Online-counseling for teachers via internet forum - A comparative study between norwegian and german users

During the last years, counseling via internet has been established more and more in settings which are traditionally faceto- face. The "Lehrerforum" is a professionally supervised internet forum for teachers and teacher students seeking information, advice or guidance for occupational or even personal problems. The concept was developed in Germany and later on transferred to Norway. Study 1 examines the differences in topics posted by the users in both countries. For all 264 initial postings we found 5 main categories and 25 subcategories in Germany, where about 77% of the postings are concerned with legal issues. A small sample from Norway shows a different distribution. Study 2 examines differences and similarities between the perceptions of the forum by the users with a questionnaire implemented in both countries. Participants experience the Lehrerforum as a helpful support source for job-related problems.