Development of a model of competencies required for sustainable economic performance among apprentices in business education - Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (Duratio

Development of a model of competencies required for sustainable economic performance among apprentices in business education (KONWIKA: Entwicklung und Prüfung eines Kompetenzmodells für ein nachhaltiges Wirtschaften kaufmännischer Auszubildender); Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research, November 2011 to April 2014


Project objectives and methodological approach

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the significance of education for sustainable development, but there continues to exist much theoretical and empirical uncertainty with regard to the problem of measuring the competencies required for sustainable economic performance in commercial contexts, in particular, as far as vocational education and training in this field are concerned. Thus, it is the aim of the present study to develop a respective model and subject it to empirical validation.
Sustainable development is generally understood as a form of development that meets the current societal needs without jeopardizing the needs of future generations. Internationally, the concept of sustainability is discussed in three interconnected frames of reference: economic, ecological, und social sustainability. Domain-specific vocational demands which follow from the goal of sustainable economics render the starting point for the development of a model of competencies required for sustainable economic performance among apprentices in business education. In order to circumscribe this domain, current curricula which comprise respective aims and content specifications on the one hand and job requirements in authentic business settings on the other are analyzed. The subsequent development of a domain-specific competency model for sustainable economic performance draws upon existing, empirically validated models in business education which are based on the psychology of cognition. The fact that this approach – as its name indicates – is largely restricted to narrowly defined cognitive aspects of economic performance, it is supplemented by the dimensions of affects, attitudes and values that are crucial under the perspective of the regulation of behaviour. The resulting combination of theories of cognition with Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour (1985) rests upon the assumption that intentions represent the key elements for observable behaviour.
The hypothetical competency model for sustainable economic performance will be tested by way of domain-specific tasks that can be regarded as representative of four occupations for which sustainability has particular significance: management assistance for retail services; sales assistance for retail services; freight forwarding and logistic services, and office management.
The analyses of the obtained responses are to be conducted on the basis of probabilistic test models (Item-Response-Theorie: IRT). Moreover, analyses on the basis of structural equation models are to be conducted. Proficiency scales and levels/thresholds are to be defined on the basis of item classifications a priori and subsequent predictions of item difficulties derived from regression analyses.

Coordinator:
Prof. Dr. Susan Seeber

Team members:
Christian Michaelis, M. Ed., research assistant
Hilke Weimeier, student assistant

Joint project partner:
Prof. Dr. Andreas Fischer, Leuphana-University of Lüneburg