Jana Kienbaum

Jana Hinrichs

The Future Trends in Education (Future.Ed) project is a research network comprising Leuphana University Lüneburg, the University of Oldenburg and the University of Osnabrück. Over a period of 60 months (1 January 2025–31 December 2029), the project will investigate processes of change and transformation in schools in Lower Saxony. Of central importance arecivic literacy andsustainability literacy as key skills for the future against the backdrop of social change. The focus is on the question of whether and how secondary schools promote these skills. The project also examines how schools and teaching can be systematically developed further to prepare pupils for current and future societal challenges. As a longitudinal study, Future.Ed helps to highlight long-term development and change processes within the Lower Saxony school system and to fill existing gaps in research regarding long-term data in the field of educational science.

The research network comprising Units D and E is investigating the culture of co-operation in schools. On the one hand, we aim to examine co-operation between schools and stakeholders from the local community; on the other, we are looking at engagement with parents and multi-professional collaboration within schools.

Specifically, the research examines:

a) what forms of collaboration exist within and outside the school community.

b) the significance these have for school development processes, and

c) how they can be further developed in the context of democracy education and sustainability.

Future.Ed adopts a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative and qualitative research methods. The work is based on the empirically validated school development model developed by Bryk et al. (2010), which serves as a conceptual framework for analysing school development processes.

Data collection is carried out using a phased design: once a year, core data is collected using standardised survey instruments, covering, amongst other things, pupils’ skills development, teaching and the school environment. In addition, so-called ‘module data’ is collected between survey rounds, providing in-depth insights into school development processes. To this end, structured guided interviews and interviews on learning biographies, group discussions and participant observation are carried out in schools and during lessons. The combination of longitudinal data collection with quantitative and qualitative methods enables a comprehensive analysis of long-term processes of change within the school system.

Leuphana University of Lüneburg

University of Osnabrück

https://future-ed.de/