Faculty of Educational Sciences

Institute for Psychology

The main highlight of the Institute of Psychology is the accreditation of a new BSc/MSc programme of study in “Psychology” and the enrolment of 39 students for the Winter Semester of 2016/2017. One of the long-term effects of this new program will be a further differentiation of the research profile of the Institute’s research groups in future.

The research group led by Professor Detlev Leutner concentrates on instructional psychology. Its main focuses are in the areas of learning with multimedia, self-directed learning at school and university, problem solving and teacher competences. The group is involved in the “Quality Campaign for Teacher Training” via a number of sub-projects and also participates in “NRW Talent Activities”. Highlights during the period included the commencement of work within the DFG Research Unit on successful study in MINT subjects (FOR 2242) and the conclusion of activities in the DFG Priority Programme on competence models (SPP 1293), both jointly coordinated by Detlev Leutner.

Professor Marcus Roth’s research group is focusing on personality psychology and diagnostic research work (on subjects such as “self-esteem”, “empathy” and “emotional intelligence”). One highlight was the launch of a cooperative project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research entitled “Development and Establishment of an Empathy-based Concept to Relieve Pressure in Care Work” (empCare). This is being co-directed by Marcus Roth and Dr. Tobias Altmann and is conducted with cooperation partners at the University Hospitals of Bonn and Cologne. The main emphasis of this University of Duisburg-Essen sub-project is the evaluation of the relief concept.

The research group of Professor Steins successfully completed two research projects. One of these investigated methods for the imparting of competences in classroom management, whilst the other looked at obstructive and supporting factors with regard to the acceptance of the NRW Quality Agency as an instrument for school development. The pupil assistance programme had already been running for some considerable time and was further developed with additional cooperation partners and an expanded target audience.

Professor von Stockhausen’s research group was chiefly concerned with investigations into the cognitive effects of awareness training in the educational contexts of “school” and “university”. Together with the research group of Junior Professor Bellingrath, which focuses on the effects of awareness training on stress regulation, cooperation agreements are in place with the “Awareness” research group at the Chair of Complementary and Integrative Medicine at the University Hospital Essen. Dr. Lena Wimmer has secured a research scholarship from the DFG and embarked upon a 15-month research visit at the University of Wales in Bangor in October 2016.

The research group of Professor Fritz-Stratmann is looking at the development of test procedures for the identification of mathematical competences and at the implementation of support measures in school teaching. Within the scope of the “Quality Campaign for Teacher Training”, a sub-project for the establishment of an educational-psychological research clinic was launched. Annemarie-Fritz Stratmann was awarded a five-year Distinguished Visiting Professorship at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa as part of its “Childhood Education Flagship” programme.