Goals and tasks

How can children be optimally supported in their development? What risks are there for educational success, for example for children with learning difficulties, ADHD or a migration background? How do educators and teachers deal with the growing heterogeneity in daycare centers and schools? What learning measures are promising to support children according to their individual needs?

The IDeA Center focuses on the empirical study of children of toddler, kindergarten and primary school age who, due to various factors – (neuro)cognitive or socio-emotional – have an increased risk of impaired development of school skills. IDeA examines the developmental trajectories of these children and approaches the research question of which pre-school and school learning arrangements can best support them in their development.

IDeA research combines broad-based longitudinal studies with focused experimental designs to investigate pedagogical measures in institutional settings and informal learning environments. Qualitative approaches are also used to research children, teachers and educators at the IDeA Center. The spectrum of methods ranges from surveys and performance tests to behavioral observations and the use of state-of-the-art neuropsychological methods.