ASDEX

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and EXperiments in science - improving social inclusion and learning for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder through experimenting in natural science lessons

Project description: The project is a cooperation between the Research Center for Inclusive Education (RCIE) and the Center for Didactics in Biology and Environmental Studies (FDZBUK) and is funded as part of the 1000 Ideas Program of the Austrian Science Fund FWF. The aim is to investigate whether experimentation in biology lessons is suitable for positively influencing the learning success and social inclusion of pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). If the partly new, empirically based research approach is successful, the developed lessons will be made publicly available to support teachers. An extension of the project to other science subjects and the corresponding subject didactics centers is being considered.

Governance Inclusive Education - GovInEd

Project description: Inclusive education reforms and change processes are complex phenomena on various systemic and policy levels. The goals of the project are to explore how and why coordination or implementation does or does not work in all levels of the governance system (multi-level-analyses of governance) and to gain knowledge and expertise that can be shared through professionalization of stakeholders on governance of inclusive education. The project focus is on network analyses and involvement of all relevant actors and stakeholders in the context of inclusive education transformation processes and ongoing reform efforts in the participating countries Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain. The project results are focused on gaining fundamental insights for a successful governance for inclusive education through the country comparison and developing an international curriculum that is available as OER to all interested parties as an information and qualification tool.

Lubo LRS - Social-emotional learning for children with reading and spelling difficulties

Project description: The Lubo-LRS project will run from July 2021 to June 2024, funded by the Boll Foundation. The aim of the project is to develop and evaluate behavioral training for the specific target group of children with reading and spelling difficulties (LRS) on the basis of an evidence-based measure of social-emotional learning ("Lubo from space", Hillenbrand et al., 2018). In a first step, specific situations that are challenging for these children will be identified in advance by means of literature research and a questionnaire study. Subsequently, support options for these situations will be offered in the training. An evaluation in Germany, Austria and Switzerland is planned.

HAND IN HAND

Promoting social-emotional skills and diversity awareness among teachers in Europe

Project description: In their professional life, teachers need to respond competently to new challenges on a daily basis. The HAND:ET project, funded under the "Support for Policy Reform" action, is developing an innovative, universal program from March 2021 to February 2024 that aims to promote social-emotional competencies and diversity awareness among teachers. The program will be tested using a quasi-experimental design with control groups among primary and secondary teachers in Slovenia, Croatia, Sweden, Austria and Portugal. The results will be summarized in guidelines and will be used as EU- and country-specific recommendations to address current structural challenges of the teaching profession.

Activities in the project can be found in the detailed description of the Hand in Hand project.

DigIDe - Project for the detection of dementia in people with intellectual impairment

Project description: The aims of this project are to design a digital tool and develop a prototype for the early detection of dementia in people with intellectual impairment. This is intended to minimize stressful situations that arise for caregivers due to dementia symptoms in people with intellectual impairment and to clarify possibilities for support and assistance. The tool is developed in a participatory process with all involved parties and is intended to facilitate the daily routine ofcaregivers and to expand their observation and communication possibilities.

In-DIG developments - Inclusion through digital school development - barriers and solutions due to Covid-19

Project description:The project goal is to better understand the impact and the changes, caused by COVID-19 in primary and secondary schools in Styria. For this purpose, pupils, teachers, school directors and parents are surveyed using a mixed-method-approach. The involved persons are asked about their experiences of school inclusion and the associated changes in teaching methods and structure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The gained scientific findings regarding barriers and models for inclusive, digitally supported teaching and learning environments will be used to accompany and support future inclusive school developmental processes.

The first findings of the project were presented and discussed in an online workshop, which took place on November 11, 2020. The workshop focused on broad-based interdisciplinary exchange with different stakeholders. More information regarding this workshop can be found in the program (you can find the program in German language here).

The study is conducted in cooperation between the Research Center for Inclusive Education (RCIE) and the AB Inclusive Education and Special Education Psychology , under the direction of Univ.-Prof. Dr. phil. Barbara Gasteiger-Klicpera, as well as the AB Empirical Educational Research, headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr. phil. Heike Wendt and the Institute for Ethics and Social Studies at the University of Graz. The project is implemented with financial support from the state of Styria.

RegioDiff

Project description: The goal of this project was to prepare and transfer knowledge about the region of Styria. In 2019/2020 specialized texts about the regional characteristics of Styria were prepared by the project team and pupils from secondary schools. The prepared texts were differentiated and adapted based on the reading skills of the pupils and enriched with vocabulary exercises and reading strategies. These texts are used in primary schools in Styria in the school year 2020/2021 either as printed materials or embedded in the digital learning environment.

Establishment of a research center for inclusive education

Project description: "Digital and social transformation in higher education" (in German).

Brochure of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research: Digital and social transformation. Selected digitalization projects at public universities 2020 to 2024. (Project description can be found on page 42, in German language).

Of the more than 70 projects submitted, 35 were deemed worthy of funding by an international jury. Among them was the project "Establishment of a research center for inclusive education".

An international jury rated 35 out of more than 70 submitted projects as eligible and worthy for financing. Among them, the project “Establishment of a Research Center for Inclusive Education” was selected for financing.