Research Activities at the Faculty
With 118 research projects, the Faculty of Education has once more registered a larger number of research projects in 2007. Besides newly initiated projects, the large majority represents projects that have been continued. The year’s research activities of 2007 have again been subject to suboptimal conditions. On the one hand, the vacant professorships have contributed their part to the situation. On the other hand, the strong reference to schools in most of the fields of activity at the Faculty of Education resulted in the fact that only a small number of projects were promoted by third-party funds of the economy. However, almost all parts of the Faculty of Education have various third-party funding, first of all governmental support by ministries. Thus, it is altogether still nearly half of the projects (46%) that are (co-)financed from sources outside the university (same level as in 2006). As publications 97 titles were announced - what means a clear increase compared to previous year.
The international character of the research (international partners or issues) has been strengthened, but it is striking that most of the research done is in Comparative Education, Curriculum Studies as well as Teacher Education – as in the preceding years.
The projects in the field of General Education are centred on three main areas. First a series of projects researches the history of education, educational institutions and teacher education in Saxony (19th and 20th century) combining methodologically both, hermeneutic and quantitative issues. In second place there are projects in high abili-ties and development of competences considering motivational and volitive factors of achievement, self-efficacy and self-concept. Finally the field of elearning and eas-sessment (CAA services), in particular the construction and effects of eassessments in higher education.
In the area of the Comparative Education, the education systems of Europe remained in the focus of the research (among others Poland, Russia and also Morocco as an North-African Islamic country).
Along with the continuation of already existing projects the following new researches were initiated: “Habitus, Institution and Society. Europe in every day school life of teachers”, “Educational opportunities and biographies of young people in Saxonia”.
In the area of Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education I, there were once again problem definitions facing intercultural communication and/or intercultural learning as well as the support of children and young persons with migration backgrounds. The joint graduation projects were continued, e.g. about teacher’s education and school development were possible by virtue of existing relations to e.g. the Latvian University of Riga.
Within the field of Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education II, the focus was on questions about the gender research, about school drop outs and about the history of the German and Japanese education systems.
The Theodor-Litt-Research Center had also organised a symposium in 2007. Another yearbook of the Theodor-Litt Society documents research activities of this Leipzig educator.
In the field of Educational Psychology (in cooperation with the field of Curriculum Studies), research concentrated on aspects of teacher students´ concepts of teacher training and teaching practice as well as students´ evaluations of internships in teacher education. Moreover, research on the relations between curriculum, teacher´s conceptions and support of learning strategies or the construction of endeavor grades by teachers, research on emotional autonomy as well as adolescents´ conceptions of authority has been continued. In the Department of Psychology in School and Instruction, the test-development in reading, spelling and mathematics was again one of the most important topics in 2007.
The projects in the area of Adult education have a main point in the subjects fields quality development / quality management with crossing to the university didactics (this also with international adjustment), educational work (e.g., family education in cooperation with kindergartens) and educational counselling.
The research work in the Social Education concentrate upon questions from the area of the children's and youth relief institutions. Moreover a Saxon-long questioning was concluded and published by assistants active in this area about the care of young persons with “complex Needs of Support”. Furthermore in 2007 criminal-political problems were also followed up in connection with domestic violence and juvenile crime as well as questions of the cooperation by youth relief institutions, judiciary, school and youth psychiatry.
The research work in the institute of Primary School Education remained limited also in 2007 on account of the vacancy of important chairs. In the area of Basic school didactics sport the running project “optiSTART” was continued successfully as well as a new project was settled. This aims at an analysis of the physical abilities of children between 4 and 6 years. A few other projects can be found in the fields of Mathematics education at Primary School (e.g. “correlations between mathematics and music at Primary School”). And in the field of Science and Culture in Primary School Education (e.g. “The impact of democratic school settings and conceptions as a pedagogic alternative to the traditional primary school.”).
Research activities in the field of Special Education have been expanded. Latest re-search projects in the department of education for people with physical disabilities included surveys on stress factors affecting teachers working in inclusive school set-tings, Burnout and Coping among teachers working in Early Childhood Education as well as the continuation of several projects in education for children with severe dis-abilities. The fields of Education for People with Language and Speech Pathology and of Education for Children with Learning Disturbance have successfully continued projects with the focus on research regarding prerequisites of teaching. The filling of the chair Education of Mentally Handicapped People made it possible to continue begun pro-jects, among other things to the selfconcepts and for the integration of mentally handicapped pupils. Research projects in the field of special education for people with behavioural disorders were started, followed up and completed on Cooperative Counselling, Individual Education Plans (IEP), Vocational Rehabilitation, Review of diagnostical opinions and Quality Management Methods in schools.
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