VideT

The aim of the project “VideT: Communicating the research process – a video-based transfer tool for students” is to clarify the influence of various parameters on the understanding of research processes and scientific findings, on attitudes and on the credibility of science and researchers. In order to achieve the project goals, this interdisciplinary joint project combines competencies from the natural and social sciences as well as from educational research. The aim of the joint project is to develop a video-based transfer instrument for communicating empirical scientific research processes and to test it prototypically in school laboratories with schoolchildren. In addition to testing the instrument in schools and student laboratories, the accompanying scientific research will analyze parameters that condition and influence the success of the transfer. The topic of the videos is the research of the Leibniz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) on the ecology of bats and the effects of human activities on these animals.

Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB)

The Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) investigates the causes and consequences of demographic change.In an advisory capacity, the BiB is in contact with the federal government and federal ministries and advises them on the basis of scientific research. As part of the advisory cooperation, the BiB supports the Federal Government in international cooperation on population issues within the framework of the United Nations. Informing the public about demographic change and the Institute’s research findings is another important task. The Institute was founded in 1973 and is since then is based in Wiesbaden, Hesse.

As part of the advisory cooperation, the BiB supports the Federal Government in international cooperation on population issues within the framework of the United Nations.Informing the public about demographic change and the Institute’s research findings is another central task.

The Institute is a federal departmental research institution and is part of the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs.

Important works and tasks:

  • Research: Research is a central task at the BiB. It is the basis for sound advice and information. One of its core tasks is the continuous monitoring of demographic trends. Other areas of focus include the three research areas of family and fertility, migration and mobility, and demographic change and ageing. In addition, the Education and Human Capital research group, which was newly formed in 2021, investigates the importance of education for population development in Germany. One example of this is the study “Why children from potentially disadvantaged families are less likely to attend daycare – even if they need it” which was conducted on behalf of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
  • Policy advice: On the basis of the institute’s own research findings, the institute advises the federal government and federal ministries. Information, interpretation of demographic trends and the preparation of scientific expertise represent core competencies in policy advice. At the level of international cooperation within the framework of the United Nations, the BiB advises and supports the federal government on population issues.
  • Information: The BiB publishes the results of its research in numerous publications. In more than 430 charts, maps and tables, the BiB regularly publishes information on demographic facts for Germany, Europe and the world.

SchuMaS

In the federal-state initiative SchuMaS – “Schule macht stark”, researchers from 13 institutions are working with a total of 200 schools to develop measures to improve the learning conditions and performance of socially disadvantaged students. The common feature of the selected 200 schools is the socially challenging situation in which the schools find themselves and the more difficult conditions for teaching and learning that accompany this. These conditions are: Increased language support needs, high staff turnover, parent homes at risk of poverty. The current pandemic situation is also not ignored. 

The actual success of the students is the main focus of “SchuMaS”. The overall goal of the project is to improve the educational opportunities of socially disadvantaged students and thus reduce social inequalities.
Particular attention is paid to improving the basic mathematical skills, learning motivation and social skills of the students. 

In relation to the special requirements of the schools, four thematic fields of action are in the foreground, for which individual measures are to be developed in close scientific and practical cooperation. These are:

1. to further develop teaching – with a special focus on mathematics and German,
2. to qualify the pedagogical staff working at the schools in a more targeted way, taking into account the specific conditions of schools in socially challenging situations,
3. further develop schools as an organization, school culture and leadership, and
4. to promote learning outside the classroom and support in the social environment.

In four regional centers of the interdisciplinary research network, the 200 participating schools are advised and supported in mastering their challenges in close cooperation with the state institutes, quality development agencies and school supervisory authorities. The scientific monitoring and evaluation is carried out by other working groups of the project network, the results of which are to be used to produce a recommendation for action after five years, which can be used as a handout to other schools in challenging situations.

GeLiNu

Low literacy (“functional illiteracy”) and numeracy – that is, difficulties in using mathematics – in adulthood often lead to considerable limitations in the lives of those affected.

To respond to this challenge of low literacy/numeracy, targeted education policy and pedagogical measures are necessary. To achieve this goal, extensive knowledge about the causes of low literacy/numeracy is essential. Unfortunately, no such extensive knowledge exists based on available research, especially regarding the factors causing low literacy/numeracy. The main reason for this is the general lack of longitudinal data. Both in Germany and the rest of the world, extant research is mostly based on studies seeking to analyze the phenomenon with a single instance of data gathering. They are hardly suited to research how low literacy/numeracy emerge – and under what circumstances they can be changed over time.

This cooperation project wanted to identify risk and protective factors for the development and change of low literacy and numeracy in German adults. With the help of data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), two main questions regarding low literacy/numeracy in German adults have been answered:

  1. Changeability: How stable are low literacy/numeracy and how changeable are they? How many people are successful in acquiring competencies over time and thus leave the domain of low literacy/numeracy? How many people slip into this domain over time?
  2. Complex causes: Which individual (e.g., cognitive and non-cognitive basic skills), structural and contextual factors (e.g., employment, family formation) influence the probability of such growths or losses in competencies?

REACH

The cooperation project “REAching young adults with low ACHievment in literacy” (REACH), which was sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), was led by the Stiftung Lesen (German Reading Foundation). REACH was aimed at young adults between 16 and 35 years old who are on the so-called alpha-level 3 – a special group among adults with poor literacy: They profit most strongly from remedial programs for their long-term professional life.

Focus of REACH

The project focused on young adults between 16 and 35 because …

  • They can have the greatest and most sustainable benefit from remedial programs,
  • Addressing them early will hopefully lead to maintaining and strengthening their reading competence,
  • Addressing them will motivate and empower them to become reading role models for their children.

To find ways of access, there was a necessity to identify …

  • (Key) persons and locations through which target groups can be reached,
  • Communicative approaches and pathways such as the media,
  • Content-related links: topics, fields of interest, and activities.

Goals of REACH

  • Reviewing the suitability of access ways, which can already be derived from practical experience,
  • Identification and review through characterizing the target group in the most differentiated and precise way possible,
  • Analysis of living conditions, features, habits, and mindsets (e.g., media usage, activities in social media, living situation, family situation, interests and habits during leisure time, etc.)

To achieve this, no new data was collected, but rather existing data was used as effectively as possible, and linked with each other. Subsequently, a small number of potential ways of accessing and addressing was tested by way of a pilot study and simultaneously evaluated.

Individual Developmental

The research group on ‘Individual Developmental Trajectories and Institutional Contexts Across the Lifespan’ is a collaborative project designed to run six years, established by DIPF and IPN. The team of researchers will primarily be focusing on the analyses of existing datasets from empirical educational research, striving for a comprehensive and overarching perspective on findings and integrating them.

Thematically, the research group focuses on the longitudinal perspective of educational processes and educational trajectories from adolescence to adulthood. On the one hand, this comprehends a descriptive perspective: How do individuals change and how are developmental processes represented in different life spheres from adolescence to adulthood? How can this be described for different groups of people? For instance, in how far are developments similar across different learning contexts and school types, and how do they differ? On the other hand, an explanatory perspective is taken to research the roles of individual variables as well as institutional contexts. Taking the example of gender differences: are differences between boys and girls reinforced during secondary education, and if divergent developments can be described, are these ‘general patterns’ or does tracking in the German secondary school system come into effect? 

BRISE

The Bremen Initiative to Foster Early Childhood Development (BRISE) is a longitudinal study that systematically investigates the effects of early childhood intervention. Early childhood programs for children from socially and culturally disadvantaged families aim to prevent future disparities in cognitive and social abilities. The insights gained in Bremen will inform policy on early childhood and be constructive in providing equal opportunities for all children, protecting children, and promoting their development and participation in society.

BRISE is the first longitudinal study to investigate the effects of a program fostering early childhood development that is broadly implemented within a specified region. BRISE systematically links early childhood and preschool programs into a chain of interventions. The programs forming that chain — home-based as well as center-based interventions — are all integrated into everyday life and most of them are already established in Bremen. The intervention begins in the prenatal period and ends after the children start elementary schooling.

Research within the scope of BRISE examines the cumulative effects of a coordinated intervention program on the participating children’s cognitive, social and emotional development. The first four years of funding come from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); a subsequent 4-year grant period is planned. Families participating in the intervention chain will be compared with families who decide for themselves in which and in how many of Bremen’s programs they enroll. Over a period of up to two years, approximately 1,000 disadvantaged families in Bremen will be included in our sample. Linking BRISE to the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) as well as to the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) further enables comparative analyses with additional high-quality data.

CAN-D

In the spring of 2016, researchers from the Canadian research coalition CYRRC and the Leibniz Education Research Network LERN started to exchange information and initiate research collaborations on the integration of refugees. The partners organized two research workshops funded by BMBF, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and SSHRC-CRSH, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Participants shared information on the structural contexts regarding the immigration of refugees to Germany and Canada and identified four common research themes:

  • Economic, social, and political challenges facing refugee children, youth, and families
  • Language, literacy, and learning
  • Social integration, human rights, social stigma, culture, and security/violence
  • Mental health and the social determinants of well-being

The project “Research Exchange and Cooperation between Canada and Germany on the Integration of Refugees” – funded by the BMBF – aimed to support and coordinate the joint research activities in Germany and Canada and their presentation at national and international research conferences. In addition to research networking, the project supported knowledge transfer and activation of research activities and findings.

The CAN-D project worked closely with the Child and Youth Refugee Research Coalition (CYRRC) and the Research Network on Refugees, Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS), University of Osnabrück.

INSIDE

INSIDE (Inclusion in and after Secondary Education in Germany) is a scientific study that examines the conditions and implementation of inclusion in mainstream schools in Germany. From December 2016 to May 2021, the project initially focused on the conditions under which inclusive learning of students with and without special educational needs takes place in lower secondary school and which approaches are successful. In June 2021, the second phase of INSIDE began. Here, we accompany students during their transition to upper secondary school, into vocational training, a profession, or other life situations. The focus is on the goals and aspirations that students have for their transition, the approaches of schools in preparing for and supporting this transitional phase, and the conditions that contribute to a successful transition.

PIAAC

PIAAC was a survey supported by the OECD that aimed to determine the competence level in international relation – similar to PISA. In contrast to PISA, PIAAC focused on the survey on adult competencies. The PIAAC survey determined basic competencies which are necessary for a successful participation in society and especially in professional life. Thus, PIAAC described the potential of human capital on which countries in global competition can draw on. The survey findings built a profound basis for possible political and social interventions. The survey was implemented simultaneously in 25 countries as a population survey. The first wave was conducted in 2011/2012. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) entrusted GESIS with the national project management in Germany. This included the planning of the national survey, the adaption of the survey instruments, the implementation of the survey, as well as the data analysis and the reporting. The national PIAAC report was published simultaneously with the international publication of results in October 2013.