The research group was established in 2024 and quickly developed into research programme.

The aim of the research programme is to develop and refine new knowledge about subjects, schools, and professions, as well as the interplay between them. This is achieved through ongoing empirical and theory-developing research projects, publications, and the development of project applications to public and private foundations.

The programme brings together researchers at all levels – professors, associate professors, postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and research assistants – affiliated with the Department of Design, Media and Educational Sciences.

In addition, the programme includes external members from, among others, university colleges, as well as visiting researchers from Denmark and abroad. Most recently, we have welcomed Professor Kevin Leander, a leading international researcher in the field of literacy.

The research programme is based on established research disciplines and projects within the following areas:

• Subjects. Understood as the didactics of individual subjects; the interplay between subjects and subject-specific knowledge (e.g. sustainability, oral and written communication); and fundamental questions about what subjects are, do, and can be. This includes how subjects contribute to learning and educational processes, and how they change in response to scientific, societal, and global developments.
• School. Understood through historical and contemporary perspectives on schools and school forms. This includes questions about what constitutes a school, what characterises the Nordic school, and diverse school and school research traditions globally – and what can be learned from them.
• Profession. Understood through professional studies focusing on, among other things, professional identity and ethics; teacher education and educational didactics; working life and multi-professional practices in schools; current reforms and initiatives (e.g. placements in teacher education); and challenges related to attracting and retaining professionals, particularly within primary and lower secondary education.

The research programme collaborates with a wide range of institutions and stakeholders.

We are also closely involved with two research centres: Centre for Basic Education Research and the Centre for Understanding Human Relations with the Environment (CUHRE), which is part of the SDU Climate Cluster.

We continuously enter into new research and development collaborations and are pleased to make our expertise available in academic as well as broader societal contexts.