Group discussions as part of the evaluation of the state programme "Youth Social Work at Berlin Schools" - Insights into the research practice of education students during the project phase

Eleven students travelled to Berlin to conduct qualitative surveys as part of the project phase of their bachelor's degree in education. The students took part in the seminar led by Prof. Dr Karsten Speck and Dr Anja Schäfer, in which they independently conducted and evaluated surveys as part of the research project "Evaluation of the state programme for youth social work at Berlin schools". In the following, the students report on their experiences and findings from Berlin:

As part of the project phase, we had the opportunity to travel to Berlin to independently conduct surveys for the evaluation of the state programme "Youth Social Work at Berlin Schools". A total of eleven group discussions were held with various groups of actors at the programme level (social workers, teachers, educators). The focus was on the perceptions and effects of the programme, which could promote its future design and further development.

The highlight of the trip was conducting the group discussions in the Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family or in selected educational institutions. The discussions were informative as they were not only viewed from a scientific perspective, but also focused on the practical challenges and opportunities of the programme.

Although the results of our discussions are not yet fully available, it is already clear how valuable the exchange and collection of experiences and perspectives among the professionals was.

The evaluation of the discussions will help us to develop concrete recommendations for improving the programme. These will be recorded in our final report at the end of the project phase in February 2026.

In addition to the group discussions, there was also time to discover Berlin. A walk along the East Side Gallery allowed us to experience the history of the Berlin Wall up close, and a visit to the Brandenburg Gate was a welcome opportunity to clear our heads after the intensive discussions.

Conclusion and outlook:

To summarise, the stay in Berlin was a successful and instructive experience. The in-depth examination of the state programme "Youth Social Work at Berlin Schools" and the intensive discussions of previous experiences and challenges have broadened our understanding of the challenges and opportunities of social work in practice. The results of our evaluation discussions will be further analysed in the coming weeks.

The visit to Berlin also showed us that such research trips are far more than just theory. The visit made it clear that personal impressions in the discussions and institutions on site, as well as exploring the city, are of particular importance.