News

The gender stereotype surrounding maths – that is, the perception of maths as a male subject – persists in many Western societies. Teachers can contribute to the perpetuation and spread of this stereotype, partly through their behaviour (such as excessively praising female pupils for solving simple problems).

To investigate the extent to which teachers notice such behaviour that reinforces maths gender stereotypes in the classroom and how they classify this behaviour in relation to the maths gender stereotype, we used scripted classroom videos showing gender-stereotype-reinforcing behaviour by a male and a female teacher. We also investigated the factors on which teachers’ sensitivity depends.

In our experiment, 278 preservice and practising teachers were randomly assigned to watch videos featuring a male teacher versus a female teacher. We found that the participating teachers were more sensitive to the gender-stereotype-reinforcing behaviour of the male teacher than that of the female teacher. Furthermore, teachers were more sensitive to maths-gender-stereotype-reinforcing behaviour when the gender of the teacher shown in the videos matched their own gender. Furthermore, teachers who were more sensitive to behaviour reinforcing gender stereotypes in maths held fewer scientifically unsubstantiated beliefs about mathematical ability in relation to gender (e.g., the debunked assumption that girls tend to think more empathetically but less systematically, which is why they are worse at maths). However, this sensitivity was not linked to the general maths gender stereotype, i.e., the mere connotation of mathematics as masculine.

The study is one of the first to assess sensitivity to gender stereotypes in the classroom in this way. This method of assessment is more ecologically valid than the case vignettes that have been predominantly used to date, which can be read multiple times and in which subtle behaviour must be explicitly described in order to be captured.
The study’s findings also suggest that training programmes designed to improve teachers’ sensitivity to stereotypes are necessary. Scripted videos depicting behaviour that reinforces gender stereotypes could also be used specifically for such teacher training programmes in the future.

Reference: Dersch, A.-S., Heyder, A., & Eitel, A. (2025). Teachers' Awareness of Math-Gender Stereotype-Reinforcing Behaviors: A Video Experiment.  Social Psychology of Education, 28(191), 1 - 40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-025-10138-1

Laura Sophie Mann won first place in the Jury Prize category at this year’s Poster Day organised by Department 06: Psychology & Sports Science! 

 

Every year, Department 06 hosts a poster day where undergraduate psychology students present their final projects. A total of 166 posters were presented at this year’s event. At the close of the 2025 poster day, six outstanding posters were awarded prizes. In addition to the three jury prizes, three student prizes were also awarded as a new initiative. First place in the ‘Jury Prize’ category went this year to the poster by Ms Laura Sophie Mann. Ms Mann impressed the jury with her outstanding academic work at the Chair of Educational Psychology / Department of Teaching and Learning with Media on the topic of „Is there a gender bias in university evaluations? The influence of lecturers and gender-typical connotations of degree programmes on student teaching evaluations (STEs)“. Second place in the ‘Jury Prize’ category went to Angelina Pascale Günther, and third place to Ali Kaniz. In the ‘Student Prize’ category, first place went to Emma Jackel, second place to Luis Alexander Hemming and third place to Amelie Maria Werner. Congratulations to all the winners! In her bachelor’s thesis, Ms. Mann examined whether and how the gender of lecturers and the gender-typical connotations of a degree programme influence student teaching evaluations (STEs). To this end, Ms. Mann conducted a secondary analysis of 8,326 STEs from four semesters at a university in central Germany as part of her bachelor’s thesis. In line with previous research, the results point to a gender bias, i.e., a systematic distortion in the assessment of lecturers’ teaching performance based on their gender. Additionally, the gender-typical connotations of degree programmes were found to influence the evaluation of lecturers of different genders in LVEs. Whilst female lecturers received better ratings in course evaluations in male-connoted degree programmes than male lecturers, in female-connoted degree programmes, male lecturers received better ratings in course evaluations than female lecturers. These findings provide a basis for further research in this area.

Eitel, A., Krebs, M.-C. & Schöne, C (2025). Introducing the FoRe-Squares Model: Focus Support and Reward as Key Predictors of Effective Technology-Augmented Instruction. Educ Psychol Rev 37(67). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10045-z

Text to follow

Kienitz, A., Krebs, M.-C., & Eitel, A. (2025). Level one: Teaching practice – Does playing a digital teaching simulation game foster novice student teachers’ perception and use of theoretical knowledge? Computers & Education, 231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105277

Does watching an explainer video help learning with subsequent text? - Only when prompt-questions are provided

Learning with explanatory videos is very popular among learners. Previous studies show that well-designed explanatory videos can enhance learning. However, it is unclear how they can be effectively integrated into longer-term learning processes. In an online study involving 133 students, we therefore investigated how watching an explanatory video, compared to reading a video script, affects subsequent learning from a textbook chapter.

In theory, two opposing assumptions can be drawn regarding the effect of explanatory videos on subsequent learning. On the one hand, watching an explanatory video could have a positive impact on learning from a textbook chapter, as current research suggests that such videos can spark interest in the subject matter. By processing the information from the explanatory video, subsequent textual information can also be better processed cognitively. On the other hand, watching an explanatory video could hinder subsequent learning processes, as such videos can create an ‘illusion of understanding’. This hinders further learning, as learners become convinced that they have already grasped the topic. With this problem in mind, we therefore wanted to know whether presenting content-related questions about the video (prompt questions) after watching it could prevent an illusion of understanding and the associated negative effects on subsequent learning processes.

Our study showed that learners who watched the explanatory video rated the learning content as more interesting and easier than learners who read the video script. Contrary to our assumptions, however, our study did not reveal any illusion of understanding. Rather, it emerged that learners who watched the explanatory video tended to underestimate themselves. With regard to the use of prompt questions following the explanatory video (or the video script), positive effects on learning were observed only for participants who watched the explanatory video. Contrary to our expectations, the prompt questions had a negative effect after reading the video script. Exploratory analyses showed that learners who watched the explanatory video provided qualitatively better answers to the prompt questions. This led to them also performing better in the final knowledge test. Overall, our results suggest that prompt questions following the viewing of explanatory videos can be beneficial for learning. Further studies are needed to replicate our findings under controlled conditions and to investigate the underlying processes and mechanisms in greater detail.

Reference: Krebs, M. C., Braschoß, K., & Eitel, A. (2024). Does watching an explainer video help learning with subsequent text?–Only when prompt-questions are provided. Learning and Instruction, 94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.101988

Press START to Teach – Can Simulation Games Close the Theory-Practice Gap?

Student teachers and trainee teachers often find it difficult to apply the theoretical knowledge they have acquired in a university setting to their teaching practice. This gap between theory and practice is a serious problem in teacher training, as theoretical knowledge provides an important foundation for high-quality pedagogical decisions. In recent years, (digital) simulations and serious games have proven to be effective tools for practising the application of theoretical knowledge in authentic situations that involve the use of skills. Against this background, in the present study we investigated, with 86 trainee teachers, whether repeatedly playing a digital classroom simulation game with theory-based feedback would improve both the self-efficacy of trainee teachers and the transfer of theoretical knowledge to challenging classroom situations, as well as their perceived usefulness of theoretical knowledge for teaching practice. Although the simulation game showed positive effects on learning time and motivation compared to a control condition, contrary to our expectations, there were no changes in either condition with regard to self-efficacy, the perceived usefulness of theories for practice, or the integration of theory-based arguments into practical reasoning.

Overall, our findings point to the motivational potential of digital simulation games for teacher training. However, this alone was not sufficient to bridge the theory-practice gap. Further studies should therefore investigate how the integration of theory and practice within the simulation game can be further strengthened in order to achieve the desired effects.

Reference: Kienitz, A., Eitel, A., & Krebs, M.-C. (2024). Press START to Teach – Can Simulation Games Close the Theory-Practice Gap? Simulation & Gaming. https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781241252521

Once again this year, Bachelor’s students from the Department of Psychology presented their final projects at Department 06’s Poster Day. At the end of the event, three outstanding posters were awarded prizes. First place went to the poster by Hanna Zappe, who wrote her Bachelor’s thesis on the topic ‘The relationship between help-seeking behaviour and academic performance among teacher training students’ in Educational Psychology within the Teaching and Learning with Media section. Second place went to Lina Schneider and third place to Leonie Böhling. Congratulations to all the winners!

In her bachelor’s thesis, Ms. Zappe used an interview study to investigate the relationship between help-seeking strategies—as an expression of self-regulated learning—and the academic performance of teacher training students. As part of the study, Ms. Zappe, together with two other Bachelor’s students from the working group, interviewed 30 teacher training students about their help-seeking strategies, their personal interest and their emotional regulation whilst preparing for the final module examination in the introductory psychology module. Ms. Zappe correlated the help-seeking strategies reported in the interviews with the self-reported marks the students achieved in the examination. In line with previous research, a positive correlation was found between the use of adaptive strategies and the mark achieved. At the same time, as expected, a negative correlation was found between the mark achieved and the use of executive help-seeking strategies, as well as the avoidance of seeking help during the exam preparation phase. 

Prof. Dr Alexander Eitel has been awarded the Teacher Training Student Council Prize for outstanding courses within the teacher training programme at Justus Liebig University Giessen. This means that the prize goes to Educational Psychology once again this year.

The Teacher Training Student Council awards the prize to lecturers who demonstrate particular commitment in their teacher training-related courses. This encompasses not only the lecturers’ teaching style, but also the way they interact with students during the course, the course content, its presentation, and the methodological and didactic implementation.

Prof. Eitel has won this award for his lecture ‘Psychology for Pre-service Teachers’ from the winter semester 2023/24. He received the award during this year’s graduation ceremony for teacher training graduates on 9 June 2023.

An article on science communication about the research conducted by the working group has been published in the online journal for teachers, News4Teachers (https://www.news4teachers.de). It summarises key points from the publication Personalized refutation texts best stimulate teachers‘ conceptual change about multimedia learning (Dersch et al., 2022) for teachers. The article aims to make research that concerns teachers themselves and is relevant to professional pedagogical and psychological teaching practice more accessible to this important target group.

The article was produced in collaboration with Anna-Sophia Dersch, a PhD student in the research group and lead author of the scientific publication discussed, and the magazine, and can be read here:

Lehren mit (analogen und digitalen) Medien: Was einige vielleicht nicht wissen…

The Wisdom of the Crowd is not a Forgone Conclusion. Effects of Self-Selection on (Collaborative) Knowledge Construction

Cognitive biases are part of our everyday lives. For example, we may be more inclined to believe information that confirms what we already know (confirmation bias, Nickerson, 1998), or we may view members of a group to which we feel we belong in a more positive light than others (ingroup bias, Hewstone et al., 2002). However, cognitive biases are not limited to individuals; they can also affect entire groups (collaborative biases; e.g. Oeberst et al., 2018). Contrary to the ‘Wisdom of the Crowd’ assumption (Surowiecki, 2005), however, groups are not per se better than individuals at processing information more objectively. Rather, the diversity of the group appears to influence how collaborative biases affect information processing within a group. However, as people tend to be drawn to those who think similarly (social homophily; e.g. Lawrence et al., 2010), diversity cannot act as a protective mechanism in many cases. This can have a negative impact on information processing within groups, as can be seen, for example, in the case of so-called ‘echo chambers’ on the internet (Sunstein, 2001).

A field study and a laboratory study investigated whether the negative effects of collaborative biases can be observed not only in opinion-based contexts but also in knowledge-based contexts, and what role self-selection processes play in this. The results of the field study show that collaborative biases are more pronounced in wikis such as Conservapedia or RationalWiki than in Wikipedia. This finding was replicated in a laboratory study. Overall, the results support the assumption that self-selection processes based on social homophily play an important role in collaborative biases.

Reference: Krebs, M.-C., Oeberst, A., & von der Beck, I. (2023). The Wisdom of the Crowd is not a Forgone Conclusion. Effects of Self-Selection on (Collaborative) Knowledge Construction. Topics in Cognitive Science, 1– 19. https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12647

Both in Germany and internationally, there have been calls for years for a stronger link between theoretical knowledge and practical professional knowledge. Digital media offer a variety of opportunities to strengthen this interlocking. For example, the use of suitable serious games in teacher training can give students the opportunity to test and reflect on the application of theoretical knowledge from their studies in a safe environment. A potentially well-suited serious game for this purpose is the decision-making simulation "Me as a Teacher". This was developed in the sub-project "Serious Games in Teacher Education" of the work area "Digitization in Teacher Education" of the HessenHub network "Digital University Teaching Hesse" in cooperation with the Center for Teacher Education, the campus schools and individual actors in the second and third phase of teacher education. The digital decision simulation focuses on testing central aspects of teacher education and therefore offers potentially great added value for the sustainable improvement of teaching in the teaching profession. However, whether it would be used as intended within real courses and how it can be embedded in teacher training in the most didactically meaningful way is currently still unclear. The project "I as a Teacher in Teaching: Dovetailing Theory and Practice" therefore pursues two central goals: The observation of the effects of the use of the game on central outcome measures with regard to the presented potentials of serious games in teacher training. The integration of the game into a digitally supported seminar concept with a focus on the transfer of theoretical knowledge into practical teaching situations. The project is funded with 4,000 euros in the third round of the Linked Learning funding line by the Hesse-wide joint project "HessenHub - Netzwerk digitale Hochschullehre Hessen" (sub-project at JLU Gießen), which is funded by the HMWK.

We are pleased with our PhD student Anna-Sophia Dersch, who received the Young Researcher Award of the Division of Educational Psychology of the German Society of Psychology (DGPs).

The award was given for her paper "Does Processing the Specialist Problem Improve Learning About Math-Gender Stereotypes?", which investigates how learning about math-gender stereotypes can be improved. The study is part of her dissertation project on reducing (math-gender) stereotypes in teaching-learning contexts.

Anna-Sophia Dersch had presented the paper at this year's conference of the Special Interest Group Comprehension of Text and Graphics (SIG 2) of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) in Kiel together with her co-author, master's student Johanna Bohm.  The prize funds the conference trip to Kiel with up to €1000 and also includes financial support for the English-language revision of a manuscript.

The prize was awarded to Anna-Sophia Dersch at the DGPs meeting in Hildesheim on September 12, 2022. Congratulations!

Math gender stereotypes are still widespread in Western cultures. There is some evidence that these stereotypes are based on scientifically debunked concepts (misconcepts). To investigate the prevalence of these misconceptions among teachers, the researchers developed a misconception questionnaire called the Math-Gender Misconception Questionnaire. This was evaluated with 303 prospective teachers in the study reported in the article. The questionnaire measured the presence of three math-gender misconceptions using three scales of five misconception items each.

The scale reliability for each of the three scales ranged from acceptable to good. The structure of the questionnaire with three factors could be proven by means of a structural equation model and the comparison with another single factorial model. Consistent with expectations, there was also a correlation with a math gender stereotype, which speaks to the convergent validity of the measure as well as a relationship between math gender misconceptions and math gender stereotypes. However, more research is needed to make a clear statement about the nature of the relationship.

Within the sample studied, it was found that while prospective teachers did not have strong math-gender misconceptions, 48% of them strongly agreed with at least one misconception item. This suggests that prospective teachers do not have fully correct concepts about math and gender. Accordingly, it might be helpful to encourage conceptual changes to the three math-gender misconcepts studied.

Reference: Dersch, A.-S., Heyder, A., & Eitel, A. (2022). Exploring the Nature of Teachers’ Math-Gender Stereotypes: The Math-Gender Misconception Questionnaire. Frontiers in Psychology, 1728. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.820254

The article, entitled "Personalized Refutation Texts Best Stimulate Teachers' Conceptual Change About Multimedia Learning," was published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. In the study reported in the article, the authors examined the effectiveness of digitally presented personalized reflection texts for learning with multimedia using a sample of 129 participating teachers.

(Aspiring) teachers often have misconceptions about learning with multimedia, which can be detrimental to the design of instruction and instructional materials. Accordingly, these misconceptions should be reduced and conceptual change should be encouraged.

"Learners learn best when learning materials are adapted to their learning type." This statement is disproven based on current knowledge and thus represents a misconception. Instead, learners learn best when learning materials are adapted to the learning content. For example, when learning materials on probability are combined with a tree diagram, while for a system of equations, supplementary illustrations tend to distract learners and add no value. This is independent of whether learners would classify themselves as a so-called "visual learning type".

The sentence just presented is a refutation text. Refutation texts are always structured as in the example above: First, they name the existing misconception, then it is invalidated, and finally the correct concept according to the current state of science is introduced and explained. Refutation texts are an effective and low-threshold measure for reducing misconceptions and stimulating concept change.

In the present study, the following types of texts were compared as a measure to clarify misconceptions related to learning with multimedia: 1) traditional textbook text, 2) classic refutation text, 3) personalized refutation text. It was found that the personalized refutation texts, which were adapted to the participants' responses in a pretest, stimulated more conceptual change in the teachers and thus provided a better reduction of misconceptions compared to textbook texts and classical refutation texts. In contrast, the classic refutation texts (without personalization) were not significantly more effective than textbook-only texts.

In the present study, the more positive effect of the personalized refutation texts was shown only with respect to the participants' theoretical knowledge. The more positive effect could not be transferred to the practical actions of the teachers (selection of certain multimedia teaching materials). Here, no significant differences were found between the three groups. The consequences for the design and selection of multimedia learning materials should be further investigated.

Conclusion: The digital implementation of an adaptive system that enables personal feedback is a strength of the study. The intervention succeeds so sparingly even with groups of people who have little time - such as practicing teachers.

Reference: Dersch, A.-S., Renkl, A., & Eitel, A. (2022). Personalized Refutation Texts Best Stimulate Teachers'Conceptual Change About Multimedia Learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12671

The article, titled "Do prior knowledge, model-observer similarity and social comparison influence the effectiveness of eye movement modeling examples for supporting multimedia learning?" was published in the journal Instructional Science.

In the study reported in the article, the authors investigated possible factors influencing the effectiveness of eye movement modeling examples (EMME) for multimedia learning based on a sample of 180 participants. The focus here was on a possible influence of prior knowledge as well as a possible influence of social cue stimuli such as the (perceived) similarity between the learners and the presented model. The results of the study support previous research findings that eye movement modeling can be an effective instructional tool for teaching learners effective strategies for text-image processing. However, in contrast to previous studies, prior knowledge or (assumed) model-observer similarity did not show to be influential. To further explore the issue of potential influencing factors, the authors conducted "small-scale meta-analyses" using previous research. Again, no influence of prior knowledge or (assumed) model-observer similarity was found. Further results of the study suggest that individual differences, such as social comparison orientation, may influence the impact of model instruction. Thus, the question of potential factors influencing the effectiveness of eye movement modeling on multimedia learning remains open.

Reference: Krebs, M.-C., Schüler, A., & Scheiter, K. (2021). Do prior knowledge, model-observer similarity and social comparison influence the effectiveness of eye movement modeling examples for supporting multimedia learning? Instr Sci, 49, p. 607-635. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-021-09552-7

The article entitled: "Self-management as a bridge between cognitive load and self-regulated learning: The illustrative case of seductive details" was published in the journal Educational Psychology Review.

The article focuses on the theoretical relationship between cognitive load and self-regulated learning. To this end, the authors integrate the concepts of "self-control" and "self-management" into the Effort Monitoring and Regulation Framework (EMR) theory framework designed by de Bruin et al. (2020). In the article, the authors argue that cognitive load in learning results not only from the design but also from the processing of instruction (cf. self-management effect) and that the way instruction is processed by learners (also) depends on learners' abilities and willingness to self-monitor. Based on these assumptions, the authors assume that cognitive load is influenced by learners' self-control. The authors support their assumptions with theoretical arguments that can be derived from previous research in the field of learning with multiple representations.

Reference: Eitel, A., Endres, T., & Renkl, A. (2020). Self-management as a bridge between cognitive load and self-regulated learning: the illustrative case of seductive details. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09559-5

The article on the influence of drawing on metacognitive monitoring, titled: "Is Drawing After Learning Effective for Metacognitive Monitoring only when Supported by Spatial Scaffolds?" was published in the journal Instructional Science.

In the study, Kollmer, Schleinschok, Scheiter, and Eitel investigated whether the use of drawing after learning promotes students' metacognitive monitoring especially when they are supported in their drawing efforts. The results of the study show that (supported) drawing can be helpful for metacognitive monitoring.

Reference: Kollmer, J., Schleinschok, K., Scheiter, K., & Eitel, A. (2020). Is Drawing After Learning Effective for Metacognitive Monitoring only when Supported by Spatial Scaffolds? Instructional Science. https://rdcu.be/b5yz8