CHIPS - Pedagogical Relationships in the context of child protection

• Laufzeit: 1.4.2026-31.12.2029
• Funding: DFG 
• Principal Investigators:  Prof. Dr. Anne Piezunka und  Prof. Dr. Sophia Richter (PH Vorarlberg) 
• Team: Jessica Angioni, Anastasiya Bobrova, Prof. Dr. Anne Piezunka und Prof. Dr. Sophia Richter 

In April 2026, the Chair of School Pedagogy with a focus on School Research launched an international research project titled “Child Protection in Schools: Well-being and Emotional Abuse in Educational Relationships (CHIPS),” led by Prof. Dr. Anne Piezunka in cooperation with Jessica Angioni. The project is being carried out in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Sophia Richter and Anastasiya Bobrova (University of Education Vorarlberg). As part of the project, there is close collaboration with Mercator Fellow Prof. Dr. Friederike Heinzel (University of Kassel).

The project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and is a subproject of DFG Collaborative Research Center 1750 [in:just] “Inclusion – Recognition – Justice. Participation and Engagement in the Processes of Growing Up,” which is based at Goethe University Frankfurt.

The Collaborative Research Center [in:just] examines conditions of educational equity in institutions of upbringing from an interdisciplinary perspective within the framework of 21 projects. The SFB 1750 [in:just] is the first Collaborative Research Center primarily focused on educational science to be funded by the DFG. However, the following disciplines are also involved: philosophy, sociology, law, computer science, and human geography. In addition, it cooperates with the Institute for Social Research and the DIPF Leibniz Institute for Educational Research and Educational Information. The spokespersons are Prof. Merle Hummrich and Prof. Vera Moser from the Department of Education at Goethe University.

The subproject “Child Protection in Schools” focuses on the perspective of students. Through interviews conducted at schools in Germany and Austria, the project examines the experiences young people have in educational relationships as part of their everyday school life. Of particular interest are the expectations placed on teachers and educational staff in these relationships, as well as the conditions that can strengthen or undermine them.

To carry out the research project, interviews will be conducted at two schools each in Germany and Austria with students aged 11 to 16, as well as with teachers and educational staff. The findings are intended, among other things, to help further develop existing child protection concepts and to support schools in shaping educational relationships.