Project: Success!

Learning together in and for inclusive conditions in kindergarten

A joint project of TU Dresden and TU Dortmund University

1) Initial situation

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities demands that all children have the opportunity to learn together. This should be independent of their individual abilities as well as their social and cultural background. In practice, however, there is a lack of systematic approaches to implementing inclusion in everyday education. We would therefore like to establish the idea of inclusion in the training of educators and at the same time close a research gap in practice-oriented didactics in teaching research.

2) Aims and approach

The research project aims to further develop the training of educators with regard to inclusive pedagogical activities. To this end, the subjective perspective of those involved on the topic of inclusion will first be surveyed. The findings will be used as a basis for the development and testing of a new teaching and learning design at vocational schools. Using the didactic principle of research-based learning, the students will explore the topic of inclusion through research questions of their own choosing. They will be supported in planning their own research projects, carrying them out and reflecting on the results at the end.

3) Establishing cooperation

4) Procedure

The project will take place from January 2018 to June 2020 and consists of the following phases

5) Innovation and perspectives

On the one hand, the project aims to contribute to individual change. Through research-based learning, which supports interest-driven learning, further key competencies, such as observation and reflection skills, can be acquired in addition to an inclusion-oriented attitude. On the other hand, in order to bring about institutional changes in education, all relevant stakeholders are involved in the research process. In addition, to ensure the multiplier effect of the project and its sustainability, the didactic findings will not only be made accessible to the professional public through a symposium and a handbook, but will also be made available on film.

6) Events

7) Results of the research project

8) Publications, lectures, workshops, posters and interviews

Publications

Christ, Mirjam; Engelbracht, Mischa; Leissenberger, Franziska & Schubert, Justus (2023). Crisis - coping - professionalization. In Kommission Sozialpädagogik (ed.), Social pedagogical professionalization in the crisis (pp. 113-126). Beltz Juventa.

Christ, Mirjam (2023). Contributing to the transferability of design-based research results into practice: Possibilities of considering the criterion of transportation in the research process. In Hugo Kremer, Hubert Ertl, Peter F. E. Sloane (Eds.), Science meets practice - Design-based research in vocational education and training (pp. 140-159). Bonn: Budrich. Link to the volume.

Wustmann, Cornelia; Karber, Anke; Christ, Mirjam & Mertens, Vanessa (2022). Research project "Gelingen! - Learning together in and for inclusive conditions in kindergarten (final report). Dresden: TUD Dresden University of Technology. Link to the report

Christ, Mirjam (2022). Exploring inclusion through research - a learning principle in the training of educators. In Alica Strecker, Jonas Becker, Felix Buchhaupt, Dieter Katzenbach, Deborah Lutz & Michael Urban (eds.), Qualification for Inclusion. Elementarbereich (Qualification of pedagogical professionals for inclusive education, vol. 1, pp. 19-34). Berlin: Waxmann. Link to the book

Christ, Mirjam (2022). Taking a questioning look at cultural diversity in daycare centers. The daycare center handbook. Educational areas: Intercultural education. Link to the specialist article

Christ, Mirjam (2021). Succeed! - Learning together in and for inclusive conditions in kindergarten. Living together. Journal for Inclusion, 29(4), 197-199.

Christ, Mirjam; Karber, Anke & Mertens, Vanessa (2021). Implementing research-based learning through design-based research - Designing research processes with early childhood educators. In Nina Weimann-Sandig (ed.), Research Field Kita (Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, vol. 5, pp. 231-240). Hürth: Wolters Kluwer.

Karber, Anke (2021). Practices of reflection in pedagogical qualifications - research and development issues. Education and upbringing, 74(2). 171-183.

Christ, Mirjam; Karber, Anke; Mertens, Vanessa & Wustmann, Cornelia (2020). Vocational education for inclusion. The didactic principle of research-based learning in the vocational school for social pedagogy. berufsbildung. Journal for Theory-Practice-Dialogue, 184, 26-28.

Mertens, Vanessa; Küls, Holger & Karber, Anke (2019). Learning venue cooperation qua learning platform?- Stakeholders' perspectives on learning support. A contribution to the symposium Sozialpädagogik: Digitalisierung zwischen Hype und didaktischen Mehrwert - Digitale Lehr-Lern-Formate sozialerpädagogischer Qualifizierung in Hochschule und beruflicher Bildung. Available at https://www.berufsbildung.nrw.de/cms/upload/hochschultage-bk/2019beitraege/ft17_lernortkooperation-qua-lernortplattform_mertens-kuels-karber.pdf [28.05.2020].

Lectures

Christ, Mirjam & Wustmann, Cornelia (2023). Inclusion in the daycare center! But how can it succeed? Lecture for the event series "United in diversity - perspectives on inclusion and a successful coexistence" of the TUD lectures, Dresden.

Christ, Mirjam (2021). Learning through crises in educator training? Presentation at the annual conference of the DGfE Commission on Social Pedagogy in the working group "Crisis - Coping - Professionalization". Erfurt, March 2021.

Christ, Mirjam & Karber, Anke (2021). Design-based research as a bridge between university, vocational school and daycare center. Presentation at the closing event as part of the funding guideline "Qualification of pedagogical professionals for inclusive education". Berlin, February 2021.

Karber, Anke & Cornelia Wustmann (2021). Succeed! - Learning together in and for inclusive conditions in kindergarten. Presentation at the Educational Research Conference (BiFo) in the forum "Transfer in inclusive education". Bonn, March 2021.

Christ, Mirjam (2020). Transferability of design-based research results into practice - consideration of the transportation criterion in the research process. Presentation at the forum of the Working Group Vocational Training Research Network (AG BFN). Paderborn, September 2020.

Christ, Mirjam (2019). The project Gelingen! What are we doing? What do we want? Lecture in simple language and discussion with the staff of the project "QuaBiS - Qualification of education professionals in Saxony". Dresden, June 2019.

Karber, Anke & Mertens, Vanessa (2019). Design-Based Research - Using Multi-Perspective Views to Modify the Vocational Training of Early Childhood Educators. Talk at the conference ECER: Education in an Era of Risk- the Role of Educational Research for the Future. Hamburg, September 2019.

Mertens, Vanessa; Karber, Anke & Küls, Holger (2019). Learning location cooperation qua learning platform? - Stakeholders' perspectives on learning support. Presentation at the Hochschultage Berufliche Bildung: Digitalization between hype and didactic added value. Siegen, March 2019.

Christ, Mirjam (2018). Learning together in and for inclusive conditions in kindergarten. Presentation at the closing event of the project "MEHRWERT durch mehr Perspektiven". Dresden, October 2018.

Wustmann, Cornelia; Karber, Anke; Christ, Mirjam & Mertens, Vanessa (2018). The use of biographical-narrative interviews in the context of design-based research. Presentation at the Empirie AG of the Commission for Social Pedagogy (DGfE). House Neuland. Bielefeld, July 2018.

Workshops

Wustmann, Cornelia; Karsten, Maria-Eleonora; Braches-Chyrek, Rita & Spanu, Stephanie (2018). Designing vocational training in social pedagogy professionally. Workshop at the Federal Congress of Social Work. Bielefeld, September 2018.

Karber, Anke; Mertens, Vanessa & Pfennigstorf, Rebecca (2018). Reflective attitude in inclusive processes - research-based learning in educator training. Workshop at the conference IM FOKUS: Social pedagogical training courses - paradigm personality orientation? Dortmund, September 2018.

Karber, Anke & Mertens, Vanessa (2019). Accompanying research-based learning at vocational schools for social pedagogy. Further training for teachers. Walsrode, August 2019.

Poster

Mertens, Vanessa & Christ, Mirjam (2018). Reflection on categorizations as a basis for professional action. Poster presentation at the AG Inklusionsforschung (DGfE): Norm - Behinderung - Gerechtigkeit. Flensburg, June 2018.

Interviews

Mertens, Vanessa (2020). Good research data management is not impossible. Spotlight on research at TU Dortmund University. Available at https://www.tu-dortmund.de/universitaet/aktuelles/detail/gutes-forschungsdatenmanagement-ist-nicht-unmoeglich/ [28.05.2020].

Wustmann, Cornelia; Karber, Anke; Christ, Mirjam & Mertens, Vanessa (2020). Interview with the project participants of the joint project "Gelingen! - Learning together in and for inclusive conditions in kindergarten" on inclusive education. Interview series by Inkbi 1 as part of the BMBF's specialist qualification for inclusive education. Available at https://www.empirische-bildungsforschung-bmbf.de/de/3054.php [28.05.2020].

Rüßeler-Ferguson, Meike & Lebid, Jutta (2020). Interview with Meike Rüßeler-Ferguson and Jutta Lebid, director and former director of the Benefeld Integrative Daycare Center on inclusive education. Interview series by Inkbi 1 as part of the BMBF's specialist qualification for inclusive education. Available at https://www.empirische-bildungsforschung-bmbf.de/de/3055.php [28.05.2020].

9) Contact

10) Student Assistants

Christiane Lux (March 2019 - June 2020)

Benjamin Wurth (March 2019 - December 2019)

Sonja Müller (October 2018 - March 2019)

Sebastian Lebsa (October 2018 - March 2019)

Pia Drechsler (June 2018 - September 2018)