Competence-oriented performance tasks? An analysis of written examination tasks in non-grammar school lower secondary level in Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
Competence-oriented performance tasks? An analysis of written examination tasks in non-grammar school lower secondary level in Baden-Württemberg (Germany)

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the extent to which performance assessment tasks meet the requirements of competence-oriented history teaching. In the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, a competence-oriented curriculum (Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports, 2016) was introduced in 2016, which is based on the established FUER competence model for history teaching (Körber et al. 2007) and explicitly identifies subject-specific teaching competencies. It can be assumed that the competencies trained in history lessons are applied in exam tasks. However, the few analyses available in German-language history didactics show that the tasks primarily aim to test declarative knowledge (Schönemann et al. 2011). Based on current considerations regarding exam questions (Köster, 2021, 70ff.), these specific requirements are analyzed using a sample of exam tasks (n = 153) from class tests from the 2024/2025 school year. The tasks are examined using a categorical task analysis. The analysis is based on the deductively developed analysis categories “historical competencies,” “material reference,” and “action-initiating operators.” With a few exceptions, the analysis results show a clear concentration of tasks at the reproduction level. The majority of tasks use operators that require rather basic thinking operations in the lower and middle requirement areas. In addition, students are rarely provided with reference texts for independent analysis of sources and presentations.

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