
On these pages the research group »Research on Teachers and Teacher Education« informs about current and finished research projects.
Project
Leadership in German Schools (LineS2020)
The relevance of school leadership for school development and for the performance of students is recognized internationally. Although there are single empirical studies on school leadership in Germany, comprehensive findings on the careers of school leaders are still lacking. For example, questions about what makes the position of a principal attractive to teachers, why school principals take this position, and what reasons speak against remaining in that position have not been sufficiently researched in the German-speaking world. This is particularly relevant against the background of an increasing lack of qualified applications for the position and in view of the frequent changes of school leaders. The project therefore raises the question of what makes the position of a school principal (in)attractive and what career motives and job change intentions school principals have. It takes a variety of individual and structural factors into account, as well as the role of professional support (e.g. mentoring) and qualification (professionalisation). In addition, the study examines how these factors are related to the double demand on school administrators to manage schools in a stable and efficient way and to make schools adaptable and flexible through school development (perspective of ambidexterity). The study is based on a representative data set (n = 405) of school leaders at general schools in Germany, which was collected via the field service provider forsa GmbH in an online survey. The project uses a measurement repetition design to repeatedly survey the participating school leaders at intervals of several years. It is a cooperative project between Prof. Dr. Colin Cramer and Dr. Jana Groß Ophoff (Tübingen), PD Dr. Marcus Pietsch (Lüneburg) and Prof. Dr. Pierre Tulowitzki (Windisch, Switzerland).
Publications
Cramer, C., Groß Ophoff, J., Pietsch, M., & Tulowitzki, P. (2021). Schulleitung in Deutschland. Repräsentative Befunde zur Attraktivität, zu Karrieremotiven und zu Arbeitsplatzwechselabsichten. Die Deutsche Schule, 113(2), 132–148. https://doi.org/10.31244/dds.2021.02.02
Pietsch, M., Tulowitzki, P., & Cramer, C. (2020). Principals between exploitation and exploration: Results of a nationwide study on ambidexterity of school leaders. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220945705
Presentations
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