Within the Civic Education Research Lab (CERL), we aim to shed light on civic education and political socialisation processes by conducting high-quality research using innovative methods for secondary data analyses. Specifically, we are interested in the prerequisites and characteristics of successful civic education and aim to elucidate how (a) formal and informal civic learning processes at schools and (b) beyond (e.g., youth organisations, family socialisation), as well as (c) individual pre-conditions and institutional contexts contribute to outcomes of civic education (e.g., civic knowledge, participation, attitudes). For this purpose, we will combine the already existing extensive expertise in civic education research within the University Alliance Ruhr by integrating experiences and knowledge from projects on civic education (ICCS, EPKO), longitudinal educational studies (National Educational Panel Study NEPS) and application of data science methods in the social sciences (FAIR).
With CERL, we want to explore innovative ways to contribute to civic education research, increase the visibility of the research at the two involved institutes, and foster collaboration between national and international researchers working on civic education and socialisation. This will include several events, like guest lectures by international experts, a workshop to discuss projects on civic education and to learn innovative methods for secondary data analysis, and a digital joint symposium. In addition, we will address important research questions using innovative methods, present them at a scientific conference and publish them in high-impact journals.
Interested scholars who would like to join events, keep up to date on planned activities or just connect with CERL can register for the newsletter: https://eveeno.com/244483400.
Dr Pascal Alscher
TU Dortmund University | Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology | Center for Research on Education and School Development (IFS)
E-mail: pascal.alscher@tu-dortmund.de
Pascal Alscher is currently a Postdoc at the Center for Research on Education and School Development (IFS) at TU Dortmund University. He obtained his PhD in psychology in 2024. Beforehand, he studied political science and public administration in Münster, Enschede, Seoul, and Leiden. In his dissertation, he examined civic literacy as a target competency for school-based civic education and developed a fully operationalised framework model that can be used to diagnose students’ civic literacy in large-scale assessments. He is involved in the assessment of civic literacy and conditioning factors in the largest German education study, the NEPS, for which his framework model is the template. Furthermore, he is interested in questions of political socialisation including what role schools and families play in the acquisition of political knowledge and civic dispositions.
Website
https://ifs.ep.tu-dortmund.de/institut/unser-team/pascal-alscher/
Dr Daniel Deimel
University of Duisburg-Essen | Faculty of Educational Sciences
E-mail: daniel.deimel@uni-due.de
Daniel Deimel earned his PhD in educational sciences in 2022, with a dissertation exploring the contextual factors that shape adolescents' intended political participation. Since 2014, he has been a member of the ‘Educational Research and Schooling’ working group at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Duisburg-Essen. During this time, he has contributed to the International Civic and Citizenship Education Studies (ICCS) in both 2016 and 2022.
With over a decade of experience in the field of civic education, beginning in 2011, his research interests focus primarily on political participation, with a particular emphasis on the inequalities that affect young people's engagement in the political process. He is also deeply interested in student participation within the school setting, examining how schools can foster more active involvement among students.
Website
Dr Elisabeth Graf
TU Dortmund University | Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology | Center for Research on Education and School Development (IFS)
E-mail: elisabeth2.graf@tu-dortmund.de
Elisabeth Graf is currently a Postdoc at TU Dortmund University, Center for Research on Education and School Development (IFS) and in the interdisciplinary research area FAIR. From 2020 to 2023, she worked as university assistant (pre-doc) at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, where she obtained her PhD in psychology at the Vienna Doctoral School CoBeNe. In her dissertation, she investigated the role of emotions in political learning, particularly in civic education among adolescents. Before, she studied psychology and political science and worked as a student assistant at the Department of Government, University of Vienna. Her research focuses on motivational and emotional processes in education, with particular interest in academic emotions and the context of political learning.
Website
https://ifs.ep.tu-dortmund.de/institut/unser-team/elisabeth-graf/