PhD Position (m/f/d) in Learning Analytics and Self-Regulated Learning
(75% TV-L E13, limited to three years)

DFG-funded project TRACE: 
Trajectories of Adaptation, Disengagement, and Choice in Authentic Educational Settings

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate with a background in Psychology, Empirical Educational Research, Educational Science, Data Science, Statistics, Economics, Learning Sciences, or a related field to join TRACE at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen. TRACE investigates how university students regulate their learning across a semester: how they adapt their study behavior in response to performance feedback, when and why they disengage from cognitively demanding strategies such as retrieval practice, and how these processes shape their decision to sit the final exam or postpone it.

TRACE combines log data from weekly online retrieval practice exercises with weekly survey measures of motivational beliefs, achievement emotions, self-set course goals, and exam records.

The project analyses these data at three levels: micro-level adaptation of learning strategies after performance feedback; meso-level trajectories of disengagement and re-engagement across the semester; and macro-level decisions about exam participation. Methodologically, the PhD candidate will work with methods like longitudinal within-person models, discrete-time survival analysis, and/or explainable machine learning. Each of the three work packages is designed to result in one publication, together constituting a cumulative dissertation.

The PhD candidate will join a vibrant international research environment with close supervision and extensive opportunities for methodological and professional development. The PhD candidate will work closely with Dr. Jakob Schwerter, the principal investigator of TRACE.
The project is embedded in the SRL-Hub (Prof. Kou Murayama, Prof. Michiko Sakaki, and Prof. Luise von Keyserlingk) at the Hector Research Institute and supported by an advisory board: Prof. Anique de Bruin (Maastricht University), Prof. Jeff Greene (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), and Prof. Luise von Keyserlingk (University of Tübingen).

What We Expect from You
We are looking for a candidate with a strong quantitative background, a genuine interest in how students learn, and motivation to contribute to high-quality scientific publications. Specifically, we expect:
•    An excellent academic degree (Master's or equivalent) in Psychology, Empirical Educational Research, Educational Science, Data Science, Statistics, Economics, Learning Sciences, or a related field.
•    A strong interest in self-regulated learning, motivation, and achievement emotions in authentic educational settings.
•    Solid training in quantitative methods and the willingness to acquire advanced longitudinal and machine-learning methods.
•    Programming skills in R (or a demonstrated ability to acquire them quickly).
•    An interest in working with large, real-world data from digital learning environments combined with repeated survey measures.
•    A willingness to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork.
•    Proficiency in English as the working language of an international research team, the ability to work independently, and a high level of personal commitment.
•    A commitment to continuous professional development in line with the project’s requirements.

In addition, the following qualifications would be considered an asset:
•    Experience with longitudinal data and/or machine learning and model interpretation.
•    Experience with educational log or trace data, learning analytics, or educational data mining.
•    German language skills, helpful for the German-language course materials and survey instruments, but not a requirement.

What We Offer
We provide an inspiring, productive, and collaborative research environment with excellent opportunities for professional and academic development. Specifically, we offer:
•    Comprehensive supervision and a wide range of training opportunities, including methodological training as part of early-career researcher support.
•    The opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of learning analytics, self-regulated learning and education.
•    Access to rich, already collected longitudinal datasets, alongside opportunities to contribute to new data collections.
•    In-depth training in longitudinal modelling, survival analysis, and explainable machine learning, plus guidance in scientific publishing and in developing your own research profile.
•    Funding for presenting your work at national and international conferences (e.g., GEBF, EARLI, AERA).
•    Integration into the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network (www.lead.uni-tuebingen.de) and into the SRL-Hub of the Hector Research Institute.

For further information about the position, please contact Dr. Jakob Schwerter at jakob.schwerterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de, the PI of TRACE.

The Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Tübingen, dedicated to investigating the individual, social, and institutional determinants of learning and educational processes. Our research employs a broad range of methodological approaches, including large-scale assessments, longitudinal and laboratory studies, and randomized field experiments. We collaborate closely with schools and educational institutions to generate evidence-based insights to improve the educational landscape. Our institute is recognized as a leading center for empirical educational research both nationally and internationally. As an interdisciplinary team, we work in a well-equipped research facility, located near the historic old town of Tübingen. For more information about our work and institute, please visit www.hib.uni-tuebingen.de.

We hope to have sparked your interest! Please submit your complete and compelling application as a single PDF document. Your application should include a motivation letter, CV, transcripts, and the names of two academic referees. Reference "PhD TRACE" in the subject line of your email. Send your application to jobsspam prevention@hib.uni-tuebingen.de by 08.09.2026. Interviews are scheduled for September 22, 2026.

Applicants with disabilities will be given preferential consideration if equally qualified. The University of Tübingen is committed to equal opportunities and diversity and takes individual life circumstances into account. The university aims to increase the representation of women in research and teaching and therefore strongly encourages qualified female researchers to apply.

The employment will be administered through the Central Administration of the University of Tübingen.
 

Am Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung, einem inneruniversitären Forschungsinstitut der Universität Tübingen, ist zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt folgende Position zu besetzen:

Wissenschaftliche:r Mitarbeiter:in zur Promotion (m/w/d)

mit dem Schwerpunkt „Kreative Aktivitäten von Grundschulkindern im Alltag“

(75 % TV-L E13, befristet auf drei Jahre)

Wir suchen eine:n hochmotivierte:n Doktorand:in aus den Bereichen Psychologie, Empirische Bildungsforschung, Kognitionswissenschaft oder verwandten Disziplinen, die oder der sich intensiv mit der Entwicklung und Erfassung kreativer Aktivitäten im Grundschulalter beschäftigen möchte.

Warum sind Kinder an manchen Tagen besonders kreativ aktiv, während sie sich an anderen Tagen kaum mit kreativen Tätigkeiten beschäftigen? Welche Rolle spielen dabei Stimmung, Motivation, Selbstregulation und das familiäre Umfeld? Diesen und verwandten Fragen widmet sich ein neues Forschungsprojekt am Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung. Im Zentrum des Projekts steht die Untersuchung alltäglicher kreativer Aktivitäten von Grundschulkindern. Dabei sollen sowohl Unterschiede zwischen Kindern als auch tägliche Schwankungen innerhalb einzelner Kinder untersucht werden. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Frage, unter welchen emotionalen, motivationalen und situativen Bedingungen Kinder kreative Aktivitäten beginnen, fortführen und als positiv erleben. Das Projekt umfasst eine intensiv-längsschnittliche Studie mit Grundschulkindern und ihren Eltern. Vorgesehen sind standardisierte Vor- und Nachuntersuchungen sowie eine 31-tägige smartphonebasierte Tagebuchstudie. Eltern berichten dabei täglich über die kreativen Aktivitäten ihrer Kinder, deren Stimmung und Motivation sowie über Merkmale des familiären Alltags. Zusätzlich werden weitere kognitive und nicht-kognitive Konstrukte erfasst werden. Die Tätigkeit umfasst insbesondere die Weiterentwicklung und Programmierung der Erhebungsinstrumente, die Rekrutierung und Betreuung der teilnehmenden Familien, die Organisation und Durchführung der Datenerhebungen sowie die Aufbereitung und Analyse der Daten. Zur Auswertung werden quantitative Verfahren eingesetzt, insbesondere längsschnittliche und mehrebenenanalytische Methoden sowie Strukturgleichungsmodelle. Ein weiterer Bestandteil der Stelle ist die Veröffentlichung der Ergebnisse in wissenschaftlichen Fachzeitschriften und ihre Präsentation auf nationalen und internationalen Tagungen. Das Arbeitsprogramm sieht drei aufeinander aufbauende Publikationsprojekte zu täglichen Schwankungen kreativer Aktivitäten, ihren Bedingungen und Folgen sowie zur Rolle des familiären Umfelds vor.

Die erfolgreiche Kandidatin / der erfolgreiche Kandidat wird eng mit Dr. Benjamin Goecke und mit weiteren Forschenden am Hector-Institut sowie mit nationalen und internationalen Kooperationspartner:innen zusammenarbeiten.
 

Was wir von Ihnen erwarten:

• sehr guter wissenschaftlicher Hochschulabschluss in Psychologie, Empirischer Bildungsforschung, Kognitionswissenschaft, oder verwandten Disziplinen;

• ausgeprägtes Interesse an Kreativitätsforschung, Entwicklungspsychologie, Pädagogischer Psychologie oder psychologischer Diagnostik;

• Offenheit für empirisches Arbeiten und Interesse an anspruchsvollen statistischen Methoden;

• Erfahrung mit statistischen Auswertungsprogrammen, vorzugsweise R, Mplus oder vergleichbarer Software;

• Interesse an längsschnittlichen Untersuchungsdesigns, Tagebuchstudien oder Ecological Momentary Assessment;

• Bereitschaft zur Arbeit mit Kindern, Eltern und Schulen;

• sehr gute Deutsch- und Englischkenntnisse;

• Bereitschaft zur interdisziplinären Vernetzung und Teamarbeit;

• Fähigkeit zum selbstständigen und sorgfältigen Arbeiten sowie hohes persönliches Engagement;

• Bereitschaft zur kontinuierlichen fachlichen und methodischen Weiterbildung.

Was wir Ihnen bieten: 

• inspirierende und kollaborative Umgebung, in der Sie Ihre Leidenschaft für Forschung und Bildung voll entfalten können;

• intensive Betreuung und vielfältige Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten (auch methodisch) im Rahmen der wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchsförderung;

• Förderung eines interdisziplinären und internationalen Austauschs; 

• Unterstützung beim wissenschaftlichen Publizieren und die Möglichkeit, Ihre Forschung einer breiten Öffentlichkeit zugänglich zu machen;

• Integration in das LEAD Graduate School & Research Network (www.lead.uni-tuebingen.de); 

• Einbindung in ein dynamisches Team von motivierten Forscher:innen, die sich für Bildung und Talententwicklung begeistern.

Für weitere Informationen über die zu besetzende Stelle steht Ihnen Dr. Benjamin Goecke (benjamin.goeckespam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de) gern zur Verfügung. 

Das Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung ist ein inneruniversitäres Forschungsinstitut an der Universität Tübingen, das individuelle, soziale und institutionelle Determinanten von Lern- und Bildungsprozessen untersucht. Wir nutzen dabei eine Vielzahl von methodischen Verfahren: von Large-Scale-Assessments über Längsschnitts- und Laborstudien bis hin zu randomisierten Feldstudien. Wir arbeiten eng mit Schulen und Bildungseinrichtungen zusammen, um evidenzbasierte Erkenntnisse für eine verbesserte Bildungslandschaft zu gewinnen. Unser Forschungsinstitut gehört national und international zu den führenden Zentren für Empirische Bildungsforschung. Als interdisziplinäres Team arbeiten wir in einem gut ausgestatteten Gebäude, das direkt an die historische Altstadt Tübingens angrenzt. Weitere Informationen zu uns und unserem Institut finden Sie unter www.hib.uni-tuebingen.de.

Wir hoffen, Ihr Interesse geweckt zu haben und bitten Sie, Ihre vollständige und aussagekräftige Bewerbung (inkl. Lebenslauf, Motivationsschreiben und Zeugnissen) in einem PDF-Dokument unter Nennung des Stichworts „Promotion Kreative Aktivitäten“ bis zum 20. August 2026 per E-Mail zu senden an: jobsspam prevention@hib.uni-tuebingen.de.

Schwerbehinderte Bewerberinnen und Bewerber werden bei gleicher Eignung bevorzugt eingestellt. Die Universität setzt sich für Chancengleichheit und Diversität ein. Sie berücksichtigt daher individuelle Lebenslagen und bittet um entsprechende Informationen. Die Universität Tübingen strebt eine Erhöhung des Anteils von Frauen in Forschung und Lehre an und bittet deshalb entsprechend qualifizierte Wissenschaftlerinnen um ihre Bewerbung. 

Die Einstellung erfolgt über die Zentrale Verwaltung der Universität Tübingen.

The Graduation Celebration marks the fitting conclusion to an intensive and demanding phase of training. Approximately 20 graduates have successfully completed their doctoral studies at LEAD; 15 were able to attend in person and ceremonially receive their LEAD certificates from LEAD directors Ulrich Trautwein and Ulrike Cress.

More Than Just a Dissertation: The LEAD Training Program

Behind these successful completions lies a training program that goes beyond traditional disciplinary specialization. LEAD’s interdisciplinary and international network comprehensively prepares early-career researchers for the future of empirical educational research. In addition to providing excellent academic training, the program places special emphasis on
 

• International and interdisciplinary collaboration: Looking beyond the boundaries of one’s own discipline.
• Cooperation with educational practice: The direct transfer of research findings to schools and educational institutions.
• Proficient research practice: The highest standards of quality and ethics as the foundation of one’s own work.
• Science communication: The ability to convey complex research content to the public in an understandable and effective manner

A guest lecture by Dr. L. Rachel Gunn demonstrated what modern and dynamic science communication looks like in practice. The British ecologist was honored with the University of Tübingen’s Young Scientists’ Award for Science Communication for her outstanding work and provided guests with inspiring insights into her outreach efforts regarding coral reef ecosystems.

Amid midsummer temperatures, good food, moving personal remarks from fellow students during the award ceremony, and a quiz, the LEAD community celebrated well past midnight and didn’t let the heat stop them from wrapping up the evening on the dance floor.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all graduates, wish them every success in their future careers—whether in academia or the professional world—and hope to remain connected through LEAD!

Poster Session and Book Launch at Hohentübingen Castle 
A special highlight was the book launch celebration at Hohentübingen Castle. The focus was on the new book “Motivation, Achievement, and Situated Expectancy-Value Theory – Making One’s Future” by Jacquelynne S. Eccles, Allan Wigfield, Sandra D. Simpkins, and Fani Lauermann. Jacquelynne Eccles (UC Irvine) and Allan Wigfield (University of Maryland) were present in person and answered questions about their work, which synthesizes over 40 years of empirical research on Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT). At the end, they signed bookmarks related to the book.
The event was preceded by a lively poster session, during which early-career researchers from the Hector Institute presented their current work and received valuable feedback.

Creativity and the Art of Academic Writing 
With Paul Silvia (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), author of “How to Write a Lot,” Research Week addressed a topic that concerns all researchers: sustainable writing routines. In an open workshop, participants at all career stages shared the challenges they face in their daily writing lives. In the afternoon, Silvia shifted the focus of his lecture “Everyday Creativity in Daily Life” to the psychology of creativity. He impressively demonstrated that creativity is not a rare flash of inspiration, but rather a dynamic, everyday process that can be wonderfully studied using journaling and experience-sampling methods. 

Cultural Perspective: Forms of Testimony
The lecture by renowned emeritus literary scholar Aleida Assmann (University of Konstanz) on the topic “Forms of Testimony” added an interdisciplinary dimension. She highlighted the central cultural significance of eyewitnesses, who have become a primary source of history for young people — particularly in schools — and discussed the unique potential of this form of history education.

A Myth Put to the Test: Growing Through Crises? 
The week came to a fitting close with a lecture by HIB Distinguished International Professor Brent Roberts (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) on “Adversity and Growth in Self-Regulation.” Although self-regulation and conscientiousness continue to develop throughout life, the widespread belief that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” often does not hold up to scientific scrutiny. In their research, Roberts and his team found no evidence that life crises and adversity have a positive effect on adolescent development.

The Hector Institute would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to all guests, speakers, and participants who made this week such a vibrant and inspiring experience!

With her new professorship at the University of Erfurt,Marion Spengler will further expand her research at the intersection of psychology, education, and development.

We warmly congratulate her on this career step and look forward to continuing our collaboration within the LEAD network!

This year’s guests include: Jacquelynne Eccles (University of California, Irvine), Allan Wigfield (University of Maryland), Brent Roberts (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Matt Bernacki and Jeffrey Greene (both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Paul Silvia (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), and Aleida Assmann (University of Konstanz).

Program Overview:

• Monday, June 15
  2:15–4:00 PM (location to be announced):
  Talk: “Taking the ‘Self’ in Self-Regulation Seriously: Personalizing and Adapting Self-Regulation Research and Interventions” by Matt Bernacki & Jeffrey Greene
  (Exclusive to members of AIS & Hector AI + Education Future Fund).
   
• Tuesday, June 16:
  2:00–4:00 p.m. (HIB, Walter-Simon-Str. 12): Poster Fair
  5:00–6:30 p.m. (Tübingen Castle, Ernst von Sieglin Lecture Hall):
  Book Launch Celebration“Motivation, Achievement, and Situated Expectancy-Value Theory” with Jacquelynne Eccles and Allan Wigfield. (Registration required by June 7, 2026)
   
• Wednesday, June 17:
  8:00 AM–12:00 PM (HIB, Europastr. 6, Seminar Room 204): Writing Workshop with Paul Silvia.(Registration required by June 7)
  2:00–3:30 p.m.: Talk“Everyday Creativity in Daily Life” with Paul Silvia.
   
• Thursday, June 18:
  12:30–2:00 p.m. (HIB, Europastr. 6, Seminar Room 204): Lecture (in German)
  “Forms of Testimony” by Aleida Assmann.
   
• Friday, June 19
  12:00–1:30 p.m. (HIB, Europastr. 6, Seminar Room 204):
  Talk: “Adversity and Growth in Self-Regulation” – Brent Roberts.

Members have the exclusive opportunity to arrange personal one-on-one meetings with the guests. Please contact the respective coordinators directly:

• Jacquelynne Eccles: Karoline Wolandt & Felix Reuth
• Allan Wigfield: Jakob Schwerter
• Jeffrey Greene & Matt Bernacki: Niki Gatzionis & Enise Akay Aras
• Brent Roberts (in Tübingen until July 16): Please contact him directly via email.

The Hector Institute team looks forward to an inspiring week and a lively academic exchange!

The consequences:
De-skilling: Existing skills may atrophy as tasks are outsourced to AI. 
Skill-skipping: In some cases, basic skills may not be acquired in the first place. 
Superficial understanding: Studies show that unreflective use of AI leads to reduced cognitive activity and poorer memory performance. 

Self-regulation as a key skill
The authors emphasise that self-regulated learning – that is, the ability to independently plan, monitor and reflect on one’s own learning process – is becoming a crucial skill for the future in the age of AI. AI should therefore not be used as a ‘shortcut’ to a ready-made solution, but rather as a learning coach that prompts reflection and teaches strategies. 

Three scenarios for the use of AI
The paper identifies three ways in which AI can be used in the classroom:
1.    AI as a service provider: The AI performs the tasks; the learning outcome remains limited. 
2.    AI as a teaching assistant: Provides adaptive support in the acquisition of subject knowledge.
3.    AI as a learning coach: Specifically promotes learners’ metacognitive skills and personal responsibility. 

Recommendations for practice
To ensure a successful transition from dependence to ‘agency’ (the ability to act), the research team sees an urgent need for action at several levels:
- Pupils must learn to use AI as a sparring partner that they can critically scrutinise.    
- Teachers require further training to orchestrate AI in a way that simultaneously strengthens subject knowledge and self-regulation skills.
- Policy-makers and industry are called upon to promote evidence-based and quality-assured educational AI tools that follow pedagogical principles rather than pure efficiency. 

This policy paper is based on an analysis of the latest empirical research into the use of AI in an educational context, as well as the systematic incorporation of the perspectives of over 100 national and international experts from academia, educational practice, educational administration and the education sector.  

The policy paper was funded by the Vodafone Foundation Germany. 

Publication:
Fütterer, T., Steinhäuser, R., Udvardi-Lakos, N., Fabian, A., Gerjets, P., Nuxoll, F., Bock, C., & Trautwein, U. (2026). KI in der Bildung: Von Abhängigkeit zu Agency! Künstliche Intelligenz und selbstreguliertes Lernen von Schülerinnen und Schülern (Policy Paper). Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung der Universität Tübingen / Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland.
 
Further interview with Dr Tim Fütterer in German:
https://evido-magazin.de/artikel/selbstreguliertes-lernen-und-ki-zwischen-effizienter-assistenz-und-folgenreicher-abhaengigkeit

Link to the study:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-026-10133-8 

Press contact:
Kristina Laube
presse@lead.uni-tuebingen.de
 

Clearing Houses verbinden Bildungsforschung und schulische Praxis, indem sie wissenschaftliche Studien verständlich aufbereiten, ihre Qualität einordnen und zentrale Erkenntnisse für Unterricht und Schulentwicklung nutzbar machen. Grundlage sind vor allem Meta-Analysen und systematische Reviews, die besonders belastbare Evidenz bündeln und praxisnah zugänglich machen.

In ihrem Gastbeitrag betont LEAD-Mitglied Dr. Thérèse Eder, dass Clearing Houses den Wissenstransfer in die Schule deutlich erleichtern, zugleich aber durch Fortbildung, Zeitressourcen und unterstützende Strukturen im Bildungssystem ergänzt werden müssen.

Zum Beitrag (kostenfreie Vollversion) auf evido.

The varied programme offered participants the latest findings from empirical educational research as well as practical guidance. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Trautwein (Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology / LEAD) kicked off the event with the provocative question “Does school make you ill?”. He emphasised that a supportive school culture and healthy teachers are the basic prerequisites for good teaching. As potential solutions, he advocated for the expansion of multi-professional teams, a fixed school day to provide more structure, and school environments that promote health.

Prof. Dr Tobias Renner (University Hospital Tübingen) took a closer look at the mental health of children and young people. He highlighted how pressure to perform, external crises, and the use of digital media all influence well-being. Instead of bans, he advocated for the targeted promotion of media literacy and self-regulation as key factors in resilience. In practical terms, he referred to low-threshold support services such as the Child Protection Hotline or the Youth Life Line.

In the subsequent workshops, specific topics ranging from ADHD and anorexia to preventive measures such as smartphone-free school playgrounds were explored in greater depth. At the same time, organisations such as the Tübingen School Psychology Advisory Service (ZSL) and tima e.V. presented their work at information stands.

The event was rounded off by a lecture from Prof. Dr Uta Klusmann (Humboldt University of Berlin). She highlighted the risk of burnout in the teaching profession and emphasised that emotional exhaustion – which particularly affects young teachers – has a direct impact on the quality of teaching and the relationships formed with pupils. Her conclusion: prevention must be addressed both at the individual level (e.g. stress management) and at the level of the school environment.

The LEAD Science Day takes place every two years and has become a fixture in the calendar of education professionals in the Tübingen region. 
“Schwäbisches Tagblatt” was also in attendance, visited the workshop ‘The Resilience Compass for Schools and Development’ and reported in detail on the event:
https://www.swp.de/lokales/tuebingen/psychische-gesundheit-in-tuebingen-wie-gehts-dir-eigentlich-so-lernen-schueler-resilienz-78740857.html?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=article_action_bar

Media contact: 
Kristina Laube
presse@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

Participants included representatives from the Hector Institute (Janina Eberhart) as well as international guests such as Stephanie Jones (Harvard Graduate School of Education), Sara Baker (University of Cambridge), Elina Malleus-Kotšegarov (Tallinn University), and Nora Kunz (University of Bern).

The workshop focused on key questions related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions based on the “Common Elements” approach. Among other topics, participants discussed how evidence-based components can be effectively combined, how such interventions can be successfully implemented in practice, and which methodological approaches are suitable for validly measuring their effectiveness.

In addition, the workshop provided a platform for exchange between experienced researchers and those interested in becoming familiar with the approach or applying it in future projects.

Pressekontakt
Philipp Sigle
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 
 

The participants used dance sequences to explore individual bodily boundaries and to develop a shared language for describing their movement experience.

The project addresses the central question of how scientific reflection can expand the perception of one’s own body. Through the dialogue between art and science, physical boundaries are not only experienced but also reinterpreted and made conceptually accessible.

Link to the feature 

Media contact

Philipp Sigle
presse@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

The study was conducted by Judith Havemann (University of Tübingen), Ann-Kathrin Jaggy, Katrin Kunz, Ulrich Trautwein (Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology), and Walther Paravicini. It was recently published in the journal Learning and Instruction. The researchers examined a one-week intervention for mathematically talented students in grades 2 to 5, who took part in a digital holiday course as part of the Hector Children’s Academy program.

The intervention focused on promoting so-called mathematical structuring competence (MSC). That is the ability to recognize, apply, and independently develop mathematical patterns and structures. The training concept combined inquiry-based learning with demanding, structurally rich pattern tasks and relied on cooperative learning formats.

The results show clear effects: students in the intervention group developed significantly higher structuring competences than those in the comparison group, who participated in a course on computational thinking. Notably, all participants benefited equally, regardless of gender, grade level, prior knowledge, or fluid intelligence. In contrast, no immediate effects were found on calculation performance or motivational characteristics.

“The study showed that talented students’ MSC can be promoted by combining inquiry-based learning with mathematically rich pattern tasks,” the authors conclude. Since structuring competences are considered a central core of mathematical talent in many theoretical models, the study provides important impulses for the further development of enrichment programs at the primary school level.

The study closes an important research gap, as there have so far been very few experimental studies on the promotion of mathematical talent beyond the preschool age. At the same time, it shows how research-based interventions can be successfully implemented within extracurricular programs. In the long term, the findings are intended to contribute to the further development of support concepts and to make them applicable to regular classroom instruction as well.

Publication
Havemann, J., Jaggy, A.-K., Kunz, K., Trautwein, U., & Paravicini, W. (2026). Efficacy of a mathematical structuring competence intervention for talented students: A randomized controlled field trial. Learning and Instruction, 102, 102295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102295 
 

Media Contakt
Philipp Sigle
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

For the three-hour pilot workshop, the project team invited a group of dance pedagogues and dance practitioners from Tübingen and the surrounding region to a dance studio. The workshop series is part of a science communication project funded by the VolkswagenStiftung and builds on previous research conducted within the framework of a Freigeist Fellowship.

The aim of the project is a co-creative exchange between science and practice. During the workshop, participants therefore worked on developing a shared foundation for talking about their own movement experiences. Each session began with short dance sequences in which practitioners consciously observed their bodily experiences. Only afterward were scientific concepts introduced to describe these experiences. In this way, a shared language gradually emerged – one that connects scientific analysis with dance practice.

Participants included choreographer Irina Demina (Berlin), dancer and doctoral researcher Deliah Seefluth (UCL London), HIB doctoral researcher Gayatri Nerpagar, and junior research group leader Elisa Filevich (HIB, Tübingen). The participants were open to a format that places greater emphasis on the quality of one’s own movement experience and combines dance practice with scientific reflection.

The pilot workshop marks the beginning of a series of around twelve further events, which will involve approximately 100 to 150 movement practitioners, including dancers, athletes, yoga teachers, and actors. Feedback gathered from these workshops will feed into a scientific position paper proposing new perspectives for research on motor awareness and metacognition.

Media Contact
Philipp Sigle
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

AI Excels at Language‑Based Features

What Does This Mean for Practice?

The study demonstrates that automated analyses are feasible and could complement traditional methods, especially in research contexts where large datasets have so far required considerable resources to evaluate. The next step is to optimize the AI algorithms and provide teachers with a free app that offers timely feedback on their teaching quality. This work is currently being pursued by Tim Fütterer and colleagues in the ETQ‑AI project, with the first test version scheduled for pilot use in classrooms starting in early February. In parallel, the team is addressing several open questions—for example regarding the explainability of AI judgments, the quality of the underlying multimodal data (e.g., audio quality), and the reliability of the “ground truth,” meaning the human ratings on which the models are currently trained.

Publication

Fütterer, T., Hou, R., Bühler, B., Bozkir, E., Bell, C., Kasneci, E., Gerjets, P., & Trautwein, U. (2026). Validating automated assessments of teaching effectiveness using multimodal data. Learning and Instruction, 101, 102264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102264

See also:

Fütterer, T., Goldberg, P., Bühler, B., Sikimić, V., Trautwein, U., Gerjets, P., Stürmer, K., & Kasneci, E. (2025). Artificial intelligence in classroom management: A systematic review on educational purposes, technical implementations, and ethical considerations. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 100483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2025.100483


Media Contact:

Philipp Sigle
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

In a recent study, Dr. Jakob Schwerter and other researchers investigated who benefits from self-tests and who actually uses them. The researchers analyzed data from 325 first-semester students in a mathematics course. They combined surveys, self-test usage data, and exam performance. The result: more practice tests are associated with better grades. Those who had already started off weaker used self-tests significantly less often and needed more runs to achieve similar improvements.

Why do lower-performing students in particular forego this effective strategy? The study shows that previous performance, belief in the value of learning, and the pursuit of mastery goals influence its use. Those who believe that learning is worthwhile and who focus on understanding rather than pure grades test themselves more frequently. Personality traits and the willingness to accept short-term effort for long-term goals also play a role.

The authors advocate for greater integration of self-testing in courses. “Ideally as low-threshold, non-graded offerings,” emphasizes Schwerter. At the same time, motivation and self-regulation skills should be specifically promoted. In this way, educational institutions could not only improve exam performance but also increase equal opportunities. Especially in mathematics, where many students struggle, this combination can make a decisive difference.

Publication

Schwerter, J., Lauermann, F., Brahm, T., & Murayama, K. (2025). Differential use and effectiveness of practice testing: Who benefits and who engages? Learning and Individual Differences, 123, 102761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2025.102761 

Media Contact

Philipp Sigle
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

Im Rahmen zweier aktueller Forschungsprojekte der wissenschaftlichen Begleitung der Hector Kinderakademien wurde untersucht, wie besonders begabte und hochbegabte Grundschulkinder bei den Hector Kinderakademien grundlegende Programmierstrukturen wahrnehmen und welche typischen Fehlkonzepte beim ersten Kontakt mit Code auftreten. Beide Studien zeigen eindrucksvoll, wie früh Kinder bereits systematisch an das Programmieren herangeführt werden können und wie unterschiedlich sie Programmstrukturen je nach Darstellung interpretieren.

In einer Onlinestudie wurde ein neues Messinstrument entwickelt, das speziell auf hochbegabte Kinder der ersten bis vierten Klasse zugeschnitten ist. Dabei verfolgten die Kinder Schritt für Schritt, was passiert, wenn das programmeigene Maskottchen Hasel bestimmten Befehlen folgt. Die Kinder arbeiteten mit verschiedenen Programmierumgebungen – unplugged, blockbasiert (Scratch, BlockPy) und textbasiert (Python). Dabei zeigte sich, dass Denkfehler und damit verbundene Fehlkonzepte abhängig von der Darstellungsform von Code sind: Zum Beispiel machten Kinder häufiger Fehler bei der Programmierstruktur „Schleifen“, wenn Code in textueller Form in der Programmiersprache Python dargestellt wurde. Somit steht fest: Die Wahl der Programmierumgebung spielt eine tragende Rolle in der Vermittlung von Programmierkenntnissen und das neu entwickelte Messinstrument kann zukünftig dabei helfen, Lernangebote des Informatikcurriculums noch gezielter anzupassen.

Eine weitere Studie widmete sich den Fehlkonzepten zu algorithmischen Grundbausteinen – Sequenzen, Schleifen und Bedingungen.  Genauer gesagt wurde mithilfe von Interviews untersucht, welche Denkprozesse bei Kindern stattfinden, wenn sie Code nachvollziehen und welche Fehler sie dabei machen bzw. auch, ob diese auf bereits vorherrschenden Fehlvorstellungen beruhen. Die qualitative Analyse brachte zwei bisher nicht dokumentierte Fehlkonzepte zutage: Einige Kinder führten in  der Programmiersprache Scratch Schleifen einmal zu oft aus – vermutlich, weil sie „wiederholen“ aus dem Alltag als „noch einmal“ verstehen. Diese Ergebnisse verdeutlichen, wie wichtig es ist, die Denkweisen der Kinder zu verstehen, bevor Programmierkonzepte vertieft gelehrt werden. Sie machen außerdem deutlich, wie stark Sprache und Darstellungsformen beeinflussen, wie Kinder sich Code vorstellen – und wie solche Erkenntnisse helfen, die Lernangebote der Hector Kinderakademien weiter zu verbessern.

Publikationen
Kunz, K., Wacker, J., Wenzel, T., Schumacher, A., & Tsarava, K. (2025) Programming concepts and their misconceptions across modalities: The pilot study of a code tracing assessment for talented primary school students. Proceedings of the 25th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research.  https://doi.org/10.1145/3769994.3770040 

Kunz, K., Wenzel, T., Wacker, J., & Tsarava, K. (2025). Unplugged, Scratch, and Python: Tracing Primary Students’ Preconceptions of Programming Structures. Proceedings of the 2025 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research. https://doi.org/10.1145/3702652.3744225    

Medienkontakt 

Amelie Rebmann
amelie.rebmannspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

„Bridging Technology and Education“: Das Programm des Digital Education Day war stark geprägt von den rasanten Entwicklungen, die insbesondere die KI im Bildungsbereich mit sich bringen, und der Frage, wie die evidenzorientierte Einbindung von digitalen Technologien wissenschaftlich begleitet und gestaltet werden kann. Die Veranstaltung richtete sich an Pädagog:innen, Forschende und Innovator:innen, die gemeinsam die digitale Zukunft des Lernens gestalten möchten. Das Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien diente als Kulisse für den Digital Education Day 2025.

Samuel Wagner, Vizepräsident der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, lobte die Vielzahl der Veranstaltungen und interdisziplinären Verbindungen zu KI und Bildung, die derzeit entstehen – insbesondere seit der Gründung des Hector AI + Education Future Fund.

In ihrer Keynote warnte Jacqueline Bellon vom Internationalen Zentrum für Ethik in den Wissenschaften (IZEW) vor den ethischen und epistemischen Risiken sowie der Menge an stereotypen und schlicht erfundenen und falschen Inhalten, die derzeit von generativer KI produziert werden. Sie betonte die Notwendigkeit, die digitale Kompetenzentwicklung in der Bildung und die valide Wissensproduktion durch Menschen statt KI in der akademischen Praxis sicherzustellen.

Der Tag voller Austausch zwischen Wissenschaft und Bildungspraxis zeigte sich insbesondere in drei Workshops zum Thema „Bildung und Technologie” von Dr. Caroline Schmidt (Bundeswettbewerb künstliche Intelligenz), Stefan Kohlmeier (SAP) und Michaela Gläser-Zikuda (Universität Erlangen). 

Der Erfolg der Veranstaltung wurde durch die Zusammenarbeit einiger der führenden bildungswissenschaftlichen Institutionen in Deutschland ermöglicht:

• LEAD Graduate School & Research Network

• Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM)

• Tübinger Center for Digital Education (TüCeDE)

• Tübinger School of Education (TüSE)

How can genuine cooperation be achieved between disciplines that are often rooted in completely different ways of thinking? This question was the focus of this year's PACE workshop. In his presentation, historian Prof. Dr. Ewald Frie provided exciting insights into the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary cooperation, recounting his experiences writing the book Keplerstraße 2, which he co-authored with sociologist Boris Nieswand.
Frie described how different the expectations and working methods were in the two disciplines. The joint writing process thus became an experiment: How can a book be designed without overpowering the other side? The answer: through openness, patience, and a willingness to question one's own routines.
Frie emphasized that interdisciplinary collaboration must bridge not only methodological differences, but also temporal trends:

"Some of the things that are fashionable in your discipline have been fashionable in other disciplines ten years ago or will be fashionable there in ten years. You have to bridge the gaps between disciplinary mindsets."

Another central idea of his presentation was that it is often the unintended side effects that yield the greatest insights:

“Unintended side effects — things you didn't want to happen but that occur anyway — may be more important than the outcomes you originally aimed for.”

In addition to this impulse, the workshop as a whole was held under the motto of communication. In practical sessions, Rebecca Beiter showed PACE members how they can present their research in a comprehensible and convincing manner. This is a key competence for exchange with other disciplines and the public.

The workshop made it clear that interdisciplinarity is not a sure-fire success, but requires active bridge-building and a willingness to embrace new ideas.

Information about the PACE program

Literature

Frie, E. & Nieswand, B. (2024). Keplerstraße 2. https://doi.org/10.17104/9783406821905

Media Contact

Philipp Sigle
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

Im Interview mit dem Online-Magazin Campus Schulmanagement spricht Bildungsforscher Tim Fütterer vom Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung darüber, wie Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) das Lernen verändert. KI-gestützte Anwendungen wie der „Study Mode“ können Lernprozesse individuell unterstützen, führen aber zugleich dazu, dass viele Schüler:innen schnelle Antworten statt vertieftes Verständnis erwarten.
Damit KI tatsächlich zu besserem Lernen beiträgt, brauche es laut Fütterer zwei zentrale Kompetenzen: Fach- und Inhaltswissen, um die Qualität von KI-Antworten kritisch zu bewerten, sowie Selbstregulationsfähigkeit, um das eigene Lernen bewusst zu steuern. Auch Lehrkräfte stünden vor der Aufgabe, den Einsatz von KI im Unterricht reflektiert zu gestalten. Dabei gehe es nicht um Technikbegeisterung um ihrer selbst willen, sondern um didaktisch sinnvolle Integration und den Mut zum Ausprobieren.

Zum Beitrag (kostenfreie Vollversion) auf Onlinemagazin Schulmanagement
 

As part of this initiative, the Regional Day of Gifted Education took place on November 10, 2025, at Robert-Mayer-Gymnasium in Heilbronn. At the “Marketplace of Opportunities,” the Hector Children’s Academies presented themselves with their own booth, engaging in conversations with numerous participants. Program Director Kristin Funcke introduced the evidence-based support concept of the Hector Children’s Academies and demonstrated how particularly gifted and highly gifted elementary school children can be supported and encouraged through the program.

Also represented was a booth for the certificate program “Gifted Education and Talent Development.” Claudia Wolf, coordinator of this part-time continuing education program offered by the Hector Institute of Educational Research, explained how participants – especially teachers and school administrators – can use the certificate program for their own professional development and apply the acquired knowledge effectively in everyday school life.

The day clearly showed: Gifted education works best where people connect, share ideas, and take joint responsibility for nurturing potential.

About the Certificate Program

Media Contact
Jennifer Raffler
jennifer.rafflerspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

The large-scale study, conducted in authentic physics lessons, involved 720 students in 30 classes across 11 schools (final N = 590). The results demonstrate that students who explained the learning content orally and through drawing to a fictitious peer developed an immediately deeper conceptual understanding than students who explained with a provided visualization, explained only, or restudied the material. At the same time, the study shows how challenging it is to maintain such effects over time. Overall, the study makes an important contribution to understanding how students can be supported in science education.

Publication
Russ, H., Sibley, L., Flegr, S., Kuhn, J., Hoogerheide, V., Scheiter, K., & Lachner, A. (2025). Combining non-interactive teaching and drawing fosters conceptual knowledge but not monitoring accuracy from guided inquiry in science learning. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/edu0000971 

Project
Embedding generative and retrieval activities to foster inquiry-based learning in science classrooms (GRAIL)

Project Leads
Prof. Dr. Andreas Lachner (University of Tübingen), Prof. Dr. Katharina Scheiter (University of Potsdam)

Research Group
The project is part of the DFG Research Unit "Lasting Learning: Cognitive mechanisms and effective instructional implementation" (FOR 5254).

Media Contact
Rebecca Beiter
rebecca.beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

With generative AI and ML on the rise, many new possibilities open up for teachers and education sciences. But how can we utilise new tools in an evidence-based manner to enhance educational effectiveness? "Generative AI simulation fuels testbed research in educational science–enabling rapid testing, rigorous validation, and continuous improvement in teaching and learning", says Prof. Dr. Yizhen (Eejain) Huang from the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen.

Listen to the audio recording of Prof. Dr. Yizhen (Eejain) Huang's keynote during the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network Retreat in October 2025 with the title: “New Frontiers in Educational Effectiveness Research: Investigating the Teaching Process In-Situ with VR, Machine Learning, and genAI”:

To the recording

Tübingen / Oldenburg: Warum wurden in der frühen Neuzeit bestimmte Frauen als Hexen verfolgt? Weshalb haben Menschen in verschiedenen Epochen andere Menschen versklavt? Und wie ist die Gesellschaft in vergangenen Zeitaltern mit Migrantinnen und Migranten umgegangen? Fragen wie diese, also nach dem gesellschaftlichen Ein- oder Ausschluss verschiedener Personengruppen, spielen auch im Geschichtsunterricht eine bedeutende Rolle. Wie eine gute Auseinandersetzung mit diesen Themen gelingen kann, welche Expertise dafür Lehrkräfte einsetzen können und wie sich diese auf die Schülerinnen und Schüler auswirkt, steht im Mittelpunkt des interdisziplinären Forschungsvorhabens „Geschichtsunterricht zum Thema Inklusion, Diversität und Exklusion“ (GUIDE). 

Leiter des Projekts sind der Bildungsforscher Prof. Dr. Ulrich Trautwein vom Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung der Universität Tübingen sowie der Sonderpädagoge Prof. Dr. Clemens Hillenbrand von der Universität Oldenburg. Das Bundesbildungsministerium fördert das bis März 2030 laufende Projekt in der Förderlinie „Umgang mit Vielfalt“ mit rund 850.000 Euro.

Im Fach Geschichte können Lehrkräfte ihren Schüler:innen vermitteln, wie Vielfalt Gesellschaften schon immer verändert und bereichert, aber auch herausgefordert hat. Zudem kann Geschichtsunterricht zeigen, wie Ausschlussprozesse ungesteuert oder gesteuert ablaufen und welche oft destruktiven individuellen und gesellschaftlichen Folgen sie haben können. Als besonders wertvoll gilt Geschichtsunterricht dann, wenn er es schafft, Schüler:innen anhand konkreter historischer Fälle – etwa von Migration, Sklaverei oder der Hexenverfolgung – verallgemeinernde Einsichten zu Prozessen, Mechanismen und Zielgruppen von Ausschluss und Inklusion zu vermitteln.

Das Forschungsteam wird im Projekt GUIDE eng mit Weiterbildungszentren und Lehrkräften zusammenarbeiten und auf Erkenntnissen der Psychologie, Unterrichtsqualitätsforschung, Geschichtsdidaktik und Inklusionsforschung aufbauen, um ein neues Konzept für einen diversitätssensiblen Geschichtsunterricht zu erarbeiten. Methodisch verfolgen die Forschenden einen sogenannten Design-Based-Research-Ansatz. Dies bedeutet, dass sie auf Basis vorhandener geschichtsdidaktischer Unterrichtskonzepte ein systematisches Konzept der Lehrkräftequalifizierung mit konkreten Unterrichtshilfen zu Themen wie Ausschluss, Inklusion und Diversität entwickeln und anschließend in einer Feldstudie seine Wirksamkeit überprüfen. Die Feldstudie ist randomisiert, das heißt, die Forschenden erproben die Unterrichtskonzepte mit zufällig ausgewählten Teilnehmenden und werten anschließend deren Lernerfolg aus.

Als Maß für den Erfolg der Unterrichtshilfen gilt insbesondere ein verbessertes Verständnis der Schülerinnen und Schüler für historische und gegenwärtige Prozesse von Inklusion und Ausschluss gesellschaftlicher Gruppen. Auch soll das Konzept zu einer angstfreien Lernatmosphäre in einer diversen Klassengemeinschaft sowie zu fundierteren Kompetenzen aufseiten der Lehrkräfte beitragen. Die erprobten Unterrichtshilfen werden die Forschenden im Anschluss als kostenfrei verfügbare Open Educational Ressource (OER) Materialien den Geschichtslehrkräften online zur Verfügung stellen.

Zur GUIDE-Projektseite

Pressekontakt

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

Fachlicher Kontakt

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Trautwein, u.trautweinspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 
Prof. Dr. Clemens Hillenbrand, c.hillenbrandspam prevention@uol.de 
 

The term “self-regulation” has long played an important role in research: Pupils can self-regulate their own learning processes are disciplined, less easily distracted, and have better chances of future career success. So how can self-regulation be promoted? And how can we improve educational research on the topic of self-regulation?

Listen to the audio recording of Prof. Dr. Krista Muis' keynote during the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network Retreat in October 2025 with the title: "The Self in Context: 25 Years of Advancing the Science of Self-Regulated Learning through Epistemic, Affective, and Motivational Lens".

  To the recording

The vast majority of Germans have confidence in research and science (Wissenschaftsbarometer), but around one in ten respondents “do not” or “tend not to” trust science. A gaze at other countries shows how quickly skepticism can turn into science denial, and how scientific evidence can be disregarded and exploited for political purposes.  

Why do people deny scientific facts and research? What insights can psychology provide, and how can we solve this problem? Prof. Dr. Gale Sinatra answered these questions in her keynote “The Psychology of Science Denial: Challenges and Solutions.” The audio recording of Sinatra's lecture, given during the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network Retreat in October 2025, is now available on YouTube: 

Zur Keynote “The Psychology of Science Denial” 

Ever since machine learning and AI began to have a major impact on our everyday lives, the question has been, how do humans actually learn—and what can we apply from this to machine learning? What role does our curiosity play in how and what we learn? And how can our learning progress and learning process be scientifically researched?

Prof. Dr. Pierre-Yves Oudeyer answered these questions in his keynote “Curiosity-driven learning in humans: learning progress, autotelic exploration, and open-ended development.” The audio recording of the English-language lecture, which Oudeyer gave during the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network Retreat in October 2025, is now available on YouTube:

  Keynote “How Curiosity drives our Learning” 

With numerous keynotes, poster sessions, and opportunities for exchange, our LEAD Retreats always place interdisciplinary collaboration at the center, true to our motto: understanding education together, improving education together.

Intelligente Tutorensysteme versprechen personalisiertes Lernen auf Knopfdruck – mit automatischem Feedback, individueller Anpassung und Rund-um-die-Uhr-Verfügbarkeit. Doch noch sind sie selten im Schulalltag zu finden. Was macht diese Systeme so besonders? Wo liegen Chancen, wo Risiken? Julia Schmidt-Peterson und Dr. Katharina Wendebourg erklären, was Intelligente Tutorielle Systeme in Zeiten von generativer KI für die Zukunft des Lernens bedeuten könnten.

Im Interview mit Online-Magazin Schulmanagement sprechen die Expertinnen über folgende Themen:

• Was unterscheidet generative Systeme wie ChatGPT von Intelligenten Tutoriellen Systemen?
• Inwieweit verändert sich die Rolle von Lehrkräften durch solche Systeme?
• Nutzen und Risiken der Systeme
• Grenzen intelligenter Tutorieller Systemen im Vergleich zu menschlichen Lehrkräften
• Was muss sich an Schulen ändern, damit Intelligente Tutorielle Systeme stärker genutzt werden?

Zum Beitrag (kostenfreie Vollversion) auf Onlinemagazin Schulmanagement

Grundschulkinder der Hector Kinderakademien zeigten in einer Studie (ICER 2025), dass sie auch ohne formalen Programmierunterricht bereits intuitive Vorstellungen von Konzepten wie Schleifen und Bedingungen haben. Andererseits zeigte sich auch, dass verbreitete Fehlvorstellungen insbesondere durch die unterschiedliche Repräsentation von Konzepten in verschiedenen Programmiersprachen entstehen. Die Erkenntnisse flossen in die Entwicklung eines Testinstruments ein, das nun zur Überprüfung der Wirksamkeit von Informatikkursen eingesetzt wird.

Publikation

Kunz, K., Wenzel, T., Wacker, J., & Tsarava, K. (2025). Unplugged, Scratch, and Python: Tracing Primary Students’ Preconceptions of Programming Structures. Proceedings of the 2025 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research. https://doi.org/10.1145/3702652.3744225 

In a new demo video, the penguin Flocke guides children through the tasks and playfully demonstrates how the assessment takes place in the classroom. (The video is only available in German.)

To the video on YouTube

"With Flocke, we want to make the testing setting understandable and accessible to children in a playful way. This creates a positive foundation for assessing potential and competencies in the classroom," says Dr. Benjamin Goecke. He is part of the scientific team accompanying the Hector Children’s Academies in the area of potential development and giftedness, and a member of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network 

More information about PINGUIN

Die am Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung der Universität Tübingen konzipierte Wanderausstellung „Generationen verbinden” wird am 1. Oktober eröffnet. Anlässlich des 35. Jahrestages der deutschen Wiedervereinigung am 3. Oktober 2025 zeigt die Demokratie-Stiftung der Universität zu Köln die Videoausstellung zum Themenschwerpunkt „Generation 1975 | Mit 14 ins neue Deutschland“.

Die Wanderausstellung “Generationen verbinden”

35 Jahre nach dem Beitritt der DDR zum Geltungsbereich des Grundgesetzes und über 75 Jahre nach der Gründung zweier deutscher Staaten ist es wichtig, an die Verwerfungen und Verflechtungen der deutsch-deutschen Geschichte mit einem wertschätzenden Blick auf die Lebensgeschichten der Menschen in Ost- und Westdeutschland zu erinnern – das ist das Ziel der Wanderausstellung “Generationen verbinden”. 

Videoinstallationen machen die Erfahrungen von Jugendlichen und jungen Menschen während der Wendezeit erlebbar: 26 Menschen, die 1975 geboren wurden, berichten in einer Videoausstellung von ihren Erfahrungen mit der Teilung Deutschlands, dem Mauerfall und ihrem persönlichen Neubeginn im vereinigten Deutschland. Sie stammen aus Brandenburg, Baden-Württemberg sowie Ost- und Westberlin und erinnern sich an die Umbrüche in ihrer Jugendzeit. Die Ausstellung “Generation 1975 – Mit 14 ins neue Deutschland” ist eine von vier Themenschwerpunkten der Wanderausstellung.

Die Stimmen dieser Generation sind über eine Videoinstallation miteinander verbunden. Auf sieben Monitoren können Besucher:innen den Zeitzeug:innen begegnen und so die Erfahrungen der „Generation 1975“ miterleben. Die Personen in den Videos waren 14 Jahre alt, als die Mauer fiel – alt genug, um die Veränderungen bewusst wahrzunehmen, aber noch jung genug, um offen für neue Wege zu sein. Die Videoausstellung eröffnet so neue Perspektiven auf das vereinte Deutschland: Sie verbindet persönliche Geschichten mit der großen Geschichte und zeigt, wie unterschiedlich Herkunft und Prägungen aus Ost und West die Sicht auf das neue Land beeinflussten.

Weitere Informationen zur Wanderausstellung “Generationen verbinden”

Eröffnung in Köln und weitere Veranstaltungen

Die Ausstellung wird am 1. Oktober um 10.00 Uhr im Foyer des Studierenden Service Center (SSC) der Universität Köln (Gebäude 102, Universitätsstr. 22a, 50937 Köln) mit einer kurzen Ansprache des Universitätskanzlers Karsten Gerlof eröffnet. Die Videoausstellung ist bis zum 28. November 2025, montags bis freitags jeweils von 10.00 bis 18.00 Uhr, im SSC-Gebäude zu sehen.

Ergänzt wird die Ausstellung in Köln durch zwei Veranstaltungen:

• Am Dienstag, 21. Oktober 2025, findet um 17.00 Uhr im Hörsaal II des Uni-Hauptgebäudes eine Filmvorführung mit anschließendem Filmgespräch mit Dr. Christiane Bertram (Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung, Universität Tübingen) und Stefan Krauss (KRRO Film) statt.
• Am Donnerstag, 13. November 2025, um 17.30 Uhr, findet im Neuen Senatssaal im Uni-Hauptgebäude das Podiumsgespräch „Ost und West im Zeitzeugengespräch: Geteilte Erfahrungen, umstrittene Erinnerungen?” statt. Es diskutieren Dr. Christiane Bertram (Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung, Universität Tübingen), Professorin Dr. Kerstin Brückweh (Europa-Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt/Oder) und Dr. Stefan Moitra (Deutsches Bergbau-Museum). Moderiert wird die Podiumsdiskussion von Juniorprofessorin Dr. Nicole Kramer und Jochen Pahl vom Historischen Institut der Universität zu Köln.

Außerdem wird die Ausstellung im Herbst und Winter 2025 an weiteren Orten in Deutschland zu sehen sein:

Die Videoausstellung ist Teil einer Generationen-Ausstellung zur deutsch-deutschen Geschichte und wird in den Jubiläumsjahren 2025 und 2026 an verschiedenen Orten in Deutschland gezeigt. Idee und Projektleitung liegen bei Dr. Christiane Bertram (Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung, Universität Tübingen), die künstlerische Umsetzung übernahm KRRO Film (Berlin). Alle Interviews sind außerdem im Archiv Deutsches Gedächtnis der Forschung verfügbar. Die bundesweite Wanderausstellung wird von der Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung gefördert. Weitere Kooperationspartner sind die Stiftung Berliner Mauer, das Koordinierende Zeitzeugenbüro, das Zentrum für Schulqualität und Lehrerbildung Baden-Württemberg sowie die FernUniversität Hagen.
 

Kontakt

Christiane Bertram
Christiane.bertramspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

Eye gaze is a powerful non-verbal cue that signals attention, engagement, and mutual understanding. A new research project titled AEyeCoL (Advanced Understanding of Eye Gaze in Co-Located Collaborative Learning) has launched, aiming to deepen our understanding of how eye contact influences learning in group settings. The project investigates the social and cognitive processes underlying collaborative learning by using eye-tracking technology and machine learning. 

“Collaborative learning is a cornerstone of modern education,” says Dr. Tim Fütterer. “Yet the role of eye gaze—how we look at each other when learning together—remains largely unexplored.” The project will work with samples from both school and university settings to explore key gaze indicators in collaborative learning and machine learning-based assessments of group dynamics among other topics.

Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), AEyeCoL brings together researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen. AEyeCoL will run until August 2028. 

To the project website

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

How different are men and women really – and why? The Reutlinger General-Anzeiger newspaper addresses this question in a detailed article and spoke to Prof. Dr. Birgit Derntl, neuroscientist at Tübingen University Hospital and member of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network.

Derntl emphasizes: “There are differences between men and women in the way they think, feel, and act.” At the same time, she warns against clichés: “Not all men do one thing and all women do another.” Today, research no longer assumes an either/or scenario, but rather an interplay of biological and social factors: “Nature or nurture: Today, research no longer assumes an either/or scenario, but rather a both/and scenario.”

The article highlights how hormones such as testosterone and oxytocin work, why differences are often overestimated, and how strongly social experiences can shape the brain.

One area where there are actual differences between boys and girls is financial education. However, these differences are not biological, but are shaped by socialization and stereotypes. In a study, LEAD members Prof. Dr. Taiga Brahm (Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences), Lucy Haag, and Dr. Luis Oberrauch showed that boys are significantly more interested in economic and financial topics and perform better in knowledge tests.

To the article at GEA

Gender gap in financial education

Media Contact

Philipp Sigle
presse@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

Numbers or text – are they processed in math word problems one after the other, or at the same time? This question investigated a research team led by LEAD member Dr. Gabriella Daroczy. In their study, which was published in Psychological Research, the authors used eye-tracking to examine whether the human brain processes numbers only after reading the text in full, or whether both are processed in parallel.

Previous assumptions often suggested a clear sequence: first reading, then calculating. However, the study’s findings show that text and number processing influence each other. In addition to traditional behavioral data, the team analyzed eye movements, fixations, and transitions between text and numbers. In both solvable and unsolvable word problems, people start processing numbers already while reading, even when the problem is numerically demanding. The findings suggest that understanding mathematical word problems does not occur in a clearly separated sequence of steps. Instead, linguistic and numerical processing are closely intertwined.

Publication

For the study, the team led by Prof. Dr. Taiga Brahm, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences and member of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, surveyed around 2,000 tenth-grade students at 92 high schools, secondary schools, and comprehensive schools in Baden-Württemberg. The result: boys are more interested in economic and financial topics and perform better in knowledge tests.

“Men base their career choices more on financial criteria and are more likely to invest in stocks and retirement plans over the course of their lives. This reinforces the differences in income and wealth,” Brahm explained to SWR Aktuell. Among other things, the study identified clichés in school textbooks as a cause: economic examples are often male-dominated, with female entrepreneurs hardly ever appearing. The research team therefore recommends revising educational materials and avoiding stereotypical representations.

To close the gap, the scientists advise specifically promoting girls' interest in economics classes: “Successfully solving economic problems strengthens self-confidence in financial matters,” says co-author and LEAD member Luis Oberrauch from the Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau.

To the Tagesschau article

To the SWR Aktuell article

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

Lisa Bardach receives EARLI Outstanding Publication Award
Prof. Dr. Lisa Bardach, former junior professor at the Hector Institute, received the award for her publication “Cultural Diversity Climate in School“, which was written during her time at the Hector Institute. The meta-analysis summarizes 79 studies with more than 56,000 students and examines how different approaches to dealing with cultural diversity in schools are related to central learning, development, and interaction processes. Good conditions for intercultural encounters and an appreciative approach to diversity had a particularly positive effect.

As the award winner, Bardach will have the opportunity to give a presentation on her award-winning topic at the next EARLI conference.
She is now a university professor in the Department of Psychology at Justus Liebig University in Giessen. There, her research focuses on individual differences (motivation, personality, self-regulation, cognitive abilities), cultural diversity, social inequality, digital learning, and technology-based interventions.

Babette Bühler receives FUTURE EDUCATION Early Career Award
Dr. Babette Bühler, who was a doctoral student at the Hector Institute and completed her doctorate in computer science at the University of Tübingen, also received an award. She received the FUTURE EDUCATION Early Career Award at the EARLI conference in Graz.

The award was presented for the first time this year and honors young researchers who have achieved outstanding research results within their dissertation or shortly thereafter.

Babette Bühler was honored for her study “Temporal Dynamics of Meta-Awareness of Mind Wandering During Lecture Viewing“. The research was supported by the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network and uses innovative methods to investigate how awareness of “mind wandering” develops during video lectures and how this can be captured using machine learning approaches. The results contribute to a better understanding and promotion of attention and self-regulation in digital learning scenarios.

Since August 2024, Bühler has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Technical University of Munich in the field of Human-Centered Technologies for Learning. There, she conducts research on AI-supported, attention-based learning technologies and is involved in teaching as well as in promoting young scientists.

Interview about the study
Further studies on the topic of Mind-Wandering
 

Publications

Bühler, B., Bozkir, E., Goldberg, P., Deininger, H., D'Mello, S., Gerjets, P., Trautwein, U., & Kasneci, E. (2025). Temporal dynamics of meta-awareness of mind wandering during lecture viewing: Implications for learning and automated assessment using machine learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 117(1), 38–62. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000903

Bardach, L., Röhl, S., Oczlon, S., Schumacher, A., Lüftenegger, M., Lavelle-Hill, R., Schwarzenthal, M., & Zitzmann, S. (2024). Cultural diversity climate in school: A meta-analytic review of its relationships with intergroup, academic, and socioemotional outcomes.Psychological Bulletin, 150(12), 1397–1439. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000454

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
presse@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

The H. W. & J. Hector Foundation is providing the University of Tübingen with €6.2 million to establish the Hector AI + Education Future Fund. This support will enable six research projects to be launched in the coming years to investigate and further develop the use of artificial intelligence in education. The projects are embedded in the LEAD Research Network & Graduate School. The program was initiated by Ulrich Trautwein, director of the Hector Institute for Empirical Educational Research, among others. Several regional media outlets, including the Reutlinger General-Anzeiger and the radio station Radiosender Neckaralb Live  have picked up on the information about the funding decision and offer additional perspectives. 

The projects range from applications for promoting reading in kindergarten to digital learning assistants for mathematics lessons and virtual learning environments. The aim is to develop evidence-based, practical solutions that support teachers and learners alike. Particular attention is paid to ethical issues and the protection of sensitive data.

About the Hector AI + Education Future Fund projects

Details on the funding can be found in the University of Tübingen press release.

Press reports on the Hector AI + Education Future Fund:

• Reutlinger General-Anzeiger
• Neckaralb Live
• RTF.1 Regionalfernsehen
• Südwest Presse
   

Contact for press inquiries:

Prof. Dr. Samuel Wagner
Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstr. 5, 72074 Tübingen
+49 7071 29-77099
samuel.wagnerspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

 To the interview (in German)

Further Information:
Day of Contemporary Witnesses 2025 (in German)

• Generation Portal
  The videos from both oral history projects, “Generation 1975: Entering the New Germany at Age 14” and “Generation Wall Construction,” are available for free use on the “Generations Portal.” Here you will also find the teaching units that have been developed based on the generational interviews. The Generations Portal is a service offered on the state education server of the Center for School Quality and Teacher Training (ZSL) in Baden-Württemberg. To the “Generationenportal” (in German)
   
• German Memory Archive
  The life story interviews are available to researchers on the “German Memory Archive.” Archiv Deutsches Gedächtnis
   
• Traveling Exhibition 
  The exhibition “Connecting Generations” will start in fall 2025 and will be shown in small and large cities in eastern and western Germany. The exhibition is largely financed by the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship. The Berlin Wall Foundation and the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial are cooperation partners in this project.

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

Dr. Tim Fütterer, a research assistant at the Hector Institute for Empirical Educational Research at the University of Tübingen, discusses the merits of this approach in an interview with Tagesschau. 
In principle, he says, it is the right approach for a system to guide users to think for themselves. This is in line with the principle of intelligent tutoring systems, whose effectiveness has been well documented empirically. However, the attitude of the users is crucial. “You really have to have the attitude: ‘I really want to learn now,’” says Fütterer in the Tagesschau article.

Among other things, he is critical of the lack of feedback between the system and the teacher, for example, on the individual learning development of the students. Fütterer also addresses the danger of overly controlled support: if learning systems take on too much, this could weaken the ability to self-regulate in the long term. 

To the Tagesschau article

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

How can digital tools be used effectively in school teaching? This question is the subject of a study led by Prof. Dr. Andreas Lachner, co-director of the Tübingen Center for Digital Education, and Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bohl from the Department of Education at the University of Tübingen. Lachner is a member of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network.  

The study tested technology-supported adaptive teaching in secondary schools. Teachers adapted their lessons to the individual learning levels of the children and young people, using digital diagnostic and collaboration tools. A total of 656 students from six schools took part in the study.  

The result: Compared to traditional teaching, four weeks after the so-called intervention, i.e., the change in teaching, there was a significantly more sustainable learning success. Especially in language teaching, learners benefited from the adaptive elements, i.e., the adaptation of tasks and content to the individual and their abilities.  

According to Lachner in an interview with the Schwäbisches Tagblatt, it is not the technical equipment that is decisive, but the didactically sound integration of digital resources: “It is not the purchase of expensive equipment that determines the effectiveness of adaptive teaching, but the didactically meaningful use of digital tools in everyday school life.” 

To the article at swp.de

About the study

Sibley, L., Fabian, A., Plicht, C., Pagano, L., Erhard, 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

Media contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

To the article in StZ (in German)

What is self-regulation?

Self-regulation skills are a central prerequisite for the well-being and education of children and young people, as they contribute to controlling attention, regulating emotions and pursuing goals despite distractions or frustration. These skills are particularly important at school. For example, if a primary school child has self-regulation skills, they may decide not to give up on a difficult math task, but to continue working calmly and ask the teacher for help if necessary.

In the school context, the term “self-regulated learning” is often used: Self-regulated learners are able to motivate themselves successfully, set meaningful learning goals, pursue these goals efficiently, respond with appropriate learning strategies and carry out an assessment after learning, which can further improve future learning. 

Further Information (in German):

• Stellungnahme der Leopoldina
  Expert:innen haben 2024 mit Beteiligung des Hector-Instituts eine Stellungnahme verfasst, in der sie die Probleme aufzeigen und eine Lösung anbieten: Die Förderung der Selbstregulationskompetenz muss zur Leitperspektive im Bildungssystem werden. Zur Stellungnahme der Leopoldina
• BR-Radiointerview mit Ulrich Trautwein: "Selbstregulation muss man lernen"
• Campus Schulmanagement-Interview mit Ulrich Trautwein: “Förderung der Selbstregulation als Leitperspektive für unser Bildungssystem”
• Deutsches-Schulportal-Interview mit Ulrich Trautwein: “Warum Selbstregulation die neue Superpower ist”

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

Science doesn’t start only in high school or after graduation – this is demonstrated by the course "Shovels Ready, Set, Go!" at Hector Children’s Academies. In this course, children measure the so-called Tea-Bag Index while literally digging for knowledge. With shovels, tea bags, and plenty of curiosity, they investigate the activity of soil organisms as part of a citizen science project. The data they collect is scientifically analyzed at the University of Tübingen and provides insights into soil development in the context of climate change.

But how can real research be made suitable for children? And what do children learn about science – and themselves? These questions are explored in a recent interview, created in collaboration with mit:forschen, Germany's largest platform for citizen science projects. The conclusion: When children are allowed to contribute, not only does knowledge grow – so does enthusiasm for science.

To the Interview

Further Information

Citizen Science auf der Seite der Hector Kinderakademien

Media Contact

Amelie Rebmann & Jennifer Raffler

Amelie.rebmannspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de
Jennifer.rafflerspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Statement by Leopoldina

Experts from the Leopoldina, including Trautwein, wrote a statement in 2024 in which they highlighted the problems and offered a solution: promoting self-regulation skills must become a guiding principle in the education system. The Leopoldina National Academy attracted a great deal of attention last year with this demand.

To Leopoldina's statement

Further information on self-regulation skills (in german)

• BR interview with Ulrich Trautwein
• Article at Campus Schulmanagement

Press Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

Among others, Prof. Dr. Benjamin Fauth from the Hector Institute contributed editorially; Prof. Dr. Ulrich Trautwein provided scientific consultation.

The guide is available online free of charge.
Handbook „Focus on Lesson Evaluation“ in German

You should really be focusing on your math problems, but your mind wanders—we've all been there. Learners spend around a third of their learning time “mind wandering,” or simply daydreaming. There's no doubt that being inattentive and distracted can have a negative impact on learning. But how does this fit in with the idea of self-regulated learning, in which learners are supposed to consciously control their attention?

A new systematic review has investigated this question. Tim Fütterer and Babette Bühler analyzed 134 studies on this topic from the last 15 years. Their analysis shows that although mind wandering is frequently studied in research, it is usually detached from the concept of self-regulated learning. In particular, feelings and personal motivation in learning, referred to in technical jargon as affective and motivational processes, have so far played hardly any role in existing publications.

Yet the connection could be promising: modern learning environments that measure eye movements or physiological signals, for example, can detect mind wandering in real time. Combined with knowledge about self-regulated learning, such systems could provide targeted support to pupils or students, for example by providing hints or breaks at the right time. However, this requires a better understanding of how mind wandering and self-regulation interact.

The analysis makes it clear that viewing daydreaming in class as merely a distraction is short-sighted. Properly understood, it can be a key to making learning more individualized and effective.

Publication

Bühler, B., Fütterer, T., von Keyserlingk, L., Bozkir, E., Kasneci, E., Gerjets, P., & Trautwein, U. (2025). Mapping Mind-Wandering to the “Self-regulated learning process, Multimodal Data and Analysis Grid.” A Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review (in press).
 

Medienkontakt

Rebecca Beiter
rebecca.beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de
 

To the interview 

Publication

Sakaki, M., Murayama, K., Frenzel, A. C., Goetz, T., Marsh, H. W., Lichtenfeld, S., Wünsch, M., & Pekrun, R. (2025). Parents’ academic expectations and aspirations predict students’ achievement emotions. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000959 
 

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

The nomination is already a success: the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network partner school “Ernst-Reuter-Gemeinschaftsschule” from Karlsruhe is one of the 15 schools in the final race for the German School Award 2025. The winners will be announced at the end of September. Out of more than 100 applications, a jury selected the 15 best schools that can now hope to win the German School Award. Three of these schools are from Baden-Württemberg.

LEAD cooperation program “School & Science”

The nominated LEAD partner school “Ernst-Reuter-Gemeinschaftsschule” is a secondary school with 380 students and 41 teachers in Karlsruhe. Since 2023, it has been part of the LEAD partner school network, which now comprises 36 schools and continues to grow. Many schools in Baden-Württemberg express great interest in practical findings and suggestions from educational research; educational scientists benefit from the ideas and research questions from the field.

To achieve this exchange between schools and science, the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network has established a successful form of cooperation from which both sides benefit: the “School & Science” cooperation program. Schools participate in representative scientific studies and gain insights into educational research through lectures and project days. They provide education scientists with important feedback and impulses from school practice. In this way, evidence-based education quickly finds its way into schools in Baden-Württemberg. Schools that would like to join the School and Science Network can find all the information they need here:

• (in German)  lead.schule/schule-wissenschaft
• Contact person “School & Science”: Ulrike Michael, schulkontaktespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

To the overview of all 36 LEAD partner schools
 

Visibility for extraordinary schools

The German School Award is a prestigious and demanding award for very good schools in Germany. It has been awarded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH and the Heidehof Foundation since 2006. In addition to the pure quality of teaching, the competition also focuses on the question of how schools organize teaching and learning for students in the best way possible. The jury's criteria for selecting the winners also include “performance”, “dealing with diversity”, “responsibility”, “school climate, school life and extracurricular partners” and “learning school”. The main prize is endowed with 100,000 euros, and five further prizes with 30,000 euros each.

Competitions such as the German School Award ensure that outstanding teaching and learning environments become visible and that evidence-based criteria from educational research for successful teaching and learning are given greater visibility.

We wish our partner school every success!

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

Das LEAD Partnerschulnetzwerk zwischen Schulen aus Baden-Württemberg und der Bildungsforschung wächst weiter: Mit zwei neuen Schulen, der Schloss-Schule Kirchberg und der Steinbeis Gemeinschaftsschule Ilsfeld, sind nun 36 Schulen Teil des Netzwerks.
Zur Übersicht aller Partnerschulen

Damit Bildungsforschung gelingt, braucht sie Praxisbezug. Viele Schulen äußern großes Interesse an praxisrelevanten Erkenntnissen und Anregungen aus der Wissenschaft; Bildungswissenschaftler:innen profitieren von den Ideen und Forschungsfragen aus der Praxis. Um diesen Austausch zu erreichen, braucht es einen langfristigen, engen und vertrauensvollen Kontakt zwischen Bildungsforschung und Schule. LEAD hat dafür eine erfolgreiche Form der Zusammenarbeit aufgebaut, von der beide Seiten profitieren: das Kooperationsprogramm „Schule & Wissenschaft“. Schulen nehmen an repräsentativen wissenschaftlichen Studien teil und erhalten durch Vorträge und Projekttage Einblicke in die Bildungsforschung. Sie liefern den Bildungsforscher:innen wichtige Rückmeldungen und Impulse aus der schulischen Praxis.

Schulen, die dem Netzwerk Schule und Wissenschaft beitreten möchten, finden alle Informationen hier:

lead.schule/schule-wissenschaft

 

Ansprechpartnerin “Schule & Wissenschaft”

Ulrike Michael
schulkontaktespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 
 

Pressekontakt

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

Das LEAD-Partnerschulnetzwerk zwischen Schulen aus Baden-Württemberg und der Bildungsforschung des LEAD Graduate School & Research Network wächst weiter. Mit zwei neuen Schulen, der Anne-Frank-Schule aus Dusslingen und dem Stuttgarter Fanny-Leicht-Gymnasium, gehören mittlerweile 38 Schulen zu dem Netzwerks.
Zur Übersicht aller Partnerschulen

Damit Bildungsforschung gelingt, braucht sie Praxisbezug. Viele Schulen äußern großes Interesse an praxisrelevanten Erkenntnissen und Anregungen aus der Wissenschaft; Bildungswissenschaftler:innen profitieren von den Ideen und Forschungsfragen aus der Praxis. Um diesen Austausch zu fördern, braucht es einen langfristigen, engen und vertrauensvollen Kontakt zwischen Bildungsforschung und Schule. Das LEAD Graduate School & Research Network hat dafür eine erfolgreiche Form der Zusammenarbeit aufgebaut, von der beide Seiten profitieren: das Kooperationsprogramm „Schule & Wissenschaft“. Schulen nehmen an repräsentativen wissenschaftlichen Studien teil und erhalten durch Vorträge und Projekttage Einblicke in die Bildungsforschung.
Schulen, die dem Netzwerk “Schule & Wissenschaft” beitreten möchten, finden alle Informationen hier:

lead.schule/schule-wissenschaft

 

Ansprechpartnerin “Schule & Wissenschaft”

Ulrike Michael
schulkontakte@lead.uni-tuebingen.de
 

Pressekontakt

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

Von “Open Science” bis “Stocherkahn” – diese Woche besuchten Studieninteressierte das Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung an der Universität Tübingen für den Application Day 2025.  Neben ihren Auswahlgesprächen erhielten sie die Möglichkeit, sich mit anderen Studierenden auszutauschen, zu vernetzen und konkrete Forschungsprojekte einzutauchen.

Nach der Begrüßung durch Prof. Dr. Ulrich Trautwein bot das Programm spannende Einblicke in aktuelle Fragen der Bildungsforschung: Prof. Dr. Michiko Sakaki sprach in ihrer Vorlesung darüber, welche Rolle das Belohnungssystem im Gehirn für die Motivation beim Lernen spielt. Dr. Sven Rieger gab einen Überblick darüber, wie Open Science im Forschungsalltag gelebt werden kann.

In einer Postersession stellten Wissenschaftler:innen des Hector-Instituts laufende Projekte vor; im Open Lab konnten Studieninteressierte Tools aus der Forschung selbst ausprobieren – von KI bis Virtual Reality. Und weil zu Tübingen nicht nur die Bildungsforschung, sondern auch der Neckar gehört, durfte eine Stocherkahnfahrt zum Abschluss natürlich nicht fehlen.

Wir freuen uns auf alle, die im kommenden Wintersemester mit dem EBPP-Studium starten!

Weitere Informationen

Zur Studiengangswebseite | Zum Master EBPP Bewerbungsverfahren | Zum Application Day

Medienkontakt

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

"Self-regulation develops from early childhood to late adolescence in environmental interaction. For some children, this ability needs to be specifically practised," says Janina Eberhart, developmental psychologist at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology at the University of Tübingen and member of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, to the Stuttgarter Zeitung. Younger children, in particular, need external regulation. “At kindergarten and primary school age, they can then take on more and more themselves,” says Janina Eberhart.

To the article at StZ.de 

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

_{This text is only available in German.}

„Ohne Künstliche Intelligenz in den Schulen und im Unterricht wird Deutschland die Mindeststandards bei PISA & Co. nicht erreichen können“, erklärt Ulrich Trautwein, geschäftsführender Direktor des Hector-Instituts für Empirische Bildungsforschung, Co-Direktor des LEAD Graduate School & Research Network und Professor an der Universität Tübingen, im Interview mit SWR Kultur.

Wie sieht ein Schulunterricht mit KI in Zukunft aus? Wozu brauchen wir dann Lehrkräfte? Wie lernen Heranwachsende selbstständiges Denken? Und was geschieht mit den Daten? Über diese und weitere Fragen spricht er im Gespräch beim „Innovationslabor Zukunft“, dem KI-Festival am Schauspiel Stuttgart.

Die Sendung wird am 21.06.2025, 17:04 Uhr in SWR Kultur ausgestrahlt.

Zum Beitrag in der Mediathek


Medienkontakt

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.beiter@uni-tuebingen.de

LEAD member Armin Fabian, Luisa Wellert, Leonie Sibley und Andreas Lachner and other researchers aim to close this gap with their study “Adaptive teaching with technology enhances lasting learning”, which was published in the journal Learning and Instruction. The study, in which 656 pupils from six German schools took part, investigated the effects of technology-supported, adaptive teaching on learning in various subjects.
 

Key Findings:

• Adaptive teaching led to higher lasting learning compared to regular lessons.
• Technology-enhanced adaptive teaching was most effective for languages.
• More adaptive elements led to higher learning gains and improved self-efficacy in using technology.

The study was part of the DiA:Net project, in which researchers and teachers co-design technology-enhanced adaptive teaching units and publish them as OER resources.

To the 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

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

In an era where video conferencing has become a staple of education and professional life, a new publication offers a much-needed framework for understanding and improving online presentation skills. The article, titled "Online presentations for instruction: An overview", was recently published in Frontiers in Education by Ruth et al. (2025), with LEAD Member Dr. Fabian Ruth and Dr. Carmen Lipphardt as authors. It offers a first overview of online presentation competence from an interdisciplinary perspective, combining rhetoric, psychology, and educational research. It developed a conceptual model that outlines the key factors influencing online presentation performance. These include 

• speaker’s competence-constituting characteristics,
• efforts to prepare and practice the presentation,
• within-speaker processes, and
• environmental features of the setting

The article also introduces a research-based intervention model aimed at enhancing presentation competence across educational and professional contexts. Whether you're teaching, training, or leading in virtual spaces—this foundational work paves the way for future empirical studies and training programs tailored to the unique demands of online communication and how we present online.

The Publication

Ruth, F., Lipphardt, C., Schickel, M., Ruth-Herbein, E., & Ringeisen, T. (2025). Online presentations for instruction: An overview. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1450222. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1450222
To the full paper

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

People with autism or ADHD often experience misunderstandings. In spite of that, their abilities can also offer advantages in many areas. Autistic individuals often possess an eye for detail, deep expertise, and exceptional perception. Creativity, for example, can also be actively promoted when one is inspired by changing stimuli, says Prof. Dr. Caterina Gawrilow in an interview with Tagesspiegel. She emphasizes that the quick response to stimuli and impulsivity associated with ADHD can be beneficial in this regard.

Link to the article Tagesspiegel.de

Media Contact 

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

To the full article on tagesspiegel.de

To the LEAD Press Review
 

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

The dataset includes:

• Measures of mathematics anxiety and arithmetic performance;
• Different types of anxiety;
• Attitudes toward mathematics.

This open-access dataset offers valuable insights for researchers in psychology and maths education, educators, and education policymakers as it lets you  explore hypotheses about the emotional and motivational aspects of maths in adults.

The Publication 

Cipora, K., Lunardon, M., Masson, N., Georges, C., Nuerk, H.-C. and Artemenko, C. (2024) ‘The AMATUS Dataset: Arithmetic Performance, Mathematics Anxiety and Attitudes in Primary School Teachers and University Students’, Journal of Open Psychology Data, 12(1), p. 10. https://doi.org/10.5334/jopd.115

To the publication | To the dataset

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

In a world where cashless payments are becoming the norm, the idea sounds promising at first. However, the cash card also carries some risks, says Taiga Brahm. “It is important that these experiences are well embedded - either through discussions at home or as part of school educatio, so that all children and young people are reached”, says Brahm.

To the article at tagesschau.de

Save the Date: Online-Vortrag zu Selbstregulation

Vom 20.–21. Mai 2025 findet die kostenfreie digitale Fachtagung »Neu lehren und lernen« statt. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Trautwein, Professor für Empirische Bildungsforschung, geschäftsführender Direktor des Hector-Instituts für Empirische Bildungsforschung und Co-Direktor des LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, spricht am ersten Veranstaltungstag der Fachtagung von Bildung & Begabung um 16:00 Uhr über das Thema Selbstregulation.

Kaum eine andere Fähigkeit hat so weitreichende positive Auswirkungen wie eine hohe Selbstregulationskompetenz. Sie beeinflusst sowohl schulische Leistungen als auch die mentale Gesundheit positiv. Besonders in einer Zeit, in der viele Kinder und Jugendliche ihre Potenziale nicht vollständig entfalten können und über hohe psychische Belastungen klagen, rückt die Bedeutung der Selbstregulation in den Fokus. Im Vortrag gibt Ulrich Trautwein eine prägnante Einführung in das Konzept der Selbstregulation. Außerdem zeigt er auf, wie Lehrkräfte und Schulen gezielt dazu beitragen können, die Selbstregulationskompetenzen von Schüler:innen systematisch zu fördern.

Vortrag: Selbstregulation fördern! Was Schulen tun können und sollen
Digitale Fachtagung »Neu lehren und lernen«
20. Mai 2025, 16 Uhr

Zur Veranstaltungswebseite

Stellungnahme der Leopoldina

Expert:innen der Leopoldina, darunter Trautwein, haben 2024 eine Stellungnahme verfasst, in der sie die Probleme aufzeigen und eine Lösung anbieten: Die Förderung der Selbstregulationskompetenz muss zur Leitperspektive im Bildungssystem werden. Mit der Forderung hat die Nationalakademie Leopoldina im vergangenen Jahr große Beachtung gefunden.

Zur Stellungnahme der Leopoldina

Weitere Informationen zur Selbstregulationskompetenz

• BR-Interview mit Ulrich Trautwein
• Artikel bei Campus Schulmanagement

Pressekontakt

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

Das Teaching-Quality-HUB am Hector-Instituts für Empirische Bildungsforschung lädt ein zu einer Online-Vortragsreihe im Sommersemester 2025.

Die Reihe bietet fundierte Einblicke in zentrale Entwicklungen der Forschungsfelder Unterrichtsqualität und Lehrkräfteprofession - und eröffnet zugleich Perspektiven auf zukünftige Herausforderungen und Innovationen. 

Termine und Themen

Bitte beachten Sie: Die Vorträge sind auf ein wissenschaftliches Publikum ausgerichtet. Dennoch sind die Vorträge eine wertvolle Ressource für alle, die sich mit der Weiterentwicklung von Unterricht befassen und unser Schulwesen zeitgemäß weiterentwickeln wollen. 

Overview

Please note: The presentations are aimed at an academic audience. Nevertheless, they are a valuable resource for anyone interested in the further development of teaching and who wants to modernize our school system. 

Professor Dr. Tobias Hauser erhielt am 19. Mai 2025 den Preis für Wissenschaftskommunikation der Universität Tübingen. Der Neurowissenschaftler, der über das Thema Zwangsstörungen aufklärt, ist Mitglied des LEAD Graduate School & Research Network.

Aufklärungskampagne: die Sache mit dem Zwang

Tobias Hauser forscht zur Zwangsstörung, einer psychischen Störung, oft auch OCD genannt (englisch für Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Ihn interessiert vor allem die Frage, warum diese meist im Jugendalter auftritt. Der Wissenschaftler untersucht, wie sich neuronale Netzwerke bei Jugendlichen entwickeln, wie sie sich auf das Verhalten auswirken und wie eine veränderte Entwicklung zu OCD führen kann. Diese Nominierung überzeugte die Jury, weil der Neurowissenschaftler mit seinem Team zusätzlich zur Forschung eine Aufklärungskampagne entwickelt hat. „Beeindruckt hat uns der moderne Ansatz in der Kommunikation, der viele Wege nutzt, um sowohl Betroffene wie auch die interessierte Öffentlichkeit zu erreichen“, sagt die Juryvorsitzende Professorin Dr. Monique Scheer, Prorektorin für Internationales und Diversität der Universität Tübingen.

Zur Kampagne zählen die modern gestaltete, zweisprachige Website www.ocdandthebrain.com/de, YouTube-Videos, klassische Pressearbeit und Social-Media wie beispielsweise die Kooperation mit der Influencerin Jessica Teitz, die selbst als Betroffene den Instagramkanal @freiheitundvertrauen betreibt. „Überzeugt hat uns die Tatsache, dass sich Tobias Hauser mit seinem Team dafür einsetzt, in einen Dialog zu treten und das Ziel eines direkten, unmittelbaren Austauschs verfolgt“, sagt Prorektorin Monique Scheer. Das gelinge sowohl in sachlicher Hinsicht mit Blick auf Forschungsergebnisse wie auch mit dem gebotenen Gespür für die Betroffenen.
 

Weitere Informationen
Zur Pressemitteilung der Universität Tübingen
 

Pressekontakt für LEAD

Rebecca Beiter
Pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

A significant contribution to this success comes from the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, which, together with the Institute of Education, forms the department. With its strong research profile, research-based teaching, and student-centered support, the HIB plays a key role in maintaining the high quality of the program.

Nevertheless, HIB Director Professor Dr. Ulrich Trautwein emphasizes that continued development remains essential: “The feedback from students provides a valuable basis for improving our work in specific areas – for example, in better preparing students for international mobility and successful career entry.”

The CHE University Ranking does not assess universities as a whole but evaluates individual academic disciplines. Each subject is rated based on specific indicators – such as teaching, research, resources, and student opinions – with results categorized into three groups: top, middle, and lower tier. Each subject is reviewed on a three-year rotation.

Further information:

attempto online | CHE Ranking 2025/2026

Media contact
presse@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

Learning styles are a myth that persists in the German education system to this day. But the belief in visual, auditory, or kinesthetic "learning types" is scientifically outdated. Dr. Tim Fütterer is an educational researcher at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology at the University of Tübingen and a member of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network. In a recent Tagesschau article, he explains why this theory doesn’t hold up: "There’s no evidence that matching teaching to a preferred style improves learning." 

 Read the full article (in German) and listen to the interview here: 
To the article at tagesschau.de

You can find more articles and interviews on educational topics in the Press Review.
 

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
presse@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

Starting May 2, registration will be open for the Day of Contemporary Witnesses, taking place in Tübingen on October 1–2, 2025. This two-day professional conference and public event focuses on the role of contemporary witnesses in historical-political education and history teaching. The event emphasizes witnesses of German-German history and explores how their experiences can contribute to effective civic education in schools. A special highlight is the public vernissage of the video installation "Eine Geschichte der Deutschen? Einschlüsse und Ausschlüsse in der Erinnerungskultur", taking place on the evening of October 1. The remainder of the program is aimed at professionals in the field – teachers, researchers, and facilitators in historical-political education. The Day of Contemporary Witnesses is a mandatory Landesfachtag (state-level specialist training day) for educational trainers in Baden-Württemberg and is officially recognized as a teacher training event by the Lehrkräftefortbildung des Zentrums für Schulqualität und Lehrerbildung (ZSL).
 

Event website | Program (.pdf) | Registration

German-German History in Dialogue

Renowned experts on the German-German discourse – such as Prof. Dr. Detlef Pollack (sociology of religion), Prof. Dr. Monika Oberle (civic education), Prof. Dr. Christina Morina (contemporary history), Prof. Dr. Dirk Oschmann (literary studies), and Dr. Anna Lux (history and sociology) – will engage in discussions with teachers and facilitators in historical-political education.

Memories of Germany’s division and reunification differ greatly between those who grew up in East and West Germany. Disciplines such as history, sociology, and cultural studies explore the period of division, the process of transformation, and its societal effects. Meanwhile, history didactics and educational research examine how accounts by contemporary witnesses can be meaningfully integrated into educational contexts.

The conference provides a space for exchange and promotes networking among professionals working in historical-political education and research.
 

Conference Highlights

• Interdisciplinary researchers will meet with teacher trainers, schoolteachers, and political educators in various formats to discuss the pressing issues surrounding memory culture and the histories of divided Germany.

• Teacher trainers from the Lehrkräftefortbildung des Zentrums für Schulqualität und Lehrerbildung (ZSL) Baden-Württemberg will present teaching units that incorporate the "Generationen" video interviews. The accompanying didactic materials are available on the Baden-Württemberg state education server.

• With the public vernissage of a new video installation titled "Eine Geschichte der Deutschen? Einschlüsse und Ausschlüsse in der Erinnerungskultur", the conference also reaches out to the broader civil society.

• At the Markt der Möglichkeiten, organizations and institutions will present their educational and research projects related to German-German memory and discourse.

Contact

Media Contact
Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Contact for the Day of Contemporary Witnesses
Dr. Christiane Bertram
christiane.bertramspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

The report particularly emphasizes the importance of self-regulated learning. Educational researcher Prof. Dr. Ulrich Trautwein explains in an interview with the online magazine schulmanagement why self-regulated learning is crucial for effective teaching - and where further action is needed.

Full article (German)

To the press article overview

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
presse@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

You've just been in maths class and you're already thinking about what photo you're going to post on Instagram later. When thoughts wander in class, the learning process is interrupted. Students who are frequently affected by mind wandering often achieve poorer results in exams. In an interview with the online magazine Schulmanagement, LEAD member Dr Babette Bühler explains how students can refocus on their tasks.

Read the Interview

Further publications

Bühler, B., Bozkir, E., Goldberg, P., Deininger, H., D'Mello, S., Gerjets, P., Trautwein, U., & Kasneci, E. (2025). Temporal dynamics of meta-awareness of mind wandering during lecture viewing: Implications for learning and automated assessment using machine learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 117(1), 38-62. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000903 

Broadcast details

Tune in the broadcast in French: Radio Micro-Europa (Episode 611) “Le français en Afrique multilingue”
April 29, 2025 | 1–2 pm, on Freies Radio Wüste Welle, 96.6 FM or via livestream. 
Soon available as well on Spotify and in the Radio Micro-Europa media library.
 

This project is a collaboration between the University of Tübingen, the local reception center for refugees, and Radio Micro-Europa, with support from the Center for Francophone Worlds (ZFW) and the Division for Studies and Teaching (Dezernat III) at the University of Tübingen.

Press Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

To the article (ZEIT.de Wissen)

To the press article overview

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

But how can this insight be translated into everyday classroom practice? Prof. Kou Murayama from the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen shares how teachers can actively spark and sustain curiosity in their students – and why it’s worth the effort.

Read the full article published by Online-Magazin schulmanagement here: 

Full Article

How can we help pupils to learn maths better and to work on difficult mathematical tasks?  A new study provides answers to this question: By not only including difficult questions in a task but also easy questions. This helps students gain confidence in their abilities and motivates them to work on the more difficult questions with greater accuracy. This concept is known as the ‘remembered success effect’. The study has been awarded the description as one of the most important educational studies of 2024.

The research team, which included UMD professor emeritus and LEAD member Allan Wigfield, examined how 281 third-graders and 289 sixth-graders responded to the difficult maths material and the sequence of easier tasks during the task. The students completed a short task with ten difficult problems and a longer task with ten difficult problems and five additional easier questions. The study participants were divided into subcategories in which they were given the five less difficult tasks at different sections - at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the task. At the end of the experiment, the students were asked whether they preferred the ‘extended’ maths task or a shorter task.

Adding simple questions for higher math motivation 

The results showed that the order had little to no effect on students' preferences, but both age groups preferred the longer task with more chance of success over the shorter task. ‘Even before the pandemic, national reports showed that maths results were declining,’ explained Wigfield. ‘We hope this study will provide teachers with a method to motivate their students in the classroom.’

When students struggle with difficult maths concepts, teachers sometimes choose to only provide them with easier tasks to avoid frustration. However, this tendency can make it harder for students to progress to more difficult maths concepts. By giving predominantly difficult tasks with some easier ones instead, Wigfield says, maths teachers can make direct use of the study's findings. ‘By using the remembered success methodology, teachers can help students retain a deeper understanding of maths concepts,’ said Wigfield, adding: ’Of course, this is the first study with children to demonstrate the effect of remembered success; we are continuing to investigate the conditions under which it works well.’
 

Publication

The policy paper presents five key areas of action with 100 concrete recommendations for education policy, administration, and practice. The conclusion: Germany needs a forward-looking educational data ecosystem that enables all stakeholders to work toward common goals, identify needs for action at an early stage, and take targeted and effective measures. 

Data for Research as a Foundation for Improvement

Ulrike Cress highlights the importance of data for quality assurance in education: “For quality assurance, we need comparable data, especially to be able to observe developments given different starting points and to evaluate the impact of such measures.” 

Detmar Meurers also emphasizes the relevance of data for research: “It’s not primarily about digitalization but about addressing specific challenges. ... Only if we have data can research improve things.”

Policy Paper

In an interview with WELT, Professor Ulrich Trautwein explains what self-regulation looks like in students and how it can be nurtured in children and teens. He puts it this way:
“Students with strong self-regulation, for example, are able to complete their homework quickly and thoroughly — they don’t procrastinate. They also tend to set ambitious goals and are more likely to pursue them with motivation, persistence, and effective learning strategies. On the flip side, it’s a warning sign when homework always gets pushed to late Sunday nights and ends up being done under pressure. Struggling from time to time is completely normal — it’s part of the learning process. But it becomes a real issue when there’s no sign of progress.”

He places particular emphasis on the role of teachers: Good teaching naturally fosters self-regulation skills.
Effective teaching is clearly structured, engages students intellectually, and offers constructive support.

Full Article


Leopoldina Position Paper

In 2024, experts from the Leopoldina — including Professor Trautwein — published a position paper outlining key challenges in the education system and offering a clear solution: strengthening students’ self-regulation skills must become a guiding principle in education policy.
This call to action by the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina attracted significant public and political attention last year.

Leopoldina Position Paper

Further Information

• BR-Interview with Ulrich Trautwein
• Article published by Online-Magazin schulmanagement

Press Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

 Read the full article

Media contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Whether it's AI for teaching, tablets in the classroom or a new curriculum - teachers regularly undergo further training to deal with new challenges and opportunities arising in teaching. But does online training really make a difference? This is a relevant question in school practice, as online training is usually cheaper and easier to implement than face-to-face training. To date, educational research has conducted individual studies on the impact of online training for teachers, but there has been no comprehensive, up-to-date overview.

In order to answer this question, the authors of the study carried out a so-called meta analysis: They compared the results of more than 100 studies conducted with working teachers from first to twelfth grade and their students. Whether a training program was effective can be measured by looking at the teachers, for example by measuring the impact on their knowledge, skills, new attitudes and teaching methods. In addition, some studies analyzed the knowledge of the students – after all, the entire classroom should benefit from an investment in teacher's advanced trainings in the long term.

Joint, simultaneous training programmes are particularly effective

The meta-analysis shows: In the various studies, the pupils benefited from their teacher having attended an online training course - but the positive effects on the teachers themselves were even more significant. Online training courses in which several teachers were able to participate together and simultaneously had a particularly strong impact. Effective online training therefore requires time and space for collaborative activities.

In general, it makes sense to promote and expand online training courses, as they offer considerable advantages for the further development of teachers and the improvement of their teaching practice.
 

Publication

Morina, F., Fütterer, T., Hübner, N., Zitzmann, S., & Fischer, C. (2025). Effects of online teacher professional development on teacher, classroom, and student level outcomes: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 105247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105247 
 

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Dr Stephanie Rösch explains where these advantages come from, and how they can be specifically promoted in nurseries and primary schools. Rösch is a postdoctoral researcher at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and a member of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network at the University of Tübingen.

Read the full interview (in German) published by Online-Magazin schulmanagement here:
 To the interview

Learn more about PACE

How can AI be used in schools? How do teachers need to be trained? And what are the benefits and risks of the increasing use of AI in our classrooms?

In an interview for SWR Aktuell Rheinland-Pfalz, Ulrich Trautwein, Professor of Empirical Educational Research, Managing Director of the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, and Co-Director of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, answers questions about the use of AI in schools.
 

To the full interview (in German, ARD Mediathek)

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

Beiter: How do you explain your field to someone who has never heard of it?

Kraus: My area of expertise is quantitative methods in educational research. This involves data that is collected in education research projects. I aim to analyse this data as well as possible. My focus is on measurement using questionnaires and tests. I am also researching how machine learning can be used for educational sciences.
 

Beiter: What motivates you personally? 

Kraus: I am fascinated by recognizing deeper structures, making recurring patterns and correlations in data visible, and putting the findings to the test.

Beiter: If someone wants to get a good overview of your work, which of your publications should they read?  

Kraus: If they are patient, I would recommend our forthcoming textbook ‘Machine Learning: an introduction for psychology, humanities and social sciences’. If you want to delve deeper, I recommend the publication ‘Using interpretable machine learning for differential item functioning detection in psychometric tests’.

Kraus, E. B., Wild, J., & Hilbert, S. (2024). Using Interpretable Machine Learning for Differential Item Functioning Detection in Psychometric Tests. Applied Psychological Measurement, 48 (4-5), 167–186. https://doi.org/10.1177/01466216241238744
 

Further Informationen

Profile of Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Kraus

Pressekontakt

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

Understanding education, improving education. The LEAD Graduate School & Research Network community thrives on regular dialogue. LEAD members met on 10 March 2025 for the LEAD Research Meeting in Tübingen. After a brief report and outlook on developments in the coming year, they listened to two introductions on ‘Adaptivity: On didactic approaches, digital implementations, and psychological theories’ by Detmar Meurers and Andreas Lachner. In addition, LEAD members from different career stages presented current research projects that deal with adaptive teaching and learning questions.

Join the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network

LEAD is a research network for empirical education science at the University of Tübingen. More than 200 researchers explore educational and learning processes in collaboration with schools. To improve education, they communicate their findings to the public. The LEAD Graduate School offers a training program for doctoral students to promote young scientists. LEAD stands for Learning, Educational Achievement, and Life Course Development. 
How to become a LEAD Member
 

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

On January 30, 2025, Patrizia Bieber successfully defended her dissertation on the following topic:

Parental beliefs and the acquisition of technical-musical playing skills at primary school age: an investigation of instrumental playing from the perspective of empirical educational research.

In her work, Patrizia Biber focused on the beliefs of parents when their children play an instrument at primary school age. From the perspective of empirical educational research, she investigated which beliefs parents have concerning making music and learning an instrument and to what extent these are related to the learning progress of their children in instrumental lessons. She identified four groups of parents with different conviction profiles. It was found that children were successful at the instrument if the parents had a strong sense of responsibility for their children's musical education and were convinced that they had to provide their child with structural support when practicing but not control them. It could therefore be important to involve parents as important partners in the learning process.

Bieber was supervised by Prof Dr Richard Göllner, Prof Dr Barbara Busch and Prof Dr Jessika Golle. 

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

A special issue in the journal "Thinking Skills and Creativity" will focuse on item-level insights from the #PISA 2022 Creative Thinking assessment. . The issue will be guest edited by Hector Research Institute Member Benjamin Goecke as well as Selina Weiss (Universität Hildesheim) and Baptiste Barbot (Université Catholique de Louvain). Aim of the special issue is to explore the assessment from multiple perspectives—content, psychometric, and methodological—to better understand how creative thinking is captured and evaluated at the item level.
Abstracts can be submitted by March 31, 2025 via this form. The deadline for manuscripts is September 15, 2025.

To the detailed description of the special issue and the call for papers 

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

Conscientiousness and interest are key to whether pupils make an effort in class and with their homework, and they can partially compensate for each other. 
This is described in detail in the CONIC model. CONIC stands for “Conscientiousness × Interest Compensation”. The CONIC model urges researchers and practitioners to attend to both interest and conscientiousness, as these two constructs stem from research fields that have interacted very little over the last few decades, but both predict academic effort above and beyond each other. 
 

Find out more in this overview article published by Ulrich Trautwein, Benjamin Nagengast and Brent Roberts:
_{Ulrich Trautwein, Benjamin Nagengast, Brent W. Roberts (2025):  Integrating two separate research traditions: The Conscientiousness × Interest Compensation (CONIC) model. Advances in Motivation Science, https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.adms.2024.12.003} 

Until March 19, 2025, the paper can be downloaded free of charge:
To the paper

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

To the program page

_{The interview was held in German.}

Caterina Gawrilow leitet den einzigen Masterstudiengang für Schulpsychologie in Deutschland und ist Vorsitzende der Kommission „Mehr Psychologie in die Schulen“ der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie. Im Interview plädiert sie für mehr psychologische Unterstützung im Schulalltag. 

"Wir wissen aus verschiedenen Studien, dass das System Schule in Deutschland, aber auch in Österreich, nicht so erfolgreich ist, wie es sein könnte und sollte. Wir haben enorme soziale Ungleichheiten und sehen bei vielen Kindern und Jugendlichen ein problematisches Sozialverhalten, zum Beispiel Gewalt und Mobbing, und mangelndes Gesundheitsverhalten, also schlechte Ernährung und zu wenig Bewegung. Verhaltensstörungen wie ADHS gehören ebenso zum Aufgabenfeld der Schulpsychologie wie Lern- und Leistungsstörungen, aber auch die Übergänge im Bildungssystem. Selbstregulation etwa ist ein wichtiges Thema bei schulischen Schwierigkeiten. Wann muss ich mir etwas notieren, wann muss ich still sein oder nachfragen? Das sind – neben den kognitiven Fähigkeiten – wichtige Aspekte für Schulerfolg."

Gawrilow spricht außerdem über die Zunahme der Fälle von Schulabsentismus. “Wenn Kinder die Schule verweigern, steckt oft eine komplexe Gemengelage an Problemen dahinter. Das macht das Thema so schwierig. Außerdem ist es für Familien oft ein schambehaftetes Thema”, so Gawrilow.
_{Das gesamte Interview ist aktuell nur in der Printversion Der Standard, 10. Februar 2025, verfügbar.}

As always, exams are coming up at the end of term. However, learning all the material in the short term does not lead to success. Those who study regularly achieve better grades. This was shown by Keyserlingk et al. in their study, in which they analysed the learning behaviour of 1596 students in a total of four chemistry courses using data from a learning management system and examined the correlation with the student's performance. Students who regularly worked on the course content and showed continuous activity in the learning management system even after their mid-term exams received better course grades.
On the other hand, increased learning activities shortly before the exams did not predict performance.

In a sub-study the researchers took a closer look at some of the students who experienced the relevant chemistry courses as ‘particularly challenging’. Although they tried to regulate their learning behaviour and resolved to adapt their learning behaviour for upcoming exams, they were unable to do so in the long term. They found it difficult to regulate the time and effort they invested in learning.
 

Publication

von Keyserlingk, L., Lauermann, F., Yu, R., Li, Q., Rubach, C., Arum, R., & Heckhausen, J. (2025). Students’ study activities before and after exam deadlines as predictors of performance in STEM courses: A multi-source data analysis. Learning and Individual Differences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102598 

Zur Studie (Open Access)

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

Campos, D. G., Fütterer, T., Gfrörer, T., Lavelle-Hill, R., Murayama, K., König, L., Hecht, M., Zitzmann, S., & Scherer, R. (2024): Screening Smarter, Not Harder: A Comparative Analysis of Machine Learning Screening Algorithms and Heuristic Stopping Criteria for Systematic Reviews in Educational Research. Educ Psychol Rev 36, 19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09862-5 

The summary of existing literature on a topic, a research syntheses, helps scientists to gain an overview of the current state of research on a particular topic. In practice and application, they are also an important tool for policymakers to make evidence-based decisions. Creating research syntheses takes a lot of time and is therefore usually associated with high costs: When systematically reviewing primary studies, known as screening, many summaries of studies, the abstracts, must first be viewed and classified. Although programs based on machine learning (ML) can, in principle, support the classification of abstracts, it has not yet been tested whether ML algorithms are up to this task for studies specifically from educational science and educational psychology. The authors of the study tested this. Their approach evaluates the performance of ML screening algorithms, focussing on the criteria of sensitivity, specificity, and time savings.

The study shows: The use of ML works and can save researchers a lot of time, but the performance and quality for this specific application depends on the algorithm used and the abstracts being analyzed. The results help researchers to use ML in screening for research syntheses and thus to achieve important research results much faster. This is not only practical but can be particularly relevant in situations such as the coronavirus pandemic, for example when decisions need to be made quickly about measures to close schools. In the future, in such situations we can summarize more quickly: What can science tell us about this topic?

The publication was produced as part of the ‘Artificial Intelligence Assisted Systematic Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses’ project led by Dr Tim Fütterer, which is funded by the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network. The GEBF Young Researchers Publication Award 2025 in the PhD category will be awarded to Diego Campos, University of Oslo. LEAD members involved in the publication are Tim Fütterer, Thomas Gfrörer, Rosa Lavelle-Hill, Steffen Zitzmann and Kou Murayama. 

The GEBF, the Society for Empirical Education Science, is an association of scientists who are active in research and teaching in the field of empirical education sciences. Every year, it awards two prizes for young researchers in the categories Postdocs and doctoral students. The prizes are awarded for publications that present the results of empirical educational research in a particularly convincing way and have appeared in a peer-reviewed journal.

_{Hübner, N., Jansen, M., Stanat, P. et al. (2024): Alles eine Frage des Bundeslandes? Eine mehrebenenanalytische Betrachtung der eingeschränkten Vergleichbarkeit von Schulnoten. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-024-01216-9} 

A current article in GEO addresses the question of the fairness of school grades and quotes the results of the study.
To the GEO article (in German)

In her article ‘A lot helps a lot? How homework supports learning success’, Hannah Deininger, member of the Hector Research Institute for Education Sciences and Psychology, and the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, sheds light on the complex relationship between homework and learning success. Using behavioural data from pupils, she shows that it is not the length of time spent on homework, but the quality and conscientiousness with which it is completed that is decisive for learning success. These findings challenge the common assumption that spending more time automatically leads to better results.

To the interview (in German)

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

 To the interview (in German)

Projekttag für LEAD-Partnerschulen: „KI in Lehren und Lernen“
Donnerstag, 13. März 2025, Tübingen

Wie kann KI Schüler:innen unterstützen? Wie können Schulen und Lehrkräfte KI sinnvoll einsetzen und welche Strukturen bietet LEAD sowie Partnerinstitutionen, um Schulen zu unterstützen? Ziel des Projekttags ist es, den Austausch zwischen LEAD-Partnerschulen untereinander sowie mit LEAD-Wissenschaftler:innen zu ermöglichen und voneinander zu lernen. LEAD-Partnerschulen und Lehrkräfte teilen Beispiele, Formate und positive wie negative Erfahrungen aus der Schulpraxis zum Thema KI in der Schule.

Nach einem Impulsvortrag von LEAD-Co-Direktor Prof. Dr. Ulrich Trautwein zum Thema Selbstregulation beim Lehren und Lernen mit KI werden zwei Vernetzungsrunden die Gelegenheit geben, miteinander und mit den anwesenden Wissenschaftler:innen in den Austausch zu gehen. So stellen in Vernetzungsrunde 1 einzelne LEAD-Partnerschulen ihre Beispiele und Erfahrungen aus der Praxis zum Thema vor sowie zur Diskussion. In Vernetzungsrunde 2 können Teilnehmer:innen die zentralen Strukturen, Personen und Projekte am Standort Tübingen kennenlernen und direkt mit den Referent:innen ins Gespräch gehen. 

Zielgruppe des Tages sind die LEAD-Partnerschulen, eine Anmeldung ist nur für Partnerschulen möglich. Interessierte Lehrkräfte und Schulen können dem Schulnetzwerk jederzeit beitreten und von Vernetzungsveranstaltungen wie dieser profitieren. Für weitere Informationen zum Kooperationsprogramm “Schule & Wissenschaft” kontaktieren Sie schulkontaktespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de.

Zum Programm

Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter: lead.schule/schule-wissenschaft.  
 

The ‘SWR Das Wissen’ podcast with the title ‘How AI influences school and learning’ from January 24, 2025, gets to the bottom of these questions. The interviewees include Professor Andreas Lachner, member of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network and co-director of the  Tübingen Center for Digital Education.

To the Podcast (in German) 

“Teach children more self-regulation skills in kindergarten and school,” urges Prof. Dr. Ulrich Trautwein, Professor of Education Sciences and Executive Director of the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen in a recent interview with BR - Bayerischer Rundfunk.

Listen to the Interview (in German)

Children are increasingly experiencing difficulties in terms of concentration, stress and stamina. However, they lack the strategic support necessary to learn how to self-regulate. But what can we do? Experts from Leopoldina, including Trautwein, have written a statement outlining the problems and offering a solution: Self-regulation must be learned early in development. Self-regulation skills must become a guiding principle in the German education system.
Read the Leopoldina Statement here

The self-regulation skills of children and young people are crucial to their well-being and development opportunities, especially their mental and physical health, education, and social participation.

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 

Workshop on “Intervention Studies in Pedagogical Construction Grammar” – An Interdisciplinary International Exchange in Tübingen

By Eleni Kanli

On December 2024, Tübingen hosted a workshop organized by the LEAD member Eleni Kanli and funded by the IWM in Tübingen and the CoPreSpa scientific network. The event brought together international experts from Tübingen, Barcelona, Navarra, Freiburg, Mannheim, and Salzburg, and focused on intervention studies exploring the effectiveness of pedagogical construction grammar and digital supported learning in foreign language teaching.

The workshop centered around a linguistic approach that challenges traditional grammar theories, such as Chomsky’s universal grammar, by emphasizing the role of form-meaning pairs along a lexicon-grammar continuum. Drawing on the work of, among others, Goldberg (2006), De Knop & Gilquin (2016) and Boas (2022), it promoted the understanding of foreign language learning as a dynamic process of construction learning, situated in authentic communicative contexts. This approach goes beyond the already established teaching of fixed ‘chunks’, such as “I don’t know”, that are helpful for daily communication. Instead, it is addressing constructions of different degrees of schematicity and complexity, for example [I don’t + verb]. This allows learners to use constructions productively during communication.

The workshop served as a platform for interdisciplinary exchange, particularly strengthening the dialogue between linguistics and educational sciences. Participants explored the opportunities and challenges of applying intervention studies in real-world foreign language teaching and considering students’ differences, whether in L1 teaching in primary schools or in instructed L2/L3 learning of English or Romance languages in secondary school. The interplay between the dynamic linguistic approach of construction grammar and intervention studies can provide a deeper understanding of the role of constructions in second or additional language acquisition, as well as their application and evaluation in authentic teaching material. The workshop reinforced the value of dialogue and shared knowledge in enhancing language teaching methodologies across different languages and educational levels. We are looking forward to further exchange.

Workshop Program

Vocational interests are important motivational aspects of personality that reflect what people want to achieve in their lives. Vocational interests influence people's behaviour and decisions as they strive to choose activities and contexts that match their interests. Vocational interests are therefore considered central constructs in occupational and organisational psychology and in career guidance.

‘In educational psychology, however, vocational interests have so far received little attention. The overarching aim of my habilitation is to contribute to a stronger integration of vocational interests in educational psychology,’ says Stoll.

Stoll’s supervisor was Prof. Benjamin Nagengast, the reviewers were Prof. Kathleen Stürmer, Prof. Kou Murayama and Prof. Gabriel Nagy. The team of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network would like to congratulate Stoll on this achievement.

 
How can we measure a person's financial literacy - and how can researchers help? This is where FiLapp comes in. It aims to develop a smartphone-based assessment tool to measure and improve financial literacy of disadvantaged adolescents, focusing on those with low socio-economic status or basic financial competencies. The App will provide practical, real-world scenarios and automated feedback to increase accessibility and motivation for young adults. The overall goal is to diagnose and foster financial literacy and decision-making skills.

For the researchers, a study is then due to be carried out after development of the App. Validated through a large-scale study, the researchers want to offer the tool as an open educational resource, including supplementary teaching materials, to support financial education efforts.

The project is a collaborative initiative led by the University of Mannheim, with partners from the TUM and the DIPF. The third-party funding was raised by Prof. Dr. Taiga Brahm, LEAD Graduate School & Research Network. Partners are Prof. Dr. Andreas Rausch (Uni Mannheim), Prof. Dr. Jürgen Seifried (Uni Mannheim), Prof. Dr. Samuel Greiff (TUM), PD Dr. Ulf Kröhne (DIPF). The operative project lead is LEAD member Lucy Haag.

Media Contact

Rebecca Beiter
rebecca.beiterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 
 

Adaptive intelligent systems: A Vision for Education Empowered by AI 

Wieland Brendel, Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, and Andreas Lachner, Co-Director of the Tübingen Center for Digital Education, presented a project in planning, the “Hector AI+ Education Future Funds”, which aims to support projects using AI for teaching and learning.  

Furthermore, they shared their vision of a platform designed to integrate AI into education. “AI is not the solution to all problems in education, but a great tool we should use for specific cases,” said Brendel. “We want to create a platform that adapts and empowers educators to deliver personalized learning experiences.” The platform thus offers an AI-supported answer to urgent challenges in education, such as the heterogeneity of learning speed and learning levels within a class.

Exploring the intersection of education and technology 

The Digital Education Day 2024 featured a variety of sessions like pitches, where innovators in education shared AI-driven tools, gamified learning solutions, and adaptive platforms that are already transforming classrooms.

The success of the event was made possible through the collaboration of some of Germany’s leading education science institutions: 

• LEAD Graduate School & Research Network
• Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM)
• Tübinger Center for Digital Education (TüCeDE)
• Tübinger School of Education (TüSE)  

Schools that would like to join the School and Science Network can find all the information here:  https://lead.schule/schule-wissenschaft

Damit Bildungsforschung gelingt, braucht sie Praxisbezug. Viele Schulen äußern großes Interesse an praxisrelevanten Erkenntnissen und Anregungen aus der Wissenschaft; Bildungswissenschaftler:innen profitieren von den Ideen der schulischen Praxis. Zugleich sind sich Politik und Öffentlichkeit einig, dass die Distanz zwischen Bildungsforschung und Bildungspraxis kleiner werden sollte. Eine Möglichkeit, dies zu erreichen, ist der enge, dauerhafte und vertrauensvolle Kontakt zwischen Bildungsforschung und Schule. LEAD hat deshalb eine bisher einzigartige Form der Zusammenarbeit aufgebaut, von der beide Seiten profitieren: das Kooperationsprogramm „Schule & Wissenschaft“. Schulen nehmen an repräsentativen wissenschaftlichen Studien teil und erhalten exklusiv Erkenntnisse. Sie liefern den Bildungsforscher:innen wichtige Rückmeldungen und Impulse aus der schulischen Praxis. 

Mit dem Isolde-Kurz-Gymnasium in Reutlingen und der Evangelischen Fachschule für Sozialpädagogik in Stuttgart wächst das LEAD Partnerschulennetzwerk nun auf 34 Schulen an. Wir freuen uns über den Zuwachs!
Zur Übersicht aller Partnerschulen

Schulen, die dem Netzwerk Schule und Wissenschaft beitreten möchten, finden alle Informationen hier: 

lead.schule/schule-wissenschaft

 

Ansprechpartnerin “Schule & Wissenschaft”

Ulrike Michael
ulrike.michael@uni-tuebingen.de 
 

Pressekontakt

Rebecca Beiter
Rebecca.Beiter@uni-tuebingen.de 

In the latest episode of "Hoch, Höher, Hochbegabt - Der Podcast rund um Hochbegabung in der Familie", hosted by Stephanie Guth, Dr. Ann-Kathrin Jaggy and Dr.Benjamin Goeckefrom theHector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and LEAD members at theEberhard Karls Universität Tübingenshare their expertise. As specialists in gifted education, they discuss their work in developmental psychology and diagnostics, offering valuable insights into identifying and nurturing giftedness.

Listen to the episode: “Teachers Talk #4: Hochbegabtenförderung durch Enrichment”: https://hochbegabt-podcast.de/#podcastfolgen

Tickets are now available for the aim education conference taking place on March 29, 2025 at the Bildungscampus in Heilbronn. The educational event in the southwest in cooperation with the Center for School Quality and Teacher Training Baden-Württemberg (ZSL) offers a special highlight: The well-known social scientist and author Aladin El-Mafaalani will give the keynote speech.

The education conference of the Academy for Innovative Education and Management Heilbronn-Franken (aim) brings together education experts from science and practice to advance the education of the future. The focus of Biko 2025 is on the questions:

• How do we best prepare our children and young people for life today and tomorrow?
• What role does each and every one of us play in this?

Tickets and first program announcements on new website

Tickets can now be booked on the website. The new platform also makes it possible to put together a personal agenda for the conference day in advance: With an individual user account, participants can select and save individual events from over 60 offers and topics. The range of events will be published gradually so that visitors can always look forward to new exciting content and speakers.

• Tickets and further information:  www.aim-biko.de
• Questions to: bikospam prevention@aim-akademie.org

To the registration

Richard Göllner started as a research assistant at the institute in 2009, obtained his doctorate in 2014 and worked as a junior research group leader. At the end of 2019, he was appointed to the professorship for Educational Effectiveness/Educational Trajectories at the University of Tübingen. In the meantime, he worked at the Institute of Education at the University of Regensburg. We wish him all the best in his new position.

Around 80 participants, including 20 international guests, took part in the conference, which was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Hector Foundation II.

The conference brought together leading experts from various fields to discuss key conceptual, theoretical and empirical questions on the intersection of self-regulation with motivation, metacognition and personality in learning processes in educational contexts - including renowned experts such as Anastasia Efklides, Jeffrey A. Greene, Brent Roberts, Allan Wigfield, Han van der Maas, Charlotte Dignath, Fani Lauermann and Adar Ben-Eliyahu. 

The conference was organized by Prof. Dr. Luise von Keyserlingk, Prof. Dr. Kou Murayama, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Trautwein, Dr. Yannan Gao, Dr. Florian Berens and Fanyi Zeng from the Hector Institute for Empirical Educational Research and the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network.

Focus of the conference

The starting point of the TEMMPS conference was the question of how pupils can develop into successful learners and what support and encouragement is necessary to enable them to acquire knowledge competently. Various psychological constructs such as motivation, metacognition, personality and self-regulation play a central role in research on learning success in children and young people.

The conference addressed the increasing need to integrate theoretical approaches to describe human behavior in learning contexts. Despite calls for greater integration, many theories continue to exist in isolation from each other. Consequently, many phenomena relevant to different theoretical approaches are studied in isolation. The TEMMPS conference focused on the four research traditions of motivation, metacognition, personality and self-regulation. All four approaches offer significant explanatory models for learning behavior, learning outcomes and educational trajectories across the lifespan and represent a central area of Tübingen research.

Since July 2019, the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories has been awarding the honorary status of LIfBi Research Affiliate to outstanding cooperation partners for their services to research at the LIfBi. The award recognizes Trautwein's outstanding research and his collegial commitment, which has made a significant contribution to the joint scientific work and success of the LIfBi.

As part of the extension of his honorary status, Trautwein will also join the LIfBi mentoring program as a mentor. The program is intended to help young scientists with a doctorate (mentees) to identify and develop their own skills and to use them in a targeted manner for career planning and personal development. The experienced academics (mentors) provide support, for example by passing on subject-specific knowledge, acting as sparring partners, opening up networks and encouraging them to find individual solutions.

The ACLS is a nonprofit federation of 81 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS utilizes its endowment and $37 million annual operating budget to expand the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge. 

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations were established in 1952 based on the estate of entrepreneur Arthur Vining Davis. They are intended to honor and perpetuate his ambitious philanthropic vision. Since their inception, the foundations have awarded over 4,600 grants totaling more than $385 million to colleges, universities, hospitals and medical schools, among others. 

The text was recognised as one of the most cited articles published in the JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2023.

The authors of the study, including Luise von Keyserlingk, Katsumi Yamaguchi-Pedroza, Richard Arum and Jacquelynne S. Eccles, found that students' perception of stress increased after the switch to digital teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students with higher self-regulation skills reported slightly lower increases in stress levels. In contrast, students with psychological impairments and more limited time resources reported higher increases in stress levels.

About the person:

Luise von Keyserlingk is Tenure Track Professor for Learning and Instruction at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology. Her research interests focus on motivation, self-regulated learning, educational choices and mental health of high school students and university students. She is particularly interested in understanding which individual and contextual factors contribute to a positive academic and socio-emotional development of learners in high school, at college, and during educational transitions.

When: June 21, 2024 starting at 6:00 PM
Where: Freistil, Wöhrdstraße 25, Tübingen
What: a special evening with the handover of diploma, contributions from the PhDs, food, refreshing drinks, a DJ set, and a ceremony speech by the Olympic champion Dieter Baumann
Who: LEAD graduates after June 2022, and all interested LEAD members. LEAD graduates can bring one accompanying external guest
How much: each participant (also guests of the graduates) contributes with 15 € (including food, soft drinks, one prosecco, and music)

We can't wait to celebrate this special milestone with you!

Registration is still possible until 09 June. To register, please contact the LEAD coordination team at coordinationspam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

On May 27 and June 7, Roberts will offer a workshop on the intervention modules he developed for BESSI, a comprehensive and effective tool for measuring social, emotional and behavioral skills.

Brent Roberts is a professor of psychology. His research interests are:

• Personality Development
• Personality Assessment
• Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills
• Conscientiousness
• Narcissism

He teaches and conducts research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a visiting professor at the Hector Institute for Empirical Educational Research for several weeks each year. He has received several awards for his research achievements.

You can read more about his research in an interview on Lead.schule.

This visit from 15 to 20 April focused on international exchange on the topics of examination policy and science-practice transfer. During their stay, the researchers were welcomed by the university and faculty management, Dr Peter Grathwohl, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, and Prof Dr Frank Stähler, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, were given insights into the Excellence Initiative and educational research in Tübingen and visited the LEAD Retreat. In addition, a small conference (Data-based decision making for school development processes - What does (not) work?) was organised especially for the international exchange with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Baden-Württemberg, which was attended by the guests, representatives of the Ministry, the Institute for Educational Analyses Baden-Württemberg (IBBW) and the Centre for School Quality and Teacher Training Baden-Württemberg (ZSL).

The Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network would like to thank the international guests for the extremely interesting exchange and look forward to further cooperation.

The statement on the award

Professor Dr Ulrike Cress teaches in the Department of Psychology at the University of Tübingen and is Director of the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien. Her research is fundamental to the knowledge society in all areas where learning and teaching take place and where information is communicated. The results of her research into how digital media or AI influence knowledge and communication processes form the basis for very specific applications and improvements in practice. She also shares her knowledge for the benefit of the general public: on the board of the Deutsche Telekom Foundation, on the Standing Scientific Commission on Education Policy of the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the states, at the German UNESCO Commission and on the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Literature Archive in Marbach. She leads the discourse on relevant future topics, is internationally networked and has an outstanding influence on Baden-Württemberg as a centre of science and the research landscape in Tübingen.

Further information can be found here.

This makes Trautwein one of 24 scientists to be honoured with this award for their outstanding contributions to educational research. Fellows were nominated by colleagues, selected by the Fellows Committee and approved by the AERA Council, the association's elected governing body. They will be officially inducted at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia on 12 April.

"The 2024 AERA Fellows belong to a special group of scientists. We are delighted to welcome them," said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. "Their contributions to educational research meet the highest standards of academic excellence."

Founded in 1916, AERA is the largest U.S. educational research association with more than 26,000 members. With 12 thematic divisions and nearly 160 special interest groups, it represents the entire spectrum of educational research. Its goal is to promote knowledge about education, stimulate research on education and advance the use of findings to improve education and public welfare.

Congratulations, Luisa!

Stereotypes about unpopular swots are persistent – not least because of their often clichéd depiction in the media. Using data from a large-scale study, a research team from the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology at the University of Tübingen and the Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB) at Berlin’s Humboldt University has now investigated how well high performing pupils really are socially integrated.

Dr. Claudia Neuendorf, who now researches at the University of Potsdam, headed the project. She found that young people who get good grades are generally also better integrated in their classes than those with poorer grades. High-performing pupils are also asked for help far more often than those that perform worse. This was most obvious among young boys and girls who do well in several subjects. These findings contradict the common cliché that young people who do well at school are subjected to more teasing and tend to be solitary.

For her study, Neuendorf and her team looked at data from the IQB Trends in Student Achievement Study 2018 covering roughly 45,000 school pupils in the ninth grade in Germany. The aim was to link school work and several aspects of social integration such as friendship, acceptance, contact and subjective integration.

For the first three aspects, the pupils were specifically asked who were their friends in class. The answers were then used to calculate sociometric parameters such as how popular someone is, how many classmates ask them for help, who they tend to avoid (“Who don’t you want to sit next to?”) and how many reciprocal friendships each pupil has.

Subjective integration was determined using psychometric parameters, i.e. the pupils were asked how well-integrated they themselves felt. The educational researchers were also interested in what the situation is like for young boys and girls who get good grades in subjects that “belong” to the other gender stereotype. They discovered that young boys who perform well in languages and biology, and girls who do well in mathematics and physics are well-integrated socially.

“The message of our study is that many high-performing children are very well socially integrated, regardless whether their achievements are believed to be gender-conforming or non-conforming,” says Neuendorf. “This finding is hopefully another element in reducing anxiety and prejudices in this context.” The educational researcher emphasizes that stereotypes of all kinds must be dispelled in all areas of society, so that children and young people can realize their potential regardless of their gender. For this to be achieved, teachers, parents, media professionals, but also researchers must work to ensure that stereotypes are not reinforced.

Publication:
Neuendorf, C. & Jansen. M. (2023). Comparing different facets of the social integration of high-
achieving students in their classroom: No gender stereotyping, but some non-linear relationships.
Journal of Educational Psychology, 115(4), 609-623. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/edu0000778

Contact:
Dr. Claudia Neuendorf
University of Tübingen
Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology
Since 11/2023: University of Potsdam
Education Department – School Development Research
claudia.neuendorf.1@uni-potsdam.de

Congratulations, Joseph!

In the video, Kou Murayama talks about what makes Tübingen an attractive location for scientists from all over the world.

Go see the video on the YouTube channel of the University of Tübingen!

Prof. Dr. Dr. Ghazaleh Tabatabai, Professor for Neurology & Neuro-Oncology and Medical Director for Neurology at the University Hospital Tübingen Prof. Dr. Kou Murayama, Professor for Educational Psychology at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology Jun.-Prof. Dr. Ursula Offenberger, Assistant Professor with focus on Teaching for Methods of Empirical Social Science Research at the Methods Center More information on international research in Tübingen https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/90505 *** Research. Relevance. Responsibility. The University of Tübingen is one of Europe’s leading research universities. With over 5,400 researchers covering a broad spectrum of disciplines, we aim at finding creative solutions to current challenges in a globalized society. Job offers at the University of Tübingen https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/108817
 

Full article in German (paywall)

See full press release

Machine Learning and Theory Development

taking place from 10 to 12 July 2023, financed by Jacobs Foundation and CIFAR.

Machine learning has attracted huge attention in social sciences and neuroscience, delivering predictions that exceed any insight that a human researcher would be able to obtain with common theory-driven approaches. However, applications are often criticized as being mainly exploratory and inductive, and their utility for theory development is not yet clear. In this online workshop, we will discuss how we can leverage machine learning methods and AI to further theories. By hearing from renowned speakers with diverse perspectives (cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, language, sociology, computational modelling, developmental science, AI), and through panel discussions, the workshop aims to interactively highlight the strengths and limitations of machine learning methods in theory development and refinement. The workshop is targeted for applied researchers in any discipline interested in using machine learning methods to advance their field.  

The workshop is free of charge, but registration is mandatory. More information, the workshop program, and the registration link can be found on the website www.ml-theory.com.

Lilly Buhr of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network successfully defended her dissertation entitled “(New) Approaches and Challenges in Measuring Self-Regulation”. 

https://lernen.digital/

Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 12:00

Location: Seminar room at Europastraße 6 in Tübingen

Topic: What can computational neuroscience tell us about development and mental health?

Tobias Hauser is professor for computational psychiatry. He lectures at the University of Tübingen and at University College London (UCL).

Further information about the event

Click here to read Salome Flegr's article on our blog LEAD.schule (in German).

The university's Institute for Media Studies, the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and the Leibniz Institute for Knowledge Media (IWM) as a non-university partner will act as cooperation partners for the new center.

"Science is communicated through more and more channels," explains Director Kramer, who has been part of LEAD's research network since 2016. "Only an interdisciplinary center is able to analyse and present these diverse ways and effects of science communication."

Since science communication, in contrast to corporate communication, is still a young field of research, the need for scientific work in this area is great, Kramer adds. Tübingen he said is ideally suited as a location for these challenges.  

"Our university can boast outstanding researchers in all fields relevant to this topic - from educational research to computer science, cognitive and media sciences, psychology and rhetoric."

More

Founded in 2005, Stiftung Kinderland Baden-Württemberg initiates non-profit educational projects with the aim of optimising the life and development opportunities of children, youth and families in Germany.

Read the full article here (paywall).

On September 19, the SWK's report was now presented together with the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK). The topics of digital media, computer science teaching and the training of pedagogical staff play an important role in the report. A central demand of the SWK is the expansion of nationwide structures instead of state-specific ones. For example, more so-called centers for digital education (ZdB) should be opened. In these, material for different school types and levels should be developed centrally, which can be made available to schools.  

"It cannot be that each individual teacher or lecturer has to create materials and consider didactic issues as well as questions of data protection and copyrights. They should be able to access tested and didactically useful materials," Ulrike Cress demands. She says the report has brought Tübingen's research findings to decision-makers at the political level.

A summary of the report is available at the following link:

https://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/Dateien/pdf/KMK/SWK/2022/SWK-2022-Gutachten_Digitalisierung_Zusammenfassung.pdf

In the evaluation, which analyzed the productivity of individual researchers based on publications in the five leading journals in the field, LEAD co-director Ulrich Trautwein ranked second worldwide and first when six leading journals were taken into account. Other Education Researchers from Tübingen also made it into the ranking. Benjamin Nagengast makes the top 12 and LEAD International Distinguished Professor Tamara van Gog comes in 7th. In the evaluation on the productivity of young researchers, LEAD alumna Hanna Gaspard ranks 4th; Eike Wille, another LEAD alumna, is also listed among the 25 most productive researchers.  

For the ranking, the authors compared how often the researchers served as (co)authors of articles in the journals Cognition and Instruction, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Educational Psychologist, Educational Psychology Review, Journal of Educational Psychology, and, in supplemental analyses, Learning and Instruction from 2015 to 2021.

Source: Fong, C. J., Flanigan, A. E., Hogan, E. et al. (2022). Individual and Institutional Productivity in Educational Psychology Journals from 2015 to 2021. Educational Psychology Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09704-2

Further infomation...

• ORF
• Discover Magazine
• Science Daily
• News Medical

More information.

A detailed report on the lecture can be found here (paid content).

https://www.landestheater-tuebingen.de/events/view/id/190895/date/1656021600

Vlasta Sikimić, a member of our institute, will moderate the event and would be very happy to see many of you at the LTT on Friday.

The event takes place at Thursday, June 2nd, 2022, in the Seminar room of the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology (Europastraße 6). 

Read the full article at Heilbronner Stimme (in German)

(1) JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION (Impact factor:3.146)
Increasing success in college: Examining the impact of a project-based introductory engineering course

(2) JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING (Impact factor:4.832)
Idle chatter or compelling conversation? The potential of the social media-based #NGSSchatnetwork for supporting science education reform efforts

Hören Sie hier das ganze Interview.

Lesen Sie den ganzen Artikel auf ZEIT ONLINE (kostenpflichtig).

Wednesday, 9th February 2022 at 2.00 pm (MESZ)
Please contact coordinationspam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de to register for the session.

find more information...

The aim and purpose of the elite program is to promote excellent young scientists and to strengthen transnational mobility.

Lisa Bardach is a junior professor at the Hector Research Institute. In her research program, she is primarily concerned with the study of adaptive characteristics of students and with questions of teaching quality research.

For more information, please see the press release

For more information, please see the press release.

Applications are now open. Please send the registration form by e-mail to gleichstellung-mentoringspam prevention@wiso.uni-tuebingen.de. All documents and further information on the Athene Mentoring Program can be found here.

For more information, please see the press release.

The results of the study can help in managing the demand for teachers. View Press release...

Dealing with that subject, the Brookings Institute, one of the most important public policy websites in the US, makes reference to a study by Christian Fischer et al. The study pushes beyond near-term outcomes, like grades and scores, to consider longer-term outcomes, like graduation and time-to-degree, for bachelor’s degree-seeking students in a large public university in California. They find reason to be optimistic about online coursework: When students take courses required for their major online, they are more likely to graduate in four years and see a small decrease in time-to-degree relative to students taking the requirements in-person.

Read here the full article of the Brookings Institute.

In addition to short talks and a round table, there also was a science slam in which innovative STEM education projects were presented:

• Fredilson's Podcast - Illustrated education aimed at explaining scientific themes in a simple and visual way, through short animation videos. The project is the first and only one produced in Cape-Verdean creole (mother tongue of Cabo Verde).
• LeWiBo aims to bring science to schools by organizing seminars from scientists when they travel.
• Lab in a Box is a project that implements a novel kit of scientific experiments in the classroom, alongside Teacher Training. Portable, modular, composed of cheap, common materials. It is designed to help educators grow children’s wonder and respect towards the world around them, critical thinking and scientific curiosity.
• Cientistas em Casa is a webseries with hands-on scientific experiments for families and schools. Researchers from ITQB NOVA share science activities that provide fun educational moments. In partnership with OeirasValley and IGCiencia.
• Soapbox science brings science to the streets, and highlights the work of women in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine. Their purpose is to give visibility to women scientists so that they can serve as role models, reducing stereotypes and the implicit bias that the public has towards women scientists.

The symposium was a joint initiative of the University of Tübingen, Lancaster University, and Native Scientist, an award-winning non-profit organization tackling educational disadvantage through science outreach. It was co-organized by Joana Moscoso and Carina Santos (Native Scientist) and LEAD member and Distinguished International Professor Patrick Rebuschat and funded via the Tuebingen Exploration Fund.

The recording can be watched on the Native Scientist Youtube channel.

Read the full article in the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung (in German).

Schiefer, J., Stark, L., Gaspard, H., Wille, E., Trautwein, U., & Golle, J. (2021). Scaling up an extra-curricular science intervention for elementary school students: It works, and girls benefit more from it than boys. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(4), 784–807. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000630

During the poster presentation at the Educational Data Mining Conference, the team around Prof. Christian Fischer succeeded in convincing with the visualization of their research findings and thus secured the Best Poster Award.

Besides Christian Fischer, Conrad Borchers (intern and student assistant at the Hector Institute) was also involved in the study.

Read the paper on the study here.

The lecture will be held in English. For further information see the invitation.

At 1 pm, Stuart Ritchie will be available for a virtual Meet-the-Expert Session. To register for the session, please contact: coordinationspam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de

Read here the whole interview which was published in in the section "Ideas for a better world" (in German).

On Monday, 26 April 2021, 12.00 - 13.00,
Zoomlink: https://zoom.us/j/92829208604

The lecture will be held in English. For further information, please see the invitation.

Read the full article (in German) here.

"The interplay of neuromodulation, enhanced psychotherapy and computational psychiatry forms the basis for improved treatment of people with mental illnesses," says LEAD member Andreas Fallgatter. "These can be, for example, depression, psychoses, addiction and anxiety disorders, eating disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)," adds the coordinator of the Tübingen center.

Other LEAD members involved are Annette Conzelmann, Brigit Derntl, Ann-Christine Ehlis, Tobias Renner (all University Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy), Ulrike Cress (IWM), Caterina Gawrilow, Hans-Christoph Nürk, Jennifer Svaldi (all Department of Psychology) and Ulrich Trautwein (Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology).

Read the full press release of the University Hospital (in German) here.

Read the full press release of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (in German) here.

In the FAZ article (in German) Richard Göllner explains, among other things, how much digitization children can be expected to handle and what they should be aware of when taking online lessons.

Classroom instruction can be resumed at elementary schools and graduating classes, subject to restrictions. However, the Ministry of Education's regulation does not provide for physical education. Does the physical activity of young people receive too little attention?

Read the full article (in German) here.

Listen to the full interview (in German) here.

The project aims at building an intelligent assistant Aisla in the form of a mobile app for training spoken English within real-life contexts. It will make use of the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in Natural Language Processing (NLP), conversation systems, and Computer Vision (CV) to provide foreign language learners who lack the opportunities to practice spoken English in their daily life with a virtual intelligent language partner and teacher for learning English. It is an interdisciplinary project that draws upon both AI-driven Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and second language acquisition research. The project will address CRA 1's research focus on how modern technology can be integrated into current language education.

Assessing student engagement effectively and reliably, however, can be fairly challenging. Techniques to monitor the engagement and participation of students in the classroom over time, and without intruding or adversely impacting their learning experience, would thus be of great value, as they could be used to investigate the effectiveness of courses and education strategies.

Researchers at University of Tübingen and Leibniz Institute für Wissensmedien in Germany, as well as University of Colorado Boulder, have recently investigated the potential of machine-learning techniques for assessing student engagement in the context of classroom research. More specifically, they devised a deep-neural-network-based architecture that can estimate student engagement by analyzing video footage collected in classroom environments.

Read the full article on techexplore.com.

• Fütterer, T., Hübner, N., Fischer, C., & Stürmer, K. (2020, December 7-8). Heading for new Shores: Moving from Traditional to Modern Paradigm of Professional Development [Poster presentation]. 5th International NEPS Conference, Bamberg, Germany. 

In the context of her doctorate and her work in the project You(r) Study, Marina was concerned e.g. with the quantitative recording and analysis of the relevance of (media-related) self-efficacy expectations, digital media action, and social background factors for academic performance in contemporary university studies.

Life without electricity is something that is no longer imaginable. Whether it be a smartphone, hair-dryer or a ceiling lamp – the technical accomplishments we hold dear all require electricity. Although every child at school learns that electricity can only flow in a closed electric circuit, what is actually the difference between current and voltage? Why is a plug socket a potential death-trap but a simple battery is not? And why does a lamp connected to a power strip not become dimmer when a second lamp is plugged in?

Research into physics education has revealed that even after the tenth grade many secondary school students are not capable of answering such fundamental questions about simple electric circuits despite their teachers’ best efforts. Against this backdrop, Jan-Philipp Burde, who recently became a junior professor at the University of Tübingen, in the framework of his doctoral thesis supervised by Prof. Thomas Wilhelm at Goethe University, developed an innovative curriculum for simple electric circuits, which specifically builds upon the everyday experiences of the students. In contrast to the approaches taken to date, from the very outset the new curriculum aims to help students develop an intuitive understanding of voltage. In analogy to air pressure differences that cause an air stream (e.g. at an inflated air mattress), voltage is introduced as an “electric pressure difference” that causes an electric current. A comparative study with 790 school pupils at secondary schools in Frankfurt showed that the new curriculum led to a significantly improved understanding of electric circuits compared to traditional physics tuition. Moreover, the participating teachers also stated that using the new curriculum fundamentally improved their teaching.

Read the full press release here.

• Hübner, N., Wagner, W., Hochweber, J., Neumann, M., & Nagengast, B. (2020). Comparing apples and oranges: Curricular intensification reforms can change the meaning of students’ grades! Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(1), 204–220. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000351

Lisa Bardach is an Assistant Professor at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology. Her research program centers on understanding and promoting students’ adaptive development, particularly in the motivational domain. A further major emphasis of her research program focuses on the role of teachers and teaching quality in fostering adaptive student outcomes.

Online Lecture in German language: Thursday, 19 November, 17:30

Registration: https://eveeno.com/297687162

Lisa Bardach is a senior researcher and junior research group leader at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology. Her research program centers on understanding and promoting students’ adaptive development, particularly in the motivational domain, but also regarding cognitive, socio-emotional and personality aspects, and (self-regulated) learning strategies. A further major emphasis of her research program focuses on the role of teachers and teaching quality in fostering adaptive student outcomes. In addition, she is interested in cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics and competences of effective teachers and does research on teacher selection, recruitment, and professional development.

In this lecture, Prof. Dr. Benjamin Fauth will substantiate the thesis that well-known teaching structures also provide useful orientation when designing formats for hybrid and distance learning. How this can be done in each case will be discussed using concrete examples from practice.

Online lecture in German language: 05.11.2020, 17:30

To register please follow this link: https://eveeno.com/175329154

Read the full article (in German) here.

First online lecture:October 19, 17:30

„Lernen auf Distanz. Wie die Coronakrise die Kommunikation verändert“ (Prof. Dr. Olaf Kramer)

Registration: https://eveeno.com/145739713

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/mHeUeYjwWCI

Prof. Christian Fischer's input starts at minute 19:50.

Christina Artemenko graduated successfully from LEAD in 2018. She works as a postdoctoral fellow at the Arbeitsbereich Diagnostik und Kognitive Neuropsychologie of the University of Tübingen with professor Hans-Christoph Nürk. Christina Artemenko is a member of the Tübingen Postdoctoral Academy for Research on Education (PACE). PACE supports postdoctoral fellows directly after the doctorate. Its aim is to prepare for an own and interdisciplinary career as a professor in empirical educational research.

The Humboldt Professorship is sponsored with five million euros over five years. Murayama will be appointed to a chair of Education Psychology at the Center for Education Science.

“Kou Murayama’s research approaches combine various disciplines from education, social and developmental psychology to neuroscience. The University of Tübingen is already very well established in all these areas. His appointment will bring the priorities together in a new way and give them fresh impetus,” said University President, Professor Bernd Engler.

With a focus on learning processes, Murayama explores what motivates people and what can strengthen or weaken motivation. For example, one of his studies published with colleagues showed that in mathematics learning, motivation is more important than intelligence in the long term. This study attracted a lot of international attention. In his work on learning success, Murayama addresses a number of aspects that are also of central importance for education research. Among other things, he examines the influence of the family, intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, the role of competition, curiosity, and interests. Another widely acclaimed Murayama study showed that children's learning performance measurably deteriorates when parents have too high or unattainable expectations of them. Internationally, he is regarded as one of the driving forces in the further development of motivation research. The data basis of Murayama's work is considered particularly diverse. It is based on psychological experiments as well as longitudinal studies and neuroimaging studies.

Kou Murayama was born in Japan, where he also studied and received his doctorate. Murayama has been a researcher at the University of Reading, UK, since 2013. He is a research professor there and heads the Motivation Science Lab that he founded. Prior to that, he spent research periods in the USA and Germany, including a Humboldt Research Fellowship at LMU Munich and a visiting professorship at the University of Tübingen. Murayama has received numerous prizes for his research, including awards from the American Psychological Association and the Japanese Psychological Association.

Humboldt Professorships are aimed at bringing top international researchers to Germany. Candidates are nominated by the universities and the winners are selected by the Humboldt Foundation. The Foundation has so far selected five Humboldt Professors for 2021. The Professorship is to be awarded at a ceremony in May 2021.

The jury particularly praised the breadth of content of the work (non-cognitive and cognitive determinants of achievement), as well as the combination of three innovative, different methodological approaches in the three studies. "The aim of the award is to make excellent didactic research by young academics visible and to give it public recognition. The submitted theses will be evaluated in terms of their theoretical, methodological and empirical knowledge gained for research on didactics in higher education," says the dghd.

Please find attached any further information: Program 2020

Registration on our ILIAS-portal.

The award is associated with the financing of a conference trip (up to 1,000 euro) and the financial support for the English-language revision of a manuscript and was awarded to Cora at the expert group meeting on 9 September in Leipzig. Congratulations!

(Co-authors of the paper: Gaspard, H., Piesch, H., Wille, E., Trautwein, U., & Nagengast, B.

"The Role of Exposure Condition on the Cross Situational Learning of Vocabulary and Morphosyntax"
Friday, July 26, 10:15AM, Blochbau 1.13 (Wilhelmstr. 19)

ABSTRACT. The use of mixed-effects regression modeling as a tool for statistical  analysis of  second language  data has  been increasingly recommended in  recent years  (see, e.g.,  Cunnings, 2012;  Cunnings & Finlayson,  2015; Linck  &  Cunnings, 2015;  Murakami, 2016;  Plonsky, 2017; Plonsky  & Oswald, 2017)  because it enables  variability across individuals  and  across particular  stimuli  to  be included  in  the model. Thus, design effects as well as inter-individual differences can be revealed within a single analysis.  However,  a less  often exploited  property  of these  analyses  is  that the  more  immediate context in which a stimulus is processed can also be included, such as which structure has just been experienced by the individual  and its effect on current learning.

In this paper, we illustrate  the potential  utility of this  form of analysis by  presenting an experimental  study on the  second language acquisition of vocabulary  and morphosyntax.  In this artificial language study, 90 participants  learned  nouns, verbs,  adjectives, morphological markers, and word order by keeping  track of cross-situational statistics. During learning, participants viewed two scenes  each  comprising two  aliens  performing  a transitive  action presented on a computer. Participants simultaneously heard a sentence, composed of two nouns, a verb,  two marker words indicating which noun was  the  subject  and  which  the  object,  and  optional  adjectives describing  the  aliens’ colour.  Word  order  varied across  SOV  and OSV.  One of  the  scenes  was described  by  the  sentence, and  over training participants were required  to learn  co-occurrences between the sentence  and the target  scene (through sensitivity  to relations between  particular  words  and   their  referents). During testing, knowledge of words and of  word order was individuated. We manipulated global  properties  of  learning,  by varying  exposure  across  three conditions. An implicit condition  provided no information  about the language  structure and  no  feedback about performance. An  explicit condition provided  information about word  order and the  presence of the  marker words.  Finally, a feedback condition provided no information about the language structure but feedback in the form of a ringing bell played  by  the computer  when  participants  correctly selected the target  scene. Thus, this study extends previous studies of explicit versus implicit learning  of grammar (e.g., Krashen, 1982; Nazari, 2013) by testing both grammatical and vocabulary learning, and by investigating the  additional feedback  condition, which  provides information to the participant about how their learning is proceeding, but without explicit information about the structure to be acquired.

We found that  learning was effective in all  conditions. However, the feedback condition resulted in better learning of vocabulary than both implicit and explicit instruction conditions, which did not differ. In contrast, word  order syntax  was better learned  in the  implicit and explicit conditions compared to  the feedback condition. Thus global properties of learning affected  acquisition of vocabulary and syntax, with  performance  on each  aspect  of  learning boosted  by  distinct instruction  conditions. To acquire  vocabulary,  information  about learning performance was  most effective, but to  acquire syntax, this feedback  on performance  was slightly  detrimental. Focusing  only on instructions for grammatical learning (e.g., Nazari, 2013) thus limits our understanding of how language learning proceeds. In terms of local properties of learning, we analysed whether the learner’s performance on  the previous  trial containing each  piece of information –  the nouns, the verb, and the adjectives – affected accuracy on the current learning trial. We found that the precise context of the participants’ learning of  verbs and adjectives,  but not nouns,  influenced current performance. These results  show the  importance not  only of  global instructions, but also contingently taking into account the learner’s recent learning  experience in  determining effectiveness of language learning. Our paradigm thus illustrates how both vocabulary and syntax can be learned in the laboratory, and using GLME analysis, we show how learning  different aspects of language  are affected  differently by instruction and by context of learning.

Time: 10-12:00
Location: Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM), Schleichstraße 6, 72076 Tübingen, “Großer Konferenzraum”

We are now pleased to announce that we have been awarded a competitive grant from Tübingen’s Exploration Fund, which supports innovative and interdisciplinary research projects.

The Exploration Fund will provide financial support to evaluate how the Native Scientist workshops impact students’ attitude towards science and their heritage languages and the scientists’ motivation and perception towards their own work. Over 200 migrant students, aged 6 to 14 years, and 40 scientists participating in workshops delivered mainly in Germany and the UK, will be tested. The initial focus will be on Portuguese as a heritage language, with the possibility of expanding to Spanish, German, French and Italian migrant children.
 
Professor Patrick Rebuschat, Distinguished International Professor at LEAD, who is a collaborator in the project and led the application to the Exploration Fund, added: “This is a wonderful opportunity for a first systematic study of the impact of the Native Scientist workshops on both pupils and scientists. We can use this important data to further improve the quality of the workshops and to prepare future large-scale studies.”
 
Professor Ulrich Trautwein, Director of the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and of  LEAD, and Dr Julia Schiefer, who are collaborators in the project, commented: “It’s a great starting point to get the evaluation of this concept of science  plus language workshops a step forward.”

Joana Moscoso and Tatiana Correia, founders and directors of Native Scientist, said: “Measuring and tracking the impact of our work has been a priority since day one, and we are thrilled that we will be able to do so in collaboration with leading scientists at Tübingen. We are very thankful to the University of Tübingen for their openness in embracing this project.”

The mission of Native Scientist is to inspire ethnic minority pupils to pursue higher education and to careers in STEM (MINT) disciplines and, to empower international scientists to increase the impact of their research, and to build a community of advocates for diversity and equality in education and science. Founded in 2013, their work reaches over 1,200 students a year and they count with a network of over 1,000 international scientists. To get in touch with Native Scientist, please email Joana (joana.moscosospam prevention@nativescientist.com).
 
In the photo, from left to right: Prof Patrick Rebuschat, LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen, and Native Scientist R&D Advisor; Prof Jessika Golle, Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen; Dr Joana Moscoso, Co-founder and Director of Native Scientist; Dr Julia Schiefer, Hector Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen; Prof Ulrich Trautwein, Director of Hector Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen.

The objective of this partnership is to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative educational programmes that promote both science and heritage language skills in migrant children and adolescents throughout Europe.

Dr Joana Moscoso, one of the founders of Native Scientist, says: “Our dream is not only to deliver great programmes for speakers of heritage languages, but also to understand why our programmes work and how we can further improve them. We are therefore thrilled to be collaborating with the University of Tübingen, which will take our evaluation procedures to the highest level.”

Professor Ulrich Trautwein, Director of the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and of the LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, added: “The Native Scientists program is a highly innovative and ambitious educational intervention that is based on a profound theoretical framework. We are excited to study and, perhaps, add to the effectiveness of the program by applying rigorous research designs.”

Professor Patrick Rebuschat, Distinguished International Professor at Tübingen’s LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, commented: “This is a wonderful opportunity for all involved. Native Scientist has done impressive work over the past six years, motivating thousands of young migrant children throughout Europe to consider a career in STEM. We are thrilled to be joining forces to further improve the effectiveness of their excellent STEM+LANG workshops.”

For more questions, or to get involved, please email Ulrich Trautwein or Patrick Rebuschat.

The award was granted in Warsaw after the contribution was selected out of 84 other early investigator papers. The contribution resulted from a cooperation between the LEAD Graduate School and research network, the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM) and the Perception Engineering Group of the University of Tübingen. It can be considered a prototypical example of the successful interplay of experimental psychology, computer science, and applications in educational research.

Wüst-Ackermann, P., Vollmer, C., Randler, C., & Itzek-Greulich, H. (2018). The Vivarium: Maximizing learning with living invertebrates — An out-of-school intervention is more effective than an equivalent lesson at school. Insects, 9(1), 3. doi:10.3390/insects9010003

A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed in November 2017 in Lisbon. An inaugural symposium is scheduled to take place at the University of Lisbon later this year, and a dedicated Summer School with leading researchers will take place in Tübingen in July 2018.

Alle Beteiligten unterzeichnen im November 2017 in Lissabon eine gemeinsame Absichtserklärung. Noch für dieses Jahr ist an der Universität Lissabon ein Eröffnungssymposium geplant; im Juli 2018 wird Tübingen eine Summer School mit führenden internationalen Forschern ausrichten.

• Grosz, M. P., Göllner, R., Rose, N., Spengler, M., Trautwein, U., Rauthmann J. F., Wetzel, E., & Roberts, B. W. (in press). The development of narcissistic admiration and Machiavellianism in early adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Personality Processes and Individual Differences.

• Grosz, M. P., Göllner, R., Rose, N., Spengler, M., Trautwein, U., Rauthmann J. F., Wetzel, E., & Roberts, B. W. (in press). The development of narcissistic admiration and Machiavellianism in early adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Personality Processes and Individual Differences.

• Berendes, K., Vajjala, S., Meurers, D., Bryant, D., Wagner, W., Chinkina, M., & Trautwein, U. (in press). Reading demands in secondary school: Does the linguistic complexity of textbooks increase with grade level and the academic orientation of the school track? Journal of Educational Psychology.

• Berendes, K., Vajjala, S., Meurers, D., Bryant, D., Wagner, W., Chinkina, M., & Trautwein, U. (in press). Reading demands in secondary school: Does the linguistic complexity of textbooks increase with grade level and the academic orientation of the school track? Journal of Educational Psychology.

The 2008-launched German Family Panel pairfam (“Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics”) is a multi-disciplinary, longitudinal study for researching partnership and family dynamics in Germany.

Language acquisition occupies a central place in the study of human cognition, and research on how we learn language can be found across many disciplines, from developmental psychology and linguistics to education, philosophy and neuroscience. The investigation of a complex phenomenon like language acquisition naturally requires insights, tools, and methods from many disciplines, yet it is still relatively rare to find studies that combine multiple approaches. This special issue, co-edited by LEAD researchers Patrick Rebuschat and Detmar Meurers together with Tony McEnery (Lancaster), brings together leading researchers in cognitive psychology, corpus research, developmental psychology, linguistics, and natural language processing to discuss opportunities and challenges of combining multiple approaches to language learning. The articles in this volume are written in an accessible and engaging fashion. Together, they provide the reader with a panorama of the exciting research currently being conducted at the intersection of experimental, computational and corpus-based approaches to language learning.

The editors' introduction is available via Open Access <link http: onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi lang.12243 full external-link-new-window external link in new>here, the table of contents can be accessed <link http: onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi lang.2017.67.issue-s1 issuetoc external-link-new-window external link in new>here.

“This issue contains insightful state-of-the-art reviews and offers a great overview of the issues learner corpus and SLA research are facing, an absolute must-read for everyone in these and neighboring fields.” — Professor Stefan Th. Gries, University of California, Santa Barbara

“A timely contribution on the roles that experimental, corpus-based and computational approaches play in our understanding of language learning, bringing together both conceptual overviews and empirical evidence.” — Professor Florence Myles, University of Essex

Language acquisition occupies a central place in the study of human cognition, and research on how we learn language can be found across many disciplines, from developmental psychology and linguistics to education, philosophy and neuroscience. The investigation of a complex phenomenon like language acquisition naturally requires insights, tools, and methods from many disciplines, yet it is still relatively rare to find studies that combine multiple approaches. This special issue, co-edited by LEAD researchers Patrick Rebuschat and Detmar Meurers together with Tony McEnery (Lancaster), brings together leading researchers in cognitive psychology, corpus research, developmental psychology, linguistics, and natural language processing to discuss opportunities and challenges of combining multiple approaches to language learning. The articles in this volume are written in an accessible and engaging fashion. Together, they provide the reader with a panorama of the exciting research currently being conducted at the intersection of experimental, computational and corpus-based approaches to language learning.

The editors' introduction is available via Open Access <link http: onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi lang.12243 full external-link-new-window external link in new>here, the table of contents can be accessed <link http: onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi lang.2017.67.issue-s1 issuetoc external-link-new-window external link in new>here.

“This issue contains insightful state-of-the-art reviews and offers a great overview of the issues learner corpus and SLA research are facing, an absolute must-read for everyone in these and neighboring fields.” — Professor Stefan Th. Gries, University of California, Santa Barbara

“A timely contribution on the roles that experimental, corpus-based and computational approaches play in our understanding of language learning, bringing together both conceptual overviews and empirical evidence.” — Professor Florence Myles, University of Essex

Die Förderung erfolgt im Rahmen des Programms Fellowship Fachdidaktik MINT. Das Programm wurde von der Deutsche Telekom Stiftung ins Leben gerufen, um die Fachdidaktiken als zentrales Element für die Lehrerausbildung an Hochschulen zu stärken und richtet sich an herausragende Nachwuchswissenschaftler, die ein Postdoc-Vorhaben im Bereich der MINT-Fachdidaktiken planen oder bereits durchführen.

She received the award "for her seminal contributions to our understanding of how social contexts shape child and adolescent development. Jacquelynne S. Eccles’s concept of “stage–environment fit” has provided unique insights into how secondary schools and community programs can best promote adolescent motivation and positive youth development. Her refinement of expectancy-value theory has generated one of the most prominent lines of research in motivation, highlighting how families and schools influence achievement-related choices and behaviors from early childhood through young adulthood. She is one of the most highly cited developmental psychologists of her generation, her work has had a significant impact on programs and policies affecting children and round the world. Her passion and commitment to children, youth and her profession continue to be an inspiration."

Randlers Forschungsinteresse gilt vor allem der Chronobiologie von Jugendlichen. Dabei untersucht er den grundlegenden biologischen Einfluss auf die Schulleistung und das Wohlbefinden. In seiner Forschung geht Randler des Weiteren der Frage nach, wie der Biologieunterricht insbesondere durch den Einsatz biologischer Erkenntnismethoden (Labor, Experimente, außerschulische Lernorte, lebende Organismen) optimiert werden kann. Er überprüft dies – ähnlich der evidenzbasierten Medizin – mit quantitativen Messmethoden und versucht, konkrete Schlussfolgerungen für die Schulpraxis zu liefern.

Clancy Blair, PhD, is a Professor of Cognitive Psychology in the Department of Applied Psychology in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University.

With the Advanced Grant, the European Research Council supports established, active scientists with an outstanding scientific performance record. Each project of an Advanced Grant, which can be awarded in all fields of science, is funded with up to 2.5 million euros over a maximum of five years.

Mit dem Advanced Grant unterstützt der Europäische Forschungsrat etablierte, aktive Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler mit einer herausragenden wissenschaftlichen Leistungsbilanz. Jedes Projekt eines Advanced Grants, der in allen Wissenschaftsbereichen vergeben werden kann, wird mit bis zu 2,5 Millionen Euro über maximal fünf Jahre finanziert.

<link http: www.lead.schule>www.LEAD.schule soll ein weiterer Schritt sein, die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Wissenschaft und Schulpraxis zu stärken und gleichzeitig die Öffentlichkeit über die Arbeit der Bildungsforscher zu informieren. Viele Schulen unterstützen die Bildungsforscher in ihrer Arbeit und ermöglichen die Durchführung von Studien. Eine gute Zusammenarbeit mit Schulleitern und Lehrkräften ist notwendig, um einen reibungslosen Ablauf zu garantieren und Qualitätsstandards einzuhalten. LEAD hat deshalb eine bisher einzigartige Form der <link http: lead.schule schulkooperationen external-link-new-window zwischen schule und>Kooperation zwischen Schule und Wissenschaft ins Leben gerufen, von der beide Seiten profitieren können. Dreizehn Schulen aus der Region kooperieren bereits mit LEAD. Sie haben beispielsweise die Möglichkeit, die Wissenschaftler bei einem „Tag der Wissenschaft“ vor Ort zu treffen oder sie für Fachvorträge und Workshops an den Schulen zu buchen.

<link file:349103 download file>Download der Pressemitteilung

Bei den Studierendenurteilen erhielt das Fach fünf Bestbewertungen:

• Im Gesamturteil Studierendensituation insgesamt – wie auch schon 2013 und 2010.

• Im Bereich Studium und Lehre bezogen auf die Studierbarkeit und erneut – wie bereits 2013 – den Wissenschaftsbezug.

• Im Bereich Ausstattung erstmals bezogen auf die Bibliotheksausstattung.

• Im Bereich Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsbezug erneut – wie schon 2013 und 2010 – beim Berufsbezug.

Bei den Bewertungen aufgrund der erhobenen Fakten erzielte das Fach drei Spitzenplätze:

• Im Bereich Studienergebnis – wie schon 2013 – bezogen auf die Abschlüsse in angemessener Zeit.

• Im Bereich Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsbezug mit Blick auf den Kontakt zur Berufspraxis.

• Im Bereich Forschung erneut – wie schon 2013 – bezogen auf Veröffentlichungen pro Professur.

Originalpublikation: Greenbaum, H., Meyer, L., Smith, M. C., Barber, A., Henderson, H., Riel, D., & Robinson, D. H. (2016). Individual and Institutional Productivity in Educational Psychology Journals from 2009 to 2014. Educational Psychology Review, 1-9. doi: 10.1007/s10648-016-9360-8.

Originalpublikation: Greenbaum, H., Meyer, L., Smith, M. C., Barber, A., Henderson, H., Riel, D., & Robinson, D. H. (2016). Individual and Institutional Productivity in Educational Psychology Journals from 2009 to 2014. Educational Psychology Review, 1-9. doi: 10.1007/s10648-016-9360-8.

The school is one of twelve partner schools of LEAD. The aim of the program is that both sides - research and practice - take advantage of the close cooperation. While the partner school allows that in their classes studies can be carried out on a regular basis, LEAD guarantees that the scientists maintain high quality standards and report back their findings promptly. In addition, the schools receive suggestions for the transfer of scientific findings into teaching practice.

Das Gymnasium ist eine von zwölf Partnerschulen von LEAD. Ziel der Kooperation ist, dass beide Seiten – Forschung und Praxis – von einer engen Zusammenarbeit profitieren. Während die Partnerschule ermöglicht, dass in ihren Klassen regelmäßig Studien durchgeführt werden können, garantiert LEAD, dass die Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler dabei hohe Qualitätsstandards einhalten und ihre Ergebnisse zeitnah rückmelden. Zudem erhalten die Schulen Anregungen für den Transfer der wissenschaftlichen Befunde in die Unterrichtspraxis.

Focus of the project is to examine the developmental validity of different measures of achievement motivation and instructional quality as well as to develop new analytic approaches allowing researchers to assess developmental validity. To achieve these goals, the substantive and methodological expertise of the researchers at Maryland and Tübingen will be combined, using the results and measures from the PISA project and other large international comparisons as the broader context for their work.

This collaboration will be a first step towards establishing an international motivation research network.

Die Zeitschrift hat einen hohen Social Sciences Citation Impact Factor, der in den letzten Jahren stets in der Größenordnung der Top5-Economics-Zeitschrift American Economic Review (AER) lag.

As one of the three publication organs of the European Association for Research in Learning and Instruction (EARLI), Educational Research Review is an international journal addressed to researchers and various agencies interested in the review of studies and theoretical papers in education at any level. The journal accepts high quality articles and reviews by scholars focused on issues of importance to education, such as state-of-the-art papers, meta-analytic research reviews, narrative reviews, best-evidence syntheses, research critiques, forum papers and methodological and thematic reviews.

An der Graduiertenschule LEAD ist zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt eine Stelle als <link file:209136 download file>Assistent/in der Wissenschaftlichen Koordination (100%, TV-L E9, auch teilbar) zu besetzen. Bewerbungsfrist ist der 19. Juli 2015.

The article quotes Ulrich Trautwein, who was able to show in the<link internal-link internen link im aktuellen> TOSCA study that high-school graduates in the state of Baden-Württemberg have to meet higher requirements than students in Hamburg. Thus, students in Baden-Württemberg receive lower grades for the same achievement and leave school with a lower grade point average.

If one wanted to ensure that the Abitur grades become entirely comparable, the author of the article reasons, one would have to organize the last two years of high school (the so-called “Gymnasiale Oberstufe”) in the exact same way in all German states and introduce a central final examination. However, as Trautwein points out, the differences do not only occur between states, but also between individual schools. Also, radical changes such as introducing a central final exam might have some negative side effects. For example, students might cease to study out of interest and only focus on achieving a better grade than their peers.

The article closes with a possible alternative that is also judged favorably by Trautwein: admission tests at universities, where applicants can prove that they are just as or even more qualified to study the subject of their choice than applicants with higher grades than themselves.

Source: Wehner, M. (21st June, 2015). Der Abi-Noten-Wirrwarr. Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, p. 6.

With the Postgraduate Club the Forum Scientiarum gives doctoral candidates the opportunity to present their topic to an interdisciplinary audience in an informal setting.

• <link internal-link internen link im aktuellen>More information about the talk and the program
  

Selected publications:
• Benner, D. (2015). Allgemeine Pädagogik. Eine systematisch-problemgeschichtliche Einführung in die Grundstruktur pädagogischen Denkens und Handelns (8. Auflage). Weinheim: Beltz.
• Benner, D. (2012). Bildung und Kompetenz. Studien zur Bildungstheorie, systematischen Didaktik und Bildungsforschung. Paderborn: Schöningh.

The Science Notes are a format designed to present research to the interested public in short, comprehensive lectures. The first Science Notes took place in November 2014.

Thursday, May 07th, 2015, 20:00 hrs

Schlachthaus, Tübingen

Most children want to participate in school. However, some have difficulties to concentrate. They are hyperactive, impulsive and inattentive. In their workshop, Petra Bugl and Leona Hellwig want to find out together with the young participants, why these children have problems at school, how this can be measured and how a psychological study could look like. They also want to observe the changes in the concentration of the children after they have played movement games together.

Other contributions to the TÜFFF by LEAD members include demonstrations of a portable fNIRS brain imagaing device (Hans-Christoph Nürk, Thomas Dresler & Christina Artemenko), research on language comprehension (Barbara Kaup) and different tablet applications such as a digital chemistry book or a multimedia guide to an art exhibition (Peter Gerjets).

Friday, May 8, 2015, 15-21 hrs
Hörsaalzentrum der Naturwissenschaften (Auf der Morgenstelle 16 / Haltestelle BG Unfallklinik)

Within the G8 reform, the duration in the Gymnasium was reduced from nine to eight school years in many States of Germany.

<link http: km-bw.de startseite service external-link-new-window des>Press release of the Ministry Education (in German)

Link zur <link file:175093 download herunterladen der datei>Ausschreibung.

Several newspapers such as the Südwest Presse, the Schwäbische Tagblatt and the Reutlinger General-Anzeiger report about the study. Also, the news agencydpa includes the study in their news about the current OECD education report.

Original publicaton:

Gaspard, H., Dicke, A.-L., Flunger, B., Schreier, B., Häfner, I., Trautwein, U. & Nagengast, B. (2014). More value through greater differentiation: Gender differences in value beliefs about math. Journal of Educational Psychology, Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/edu0000003

Most recently, she was a research fellow at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research and Principal Investigator in the DFG-funded project "Educational and Occupational Careers of Tertiary Education Drop-outs". Nicole Tieben studied sociology, German and English at the Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf. She received her PhD in Social Inequality in Educational Transitions at the Interuniversity Centre for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS), Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

In her research, Nicole Tieben focuses on social stratification and mobility, sociology of education, education-to-work-transitions and intergenerational transfers.