This anthology aims to make visible those processes, conditions, and impacts on and in European educational institutions (k-HigherEd-VET) which are nowadays influenced by the phenomena of accountability, new public management, outcome-based learning, and educational policies which themselves obviously absorb or even perpetuate these phenomena. Are these phenomena evidence of an increasing instrumentalist view in education? The tendencies mentioned above do not just have an impact on learning processes and results but also on the way in which Bildung and Education are understood and realised in formal learning situations. It is striking that - independent of the original standpoints in a multifaceted European educational landscape with its variety of educational systems - these influences can be recognised as much more than marginal. Rather, they impact upon all educational institutions from kindergarten, preschool, and comprehensive school to higher education, vocational training, special education, and further education. Researchers from different European countries reflect on these perceived "instrumentalist" tendencies from their own national educational platforms, educational backgrounds in theoretical and empirical research, and educational practice: that is, on a macro-, meso-, and microlevel.

Since 2009, Dr. Stefanie A. Hillen has been Associate Professor at the Department of Education, University of Agder. She worked as Visiting Professor at Florida State University, US. She has also held a position as Post Doctor at the Department of ICT, Grimstad, where she developed digital learning environments to topics of Integrated Operations. She holds a Ph.D. in Business Education, University of Mainz, Germany. Her research field comprises technology based learning, general didactic, didactic in VET, and comparative education. At the Teacher Training Center, iesbaden, Germany, she fulfilled a full-time two years educational program and received her graduation as teacher for vocational schools with the subject in ICT, economics and business administration.

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