Development of a computer-based adaptive training programme for the part-whole concept

Based on the development of a computer-based training programme for pupils at the end of primary school or at the beginning of lower secondary school, which is dedicated to the part-part-whole concept as a part of the basic arithmetic competencies of primary school mathematics, is empirically evaluated and can be implemented in regular mathematics lessons, this programme prototype is to be revised. The aim is to implement further requirements for the support programme. The support programme is to be used during individual (approx. 30-minute) work phases. The pupils receive support during regular math-lessons. In addition, the internet-based implementation on tablets can also create a spatial separation and thus avoid possible stigmatisation.

•  Target group: Pupils from grade 4 onwards
•  Project applicant: Antje Ehlert
•  Funding: Müller-Reitz Foundation (2022 - 2023)

Evaluation of special schools with the special educational needs on mental development in the state of Brandenburg

The aim of the project is to evaluate schools with a special educational need on "mental development". Data-based findings are to be obtained as a basis for deriving possibilities for optimising the education of pupils with the special educational needs "mental development" in the state of Brandenburg at special schools as well as in joint teaching (GU). There are three central sub-objectives for this:

(1) To capture the organisation of the special schools with the special educational need "mental development" as well as the schools with pupils with the special educational need "mental development" in the common lessons with regard to the organisation of lessons and all-day lessons, the staff planning as well as the heterogeneity of the pupils.
(2) Furthermore, the composition of the student body at schools with the special educational need "mental development" as well as at schools with students with the special educational need "mental development" in the common education is to be captured.
(3) ultimately, to identify challenges and derive possibilities for optimising the organisation of special schools with the special educational need "mental development" as well as schools with pupils with the special educational need "mental development" in joint teaching.

•  Target group: Headmasters and pedagogical staff at special schools with the special educational focus "mental development" at schools with pupils with the special educational needs "mental development" in joint teaching.
• Project applicants: Oliver Wendt, Antje Ehlert & Katrin Böhme
• Funding: MBJS Land Brandenburg and Landesinstitut für Schule und Medien Berlin-Brandenburg (LISUM) (2022 - 2023)

Professional development in inclusive schools under conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic

Based on theoretical concepts and research findings on leadership styles of school headmasters and professional competence facets of teachers, the present study aims to investigate to what extent profession-related experiences, attitudes and stresses of school headmasters and pedagogical staff have changed against the background of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is assumed that an increased cooperation orientation of school headmasters in particular leads to increased cooperative activities on the part of the teaching staff and thus causes fewer negative changes in the profession-related experiences of the teaching staff (e.g. stress) and learning-relevant characteristics of pupils (e.g. motivation).

Questionnaires will collect information on professional activities as well as the teaching and learning processes in distance learning settings from a retrospective and current perspective. Through the detailed assessment of cooperative activities and their effects on different groups of actors within the school, the study demonstrates under which conditions inclusive teaching and learning in distance learning settings can succeed. The knowledge gained will be applied in the area of teacher training and in-service training.

• Target group: Pupils of different grades, teachers
• Project Applicant: Nadine Spörer (in cooperation: Antje Ehlert, Michel Knigge, Jenny Lenkeit)
• Funding: DFG funded (2021-2022))

Measurement and supporting of mathematical diagnostic competence

Based on the first funding phase, both the test procedures and the support will be further developed and evaluated so that students of the teaching profession and teachers working in schools will have the opportunity to (further) develop their diagnostic competence in mathematics teaching by means of microtraining.

• Target group: Teacher training students and teachers in school contexts.
• Applicant for sub-project: Antje Ehlert
• Funding: funded by BMBF within the framework of the Quality Offensive Teacher Training (Jan. 2019 - Dec. 2023)

Scientific Evaluation "Common Learning and School Centres in the Federal State of Brandenburg

In the school years 2018/2019 and 2019/20, the evaluation of common learning schools and school centres in the federal state of Brandenburg will examine how common teaching in primary and secondary education affects the competence development of pupils and how this is related to teachers' professional characteristics, teaching characteristics and contextual characteristics. For this purpose, three different, interacting levels are taken into account: (1) the level of the pupils (analysis of individual developmental trajectories), (2) the class level (analysis of the contextual conditions of teaching, including the professional characteristics of the teachers) and (3) the school level (analysis of characteristics of the teaching staff and school organisational characteristics). The final report on the project is publicly available on the website of the Brandenburg Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.

•  Target group: Pupils of different grades, their parents, teachers
•   Project Applicants: Nadine Spörer, Michel Knigge, Antje Ehlert
•  Funding: MBJS Land Brandenburg (June 2018 - May 2021)

Lost in Math (LoMa) - Development of a diagnostic test to assess basic arithmetic competencies at the end of primary school (grade 4)

This test can be used to assess pupils from the end of grade 4 with regard to basic arithmetic competencies in primary school, which, according to scientific findings, are an absolute prerequisite for the acquisition of the mathematics of secondary school (from grade 5). It is a critical test with a representative sample (age group: 4th to 7th grade) which, after evaluation, creates a performance profile and reveals relevant support needs which, if they exist, should be addressed promptly. The test will consist of a screening and an in-depth test. Both the screening and the in-depth test are necessary to determine the achievement profile.

•    Target group: Pupils from grade 4 onwards
•     Project management: Antje Ehlert together with Annemarie Fritz-Stratmann, Moritz Herzog

Supporting mathematical diagnostic competence among teachers

By means of microtraining and target group-oriented content, an approach is to be developed to promote diagnostic competence in mathematics teaching among working teachers.

• Target group: Teachers in the school context
• Applicant: Antje Ehlert
• Funding: funded by BMBF as part of the Quality Offensive Teacher Training (Aug. 2017 - Dec. 2018)

Mathematical diagnostic competence among teachers

Development of a test and microtraining to promote diagnostic competence in students of learning and teachers.

• Target group: Students and teachers
• Applicant: Antje Ehlert
• Funding: funded by BMBF within the framework of the Quality Offensive Teacher Training (Sept. 2015 - Dec. 2018)

Early Mathematical Literacy Acquisition and Fast Mapping

Longitudinal study of the acquisition of early mathematical competencies as a function of linguistic abilities (fast mapping, eye tracking study) in children aged 2;06 to 3;0

• Target group: Day-care children aged 2;06 to 3;0 years
• Applicants: Flavia Adani (University of Potsdam), Antje Ehlert (University of Potsdam)
• Funding: research support funds from Cognitive Sciences (University of Potsdam, 2017-2018).

MARKO-D0 (South Africa): Standardisation of the mathematical competency level test for preschool for South Africa

This mathematical test procedure is based on the developmental model of mathematical competencies according to Fritz and Ricken. MARKO-DO is currently being standardised in four national languages (isiZulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, English) together with partners from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.

• Target group: Grade R and Grade 1
• Project partners: Annemarie Fritz Stratmann (University of Duisburg-Essen), Antje Ehlert (University of Potsdam), Elizabeth Henning and others (University of Johannesburg - South Africa), Lars Balzer (Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training - Switzerland)F
• unding: South Africa

Basic test: Development and standardisation of a screening and test procedure for the assessment of basic mathematical skills in primary schools

This test procedure can be used to record the basic skills of primary school pupils at the end of grade 4 and in grade 5.

• Project partners: Antje Ehlert (University of Potsdam), Annemarie Fritz-Stratmann (University of Duisburg-Essen), Detlev Leutner (University of Duisburg-Essen)

Screening: Development and standardisation of a screening to record mathematical development in the last year of kindergarten

This mathematical screening is based on the developmental model of mathematical competencies according to Fritz and Ricken.

• Target group: Children in the last year of kindergarten until they start school.
• Project partners: Antje Ehlert (University of Potsdam), Annemarie Fritz-Stratmann (University of Duisburg-Essen), Gabi Ricken (University of Hamburg)

ELA - Development of Easy Tasks

The research project "ELA - Development of Easy Tasks" is dedicated to the construction and empirical testing of easy, diagnostically meaningful test tasks in the subjects German and mathematics for primary school children with special educational needs. Our aim is to better take into account the special needs of these children in the development of appropriate tasks and to adapt the graphic and linguistic design of the tasks accordingly. At the same time, we aim at the equivalent measurement of central constructs (e.g. reading competence) in large school performance studies in order to be able to make reliable statements about the quality of our educational system for these pupils as well.

• Target group: Children with learning difficulties in mathematics lessons at primary school (grade 3 / 4)
• Katrin Böhme (IQB), Dirk Richter, Michael Grosche (University of Wuppertal), Antje Ehlert (University of Potsdam), Jürgen Wilbert (University of Potsdam)
• Funding: Funding by the states of Berlin, Bremen and North Rhine-Westphalia

MARKO-D1: Standardisation of the Mathematical Competence Level Test for Grade 1

This mathematical test procedure is based on the developmental model of mathematical competencies according to Fritz and Ricken.

• Target group: Pupils in the middle and end of grade 1 or at the beginning of grade 2.
• Applicants: Annemarie Fritz-Stratmann (University of Duisburg-Essen), Antje Ehlert (University of Potsdam), Gabi Ricken (University of Hamburg), Lars Balzer (Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training - Switzerland)
• Funding: Hogrefe Verlag

Early mathematics acquisition

Longitudinal study of the acquisition of early mathematical competencies in relation to linguistic abilities in children aged 3;0 to 3;6

• Target group: Day-care children aged 3;0 to 3;6 years
• Applicants: Antje Ehlert (University of Potsdam), Annemarie Fritz-Stratmann (University of Duisburg-Essen)
• Funding: Structural funds (University of Potsdam)

Accompanying research of the project: Fit for school through the Kitas

The aim was to prepare pre-school children for school. In this sub-project, the children received mathematical support with the support box 'Mina und der Maulwurf' (Fritz & Gerlach) for 6 months directly before the start of school in Kitas small groups. The project was scientifically accompanied by Antje Ehlert and Annemarie Fritz-Stratmann.

• Target group: pre-school children
• Applicant: Winfried Bega (Wasserturmschule in Essen-NRW), Education Office
• Own position: Project evaluation, data analysis
• Funding: Brost Foundation

Development of mathematical competence acquisition and investigation of influencing factors

The aim is to record the acquisition of conceptual mathematical knowledge of children with different mathematical competencies (delayed - age-related - accelerated) over a period of 2 years. By means of different diagnostic procedures, the development of conceptual mathematical knowledge and the influence of relevant cognitive functions on the acquisition of mathematical competence will be investigated, with a particular focus on working memory.

• Head: Annemarie Fritz-Stratmann, co-applicants: Detlev Leutner, Antje Ehlert
• Duration: 2010 - 2013
• Funding: Federal Ministry of Science and Research (BMBF)

"Come along! - Promoting instead of staying in school"

As part of the initiative of the Ministry of Education and the North Rhine-Westphalian teachers' associations "Komm mit! - Fördern statt Sitzenbleiben", further training courses for teachers are to be designed with a focus on the development and promotion of basic mathematical competencies of secondary school pupils.

• Applicant: Annemarie Fritz-Stratmann
• Duration: 2010-2012
• Own position: Project collaborator
• Funding: Ministry for School and Further Education

MaKoK - Mathematical competence development in children with learning disabilities

The study focuses on the mathematical competence development of pupils with a learning disability. Within the framework of this study, the question is to be answered as to whether there are only quantitative or also qualitative differences between the developmental trajectories of mentally retarded and non-disabled children with regard to the acquisition of mathematical competence.

• Applicant: Antje Ehlert
• Duration: 2010 - 2011
• Funding: Programme for the Promotion of Young Academics (University of Duisburg-Essen)

SERELISK - Self-reflexive learning in a school context. An intervention study at Realschulen in Baden-Württemberg

The quasi-experimental intervention study "Self-Reflective Learning in the School Context", designed longitudinally over one school year, aims to strengthen the promotion of self-regulated learning in the classroom by initiating lesson-centred cooperation between mathematics teachers and subsequently to develop the self-regulation of the pupils. In this context, written surveys of pupils and teachers as well as impulse events for mathematics teachers will be carried out.

• Applicants: Katharina Maag-Merki, Hans-Georg Kotthoff, Alfred Holzbrecher
• Duration: 03/2007 to 02/2009
• Own position: Project coordination
• Funding: within the framework of the Educational Research Programme by the Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg (State Foundation of Baden-Württemberg)

Development of a working memory test and an examination procedure for mathematical competencies to test the influence of working memory according to Baddeley on mathematical skills of preschool children - Dissertation

Within the framework of a study of preschool children aged 4 to 6 years, a working memory test based on the model of Baddeley and Hitch (1974) was designed and an existing arithmetic test was further developed. The aim of the individual studies is to examine the influence of working memory, differentiated according to the individual components: phonological loop, visuo-spatial notepad and central executive, on the pre-school acquisition of mathematical competences.

• Applicant: Antje Ehlert
• Duration: 03/2002 to 02/2006
• Funding: NaFöG - Promotion of Young Researchers Act (Nachwuchsförderungsgesetz), scholarship from the Konsul Karl und Gabriele Sandmann Stiftung (KKGS Foundation)