for the valid interpretation of the ratings as indicators for students' mental load and mental effort have been provided based on test content, internal structure, and relation to other variables (AERA et al, 2014).…”

Immersive virtual reality for increasing presence and empathy

“…Therefore, many researchers assert that teacher education should cultivate empathy among preservice teachers (Bullough, 2019; Jaber et al, 2018). Some interventions for this include cross‐cultural simulation, cultural immersion trips (McAllister & Irvine, 2002) and online training using staged videos (Knigge et al, 2019), but emerging technology now offers new potential ways of facilitating empathy development.…”

“If I were the mother…”: fostering perspective taking in German teacher education

“…However, there are few empirical studies on the specific promotion of perspective taking in teacher education (Goeze et al, 2013(Goeze et al, , 2014. Research has focused on perspective taking toward students or teachers, addressing teaching competencies and interactions with students in the classroom (Lane-Garon, 1998;Goeze et al, 2013Goeze et al, , 2014Knigge et al, 2019;Abacioglu et al, 2020;. For example, Knigge et al (2019) considered perspective taking and empathic concern to be part of teachers' social-emotional competence and were able to successfully promote teachers' empathic concern (but not perspective taking) toward students through a video-based learning program.…”

“…While teacher education has traditionally emphasized academic competencies, promotion of social-emotional competencies in teachers is moving to the forefront of international discussions ( Aspelin and Jonsson, 2019;Knigge et al, 2019). Perspective taking is an important social-emotional competence (Gehlbach, 2011;Knigge et al, 2019;Gehlbach et al, 2022, p. 2) and can have significant benefits. Stronger perspective taking skills are associated with better social functioning and improved social relationships (Davis, 1983, p. 115;Gehlbach et al, 2022, p. 4).…”