Adult and continuing education is one of the largest sectors of education in Germany. Nevertheless, there has been relatively little reliable data to date on the qualifications, competencies, and employment conditions of the teaching staff working in this sector. With the publication of the second wave of the teacher panel, the study “Teachers in Adult Education – A Panel Study” (TAEPS) expands its data set and opens up new opportunities for longitudinal research on the professional development and competency development of teachers.
Adult education as key area of research
Lifelong learning is becoming increasingly important in light of technological, economic, and social change. As the demand for continuing education rises, so does the need for qualified instructors. Adult and continuing education is already one of the largest sectors of education in Germany. Nevertheless, there is still relatively little empirically based research available on the instructors working in this field.
Teachers in Adult Education – A Panel Study (TAEPS) is a joint project of the German Institute for Adult Education – Leibniz Center for Lifelong Learning (DIE) and the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi). It creates a comprehensive database to empirically examine the professional development of teaching staff and the conditions for successful adult education.
New opportunities for longitudinal analyses
With the release of Scientific-Use-File 2.0, researchers now have access to an expanded dataset for scientific analysis. The new version supplements the previously published data from the institutional survey and the first wave of the teacher panel with data from the second wave of the teacher panel survey, which was conducted between March and August 2025.
The second survey includes both participants from the first wave of the panel and newly recruited teachers from adult and continuing education. Data were collected via an online questionnaire and a web-based competency assessment. The TAEPS dataset provides longitudinal data that can also be used to analyze individual developments over time.
Research on professionalization and competency development
TAEPS aims to examine the causes and contextual factors underlying professional practice in adult and continuing education. The focus includes questions regarding the professional qualifications of teaching staff, the effects of work and living conditions on professional practice, the relationships between competencies and employment opportunities, and the ways in which teachers further develop their competencies.
Participating teachers are surveyed repeatedly over several years. In addition, continuing education providers are examined to account for institutional conditions alongside individual developments. The study design also includes intervention studies that scientifically evaluate measures designed to promote professional competencies.
Documentation and data access
The Scientific Use File is supplemented by comprehensive data documentation. This includes, among other things, a data manual, methodological reports, a list of instruments used, a codebook, and a scale manual describing the measures of competence.
Use of the TAEPS research data requires a data use agreement.
More information on TAEPS
TAEPS data