Research
The zepf is a central research institute and is primarily dedicated to questions of educational research with the aim of contributing directly and indirectly to the quality development of the education system. This is done by creating an empirical basis for decision-making for those involved in various areas of the education system and by providing concepts to support the professional activities of teachers and other educational staff. This is based on a broad understanding of quality development, which also includes the long-term and sustainable improvement of processes in educational and health-psychological contexts.
School quality assurance & development
The question of how quality in the education system can be further developed is the focus of a large number of projects carried out at zepf. We see this question as a continuation of the interdisciplinary research on optimizing the school system established by institute founder Karl-Heinz Ingenkamp, in which both quantitative and qualitative methods of empirical social research are used in accordance with our empirical orientation. The focus is regularly on pedagogical actors such as teachers, subject conferences, school management and various stakeholders in educational administration.
Projects
Comparative tests
In the overall strategy for educational monitoring (KMK, 2015), the federal states have agreed to carry out cross-state learning assessments in various grades. In the majority of federal states, these are referred to as comparative assessments (VERA) and represent an important element of the measures to establish evidence-based quality development and assurance in schools. They make a contribution to teaching and school development. To this end, pupils' performance is measured on the basis of educational standards and made available to schools in the form of feedback in various aggregations. The concepts on which the procedure is based have essentially been developed in Landau since 2002. The zepf is currently carrying out comparative tests in the 3rd and 8th grades in the federal states of Bremen, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland as well as in the German-speaking community of East Belgium. Further information: www.projekt-vera.de
Impulses for the further development of schools and teaching
The BMBF-funded project WeSu (Impulse für die Weiterentwicklung von Schule und Unterricht durch die Arbeit mit Ergebnissen aus Vergleichsarbeiten in Grund- und Sekundarschulen) uses qualitative interviews to investigate which school and teaching development measures are implemented by schools that say they work with (results from) comparative tests or comparable learning assessments. The aim was to identify and document exemplary options for action for schools following the implementation of comparative assessments in the sense of best practice. Further information: www.zepf.eu/projekt/impulse-fuer-die-weiterentwicklung-von-schule-und-unterricht-durch-die-arbeit-mit-ergebnissen-aus-vergleichsarbeiten-in-grund-und-sekundarschulen-wesu/
Online learning assessment
The project Leo.MV: Lernausgangslagenuntersuchung online in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is a cooperation project between the Institute for Quality Development in the Ministry of Education and Culture and zepf, funded by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The aim of the project is to develop and establish an online tool for determining learning outcomes in grades 5 and 7 and to evaluate this process. The tool is intended exclusively for the work of teachers in schools and serves the purpose of creating a learner group-related overview of basic skills in mathematics, German and English at the respective point in time. Further information: www.zepf.eu/projekt/leo-mv-lernausgangslagenuntersuchung-online-in-mecklenburg-vorpommern/
Feedback portal for learning level diagnostics
The project Feedback portal for learning level diagnostics (TBA III / technology-based assessment) was commissioned by a state consortium and is funded by the Digital Pact for Schools. It serves to develop a nationwide digital infrastructure for the feedback of data from comparative tests to various recipients, which is to be made available as an open source solution. To this end, a web-based platform will be set up and prototypical, innovative, digital feedback will be developed in an agile manner and empirically tested with regard to its usefulness in schools. The feedback is intended to optimally support further work in schools, for example by addressing various user groups such as teachers, subject conferences, school management and school administration. Further information: www.kmk.org/de/themen/bildung-in-der-digitalen-welt/laenderuebergreifende-projekte.html
Experiential education / Challenges in schools
In the self-financed research network “Challenges” as an independent reform activity of innovative schools (HeRiS), the effect of challenges in schools is investigated and a network of schools throughout Germany is supervised and supported. Several publications have appeared in the network (including contributions to a doctoral thesis) and network meetings are organized and held. The aim is to support schools in their school reform activities with the help of research findings. Further information: emps.uni-wuppertal.de/de/forschungsprojekte/herausforderungen-schulprojekt-begleitforschung-praktikum/forschung/
Health and well-being
The ‘Health and Wellbeing’ department deals with health psychology topics and issues, both in the form of application-oriented empirical research and in the practical implementation of scientific findings in the field of prevention and health promotion. Stress and burnout prevention is one of the main topics here. In the course of stress reduction and health promotion, great importance is attached to the concept of self-care.
Projects
Live better! Self-care for teachers - evaluation of the short and medium-term effects of a prevention and health promotion programme for teachers at general education schools
The prevention seminar "Better living! Self-care for teachers" was developed at zepf with the aim of strengthening self-care in everyday (school) life and thus preventing work-related stress-related consequences such as stress and burnout. The seminar has already proven to be effective in the long term for another target group (psychosocial professionals). In an accompanying scientific study, the effectiveness of the seminar was also analysed with teachers. Further information: Live better!
- Live better! Self-care for mental health professionals - conceptualisation of a health promotion measure
- Study on mental stress and occupational stress factors among mental health professionals in Germany
- The role of self-efficacy and mindfulness in promoting the health of socially disadvantaged people
- Health week organised by Techniker Krankenkasse: updating a health promotion measure for employees
- Evaluation of the project “Giving depression a leg up”
Professionalization of teaching staff
This is the introductory text for ‘Professionalisation of teachers’. This is the introductory text for ‘Professionalisation of teachers’.this is the introductory text for ‘Professionalisation of teachers’.this is the introductory text for ‘Professionalisation of teachers’.this is the introductory text for ‘Professionalisation of teachers’.this is the introductory text for ‘Professionalisation of teachers’.this is the introductory text for ‘Professionalisation of teachers’.this is the introductory text for ‘Professionalisation of teachers’.