Research
Here you can find our running projects.
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The goals of the project "Recognizing and Questioning Gender Stereotypes in Daily Teaching" are to record and educate about gender-stereotypical thinking and acting in the STEM subjects within the framework of teacher training. To this end, the project will first develop measuring instruments to identify and record potentially existing (gender) stereotypes among prospective teachers in as comprehensive and differentiated a manner as possible. In a next step, measures will be developed and tested that specifically address the issue of (gender) stereotyping and effectively promote the serious questioning of myths about innate differences in aptitude in STEM subjects. In addition, it will be investigated whether the developed measures contribute in the long term to promoting gender-sensitive teaching practices in order to strengthen the interest as well as the self-concept of girls for the STEM subjects.
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PROJECT TEAM
In recent years, few media have experienced such a strong increase in usage with regard to digital learning as the medium explainer video . Explainer videos are not only used in daily life to inform oneself about various topics, but they are also increasingly being used in school and university learning contexts. Especially the relatively short duration and conciseness make explainer videos popular among learners. An important aspect of explainer videos is that they do not exhaustively explain the topics, but rather highlight and illustrate relevant contexts and concepts. An important core element of explainer videos is the so-called "storytelling", which is intended to help convey the content in an interesting and example-based way.
In the project "Learning with Explainer Videos", we address different questions regarding the use of explainer videos in learning contexts, such as: When and why do explainer videos foster learning? Which aspects should be taken into account when designing explainer videos? How should learning scenarios be designed so that learners can benefit from them? How do teachers assess the use of explainer videos? One focus of our research is to clarify which theoretical basis underlies the effectiveness of explainer videos. Another focus is to investigate how explainer videos, but also learning scenarios with explainer videos, should be designed so that learners can benefit from explainer videos. For this purpose, we will investigate the use of explainer videos in different learning contexts.
Project funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Project Partners:
Prof. Dr. Andreas Vorholzer (Didaktik der Physik), Prof. Dr. Alexander Eitel (Pädagogische Psychologie), Prof. Dr. Claudia von Aufschnaiter (Didaktik der Physik), Prof. Dr. Joachim Stiensmeier-Pelster (Pädagogische Psychologie)
PROJECT TEAM
- Anna Kienitz (Educational Psychology)
- Jonas Gabi (Didactics of Physics)
- Julius Weckler (Didactics of Physics)
Digital learning environments (e.g., blended learning, flipped classrooms, MOOCs, etc.) are typically implemented with the focus on potential benefits of making course content more flexible in terms of where and when it is learned. On the one hand, they can enable learners to engage with a topic on their own terms. Moreover, they can also adapt to learners’ individual characteristics (e.g., learning speed, prior knowledge, etc.). On the other hand, digital learning environments require a high level of independent and self-regulated learning activity. For example, learners have to realistically assess their own skills and knowledge gaps, select appropriate learning tasks, and then complete them independently and persistently. Previous research indicates that these processes are challenging for learners (e.g., not all tasks are completed, course participation is terminated early, etc.).
Therefore, the current project aims to gain further insights into processing and self-regulation processes related to task-based science instruction in digital environments. Accordingly, we will investigate learning and self-regulation processes in context of a (specifically developed) digital learning environment for basic physics. Furthermore, we will investigate possible correlations between learning/self-regulation processes and various cognitive, motivational-volitional, task and individual characteristics. These insights will then be used to develop effective tools to support self-regulation in task-based digital learning environments.
PROJECT DURATION: 01.06.2021 - 31.05.2024
PROJECT LEAD
Theory and practice are often not sufficiently interlinked in the perception of prospective teachers in teacher training. This is problematic because the interlocking of theoretical knowledge with the application of this knowledge in teaching practice plays a central role in the acquisition of professional expertise. Therefore, there are different approaches to close this so-called theory-practice gap. One possibility is the use of digital simulation games in teacher training programs. In the safe learning environment of the simulation game, students can apply the theoretical knowledge they have acquired during their studies to practical teaching situations and try out different options for action.
In the "Teachertales" project, the effects of using digital simulation games in teacher training on motivational and cognitive outcomes will be researched using the simulation game "I as a teacher". In the game, students experience the everyday life of a teacher and decide on their actions in various challenging situations in the classroom. Theory-guided adaptive feedback at the end of each scenario enables direct reflection on the decisions made in class. The knowledge gained in the project will contribute to an evidence-based assessment of the effects of digital classroom simulation games on the professional knowledge of student teachers. To this end, several studies will investigate which concrete characteristics and situations of the simulation game and its use lead to the observed effects. This will make it possible to optimize the design and use of teaching simulation games in undergraduate studies and further teacher training.