The time has come again on September 29, 2026: The Leibniz Association invites you to an informational exchange with approximately 200 researchers from all disciplines within the Leibniz Association. At this year’s edition of “Book a Scientist,” the LIfBi will be participating with nine exciting topics from the field of educational research.
Anyone interested in science can now schedule appointments for the online discussions.
Siblings: How They Shape Our Lives
Anyone who has siblings knows this: There's hardly any relationship more contradictory and unique. Siblings play a significant role in our individual development. Researchers point out that we can learn a lot by watching our sisters and brothers and, for example, practice social skills for later in life. Join Elena Wittmann as she discusses the impact sibling relationships have on our self-image, our development, and our educational path.
Continuing Education During and After Retirement
In public perception, lifelong learning is often associated with career development. However, people continue to learn even beyond their working lives. Join Dr. Madlain Hoffmann to discuss how common lifelong learning is among retirees, who pursues it in later stages of life, and what researchers know about the motivations for continuing to learn and actively seek further education even in middle and old age.
Literacy skills among adolescents: Which specific components are important, and how do they develop?
Reading is one of the most important skills for academic success—but what actually defines good reading comprehension? In her research, Kerstin Schwenkschuster examines which skills adolescents need to understand texts well and how reading comprehension develops over the course of their school years. Her findings show that reading comprehension continues to develop until the end of schooling—and does not stagnate, as is often assumed.
What do early developmental milestones tell us about children’s opportunities and potential?
During the first years of life, child development is extremely dynamic: Some children get a head start, while others catch up later. Developmental milestones can provide insight into children’s abilities. However, interpreting them isn’t always easy, because some skills are difficult to observe in everyday life. In this conversation with Dr. Maximilian Seitz, you can learn how parents and other caregivers can shape children’s learning and developmental environments.
How can diversity be captured in standardized questionnaires?
Terms such as “gender” and “family” are more diverse today than ever before—yet standardized studies often cannot yet capture this diversity. Educational researchers are working to develop new concepts and survey instruments to enable them to better account for and study gender identity and the increasingly diverse realities of family life. Dr. Monja Schmitt explains which approaches are already being tested and where the practical challenges lie.
Educational Aspirations of Students with special educational needs in inclusive classrooms
The transition from school to the workforce is often difficult for students with special educational needs; school diplomas play a central role in this process. Research by Sebastian Bauer shows that their goals vary widely. Students with adapted learning goals, in particular, tend to have lower expectations regarding the diplomas they hope to earn; at the same time, the expectations teachers have of them—and the goals young people consequently view as achievable—may play a role.
Data Protection Requirements for Large-Scale Social Science Studies
Research on education and educational success focuses on individual people. To study changes over the course of a lifetime, the same individuals are surveyed repeatedly. This requires processing their contact information. To ensure that participants know what they’re getting into, we researchers explain to them how their data will be handled. At the same time, the data should be available for research as early as possible. Meike Bender looks forward to discussing this balancing act with you.
Health and Educational Inequality
It is widely known that social background and gender shape educational pathways—but health also plays an important role and influences academic performance and educational success. This has significant societal consequences: Given the rise in mental health issues among young people, health-related inequalities threaten to further widen educational differences. Dr. Jacqueline Kroh is investigating how health influences educational processes and looks forward to discussing this topic with you!
How Social and migration-related educational inequalities arise—and what role the education system plays in this
Why do families make different educational decisions? Join Dr. Melanie Olczyk as she discusses how social background, migration experiences, and the education system shape academic paths and how educational inequalities arise.
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