Domain-Specific Learning Processes

As part of the TOSCAneo study, a cohort of students in Baden-Württemberg who will complete their Abitur in 2026 at either an academic or vocational upper secondary school (Gymnasium) or at a Gemeinschaftsschule is being examined. Several thousand students from this cohort have taken part in tests and surveys at the beginning of the 2023/24 school year and at several subsequent measurement points. Mathematics plays a central role in this study. Researchers from LEAD’s research area “Subject-Specific Learning Processes” are involved, among other things, in identifying which basic mathematical competencies are essential for successfully attending upper secondary education.
 

As part of the EPo-EKo-Project, researchers from the universities of Tübingen, Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Dresden, Graz and Vienna have set themselves the goal of making the teaching topic of "simple electric circuits" in physics a.o. more interesting and understandable by making it more relevant to everyday life.

Electric circuits are often perceived as an abstract topic in physics lessons. To support students’ understanding, many teachers therefore use illustrative models and analogies. Within this research project, the learning effectiveness of different models and analogies is empirically investigated.

Reinforced by the Covid 19 pandemic, teachers are increasingly resorting to online video explanations or producing them themselves. Whether such videos are effective for learning depends on several factors. In this research project, a framework for good video explanations will be developed.

Visual representations such as diagrams and graphs play a central role in the everyday world of students. The research project focuses on analyzing diagram-reading competence and, subsequently, optimizing the integration of text and diagrams.

An important function of physical education at school is to work towards enabling and motivating people to lead a health-conscious, physically active lifestyle. Health literacy is considered a central factor in this regard. Nevertheless, there is currently a lack of research evidence in this area. This lack poses a problem especially for teaching concepts. The aim of the project Health Education in Sports Classes is to close this research gap.

Cognitive activation, student orientation, and efficient classroom management are considered theoretically sound as well as empirically verifiable indicators of teaching quality. Cognitive activation is the teaching dimension that requires the most subject-specific design. Against the background of the educational mission, cognitive-reflexive components are demanded in physical education. The aim of the project is to generate an overview of empirical findings regarding cognitively activating physical education.