PRIMUS
PRIMUS
Scientific research accompanying the PRIMUS school trial
As part of the PRIMUS school pilot scheme, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is trialling the integration of primary and secondary education in extended-cycle schools covering Years 1–10 at the locations of Minden, Münster, Schalksmühle, Viersen and Titz. The aim of this school reform is to enable educational pathways without disruption in high-performing and socially equitable schools. The PRIMUS schools are inclusive all-day schools. PRIMUS pupils learn in mixed-age learning groups. The pedagogical approach of the PRIMUS schools focuses on fostering an individualised learning culture with alternative forms of performance feedback. With the introduction of the extended school model, the aim is also to enable teachers to work across different year groups. Teachers are expected not only to drive school and teaching development across year groups, but also to teach together.
The academic monitoring of this project is based at the Universities of Oldenburg and Münster (Prof. Dr Christina Huf). It follows the approach of a qualitative, case-based process analysis. School leaders, teachers, pupils and parents are interviewed in regular interviews and group discussions. The different stakeholders’ perspectives on the school pilot are examined comparatively. The role of the academic support is to document the development processes within the school pilot and to assess its success. Firstly, this relates to the extent to which Primus schools are chosen (attractiveness and demand) and whether they succeed in retaining pupils throughout the full course from Year 1 to Year 10 (retention rate). Secondly, the success of the Primus schools is measured by the quality of the learning opportunities on offer and the progression of their pupils’ educational and learning trajectories. Thirdly, there is also the question of the extent to which, through the interplay of school development and professionalisation, the pedagogical work and the professional self-image of teaching and specialist staff are changing within and as a result of the school pilot.
From the perspective of developmental research into schools and teaching, the school trial allows for the analysis of the process dynamics of complex school development, as well as changes in teaching in the context of reform.
In the first phase of the research support (2014–2017), the analysis focused – based on document analyses and interviews with school management – on the initialisation processes at the five locations preceding the establishment of the Primus schools and on concept development during the establishment phase.
In the second phase (2017–2020), the research support shifted its focus to the school development work carried out by the teaching staff, the learning experiences of Primus pupils and parents’ perspectives on the school pilot. To this end, in addition to interviews with school management, focus group discussions with teaching staff and interviews with Primus pupils and parents were conducted.
In the third phase (2020–2024), the research support will concentrate on a study of school leavers. Plans include standardised surveys of pupils moving on from the Primus schools, as well as longitudinal interviews with pupils in the upper years.
Information on the school trial from the Ministry of Schools and Education of North Rhine-Westphalia
Publications from the project context
Idel, T.-S.; Pauling, S.; Hinrichsen, M.; Hummrich, M.; Moldenhauer, A.; Asbrand, B.; Martens, M. (2022): Reflection and Reflexivity in School Development Processes. Methodological Approaches in Reconstructive Research. In: Reintjes, C.; Kunze, I. (eds.): Reflection and Reflexivity in Teaching, Schools and Teacher Education. Bad Heilbrunn: Verlag Julius Klinkhardt (Studies in Professional Research and Teacher Education), pp. 226–241.
Doğmuş, Aysun/Huf, Christina/Idel, Sebastian (2022): Mixed-age classes as a disruption to the time regime of the year group? Learning biographical experiences of pupils in a school trial. In: Journal of Interpretative School and Classroom Research (ZISU) 11 (2022): Understanding Developmental Processes in Schools and Classrooms, pp. 142–156.
Huf, C, Idel, T.-S., Doğmuş, A., Pauling, S. (2021): Report on the second phase of the academic monitoring of the PRIMUS school pilot project 2017–2020, Oldenburg and Münster, available online at: www.landtag.nrw.de/portal/WWW/dokumentenarchiv/Dokument/MMV17-5617.pdf.
Pauling, S. (2021): Patterns of interpretation as a heuristic for determining the relationship between school development and professionalisation theory. In Moldenhauer, A., Asbrand, B., Hummrich, M., Idel, T.-S. (eds.). School Development as a Theoretical Project, Wiesbaden: Springer VS, pp. 113–138.
. 2021. “’Participating accomplices’. Reflections on pupils’ participation in progressive educational school development.” In School Development as a Theoretical Project: Research Perspectives on Processes of Change in Schools, edited by , pp. 67–87. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
Doğmuş, A., Huf, C., Idel, T.-S., Pauling, S. (2020): The PRIMUS school pilot in North Rhine-Westphalia – Mixed-age classes from Years 1 to 10. In: SchulVerwaltung NRW. NRW 4/2020, pp. 107–110.
Pauling, S./Idel, T.-S. (2019). Mixed-age learning in its long-term form. Experiences from the PRIMUS school trial. PÄDAGOGIK 3/2019 , pp. 38–41.
Idel, T.-S./Pauling, S. (2018). School development and addressing issues. Cultural-theoretical and praxeological perspectives on school development work. Die Deutsche Schule 110 , 4/2018, pp. 312–325.
Idel, T.-S. (2017). Mixed-age classes. In Idel, T.-S./Ullrich, Heiner (eds.). Handbook of Progressive Education (pp. 280–292). Weinheim and Munich: Beltz Verlag.
Huf, C./Idel, T.-S./Schnell, I. (2016). De-dramatising transitions through mixed-age groups – the example of the PRIMUS extended-school-day pilot scheme. Special Educational Needs Support Today, 2/2016, pp. 165–178.
Idel, T.-S./Huf, C./Pauling, S. (2016). School development research as qualitative process analysis. In Burger, T./Miceli, N. (eds.). Empirical Research in the Context of School. An Introduction to Theoretical Aspects and Methodological Approaches ( pp. 49–65). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.