In the spirit of the University for International Educational Research in Frankfurt (since 1964 the German Institute for International Educational Research [DIPF]) founded in 1951, the Realistic Turn in Educational Science propagated by Heinrich Roth in 1962 and the Working Group for Empirical Educational Research (AEPF) founded in Hamburg in 1965, the Working Group for Empirical Educational Research was founded by Karlheinz Ingenkamp in January 1971 at the Landau Department of the University of Education (EWH) Rhineland-Palatinate. It comprises two research assistants, two pedagogical assistants and a part-time secretary. In the autumn of the same year, the working group becomes a central institution of the university: the Centre for Empirical Pedagogical Research (zepf) is established. This makes the zepf one of the founding centres of the developing field of empirical educational science.

From 1972, the acquisition of third-party funding begins as part of a working group on educational diagnostics funded by the Federal Government/Länder Commission. In 1986, members of the zepf founded the Empirical Pedagogy Association. With the publication of the journal Empirische Pädagogik and the founding of the Empirische Pädagogik publishing house (VEP) within the association, zepf gains its own publishing pillar.

In the winter semester of 1986/87, Karlheinz Ingenkamp steps down as sole director of zepf. Instead, Hartmut Kasten, and later Lutz-Michael Alisch as Managing Director, Karlheinz Ingenkamp and Eckart Machwirth as members, became the new directors. In October 1987, Reinhold S. Jäger accepts an appointment as Professor of Psychology at the University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau campus, in the Department of Psychology and simultaneously becomes Managing Director of zepf. In December 1992, Peter Nenniger is appointed Professor of Educational Science in the Department of Educational Science (FB 5) and joins the collegial management of zepf. In the same year, Roland Arbinger joins the collegial management team for the first time as a representative from the staff.

In addition to psychological and pedagogical diagnostics, the spectrum of scientific research areas is expanding to include self-directed learning and lifelong learning and scientific evaluations, as well as his participation in the establishment of the German Research Foundation's priority programme in business education.

Nationally, zepf became known early on through the repeated organisation of the conferences of the Working Group for Empirical Pedagogical Research (AEPF) in 1971, 1978, 1983, 1991, 1994 and 2009, with the 20th anniversary of zepf being celebrated at the same time in spring 1991. Internationally, zepf establishes itself in 1996 as the founding venue of the International Conference on Motivation (ICM), the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) and in 2006 - on the occasion of the conference organised by zepf in Landau to mark the 10th anniversary of the ICM - as the founder of the International Summerschool on Motivation.

The zepf has attracted a great deal of interest from the general public through the education barometer and (in cooperation with Schülerhilfe) through the award of the German Innovation Prize for Sustainable Education. In addition, zepf was awarded the status of a Landmark in the Land of Ideas in 2008.

The ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of zepf in 2006 will be used as an opportunity to celebrate the 80th birthday of its founder Karlheinz Ingenkamp.

Peter Nenniger retires on 1 October 2009. Ingmar Hosenfeld accepts a professorship for educational psychology research at zepf in 2010 and thus brings the long-standing cooperation projects on the implementation of comparative tests in primary school and in the eighth grade (VERA) to zepf. The collegial management of the zepf now consists of Reinhold S. Jäger, Ingmar Hosenfeld, and Roland Arbinger as well as Gabriele E. Dlugosch.

On 6 May 2011, zepf celebrates its 40th anniversary.

On 1 October 2011, Reinhold S. Jäger will retire and step down as Managing Director of zepf. However, he will remain with zepf for two years as a senior professor. Ingmar Hosenfeld takes over as Managing Director; the Collegial Management now consists of Ingmar Hosenfeld, Gabriele E. Dlugosch and Roland Arbinger.

Following the departure of Roland Arbinger, the Collegial Management consists of Ingmar Hosenfeld, Gabriele E. Dlugosch and Michael Zimmer-Müller as Managing Directors. Since moving to the University of Koblenz-Landau in 2017, Josef Strasser has been the fourth member of zepf's Collegial Management.

Since 1 January 2023, zepf employees have continued their work at the new Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau.