20.06.2025

Technology-supported adaptive teaching promotes sustainable learning

Publication of a new study in the journal Learning and Instruction

How can teachers respond better to the heterogeneous learning requirements of their pupils? One promising approach is adaptive teaching, i.e. teaching that adapts flexibly to individual needs. Digital technologies can support this, but so far there are only a few empirical studies that examine their effectiveness in everyday school life.

The current publication "Adaptive teaching with technology enhances lasting learning" by Leonie Sibley et al., which has now been published in the journal Learning and Instruction, addresses this research gap. In a field study with 656 pupils at six German schools, the effects of technology-supported adaptive teaching in various subjects were examined.

The study results indicate that adaptive teaching leads to significantly more sustainable learning success compared to regular teaching. These effects were particularly evident in language lessons. According to the results, adaptive teaching with digital tools not only appears to be effective, but also suitable for everyday use and scalable - across subject boundaries.

The study is part of the DiA:Net project funded by the Vector Foundation and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, in which teachers develop adaptive, technology-supported teaching units in co-design with scientists. All units are published as freely available OER materials

Publication:
Sibley, L., Fabian, A., Plicht, C., Pagano, L., Ehrhardt, N., Wellert, L., Bohl, T., & Lachner, A. (2025). Adaptive teaching with technology enhances lasting learning. Learning and Instruction, 99, 102141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102141