I am a psychologist and a full professor for Inclusive Education School and Teaching Development at the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Potsdam. Also, I was trained by Dr. Gunther Schmidt at MEIHEI and work as a hypno-systemic counselor. I extend this knowledge with regard to systemic psychotherapy at the ISFT under supervision of Dr. Carmen Beilfuß . Also I am part of the extended board of the association of special education VDS) Brandenburg as advisor for training, further and continuing education and Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal Empirische Inklusionsforschung für die Praxis (EIP).

Previously, I was a full professor for Rehabilitation Psychology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin from 2020 to 2023. As a full professor for Inclusion and Organisational Development in Potsdam from 2015 to 2020, I was the spokesperson for the Department of Educational Science and the Structural Unit of Educational Sciences. Before I had four years as a visiting professor for Educational Psychology at MLU Halle-Wittenberg and the University of Hamburg. From 2007 to 2011, I took over the management of the then newly founded Research Data Centre at the Institute for Quality Development in Education.

In my research and practice, the evidence based focus is on psychological and social processes with the question of which internal and external conditions can promote dignity and self-determination together with other individual and institutional desired developments and how these can be fostered. This work follows the hope of also making helpful contributions to the development of inclusive schools, their environments and an inclusive education system and society as a whole. Accordingly, I am grateful that my dissertation about collective identities of school tracks was honoured by Deutscher Studienpreis as one of the eleven most societal relevant dissertations out of 444 interdisciplinary applications Germany wide in 2008.

Interfaces of institutional practices and the optimisation (or establishment) of multi-professional and multi-institutional cooperation for the self-determined and dignified promotion of children, adolescents and young adults are central topics for me. While school and education are usually the focus, I am interested in all institutions and actors that are dedicated to supporting this age group. Especially offers for those who currently do not attend formal school or are not in formal education are of great importance to me.

Mental health, social integration, motivation, a positive identity and well-being are at least as important outcomes of educational processes as cognitive learning. Social psychology and systemic approaches are central guiding principles for my way of working and thinking.

Beside others, my work strongly emphazises these fields:

• Inclusive school, teaching and organizational development
• Teacher professionalization in dealing with heterogeneity
• Social processes within and between individuals and groups
• Diagnostics, prevention and intervention for learning, performance and development disorders

www.researchgate.net/profile/Michel_Knigge

www.linkedin.com/in/michel-knigge-97552b187/

orcid.org/0000-0002-0192-8340

Magazines

Editorial Board Member

• Empirische Inklusionsforschung für die Praxis (EIP) (Editor-in-Chief)
• Technology, Knowledge and Learning (TKNL)

Ad Hoc Reviewer

• Diagnostica (Dia)
• Didaktik Deutsch
• Die Deutsche Schule (DDS)
• Empirische Sonderpädagogik (ESP)
• Frontiers in Education
• Frontiers in Psychology
• Herausforderung Lehrer_innenbildung - Zeitschrift zur Konzeption, Gestaltung und Diskussion (HLZ)
• International Journal of Psychology (IJP)
• Journal für Psychologie
• Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology (JCEP)
• Journal of Contemporary Educational Psychology (CEP)
• Journal of Educational Research Online (JERO)
• Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs (JORSEN)
• Learning and Instruction (JLI)
• Methoden – Daten – Analysen (MDA)
• Psychologie in Erziehung und Unterricht (PEU)
• Qeios
• Unterrichtswissenschaft - Zeitschrift für Lernforschung (UWIS)
• Zeitschrift für Bildungsforschung (ZBF)
• Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie (ZEPP)
• Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft (ZFER)
• Zeitschrift für Pädagogik (ZfPäd)
• Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Psychologie (ZfPP)
• Zeitschrift für Soziologie (ZfS)

Former Editorial Board Member

• Gruppendynamik und Organisationsberatung (GDO)

Selected other expert activities

• Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung 
• Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendstiftung (DKJS)
• European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI)
• EARLI Junior Researchers Conference (JURE)
• European Association of Methodology (EAM)
• Fachgruppe Pädagogische Psychologie (PAEPS) in der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs)
• Gesellschaft für Empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF)
• Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
• International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (ICCP)
• Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW)
• Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (SNF)
• Society for Multivariate Analysis in the Behavioural Sciences (SMABS)
• South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF)
• Zur Prüfung von Anträgen auf Ländervergleiche mit Daten am Forschungsdatenzentrum am IQB von der Kultusministerkonferenz bestellt