Taking a sociological perspective on education primarily means analysing educational processes in the interplay between actors, processes and structures. We are particularly interested in the emergence and maintenance of educational inequalities, in processes of inclusion and exclusion in and through education as well as in current social challenges (such as democratic participation or sustainability) and their significance in educational contexts.
Teacher training has undergone extensive changes in the last ten years. In view of the deteriorating results of pupils in comparative competence analyses (e.g. PISA), the question arises as to the conditions for quality development in teacher training. Here we ask, for example, about the possibilities of control through further training or nationwide programmes (such as the teacher training quality campaign).
Inclusion has been a much-discussed topic in schools and education since the ratification of the UN CRPD. Many stakeholders and stakeholder groups (e.g. pupils, parents, teachers, education authorities, academia) contribute their perspectives to the discourse. For example, we are interested in what practices characterise an inclusive education system.
For several decades, education in the sense of educational qualifications achieved has been the most important factor in the social positioning of individuals. Against this background, it is only understandable that students and parents strive for the highest possible educational qualifications. However, research findings show that advancement through education is difficult to achieve. For example, only a very small proportion of children from families at risk of poverty achieve the Abitur. We are investigating this contradiction between the promise of equal opportunities and advancement through education and the actual reproduction of educational inequalities.