Research about involves examining and understanding the school setting in all its complexity. We are fundamentally open to all types of research designs depending on the question that needs to be investigated.
Research with is about collaborating with all relevant stakeholders. In the immediate school context, this includes students, teachers, educators, school leaders, and parents. At a slight distance, it also involves school administrators, interest organizations, politicians, and others.
Research for is about researching for practice. All school research is value-based and includes a potentially action-oriented aspect. School reforms set the agenda for the school research we engage in, but we also set our own research agenda inspired by knowledge and our assessment of societal challenges that call for research.
We are attentive to connections within and outside the primary school
In our research, we have a practice-oriented focus on didactics and school development, and we strive to promote a good childhood and youth life from a sustainability perspective.
In our research, we are concerned with connections between the formal primary and secondary school system – in all its complexity – and other systems. This includes connections between research, teacher education, and teaching practices in schools. It applies to connections to other educational levels, both transitions from daycare to primary school and from primary school to secondary education. And it applies to the connection to life outside of school and what can be called the relationship between informal learning and formal learning.
Methodologically, the center spans a wide range. We have no preference for a particular research approach, but aim to conduct qualitative, quantitative, and theory-developing research that can be both exploratory and interventionist.
One of the purposes of bringing together research environments from different parts of SDU (University of Southern Denmark) and university colleges is to gather, share, and further develop our methodological competencies – ultimately for the benefit of practice.