When it comes to supporting people with basic education needs, a particular challenge lies in targeting them specifically and motivating them to participate in learning opportunities, a task that also plays a central role in the projects supported by GrundbildungsPFADE.
The following interview is part of a series that shows how the Netzwege and Berko projects approach participant acquisition and needs assessment for their basic education pathways, and what role research plays in the practical work of the funded projects.
In the following interview, Dr Johannes Bonnes explains how the Competence Centre supports projects in addressing target groups and identifying needs through research and individual consultation. We also learn how it promotes exchange between projects, what challenges they encounter in research and practice, and how solutions are developed jointly.
In what ways does the Competence Centre support projects with participant acquisition and needs identification?
The Competence Centre provides projects with scientifically sound knowledge on the topics of participant acquisition and needs assessment. This complements the diverse practical experience of projects and helps new employees with little prior exposure to these topics to become familiar with them. As well as offering individual consultations, we provide workshops that give an overview of basic methods and focus on knowledge exchange between projects. This enables projects to learn from each other and collaborate on overcoming challenges in project work.
What data is collected and evaluated in the research, and how is it used?
We are pursuing two main areas of focus: Firstly, we are analysing existing data sets, such as PIAAC, to determine the skills and resulting needs of the target groups of the ten projects. Secondly, we are collecting our own data in areas where there is not yet sufficient scientific knowledge but which are important for the projects. In November, for example, we will launch a participant survey in nine federal states to find out what can help people with basic education needs to make the transition from basic education programmes to programmes that build on them. We are also looking at the projects and their network structures to answer the question of how basic education networks can work successfully and ultimately be established in other regions.
The ten projects differ in terms of their conceptual approaches to the paths, target groups and framework conditions. How do you deal with these differences in the research workshops?
Thanks to feedback from our network partners and our own contacts with the projects, we have a good overview of their current state of development and the challenges that project work entails. This enables us to assess precisely what support each project needs. However, the most important component is the active participation of the projects in shaping the workshops. In special work phases, different projects discuss their respective challenges with their colleagues and benefit from their experiences. It is always worthwhile to look beyond the scope of one's own work, so that solutions can be found through the ideas of the different projects. The diversity of the projects is more of an advantage than a disadvantage.
The workshops also provide an opportunity for the projects to discuss and develop their research activities with the other participants. Are there any special support needs or recurring themes?
The problem often arises that certain target groups with basic education needs are difficult to reach. Here, the projects benefit most from the experiences of their colleagues by gathering ideas together, testing them for their practical suitability and then perhaps rejecting them outright. But so far, a good solution has always been found through exchange.
A sound knowledge base is an important prerequisite for basic education pathways to succeed and become firmly established in local communities. What can research achieve? Where does it reach its limits when it comes to addressing and attracting people and developing needs-based programmes?
Scientific knowledge is an important pillar for enabling the connectivity and needs-based design of basic education programmes.
Limitations arise, on the one hand, where scientific findings are not yet available or where they cannot be communicated in a way that is practical for implementation.
Therefore, one of the most important goals of the Competence Centre is to make the impact logic of the ten different projects on their basic education pathways usable for other regions in Germany. In doing so, it is always important to involve politics and practice in order to be able to tailor the transfer of knowledge to specific needs.
