Isabell Dietze-Fründt and Sebastian Lehmann at the 2026 GDSU Conference in Chemnitz

At the annual conference of the Society for the Didactics of General Studies on the topic “Society in Transition and the Relevance of General Studies” held March 26–28, 2026, in Chemnitz, Isabell Dietze-Fründt and Sebastian Lehmann were able to present a poster and a lecture on their respective doctoral research topics with funding support from the Society of Friends and Sponsors of TU Dresden e.V.

As part of the focus on “Education for Sustainable Development (ESD),” Sebastian Lehmann presented key findings from his dissertation titled: “Knowledge, Perceptions, and Attitudes of Teachers Toward Education for Sustainable Development in Saxon Elementary Schools.” To date, there has been very little data available across Germany on the implementation and practice of ESD in elementary schools. In the discussion that followed, participants reflected on the findings with both interest and a critical eye. This professional exchange helps foster the development of related research ideas.

As part of the poster presentations, Isabell Dietze-Fründt presented her poster titled “What Are You Doing? A (Planning) Game for Elementary School Children on the Topic of Forests in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development.” The study’s starting point is the observation that many children engage with environmental issues at an early age and show a strong interest in protecting natural habitats. At the same time, little is currently known empirically about the specific conceptions children develop regarding sustainability-related topics. The poster presented initial findings from a qualitative study conducted as part of the planned dissertation “Children and the Forest: Students’ Conceptions of the Forest.”

Both dissertations are supervised and academically guided by Prof. Dr. Martina Knörzer, holder of the Chair of Primary Education / Social Studies and Science Education.

The conference provided an important platform for scholarly exchange within the field of general studies pedagogy.