All press releases in English. Please refer to the German website for more press releases in German.

Feb 07, 2024

New Research Professorship for Digital History of Education

With a joint appointment, the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education and Humboldt-University of Berlin are strengthening research in the digital history of education. The new professorship for "Historical Educational Research with a Focus on Digital Humanities" has been filled by PD Dr. Katharina Vogel. The research professorship is located in the DIPF department BBF | Research Library for the History of Education. It aims to generate digital methods and tools to gain new insights into historical educational research and at the same time to critically reflect on them.
Dec 18, 2023

Can software tools help to avoid distraction during digital learning?

Those who learn digitally are quickly distracted. This is because the used devices offer many opportunities to pass the time in other ways. Meanwhile a large number of software applications have been designed to help you stay focused. But how are these self-control tools used and how helpful are they perceived to be? A new study by the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education has investigated this with 273 higher education students. The findings indicate that these tools are not a universal solution; they require individualized settings and an understanding of the program's capabilities by users.
Oct 04, 2023

Learning is easier with a positive attitude

Students who think positively about their own abilities and their subject are more likely to achieve the goals they have set for themselves. Conversely, a lack of confidence in one's own abilities can lead to goals being missed. This is shown by a meta-study conducted by the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education and other institutions. The study examined the interplay between motivation and learning success, for which the researchers analyzed data from five intensive longitudinal studies. The results have now been published in the journal "Contemporary Educational Psychology".
Sep 14, 2023

Social media: how upward comparisons and well-being are related in children and adolescents

A new study by the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education shows that the use of social media is linked to diminished well-being among children and adolescents. The DIPF researchers primarily investigated the question of how this link arises. The result: upward social comparisons play a central role. The study has now been published in the journal "Communications Psychology".
Aug 02, 2023

Socially responsible programming: Where computing education and the market diverge

Software and IT infrastructure are increasingly influencing the way we live and work. The programmers of these tools therefore also bear a high level of social responsibility. But as an in-depth analysis by the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education and the Fernuniversität in Hagen now shows: In the programming education of computer scientists and in the job profiles of the tech companies, questions of social responsibility are considered, but different aspects are missing on both sides. The requirement to act responsibly towards society as a whole is not found at all.
Feb 09, 2023

Using computer games to improve climate protection

A new European Union-funded project involving scientific and private-sector partner organizations is investigating how computer games can be used to improve climate protection. The aim is to raise awareness among citizens of the relevant challenges and to provide policymakers with information on how to align climate protection even more closely with the needs of society. The international project consortium is coordinated by the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education.
Sep 07, 2022

New assistant professorship explores the role of social and cultural background as well as gender in education

Social and cultural background as well as gender have a strong influence on the educational opportunities and educational paths of children and adolescents. With a new professor position affiliated to DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education and to Goethe University Frankfurt research in this field shall be strengthened and extended: Dr. Hanna Beißert has now been appointed to this Assistant Professorship for Educational Science with a Focus on Teaching and Heterogeneity.
May 25, 2022

Social exclusion: Teachers would rather help girls

A recent study examined the role of gender for teachers' responses to social exclusion among their students. 101 teachers in Germany were asked about a fictitious situation. According to the study, they would be more likely to help an excluded girl than a boy. Another result: female teachers reject social exclusion even stronger than their male colleagues, but would still not intervene more often. The study was conducted by the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education, the University of Konstanz and the University of Mannheim.
Feb 17, 2022

All you need to know about the education systems of the Americas

A new two-volume handbook provides a comprehensive overview of education systems in North, Central and South America covering nearly all countries, including the Caribbean states. The handbook, edited by researchers from DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education and the University of Münster, is published in English, targeting students, researchers and the public at large. The volumes comprise more than 1,200 pages offering scientifically grounded fundamental knowledge while also informing about urgent challenges.
Jul 01, 2021

For Better Feedback in Online Teaching

Currently, almost all students learn only digitally at home, because in the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic, universities have largely converted their teaching to online courses. But virtual lectures and seminars often still lack individual feedback for learners. A new project being conducted by the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Human Development and Educational Information and Goethe University Frankfurt aims to change that. The researchers want to develop a software tool that uses modern, automated evaluation methods to help provide accurate feedback.
Jul 01, 2021

"Sitzenbleiben" – DIPF Launches Educational Research Podcast

With the podcast series "Sitzenbleiben" the DIPF primarily addresses parents. The focus is on questions about their children's learning in daycare centers and schools. But it is also worthwhile for anyone interested in education in general to take a listen. Discussions with the institute's scientific experts focus on performance gaps in the classroom, the difficult transition to secondary school, and children growing up multilingual.
Jun 07, 2021

Distance Learning: On Days When Learning Tasks Are More Fun, Children Learn More Independently

Children who are better at self-regulation find it easier overall to concentrate and put distractions aside in favour of their goals. Self-regulation is also conducive to their daily learning in distance learning situations, such as during the Corona pandemic, and children therefore need less support. This shows a study by researchers at the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education. Another finding: children learn more independently at home on days when they enjoy the learning tasks more and find them easier. The results have now been published in the journal Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft.