Research, Scientific Infrastructure and Transfer Activities

At DIPF, activities are interdisciplinary, and foundation-oriented as well as application-oriented. The social scientific and cultural scientific research takes the systemic, institutional and individual level of educational processes into perspective. This research is based on theory-driven analyses and empirical as well as educational historical findings. Research from the areas of information science and computer science provide a basis for further developing the Institute’s research and information infrastructures.

Scientists at the Centre for Technology Based Assessment (TBA Centre) develop innovative procedures for the technology-based assessment of competencies and support educational research institutions and projects in their development and implementation. The interdisciplinary Center for Individual Development and Adaptive Learning, IDeA, focuses on individual development of children and the educational contexts of their learning as well as the professionalisation of educational practitioners.

The national and federal state governments have moreover commissioned the Institute to provide an umbrella for educational information services, regardless whether or not the respective topics are closely linked to research activities at DIPF. In its libraries, education portals, repositories and archives, DIPF thus offers access to many knowledge resources for scientists and practitioners.

Since its establishment in 1951, DIPF has taken on international perspectives and particularly in recent years, it has pursued research within an international network, offering and further developing research and information infrastructures in collaboration with international partners. Research activities and analyses regarding national and international school quality and governance as well as the documentation of research output present a sound foundation for international comparisons of education systems.

At a national level, DIPF coordinates the Leibniz Educational Research Network (LERN) and thus networks researchers from more than 20 institutions to bring together expertise in educational matters and wherever possible jointly solve educational issues. The idea of networking is also clearly visible in the promotion of young scientists at DIPF. The Institute supports the Leibniz College for Interdisciplinary Educational Research (CIDER), which addresses postdocs from different disciplines in empirical educational research.

The Institute has defined strategic priorities for working on the continued, scientifically based improvement of quality in various segments of educational reality. For instance, scientists are engaged in educational monitoring, pedagogical-psychological assessment and the delivery of research data for education. Likewise, DIPF focuses on processing scientific information concerning policy-relevant matters by compiling systematic reviews, and on transferring research findings to pedagogical practice (implementation studies). You can find detailed information here.

If your own research interests are in line with those pursued at DIPF and you would like to confer with our researchers, you are welcome to contact us! In general, visitors are always invited to spend a period of time at our Institute. If you are interested in a career at DIPF, you will find detailed information here.