ERASMUS+, ISSA-PROJECT: Improving Solutions for Student Absenteeism

The paper presents and discusses data from a qualitative study carried out in April and May 2020 with families under lockdown in Italy (N = 319) and Greece (N = 297). The research examined how confinement and restrictions on movement had impacted families’ everyday geographies (with a particular focus on ‘liminal’ places located between homes and public spaces, such as balconies, hallways, courtyards, backyards), as well as parents’ most valued public spaces and propensity (and modes) to use them. Data were analysed following a top-down thematic approach. The results suggest that restricted access to public spaces (as enforced during the Greek and Italian lockdowns) may influence the signification of domestic places, prompt remodulation of the dialectic between public and private spheres, and bring to light the social value of families’ (parents and children’s) experiences in public spaces.

In this contribution to the symposium „stressed teachers and stressed students at risk“, we focused on the student perspective of stress and coping in potentially school-absent students and delivered preliminary results, which we discussed in the context of the COR-theory

School absenteeism and –dropout impacts the social, academic and economic future of young people. The prevalence of this phenomenon differs between European countries, which indicates the importance for international cooperation, where countries can profit from each other’s experience. Above, in a fastmoving society like nowadays, it needs digital innovation to address the problem. But, in order to prevent school absenteeism internationally, it needs crosscultural assessment of factors to school absenteeism. For this purpose, data of 891 middle-adolescent students from Turkey, Greece, Spain and Germany were analyzed. In a confirmatory factor analysis eight correlated factors for school absenteeism were derived. Based on these findings, a prevention programme on social support is going to be conducted, since all of the eight factors are associated to social support from home, school and peers. Therefore, the ZEIBIprevention shall strengthen social support through a synthesis of two essential components: Game-based learning and theatre-pedagogical trainings. On the one hand, a game-based learning module in form of a Jump and Run Game is created to motivate students to interact with each other and attend school. On the other hand, theatre-pedagogical trainings aim to improve social support, mainly on the following topics: Social resources, perceiving time and self-efficacy. Altogether, these findings extend existing literature by considering more factors and different countries, but maintaining the same latent structure. More than this, the findings have an enormous social relevance, since these findings stress the importance of social support and therefore offer a scientifically based approach to preventing school absenteeism as well as school dropout in the long-run.

School absence is an important issue for middle adolescents, since the loss of education can impact their social and economic future. In the countries of the European Union (EU) the prevalence rates of school absenteeism, which indicates the importance for international cooperation. However, in order to counteract school absenteeism internationally, it needs cross-cultural assessment of factors causing school absenteeism. For this purpose, data from Turkey, Greece, Spain and Germany were analyzed. Consequently, eight factors related to school absenteeism were derived in an exploratory factor analysis. In a subsequent step, these factors were analyzed by a confirmatory factor analysis, which revealed correlated, but distinguishable factors. Altogether, these findings confirm and extend existing literature by using a different nationality and test battery. Based on these findings, a prevention programme, ZEIBI, is going to be conducted with a focus on the derived factors to school absenteeism and promoting an innovative game-based learning approach.

This is a presentation on an international prevention program aimed at reducing school absenteeism and dropout, as well as making teaching innovative and motivating through the use of theatre- and media pedagogical methods.

Begic, Petra; Bilgin, Mustafa und Buchwald, Petra The Intergalactic ZEIBI: Preventing School Absenteeism through Game-Based Learning and Theatre Pedagogy in an International Comparison Education is considered as one of the most important goods with an enormous impact on the future of young people. The EU has taken on this important issue with the following target for 2020: reducing the current rate of school absenteeism and preventing early school leaving in upper secondary education generally. However, schools by themselves cannot solve this problem. In fact, it requires international cooperation and innovative methods to prevent students from student absenteeism and - dropout. The goal of the EU is aimed to be counteracted through the intergalactic ZEIBI, a game-based learning module, which is an online Jump and Run Game with individual and collective activities. ZEIBI is an innovative method, which educates 14- to 18-year-olds on the consequences of being absent from school. The aim is to reduce the inhibition-threshold and playfully establish contact with other classmates. Also students, who are at risk of being absent from school, should more easily return to their peer group. With the help of ZEIBI, students should be motivated to take part in school and the virtual community around ZEIBI. Moreover, ZEIBI ensures a long-term effect of the prevention method, since students can play and interact with ZEIBI whenever they wish to do so. The ZEIBI- method consists of two essential components: Game-based learning and theatre-pedagogical trainings. Furthermore, the three theatrepedagogical-trainings deal with the topics of “Social Isolation vs. Social Support”, “Reflecting Personal Goals” and “Self-Efficacy” and aim to enhance students’ social competencies. All this is accomplished in the international Erasmus + project Improving Solutions for Student Absenteeism (ISSA; Projectno.: 2016-1-TR01-K201-034947) in cooperation with the following countries: Germany, Greece, Spain and Turkey. For this purpose, qualitative interviews on school absenteeism have already been conducted in every partner country and the crucial findings are embedded into the concept of ZEIBI and especially the ZEIBI-trainings. Based on this methodology the following research questions will be analyzed quantitatively, interpreted, presented and discussed at the conference. Firstly, is it possible to prevent school absenteeism through ZEIBI and enhance social skills? Secondly, how does school absenteeism and the ZEIBI-effect differ internationally? Altogether, the prevalence of school absenteeism and –drop-out and moreover the consequences of the latter, highlight the importance of ZEIBI, as a prevention method. With ZEIBI we want to bring an innovation to schools that could do both: prevent school absenteeism and promote a playful educational-game for the future. References: European Commission. (2013). Reducing early school leaving: Key messages and policy support. Final Report of the Thematic Working Group on Early School Leaving.

Bildung gilt als eines der wichtigsten Güter mit enormen Auswirkungen auf die Zukunft von jungen Menschen. Dieser bedeutsamen Thematik hat sich die EU angenommen mit folgendem Ziel für 2020: Die Reduzierung der aktuellen Schulabsentismusrate sowie die Prävention von frühzeitigen Schulabgängen in der Sekundarstufe II von 12,7% auf unter 10%. Allein kann die Institution Schule dieses Problem allerdings nicht lösen, es erfordert vielmehr internationale Zusammenarbeit und innovative Methoden. Dabei soll nicht nur die Vermittlung von Wissen, sondern ebenso die Partizipation, der Erwerb von sozialen Kompetenzen und der Umgang mit digitalen Medien verbessert werden. Die Bedeutsamkeit von letzterem ist vielen Schüler/innen bereits bewusst, da sie soziale Netzwerke und Medien nicht nur zum privaten Austausch, sondern auch zum Organisieren von Gruppenarbeiten und/oder Hausaufgaben nutzen. Das Projekt: Der intergalaktische ZEIBI soll den Problemen des Absentismus entgegenwirken und das Ziel der EU aufgreifen. Damit wird eine innovative Methode geschaffen, welche die 14- bis 18-Jährigen über die Folgen von Abwesenheit aufklärt. Durchgeführt wird dies im Rahmen des internationalen Erasmus+ Projektes ISSA: Improving Solutions for Student Absenteeism, in Kooperation mit den Ländern Türkei, Spanien und Griechenland. Hierzu wurden bereits qualitative Interviews in allen Partnerländern durchgeführt, welche in das Konzept des ZEIBI Projekts eingeflossen sind. Zudem werden quantitative Daten in Form von Online-Fragebögen zu zwei Messzeitpunkten, vor und nach der Intervention, erhoben. Inhalt der Fragebögen sind neben persönlichen Angaben unter anderem Fragen zur Familie, Freunden und Schule sowie Stressempfinden und Umgang mit diesem, Reaktanz und Stärken/Schwächen der Schüler/innen. Daraus lässt sich der Effekt der Intervention auf internationaler Ebene operationalisieren. Die ZEIBI-Intervention besteht aus drei Komponenten: Game-based learning, Theaterpädagogik und Lerneinheiten in Form von Workshops, welche Schnittstellen zur Onlineplattform bilden. Diese beinhaltet ein Jump and Run Spiel, währenddessen den Schüler/innen Fragen und Aufgaben vorgelegt werden, die auf Basis der fünf jeweils 90- minütigen Lerneinheiten der Workshops formuliert worden sind. Insgesamt beinhaltet die Intervention Online- und Offline-Aktivitäten mit sowohl individuell als auch kollektiv auszuführenden Inhalten, die inhaltlich und methodisch eng miteinander verbunden sind. Eingeleitet wird die Geschichte ZEIBIs mit seiner Notlandung auf der Erde. Sein Ziel ist es, sein Raumschiff zu reparieren. Dies ist ihm nur durch das Sammeln von Erkenntnissen über Freundschaft und das Bewusstsein über die Zukunft der Menschen auf der Erde möglich. Der User lernt ZEIBIs Geschichte pro erreichtem Level und Workshop kennen und erhält dabei durch das Lösen der Aktivitäten Futurecoints. Diese können für eigene Preise oder für Ausflüge mit der Klasse eingetauscht werden, was von ZEIBI anerkannt wird, womit auch seine Reise erfolgreich abgeschlossen ist. Umgekehrt sollen auch die Schüler/innen sich mit ZEIBI identifizieren und von seinen Erfahrungen und Misserfolgen lernen. Auf der Tagung sollen im Rahmen des Vortrags erste deskriptive und international erhobene Daten vorgestellt werden. Es wird deutlich gemacht, wo das Projekt des intergalaktischen ZEIBI ansetzen soll und wie sich dies international unterscheidet. Mit ZEIBI wollen wir eine Innovation an die Schulen bringen, die sowohl die Verminderung des Schulabsentismus erreichen könnte als auch den Unterricht durch Einsatz von medienpädagogischen Methoden interessanter und motivierender gestaltet.