Research focus: Vocational Education and Training & Learning Organisations
The research focuses on learning and development processes on several levels: on the individual level (e.g., competences, motivation, reflection, learning activities and innovative work behaviour), the team level (e.g., team learning, shared knowledge and mental models, communication, emotions, diversity and leadership) and the organisational and system level (e.g. structures conducive to learning, innovation and diffusion in organisations and in vocational education and training, analyses and international comparisons of education and training systems).
Typical triggers and conditions of learning, such as feedback, the productive handling of mistakes as well as characteristics of work tasks and characteristics (e.g. autonomy and complexity), also in technology-orientated working environments, are investigated.
The empirical projects are located in different domains, including nursing and geriatric care, consulting, IT, finance and insurance, industry and education (e.g. professional development of teachers). There is also a particular focus on metawork and the effects of new technologies on work, learning and development.
A further focus is the development and evaluation of instructional and training models in vocational education and the further development of research methods and measurement instruments, including longitudinal research designs for measuring learning and development (e.g. structural equation modelling, critical incident technique, vignette technique). Research and teaching are closely linked and are incorporated into courses at Bachelor's and Master's level as well as in project-orientated formats.
