Prüfungsbestimmungen und Prüfungspraxis – ein Spannungsfeld im Fortbildungswesen

The process of regulation in the heterogeneous field of education and examination necessarily creates encounters and collaboration of persons, who are standing for different positions and have variable styles of action. In a research project, initiated and financed by the German Ministry of Education and Research, the transfer of formal regulations for examination in certain fields of further education into the reality of the examination has been analyzed. The project utilized three regulated examples as relevant for this task, the “Master Craftsman in Metal Industry”, “Technical Specialist” and “Business Expert (BBiG)”. The requirements of formal regulations generate serious pressure to perform for all sort of actors and demand the acceptance of a high level of responsibility. The as a consequence thereof developing tensions between regulations, practice and (subjective) demands concerning the examinations in further education stresses every involved person. This requires continuous conversation. Tensions and discussions lead to ambitious settings in the examination and in this meaning in a fostering way. In the investigated three examples of regulated further education the accepted free space of flexible practice generates an adequate diversity and variety of examination.