Specialisation Educational Research

Results of educational research are of increasing importance in all professional fields of action in education - from concrete pedagogical action to processes of organisation and management to educational policy discourses. Education systems are currently facing major challenges: increasing globalisation, digitalisation and demographic changes. Empirical educational research can, on the one hand, create knowledge that describes and explains current and classic educational phenomena and, on the other hand, knowledge that [provides] indications for possibilities for action and change and thus forms an important basis for educational policy decisions or pedagogical action in school, university or professional contexts.

The specialisation in EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH offered by the Institute of Educational Science therefore strives in a special way to provide students with a research-related qualification. A special feature of this specialisation is that students acquire basic knowledge in the areas of quantitative or qualitative educational research and can then specialise in one of the areas in the course of their Master's degree. In this way, it is possible to take into account a wide range of content-related interests and research questions of the students.

One thematic focus is in the area of research on educational inequalities: What educational inequalities exist in our society? Which classical theories and current empirical findings can explain how they arise and perpetuate themselves? What factors can contribute to their reduction? In this module, students thus learn, for example, how to answer these questions in a well-founded way: on the one hand, by analysing and critically reflecting on already existing scientific findings, and on the other hand, by developing their own research designs in which they apply the methodological knowledge acquired in the module.

The specialisation in EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH is characterised by a cooperative, project- and workshop-based study culture. The focus of the study programme is not on the reception of research results, but on concrete independent work on 'small' research projects. In close exchange with the lecturers, students receive both support and guidance in the development and implementation of their own research work as well as insight into their research practice. In this specialisation, students have the opportunity to participate in research. In addition, the specialisation supports the development and conception of individual research projects in intensive exchange with the students.

The coursework and examinations in the specialisation are not based on a formal scheme, but are adapted to the concrete course formats in the sense of the research and project orientation of the degree programme. On the one hand, the performances to be rendered are as closely related as possible to the research ideas and approaches developed during the course of study in that they serve to explore and test one's own research approaches. On the other hand, they should give students the opportunity to acquire interdisciplinary qualifications that are important for their later work. Thus, students practise creating trenchant and informative presentations, independently develop blended-learning formats and are given diverse opportunities to develop methodological-analytical and social-cooperative skills in self-regulated and cooperative forms of learning and working. Thus, students have the opportunity to conduct small case analyses in institutions and video-based sequence analyses of teaching-learning situations or to accompany the implementation of programme developments.

In addition, the events of the module offer diverse opportunities for discussion and the acquisition of competences in dealing with heterogeneous target groups. Furthermore, the students deal intensively with the limits and potentials of the increased use of digital media in formal and informal educational contexts.

The examinations are predominantly designed as analytical and reflective knowledge development and consist of homework that pursues a research question, oral module examinations for which theses are prepared and then presented in dialogue, and written examinations in which students can both apply their acquired basic knowledge and explain it in depth for individual questions.

Upon successful completion of the degree programme/specialisation, students are qualified to work in education-related research and university institutions as well as public educational institutions such as adult education centres, but also in business institutions, trade unions and churches, government institutions, at associations and institutes, commercial providers or in in-house continuing education.