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Die nachhaltige und zielgerichtete Förderung naturwissenschaftlicher Talente stellt ein wichtiges bildungspolitisches Ziel dar, um der stetig wachsenden Nachfrage an qualifizierten Fachkräften im naturwissenschaftlich-technischen Bereich nachzukommen. Als eine geeignete Fördermaßnahme haben sich naturwissenschaftliche Schülerwettbewerbe erwiesen, über deren Anforderungen und Merkmale ihrer Teilnehmenden nur wenige Erkenntnisse vorliegen. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Dissertation wurde für die Charakterisierung der Anforderungen naturwissenschaftlicher Schülerwettbewerbe ein Klassifikationsschema für Wettbewerbsaufgaben entwickelt und validiert, anhand dessen die Anforderungen der Internationalen JuniorScienceOlympiade (IJSO) analysiert wurden. Des Weiteren wurden die Anforderungen des Wettbewerbs Jugend forscht/ Schüler experimentieren untersucht. Zur Charakterisierung von Teilnehmenden naturwissenschaftlicher Schülerwettbewerbe wurde ein Testinstrument für naturwissenschaftliche Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten entwickelt, validiert und eingesetzt. Zusätzlich wurden Prädiktoren ermittelt, die die Teilnahme an und Erfolg in einem naturwissenschaftlichen Schülerwettbewerb beeinflussen. Mit dem entwickelten Instrument zur Erfassung naturwissenschaftlicher Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten können in Kombination mit Instrumenten zur Erfassung affektiver Merkmalen umfassende Charakterisierungen von naturwissenschaftlichen Talenten erfolgen. Diese Erkenntnisse können in einem nächsten Schritt zur Identifizierung und, in Kombination mit der Kenntnis über Wettbewerbsanforderungen, zur zielgerichteten Förderung naturwissenschaftlich interessierter Schülerinnen und Schüler genutzt werden. Die Erkenntnisse über Einflussfaktoren einer Wettbewerbsteilnahme und Wettbewerbserfolg können zudem zur Konzeption von Maßnahmen genutzt werden, die gerade junge Schülerinnen und Schüler zu einer Wettbewerbsteilnahme motivieren bzw. die Zugangsbarrieren reduzieren. ; An important educational goal is to foster interested and talented students in science in a lasting and purposeful way in order to satisfy the constantly growing need of qualified workforce in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Student competitions in science have proved to be a suitable measure, but there are few research findings in this field about requirements of competitions or participants. In this dissertation, a scheme to classify and analyse competition tasks was developed and validated in order to characterize the requirements of scientific science competitions. Based on this scheme, tasks of the International JuniorScienceOlympiad (IJSO) were analysed. Furthermore, the requirements of the competitions Jugend forscht/ Schüler experimentieren were identified. In a next step, these findings were used to develop and validate an instrument to test scientific knowledge and abilities. The test was then used in a study to characterize participants in scientific student competitions. In addition, predictors have been identified that influence participation and success in a scientific student competition. A combination of the test for scientific knowledge and abilities developed in this dissertation and further instruments for the assessment of affective characteristics makes a comprehensive characterization of talents in science possible. These findings can then be used in a next step to identify and, in combination with the identified requirements of the competitions, to foster interested students in science in a purposeful way. The findings on influencing factors of competition participation and of success in a competition can also be used to develop measures which motivate especially young students to participate in competitions or which reduce access barriers.

A fresh idea for how the United States should promote infrastructure development won this year's 2024 competition

This paper examines the International Student Competition on Place Brand­ing and Mediterranean Diet held in Fermo, Italy, in the context of the devel­opment of rural areas. This one-week food-related educational programme was organised by the University of Macerata's Department of Education, Cultural Heritage and Tourism in collaboration with The Piceno Laboratory on the Mediterranean Diet, a local network of public and private stakehold­ers committed to the promotion of Fermo area as a touristic destination based on traditional gastronomy. The aim of this study was to understand how and to what extent such food-related educational events may con­tribute to providing students with the knowledge, expertise and soft skills needed for careers in the food tourism sector. Of interest also was how such events may benefit the development of rural areas. The ISC was founded in 2016 and continued in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In order to assess students' perceptions about the experience, specifically regarding what they felt they had learned about food tourism, and which soft skills they had acquired or honed, 13 students who participated in the 2017 event were interviewed for a qualitative study. Moreover, the authors drew upon information gleaned from interactions with students and teachers, as well as with several important actors of the local food and tourism sector, in­cluding tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs and representatives of gov­ernment agencies, with whom they collaborated in the context of planning, running and evaluating the events. The findings show that the ISC can provide students with a good general understanding of the territory and practical knowledge about place branding and food tourism. In terms of career preparation, the combination of fieldwork activities with traditional lectures and group activities was particularly fruitful in promoting soft skills such as communication, efficient use of social media, teamwork, problem-solving and decision making.

This paper examines the International Student Competition on Place Branding and Mediterranean Diet held in Fermo, Italy, in the context of the development of rural areas. This one-week food-related educational programme was organised by the University of Macerata's Department of Education, Cultural Heritage and Tourism in collaboration with The Piceno Laboratory on the Mediterranean Diet, a local network of public and private stakeholders committed to the promotion of Fermo area as a touristic destination based on traditional gastronomy. The aim of this study was to understand how and to what extent such food-related educational events may contribute to providing students with the knowledge, expertise and soft skills needed for careers in the food tourism sector. Of interest also was how such events may benefit the development of rural areas. The ISC was founded in 2016 and continued in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In order to assess students' perceptions about the experience, specifically regarding what they felt they had learned about food tourism, and which soft skills they had acquired or honed, 13 students who participated in the 2017 event were interviewed for a qualitative study. Moreover, the authors drew upon information gleaned from interactions with students and teachers, as well as with several important actors of the local food and tourism sector, including tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs and representatives of government agencies, with whom they collaborated in the context of planning, running and evaluating the events. The findings show that the ISC can provide students with a good general understanding of the territory and practical knowledge about place branding and food tourism. In terms of career preparation, the combination of fieldwork activities with traditional lectures and group activities was particularly fruitful in promoting soft skills such as communication, efficient use of social media, teamwork, problem-solving and decision making.