At the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, our group of around 90 scientists use sophisticated and innovative methods to address major socially relevant questions related to educational processes and educational attainment. Some examples of current research questions in our institute include:

• How well does the education system promote the talents and competencies of students, especially in mathematics and natural sciences? How can this be improved
• How can we measure differences in teaching quality in a way that is fair, valid, and useful?
• Do school and university influence motivation and personality development in young people? How can we use this understanding to increase motivation and support positive personality change and behaviour change?

We tackle questions like these with a uniquely interdisciplinary approach, combining knowledge from the fields of psychology, educational sciences, and many more (e.g., computational linguistics, neuroscience, sociology, machine learning, artificial intelligence). Drawing on the expertise of researchers in these disciplines, we employ cutting edge methods or develop new methods in order to make reliable statements about teaching and learning processes and their consequences.

The Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology was founded in September 2014 as an independent research institute within the University of Tübingen. A generous donation from the  Hector Foundation II is the basis for the scientific work of the institute. In addition, the state of Baden-Württemberg provides funds for the international Tübingen Postdoctoral Academy for Research on Education (PACE) which is integrated into the institute. These special grants provide a broad and continuous basis for empirical educational research in Tübingen.

The Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology is part of the Leibniz Education Research Network Alliance (LERN) and a leading member of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network.