How and where do we learn best? Using what means and digital tools? What about access to educational opportunities? Educational research focuses on questions about the preconditions for ensuring that all people benefit from quality education. Each and everyone should have the opportunity to develop their personal, cultural and professional potential. Only in this way will social participation be possible, as well as economic growth, prosperity and freedom for the whole of society.

To ensure success, we need to shape our education system accordingly. Educational researchers therefore continuously analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the education system, identifying unused opportunities and highlighting challenges that need to be addressed. But most importantly, they provide the scientific evidence base that informs the actions of decision-makers in politics and education, enabling them to improve the education system.

Improving the education system

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funds educational research under the umbrella of the Framework Programme for Empirical Educational Research. Empirical research means that findings are gained on the basis of scientific data and facts. The aim of this research funding scheme is to further enhance the education system and secure Germany’s international competitiveness.

The framework programme is structured into four fields of action to reflect current challenges in education policy:

• Cooperation for high-quality education
• Key and future skills
• Living and learning in a digital world
• Diversity in education and social cohesion

Practical solutions for teaching and learning

The programme places a particular focus on the translation of research results into educational practice, policy decisions and training programmes for pedagogical staff. This research transfer is essential so that teachers and other members of staff at educational establishments can apply the knowledge gained in educational research in their day-to-day work. Therefore, many of the projects funded from the framework programme bring together researchers and practitioners to collaborate as equals. They collectively define research topics and issues, identify specific needs in daily educational practice and develop solutions to problems.

Moreover, they look at prerequisites, conditions and processes in education and examine the impact of existing educational programmes, i.e. whether and how they are used, what knowledge they convey and how successful they are. Educational researchers gain generalizable empirical data and make it available to policy‑makers, administrative staff and practitioners in the field of education as well as to the general public. In this way, they link basic research with application-oriented research that is aimed at developing practical solutions to problems.

Change management – how to make change work and achieve our goals

Since 2007, the framework programme has strengthened empirical educational research in Germany, addressed major challenges in the education system and produced scientific findings. A key goal of the funding projects is to generate knowledge and, increasingly, to process this knowledge in a way that facilitates change. The following questions take centre stage in this context:

• As a professional working at a school, in politics or the administration, how can I make targeted use of scientific findings?
• How can these findings improve my daily work as well as learning conditions and learners’ progress?
• Do I have to change existing processes to achieve my goals and if so, how do I do that?
• Who has to make what adaptations at which level(s) to achieve positive change in educational practice?
• And last but not least, what impact can individual measures make?

Educational research is central to answering all of these questions. It develops the evidence base for policy‑makers, practitioners and administrative staff to improve the education system based on scientific insights and data.

How much does the BMBF provide in funding to educational research?

The BMBF provides around 35 million euros in funding to educational research, primarily under the umbrella of the Framework Programme for Empirical Educational Research.

Why is such a strong funding focus placed on educational research?

Scientific facts form the only reliable and best possible knowledge base for shaping and adapting the education system we so urgently need. Take the following example from practice: should the development of children be promoted in separate groups, depending on their achievement, early on – or should children instead learn collectively as long as possible? School practitioners can only take an adequately informed decision on this question if they have the relevant scientific facts and figures at hand.

Who can apply for funding from the Framework Programme for Empirical Educational Research and how?

Researchers can apply for funding to carry out projects in the various focus areas of educational research, also in cooperation with practitioners. Details about research topics, prerequisites for funding and funding applications can be found in the ministry’s funding announcements as well as on our website on empirical educational research.

Where can I find the results of funded research projects?

The “Topic Finder” on the website of the framework programme provides a good overview.

How many and what projects are currently funded from the Framework Programme for Empirical Educational Research?

More than 100 research projects are currently being conducted, often consisting of several sub-projects (as of June 2024). The spectrum of topics covered by the projects ranges from equity in education to digitalization, and from inclusion, diversity and quality in education to language learning. A list of projects can be found here.

Science and higher education research – knowledge for the universities of tomorrow

A strong science system lays the foundations for a knowledge-based society. Higher education and research institutions develop solutions to the societal challenges of our time. They train the skilled professionals of tomorrow. They need optimum framework conditions to achieve the best possible results in doing so.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched a dedicated funding priority to support research on the science and higher education system. To enhance this system, researchers look at prerequisites, structures and performance assessment in research and higher education as well as at general conditions.

Vocational training research and the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training

The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) is a departmental research institution in the remit of the BMBF whose research activities form a central pillar of vocational training research in Germany. The ministry provides institutional funding to the BIBB to conduct its own research. In addition to generating basic research findings, the focus is on specific issues in vocational training practice and policy.

The BIBB undertakes long-term research, making a major contribution to quality assurance in the overall system of vocational education and training (VET). Furthermore, the BIBB conducts contract research projects that are funded separately by the BMBF or by other ministries or institutions. It also raises third-party funding to finance its research activities.

National Education Report

The biennial National Education Report provides information about the status quo of the German education system and the challenges that it currently faces. The report is part of Germany’s education monitoring scheme. As an independent expert report that is based on indicators, the National Education Report provides a concise analysis of key developments, results and services of the German education system. In addition to individual chapters providing general information on education and societal parameters in Germany, the report details facts and figures about the following areas of education:

• Early childhood education and care
• General education schools and non-formal learning for school-age children
• Vocational education and training
• Higher education
• Adult education and learning
• Cross-cutting analysis of educational pathways and trajectories

The report is drafted by a group of authors from the following institutions, with the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education bearing main responsibility: German Institute for Adult Education (DIE), German Youth Institute (DJI), German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW), Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi), Sociological Research Institute Göttingen (SOFI), the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) and the statistical offices of the Länder (StLÄ). The report is commissioned jointly by the Standing Conference of Länder Ministers of Education (KMK) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The National Education Report is a joint responsibility of the Federal Government and the Länder in accordance with Article 91b Paragraph 2 of the Basic Law. In spring 2004, the Länder and the Federal Government agreed to publish a national report on education every two years.

Editorial deadline for this text: 01.11.2024