Welcome at the Associate Professorship of Formal and Informal Learning!

The research team of the subject area of Formal and Informal Learning examines conditions, processes, and results of teaching and learning processes within and outside the school context. The workgroup is primarily occupied with four main topics.

Analysing motivational processes in classes

The first core area focuses on the analysis of motivational processes that lead to the development and facilitation of self-determined and interest-based learning motivation. Both the influence of general factors of the lesson instruction and specific instructional methods (e.g. simulation gaming) on the learning motivation of students, their interest in science and technology and their competencies are examined.

Designing media-supported learning environments

Another research area deals with innovative learning szenarios that include digital media. We focus on analysing motivational and (meta-)cognitive effects of different instructional designs.

Using extracurricular learning environments

Further, we study the motivational and cognitive support that extracurricular learning environments such as museums or science centers can offer to science classes.

Teaching and learning processes in informal learning settings

Analyzing how adults intereact with exhibition contents in informal learning settings such as museums and science center is the fourth core area of our research team. Here too, motivational and cognitive processes are investigated. An additional research focus lies on the evaluation of such learning environments.