Social Pedagogy specialized in Research on Vocational Education and Didactics

The field of work of social pedagogy with the focus on vocational education and didactics is dedicated to qualification issues for social pedagogical professions on the one hand and education and training research in general.

The orientation is along the subject area of qualifications of social professions as well as social pedagogical vocational training and didactics research. This is because the question of how social pedagogical action can be learned is accompanied by attention to the design of social pedagogical vocational training courses. With regard to qualification, several questions arise, ranging from knowledge, conceptual and methodological approaches, fields of action and groups of addressees, organizational frameworks and socio-political issues to reflection and interaction skills. What is needed is an expansion and systematization of social pedagogical vocational training and didactics research, since it is capable of making a significant contribution to professionalization in the area of teaching and learning in social pedagogical vocational training courses. In terms of research methodology, the work is oriented along the lines of qualitative-reconstructive education and training research as well as development-oriented or design-based research. Both higher education and vocational training qualifications are included.

Focal points are among others:
- professionalization
- Research-based learning
- Diversity and inclusion
- Sustainability
- Digitizing teaching-learning formats

Networking

Conference Series: Dialogue between Academic Teacher Education and Vocational Education
(ongoing since 2022)

Leuphana University of Lüneburg, the Institute for Early Childhood Education and Development of Lower Saxony (nifbe e.V.), the Center for Early Childhood Development and Education Research (CEDER), and the Department of Didactics in Social Pedagogy at Osnabrück University (Prof. Dr. Melanie Kubandt)
2025: Theory and Practice in Social Pedagogy Vocational Education Programs, May 6, 2025, Leuphana University of Lüneburg
2024: Cross-cutting Tasks in Social Pedagogy Vocational Training Programs, May 6, 2023, Osnabrück University
2023: Counseling in the Context of Social Pedagogy Vocational Training Programs, April 27, 2023, Leuphana University of Lüneburg
2022: Challenges in the Diversity of Social Pedagogy Vocational Training Programs, April 29, 2022, Osnabrück University

Organization and Moderation of the Digital Lecture Series “Pathways to Didactics in Social Pedagogy” in collaboration with Nina Göddertz (Paderborn University):
Winter Semester 2024/2025: Practice-based Research
Summer Semester 2024: Perspectives on Vocational and Higher Education Didactics in Social Pedagogy: Differences, Similarities, Focus Areas
Winter Semester 2023/24: Theory and Practice (Focus: Paderborn)
Summer Semester 2023: Pathways to Didactics in Social Pedagogy
Winter Semester 2022/2023: Pathways to Didactics in Social Pedagogy

Network of universities for teacher training in social pedagogy (->link to poster)

Collaboration between the Department of Social Pedagogy with focus on Vocational Education Research and Didactics and the Teacher Training Seminars of Lower Saxony in the Field of Social Pedagogy (ongoing since 2021)
This event fosters cooperation between the first and second phases of teacher training in Social Pedagogy in Lower Saxony. Alongside discipline-specific exchange and networking, the event focuses on perspectives related to research, cooperation, and internationalization.


Research Workshop “Social Work Education” for Early-Career Researchers in the Vocational Social Pedagogy Network, in collaboration with Prof. Nina Göddertz (Paderborn University)
Summer Semester 2023 | Winter Semester 2023/24
Summer Semester 2024 | Winter Semester 2024/25

Research Projects

Studie „Gewinnung von Lehrkräften für die berufliche Ausbildung sozialpädagogischer Fachkräfte in der Kinder- und Jugendhilfe“
(Jan 17, 2023  Dec 31, 2023)
Project Lead: Dr. Nikola Ornig, Kienbaum Consultants International GmbH, advised by Prof. Dr. Anke Karber and Dr. Manuela Liebig (TU-Dresden)

Aneignungsprozesse der Relation von Theorie und Praxis zukünftiger pädagogischer Fachkräfte
(2019 - 2023)
Project Lead: Prof. Dr. Anke Karber

Digital Transformation Lab for Teaching and Learning (DigiTaL) - Teilprojekt 3
Project Lead: Prof. Dr. Anke Karber

Kohärenz erleben - Reflexion von Unterricht: Aufgabenorientiert und videobasiert 
(2021 - 2022)
Project Lead: Prof. Dr. Anke Karber, Prof. Dr. Kathrin Padberg-Gehle, Prof. Dr. Torben Schmidt, Prof. Dr. Jessica Süßenbach, Dr. Timo Beckmann

TraNaxis 
(Nov 1, 2020 - Oct 31, 2022)
Project Lead: Prof. Dr. Anke Karber

Team

Head

  • Prof. Dr. Anke Karber

Research Assistants

  • Anna Bobe
  • Moritz Paesche

Secretariat

  • Sonja Rosenthal
  • Nina Pries
  • Kirsten Meißner