Competence Promotion in Writing (KOFISCH) - Successful Factors in the Development and Promotion of Writing Competence of Young Adults in Transitional Systems

 

What writing tasks do young people face before and during their vocational training? How well are they prepared for those after school? These questions are being investigated by the KOFISCH research project at RWTH Aachen University. The aim is to prepare participants in vocational preparation for a future as well-qualified skilled workers.

 

KOFISCH - How the Transition to Vocational Training Works

A lack of reading and writing skills is considered as one of the biggest hurdles to the transition to vocational education and training. Many companies and providers of vocational preparation measures say that the written language skills of a large group of young people are not (or no longer) sufficient for a successful training. However, it is unclear what this means in particular: for now, there is neither an overview of the actual writing requirements in occupations with dual or school-based training nor a systematic survey of the writing skills of young people after leaving school.

The Aim is a Support Concept for the Transition System

This is where the KOFISCH research project at the Institute for Linguistics and Communication Science at the RWTH Aachen University together with the bbb Büro für berufliche Bildungsplanung, Klein & Zisenis GbR Dortmund comes in: It wants

• firstly, to examine typical writing tasks in the transition to vocational education and training
• secondly, to record typical writing difficulties of young people in this system,
• thirdly, to develop a scientifically sound approach to promoting writing in the transition system
• and fourth, to evaluate how this support can be successfully implemented in the context of vocational preparation.

Partners are the Werkstatt im Kreis Unna GmbH and the associated vocational college in the fields of hotel/catering, home economics, gardening and landscaping, wood and metal.

The Project Proceeds in the Following Steps:

The academics analyse writing tasks, types of text and the required vocabulary in the measures Workshop Year and Vocational Preparation BvB-pro at the practice partner. They research the actual writing skills of the young people there by means of participatory observation, focus groups and individual interviews. Furthermore, the project looks at behaviour that influences learning, such as the motivation to learn or general independence. The researchers also look at the didactic concept and the learning context of the two measures in order to find starting points for promoting writing in class or to open new opportunities for writing.

Based on this, the project develops a systematic approach to writing promotion in the transition system. It is to be tested in practice in three consecutive years. This also includes an approach to qualify instructors and teachers in the measures for the promotion of writing. Feedback from participants, teachers and specialists in the accompanying socio-pedagogical work will be incorporated.

At the end of the project there is a guideline for the permanent integration of the promotion of writing into the measures Workshop Year and BvB-pro. The project also develops workshops for teachers and professionals in the transition system.