Research Environment
Subject-specific didactics
High academic and didactic quality in school teaching promotes student learning, which is why we create new knowledge and approaches that contribute to this.
In the Subject-specific didactics research programme, we study how teaching and learning across all school subjects can be developed. Our work produces research that is relevant to and benefits schools in the Region of Eastern Denmark as well as other stakeholders interested in children’s and young people’s development and learning. We focus on generating knowledge and solutions that can be applied in practice. Our research therefore begins with the challenges faced in practice – both large and small.
Focus Areas
We conduct research across most school subjects and take part in a wide range of projects – see more below. We place a strong emphasis on ensuring wide range and diversity in our work across the different subjects. Our grant providers and partners therefore include private foundations, ministries, universities, other university colleges, primary schools, upper secondary institutions, and municipalities.
We are always happy to hear from you if you are interested in working with us – Please contact Charlotte Krog Skott or Bettina Buch.
Across school subjects, we are specialised in evaluating projects in both primary and upper secondary education. We have extensive expertise in evaluating teaching. If you are interested in having us evaluate your project, please feel free to get in touch.
You can contact one of our evaluation experts: Sofia Esmann Busch, Karna Kjeldsen or Anders Vestergaard Thomsen.
Research Focus Areas
We have a large group of researchers working on reading and writing (often referred to as literacy) both within subjects and as a practice in its own right. We focus on pupils’ typical reading development as well as on various reading challenges, including dyslexia. This also includes difficulties related to the teaching of pupils whose first language is not Danish. Our interest in literacy and literacy development spans primary, upper secondary, and vocational education. We involve practitioners in the development and testing of solutions and draw on both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Within the programme, we also investigate issues related to mathematics teaching in primary schools. We are particularly interested in collaborative approaches that support teachers in jointly developing their teaching practices, such as the Japanese lesson study approach. We have extensive experience in setting up and facilitating this form of collaboration in schools. We also focus on supporting pupils’ algebraic thinking from the early school years and, more generally, on strengthening their learning of numbers, arithmetic and algebra throughout schooling. In addition, we work on a range of other topics such as practice-based approaches in mathematics and the use of digital technologies in mathematics teaching.
We also conduct research in science education and are particularly interested in the concept of scientific competence and its evaluation, Climate Change Education, and the role of aesthetics in science. We are partners in the national NAFA project, where we contribute to three areas: the School initiative, the Teacher Education initiative, and the Research initiative at CESE.
Another research and development area in the programme concerns the school’s cultural subjects, with a particular focus on religion in education and religion in schools in Denmark and Europe, and on citizenship education in teacher training.
Our Research Projects
Our research projects span a wide range of topics related to subject didactics.
Collaboration
In the research environment ‘Subject-specific didactics', we seek to work with a range of external partners to research and develop subject didactic knowledge across all subjects.
We are always open to collaborating with interested schools and are keen to learn about development initiatives already under way in the region. Our aim is to help ensure that schools in the region see us as a relevant and inspiring partner for development.
