DIPF aims to use knowledge about education – through research, information infrastructures and transfer activities – to help overcome challenges to the education system and for educational research.

Effective decision-making and action in politics, administration, and educational institutions require reliable knowledge, to which DIPF contributes. The institute's research and information infrastructures provide all stakeholders in science, education and education policy with comprehensive information and data on education in digital form. DIPF is also an important dialogue partner and advisor for education policy and administration.

Social challenges include the widespread digitisation of knowledge and educational opportunities, as well as the ways in which they can be used, equitable participation in education, the further improvement of individually tailored support services and educational opportunities that sustainably enhance shared responsibility for others and for the planet.

Education Monitoring

Researchers at DIPF collect data on the education system, observe and analyse processes of change, and coordinate Germany's central instrument for education monitoring – the National Report on Education. Since 2006, DIPF is responsibility for coordinating the report, playing a pivotal role in supporting politicians and administrators in enhancing the framework conditions for education across the country.

National Report on Education 2024

Research on Current Challenges in Society

In the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, alongside the publication of dossiers, the following projects are noteworthy:

•    PACO – Psychological Adjustment to the COVID-19 Pandemic
•    S-CLEVER – School Development in the Face of New Challenges
•    STECCO – Starting Tertiary Education During the Corona Crisis: A Challenge and an Opportunity

DIPF is actively engaged in artificial intelligence (AI) and software development projects across various areas. The ML2MT project focuses on the interaction between humans and AI in education, investigating how humans and machines can collaboratively develop new knowledge. To achieve this, the project explores the foundations of machine learning that enable effective knowledge exchange between humans and machines.
The HyTea project team is developing a multimodal tutor that uses AI-generated feedback to enable learners to independently practice and improve their presentation skills. Particular emphasis is placed on ensuring that the AI operates in accordance with ethical values.

Projects also address challenges such as educational inequality or dealing with facts and fake news. For example, the EABU – Emergence and Reduction of Educational Inequalities in Childhood and Adolescence project investigates how educational inequalities emerge, how they change over time, and the opportunities and risks of digitalisation for reducing educational inequalities. The GEN-CORE – Generic Critical Online Reasoning in Higher Education project assesses students' ability to find and evaluate information on the internet and to form coherent arguments from it.

International Comparative Studies on Education

Thanks to its expertise in the field of large-scale assessments and its many years of experience in managing these surveys, DIPF contributes to international studies. Since 2009, for example, the institute has been involved in the PISA surveys with various tasks.

Scientific Expertise and Advisory Services

DIPF researchers regularly take part in conferences, meetings and debates and are available as speakers or interview partners. Detailed information on research at DIPF can be found in the Activity Report.