TOGETHER – Diversity in Schools

Project Description

Dealing with diversity in school is part of teachers’ professional competence. In everyday school life, teachers must continually perceive, understand, and respond appropriately to situations involving exclusion, stereotyping, and conflict. This is not only an educational task but is directly linked to the quality of instruction, the classroom climate, and the learning opportunities for all students. The way teachers address diversity is related to whether students feel included or excluded and to what extent they perceive school as fair.
At the same time, addressing diversity can be understood as a task that lies at the intersection of democracy education and education for sustainable development, since both share central educational goals such as equality, perspective-taking, a constructive way of addressing differences between students, the reduction of prejudices, and social justice. Schools thus become places where these educational goals are directly linked to the way diversity is addressed. 
The project addresses these topics from different perspectives and using various methodological approaches.

Socio-moral Development

The development of socio-moral competencies is a key prerequisite for democratic competence and an important component of education for sustainable development as well. This project is examining the extent to which aspects of diversity affect the moral judgments and decisions of children and adolescents. 

Exclusion and Inclusion among Students

Social belonging, i.e., the feeling of being connected and being valued, is a fundamental human need. Accordingly, exclusion can have a range of negative consequences for children and adolescents – both in terms of their health and well-being, as well as in terms of academic aspects such as motivation, performance, etc.
This project is investigating the development of moral judgments and decision-making processes in children and adolescents in the context of social exclusion.

Teachers' Reactions to Social Exclusion

In addition to the students themselves it is important to focus on teachers in the context of social exclusion. Teachers play an important role in the social system of the class and thus also with regard to exclusion. It is the teachers who establish the rules and norms of which behaviour is acceptable in the classroom and which is not. Furthermore, teachers serve as role models and, through their behaviour, convey implicit and explicit messages about their own attitudes toward inclusion and diversity in school. In turn, this can shape the attitudes and behaviour of their students.

KOMPASS – Inner Conflicts in Socio-moral Decision-making

The KOMPASS studies examine how children, adolescents, and adults experience inner conflicts in various socio-moral decision-making situations. Additionally, the project team is interested in their reasoning during the decision-making process and how they justify their decisions. The studies involving children and adolescents place a special focus on school-related contexts, such as group work or test situations. Furthermore, it examines how teachers experience inner conflicts, particularly those arising from the diversity of their students.
Research on the experience of inner conflicts can shed light on which values are important for decision-making at a particular age. These insights are especially helpful when considering school as a place for the development of values, personal growth, and social interaction.

AUTIMENTI – Dealing with Diversity Beyond the Human World

In addition to treating one another with respect and ensuring equality among people, sustainable development also encompasses aspects such as environmental protection and animal ethics.
The AUTIMENTI studies examines human-animal relationships and the perception of different animal species. Many people care deeply about their pets, yet at the same time find it completely normal to eat meat. Previous research has found that people perceive different animals differently and assign them varying degrees of moral value depending on the species to which they belong. But does this hold true for all cultures, age groups, and animal species? The AUTIMENTI studies examine how these views develop and differ across the life course and across different cultures.
The findings shall be used to identify implications for addressing global societal challenges, such as climate change, as well as for endeavors in education for sustainable development.

Project Objectives

The goal of the project is to understand how a respectful approach to diversity in schools can be achieved. This involves both promoting students’ socio-moral development as well as enhancing teachers’ professional competencies.

Cooperations

• Prof. Dr. Meike Bonefeld, University of Freiburg
• Prof. Dr. Laura Elenbaas, Purdue University
• Prof. Dr. Kelly Lynn Mulvey, North Carolina State University
• Dr. Luke McGuire, University of Exeter 

Project Management

Project Team

Project Details