The data from the long-term panel study “Inclusion in and after Lower Secondary School in Germany” (INSIDE) is now available to the scientific community. Researchers can request access to the newly published Scientific Use File (SUF) and use the processed longitudinal data for their own research projects. At the same time, the INSIDE project partners published a position paper that draws conclusions and makes recommendations for the further development of inclusive education in Germany based on the study’s findings to date—for example, integrating the topic more firmly into teacher training.
With the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, Germany committed itself to an inclusive education system. As a result, students with and without special educational needs are increasingly being taught together in general schools. However, there is a significant need for research—particularly regarding lower secondary school and the subsequent transitions to vocational training, further education, or working life—on the success of inclusive education and the educational trajectories of students with and without special educational needs.
INSIDE provides data on the state of inclusion in schools for the first time
This is where the INSIDE study comes in: Between 2019 and 2024, it conducted a total of five survey waves to assess the state of inclusion in schools during and after lower secondary school. At the outset, more than 4,500 sixth-grade students, both with and without special educational needs, participated. In addition to repeated surveys, competency tests were administered regularly. Furthermore, the study collected information from the school and family environments through surveys of teachers, support staff, school administrators, and parents.
Scientific Use File of the longitudinal panel study now available
The now available dataset contains the processed longitudinal data from all five survey waves. This provides researchers with access to a comprehensive data set that enables analyses of the implementation of inclusive education in Germany and its effects over time. The data is supplemented by comprehensive documentation, a user manual, questionnaires, field and methodology reports, and a codebook with basic tabulations of all variables. Access to the dataset requires a data use agreement with the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories.
Position paper outlines recommendations for education policy
Alongside the release of the data, researchers from the INSIDE project have published a position paper that summarizes key INSIDE findings to date for policymakers. The paper focuses on different approaches to implementing inclusive education and their impact on school development and the educational pathways of students with and without special education needs.
Based on the INSIDE findings to date, the authors recommend, among other things, a broad understanding of inclusion that encompasses all students and supports a holistic, inclusive approach to school development. Further recommendations concern mandatory collaboration between special education and general education teachers, the stronger integration of professional approaches to heterogeneity into teacher training, and the promotion of social participation, basic competencies, and cross-curricular skills.
In addition, the position paper sets forth further recommendations on education policy. These include the development of clear indicators for school inclusion goals, the further elaboration of inclusive concepts—particularly for high schools—and closer collaboration between general and special education teacher training programs, beginning at the university level.
INSIDE as a collaborative project
The INSIDE study was conducted as a joint research project by the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi), Humboldt University of Berlin, the University of Wuppertal, and the University of Potsdam. The aim of the study was to comprehensively and longitudinally examine the conditions for successful inclusive instruction, as well as the implementation and effects of inclusive education in Germany. The surveys were conducted nationwide in 14 federal states. With the publication of the Scientific Use File and the position paper, the data and findings obtained in the INSIDE project are being made available both for further scientific research and for the discussion on the future design of inclusive education in Germany.
Data & Services
Position paper (PDF)
INSIDE project page