Educational Sciences

Institute of Sports Science and Kinesiology

The focus of research at the Institute is on empirical evaluation and intervention studies in school and non-school settings to strengthen motor and social resources and informal educational processes during childhood and adolescence.

Externally funded projects on subjects such as intercultural sport, girls in football, and social opportunities in sport (“Sport Interkulturell”, “Mädchen Mittendrin”, and “Soziale Chancen im Sport”) aim to strengthen the individual’s self-concept and self-efficacy through sport and at the same time foster social and intercultural learning processes. The EU-wide intervention study on “Healthy children in healthy communities” offers networked measures in families, school, sports clubs and communities simultaneously. “Komm­Sport” sets out to offer sports provision to all children according to their needs, over and above any individual diagnosis. An evaluation of “BeSS” – movement, games and sport – in all-day schools in NRW is being carried out to review motor and social learning processes.

Other project proposals, e. g. on “Inclusion in Sport”, are in process and will shape the Institute’s activities in the future. Transfer of its findings into society is supported by a range of further education offerings. It is in this context that the Essen Basic Modules on “Early childhood physical education” and “Games teaching for all-day schools” were developed.

The Institute continues to play a leading role in preparation of the Third German Report on Child and Youth Sport; academic conferences were held in 2013 and 2014 (Informal Education, Social Inequality) and attracted delegates from all 67 German sports science institutes. In the CHE Ranking, the Institute occupied one of the top two places in the “Publications” category for three years in succession.