University of Applied Sciences, Fulda

Analysis

First the statements about previous studies will be considered. The bracketing or reduction of the data, according to phenomenological analysis, will be done by analysing the statements of each interview/s. The data about the German system will be taken as the basis for further comparisons. Second, the questions concerning ICEUS will be bracketed. Then, when the data is "horizontalised", it will be grouped into "meaningful clusters" in order to make the interpretation easier. In the synthesis phase the writer will offer her explanations of the roots of the problems and some suggestions to overcome the problems in the future.

Analysis of the of Questions

Germany

First Part

The German education system is very liberal. According to interviewee one, "It was very open to the students to do whatever they wanted to do." This liberal system has its roots in the radical changes which occurred during the 1960s. In Germany this social movement took aim at a special target: Germany’s most recent history. The movement attempted to find out what made the atrocities during World War II possible. The younger generation wanted to come to terms with the past [Vergangenheitsbewältigung], and find ways of preventing a t repetition in the future. The movement started in the universities; the students called themselves "Generation of ’68". It resulted in important changes in education as well as child-raising.
Having a rigid class structure and raising children to obey all authority were seen as two basic conditions for the Nazi takeover. The new education system thus had to be more democratic and accessible. The students should be free to choose and free to express their attitudes without it having a negative effect on their exam results. Respect and obedience were seen as bowing to the authorities and elements of an authoritarian upbringing.
A great deal of importance is attached to freedom of choice. First, the individual can influence the course of action taken, and, second, s/he is responsible for the outcome and consequences of the decision. This is practiced in the education system as well. Interviewee two says that personal responsibility , "played a very important role . . . everything depended on the personal responsibility . . . how much work you do, how much reading you do." The extent of this personal choice sometimes goes as far as determining if you want to take the exam on the date arranged: ". . . when you wanted to write an exam you didn’t have to write it . . . em, after the term you could wait another term if you wanted," says interviewee two.
In Germany every job has its importance and almost no job is looked down on. Working and having a social function is a virtue, and furthermore one is paid enough to lead a respectable life. As a result young people are not forced to study; quite on the contrary, it is absolutely a matter of choice. If one chooses to study, it means that one has assumed the responsibility to do it. Nobody will go out of her/his way to encourage the students to study or not. Interviewee two says personal responsibility "played a very important role, I think, also in the classes, emm—if you want to discuss or if you want to participate actively or not, depended on you." Interviewee 1 elaborates on this kind of thinking: ". . . Em–, it depended very strongly on you what you wanted to do and how much you wanted to learn, both. If you wanted to learn a lot you attended a lot of seminars and you could work there and you could get a lot information and learn a lot, but if you—didn’t have time and you wanted to do only few things or you worked, you could do full-time job and also do your studies at the same time. That was possible, but then I think you gained only very little from the- but it was up to you what you wanted to do."[emphasis added by the writer]
In this open environment, in which the individual is responsible for everything, it is not necessary to evaluate and grade everything. Competition is not important because one studies for one's own benefit. It is a free choice. Interviewee 1 states: "Some had attendance lists where you had to sign in, but um—there was no professor you had to go. It was a couple of professors where you could choose . . ."[emphasis added by the writer]. Being average is not looked down upon, and one is not highly praised for one's achievements.
On the one hand, the relationship between the professors and students is hierarchical, since the professors are the ones who judge the work of the students. On the other hand, the relationship enjoys some sort of equality, for the students are free individuals who have chosen to share in the exchange of thought and knowledge in the classrooms. Interviewee one says: "[The relationship] was normally very open, and um—ja, because it was this personal relationship more or less, and if you wanted to study a lot, I mean, you went to, always to the same professor again, because you know that you would learn something there, and, and, because of that you would have a personal relationship with these professors, and, em—I think there was not really high power distance or something like that, it was very close."
Such an equal footing and freedom of choice naturally restrict the role of politics in relationships. You do not have to be careful about what you think or how it is expressed, provided, of course, that you do not cause the other person to lose face. Interviewee two comments as follows on the amount of politics in relationships: "I think, generally speaking, not too much, perhaps with letters of recommendation of course I take the profs that I have good relations to. I am not going to a prof that I don’t like and ask him for a letter of recommendation, . . .". Interviewee one confirms : "Okay, umm, I don’t think it played a role at all, . . . in a way that you could get a good mark because you know somebody better, I don’t think that that played a role at all"[emphasis added by the writer].
On the one hand, information is something that you should look for yourself. It is not simply there for you to take it or leave it. On the other hand, Gründlichkeit, or thoroughness, plays an important role in German decision-making processes. Germans do not let themselves be influenced by others. They get the information they need from different sources and decide for themselves in the end. As a result, counselling services do not exist in the German higher education system. Interviewee one comments on such services: "What was quite good, I think, was our library, because you could get a lot of information and a lot of help if you asked the people there. I mean, you had to always ask when you wanted to get any information, but it was my experience that I always, when I asked something, I got a lot of help. Umm, there was no help when you had any problems with your studies, that there was a professor responsible with open hours or something like that where you could go and ask your question and gain some help or something like that. It was not the case and . . ."[the emphasis added by the writer]. Interviewee two also emphasises a person’s willingness to find information and ask for help: ". . . you could always go to the professors themselves and ask them for help . . ."
One more point, which the writer considers important is the rationale behind the insistence on using the system of presentations as a method of teaching. It must be noted that for some credits all the lessons throughout the term were offered in the form of presentations done by the students.
The writer believes that when preparing a presentation, Germans delve deeply into the subject and prepare themselves well, so as to be able to answer any possible question. This has its roots in their love for clarity and control. "Germans [have] a strong sense of history. They view the Enlightenment, with its emphasis on Wissenschaft [science and scholarship] and Vernunft [rational understanding], as a watershed in human development" (Germany Unravelling an Enigma, Nees, 2000:54-55). Germans explain the roots at length, and they are usually well-equipped with rational arguments to defend what they have said. The same is true for the audience: "Germans love to critically compare and contrast issues with presenters as well" (Nees, 147). This love for details is rooted in a longing for clarity.
One more point in the first set of questions was the contact with international students. Both of the Germans interviewed did not have many international students in their universities. Though this is not a deficit in itself, it could be the source of education culture shock for the German students. Being part of an international group, in spite of the fact that one is at home, can be stressful and challenging.