Interviews with graduates

1) How did you come to study Empirical Educational Research?

During my bachelor's degree in social sciences (politics and sociology), it quickly became clear to me that education is one of the most important factors in our society. But where and how do you start if you want to change something? I believe that a better understanding of interrelationships in the field of education plays a key role in answering these questions. My curiosity and interest in this field and in practical research led me to study Empirical Educational Research.

2) What is your current job and where do you work?

I am currently a research assistant in the TALIS video study project at the DIPF in Frankfurt.

3) To what extent has the Master's program in Empirical Educational Research helped you in your professional development? What was and is it useful for?

I already worked on a small research project during my studies through the two-semester project seminar and was thus able to accompany the entire research process from planning to evaluation and transfer of the results. The compulsory research internship also led me to my current job. Along the way, I gained insights into many different areas of educational research, which really helped to develop my interest in certain topics.

4) Which heading stands for your professional career?

"Thinking outside the box." In addition to the compulsory courses, there are also exciting courses in other subject areas (e.g. on university research or research methods), and you can also learn a lot through the right job as a student assistant or as a research intern in an exciting project.

5) Why should you definitely study the Master's degree program in Empirical Educational Research?

If you are interested in educational research and want to study at a university where there are many studies in this field and which allows you to gain practical experience during your studies, then Kassel is the right place for you. The degree program is a great precursor to an academic career in educational research.

6) When did you complete the course?

April 2018.

7) Our MAEB also has its limits. What should be covered more intensively in the Master's program?

Due to the small number of students on the Master's degree program, many courses take place together with teacher training students and are unfortunately primarily aimed at them. In addition, the selection of different methods courses could be larger.

1) How did you come to study Empirical Educational Research?

The empirical state examination thesis on the primary school teaching degree course with the use of quantitative and qualitative research sparked my interest in educational research. I wanted to expand my opportunities for professional development in order to have other long-term development opportunities in addition to my initially preferred job as a teacher. I also enjoyed studying and wanted to learn new things.

2) What do you do today and where do you work?

I am now a teaching assistant (seconded teacher) at the University of Kassel in the IfE (Institute for Educational Science) in the Department of Primary School Education.

3) To what extent has the Master's program in Empirical Educational Research helped you in your professional development? What was and is it useful for?

The course has helped me to develop a broader view of research and reflection on practical action and to be able to substantiate this on the basis of pedagogical and didactic decisions.

These enhanced professional skills helped me to successfully complete my traineeship. I was then immediately made a permanent civil servant. According to the school management, the Master's course was one of the reasons for my selection. After working as a teacher for about 6 months, I was given a partial secondment to the Hessian Ministry of Culture in teacher training and the Master's degree also served as a "door opener" here. The Master's degree also gave me the right to do a doctorate.

4) What is the title of your professional career?

"From the meat counter option to the possibilities of educational research"

In the 9th grade, the careers advice service at the employment office recommended that I train as a butcher's assistant. As a result, I no longer took advantage of the advice offered and instead went my own way. I first completed training as a nursery school teacher, gained a university entrance qualification for particularly qualified professionals, then went on to study to become an elementary school teacher, followed by a Master's degree in Empirical Educational Research and then my traineeship as a teacher.

5) Why should I definitely study the Master's program in Empirical Educational Research?

I would recommend the Master's program for three reasons:

1. it is an exciting degree program with excellent "all-round support".

2. it has high-quality teaching in small seminar groups.

3) It offers very good career development opportunities afterwards.

6) When did you complete the program?

July 2012.

7) Even our MAEB has its limits. What should be dealt with more intensively in the Master's program?

The possibilities of combining qualitative and quantitative research.

1) How did you come to study Empirical Educational Research?

I wanted to pursue the interest in (qualitative) educational research that I had developed during my Bachelor's degree in more depth during my Master's degree, and Kassel was one of the few locations where this Master's degree is offered, so it was my first choice.

2) What do you do today and where do you work?

I work at the University of Kassel as a research assistant in a research project on digitalization in extracurricular cultural youth education.

3) To what extent has the Master's degree program in Empirical Educational Research helped you in your professional development? What was and is it useful for?

The overarching insight into different methods and methodologies of empirical social research first of all helped me to strengthen my interest in qualitative-reconstructive methods and to reinforce this interest without ignoring other "directions". In my work in a mixed-methods research project, I particularly benefit from my knowledge of quantitative methods and statistical calculations/characteristics. So even the statistics seminar, which was often demonized back then, is sometimes helpful for me today (thanks Edgar!).

4) Why should you definitely study the Master's program in Empirical Educational Research?

Because the small cohorts mean that you grow together as a student group and it is anything but impersonal, even with the lecturers.

5) When did you complete the course?

September 2017.

6) Our MAEB also has its limits. What should be dealt with more intensively in the Master's?

One is that the Master's in Education focuses heavily on the school context and therefore, in my opinion, other educational settings such as extracurricular institutions, daycare centers or child and youth work are neglected or often simply not taken into account. The second is that there is a strong focus on quantitative methods, which is reflected in the range of seminars offered. Qualitative research methods and opportunities to get to know, try out and apply them are "touched on", but are dealt with much less than quantitative research.

1) How did you come to study Empirical Educational Research?

I completed my Bachelor's degree in Social Work at the University of Kassel in 2012. It was clear to me at the time that I didn't want to work as a social worker and I was looking for alternative Master's degree courses. As I was already very interested in educational topics and social research, the MAEB was just right for me.

2) What is your current job and where do you work?

I currently work as a Research Officer at NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organizations) in London. NCVO is the umbrella organization for NGOs in England and offers, among other things, professional training, networking of organizations and advocacy with the government. As part of the research team, I work on socio-political issues relating to NGOs, volunteering and welfare policy.

3) To what extent has the Master's program in Empirical Educational Research helped you in your professional development? What was and is it useful for?

Even during my bachelor's degree in social work, I worked a lot with (mainly qualitative) research methods. The research focus in my Master's degree really appealed to me and also helped me in my professional career. Today, I work in both quantitative and qualitative research projects, in which I make a lot of use of the skills I gained during my studies. The Master's also taught me to critically question my role as a researcher and the validity of my research time and again. Without the Master's, I probably wouldn't be in my current professional position.

5) Why should you definitely study the Master's program in Empirical Educational Research?

You should definitely study the MAEB if you are interested in educational policy issues and learning processes and are not afraid of research. Statistics may put some students off, but the seminars are well structured and prepare everyone optimally for the exams. Overall, the Master's offers plenty of scope to pursue your own interests and, thanks to the small group size, very individual support from the lecturers. And if you don't want to stay in research at the university, the job opportunities are more varied than you might think!

6) When did you complete the degree program?

2015.

7) Even our MAEB has its limits. What should be covered more intensively in the Master's?

During the Master's, I was a bit disappointed that fields of work outside the university or at prestigious university research institutions are not advertised at all. I think that the research internship would have offered some students the opportunity to get a taste of potential fields of work (e.g. independent research projects in extracurricular educational projects or at adult education centers). On the contrary, one had the feeling that the internship was used by lecturers to train their own junior staff and engage students for their projects. I organized my internship independently at a language school abroad and had the feeling that I had to meet special requirements in order for it to be recognized (e.g. the organization of university supervision). I think that this is a missed opportunity and that opening up to non-university professional fields would be an enrichment for the degree program.

1) How did you come to study Empirical Educational Research?

Werner Thole asked me after my diploma what I wanted to do (over a cigarette on the bridge). I actually wanted to do the MA in Philosophy of Forms of Knowledge, he said "Markus, in your place I would do the MA in Empirical Educational Research" - I then studied both for the first two semesters and then concentrated on the MA Empirical Educational Research.

2) What is your current occupation and where do you work?

I work at the DIPF in the StEG project (study on the development of all-day schools).

3) In what way did the MA Empirical Educational Research help you in your professional development? What was and is it useful for?

I have also already completed my internship in the StEG project. Here I was well prepared by the methodological knowledge from the Master, but also by my diploma in social pedagogy.

4) Which heading stands for your professional career? 

"Between school research and social pedagogy".

5) Why should one definitely study the Master's program in Empirical Educational Research?

"One" should not necessarily study the MA, but only if there is interest in research. Whether "one" will work there later is secondary, but the insights into research can help one personally. If you are not interested in this, you should not study the MA.

6) When did you complete the program?

2012? 2013?

7) Even our MAEB has limitations. What should be covered more intensively in the Master?

Career prospects beyond research....

1) How did you come to study Empirical Educational Research?

After completing my Bachelor's degree in childhood education, it was clear to me that I wanted to deepen my academic interest and expand my knowledge in this field. I came across the Master's in Empirical Educational Research more by chance via an online search, but I was impressed by the module handbook of the Master's with its combination of methodology and empiricism, as well as the seminars with educational science and, in some cases, socio-educational or philosophical content.

2) What do you do today and where do you work?

Today I work as a research assistant in a third-party funded project at the Philipps University of Marburg in the Department of Educational Sciences in extracurricular youth education and am writing my dissertation on artistic-cultural educational processes as part of this work.

3) To what extent has the Master's program in Empirical Educational Research helped you in your professional development? What was and is it useful for?

During the Master's, I was lucky enough to get to know different areas of academic work as a student assistant (e.g. in social work as well as in teaching research), which gave me profound insights into the practice of this work. This allowed me to apply the knowledge I acquired in the seminars (e.g. creating questionnaires or using statistical programs) directly to the field of research and thus practice using it. However, the theoretical work, which is the focus of my studies, is still relevant for my career, as the foundation for my own pedagogical attitude can be laid in this context.

4) Which heading stands for your professional career?

"Pedagogy - philosophy - statistics are not compatible? Oh yes, and with what necessity!"

5) Why should you definitely study the Master's degree program in Empirical Educational Research?

There should be no question of "should" here ;-)... If you want to get a comprehensive picture of research in the education sector, then this is the right course. Here you can hone the profile you want to acquire in this field. The University of Kassel is also a good place for this, as it has a certain benevolent attitude towards human diversity (the city also has a lot to offer culturally...).

6) When did you complete the course?

At the end of 2014

7) Even our MAEB has its limits. What should be covered more intensively in the Master's program?

As already mentioned: I would like to see more philosophical seminars that encourage prospective researchers to think.

1) How did you find the Empirical Educational Research course?

By searching online for a degree course that would teach me scientific skills.

2) What is your current job and where do you work?

I am a research assistant to Junior Professor Dr. A. Retkowski at the University of Kassel.

3) To what extent has the Master's program in Empirical Educational Research helped you in your professional development? What was and is it useful for?

The course was helpful for understanding qualitative and quantitative studies and for interpreting study results.

4) What is the title of your professional career?

"Against social and gender injustice"

I have been interested in the standardization of gender and related inequalities since the beginning of my Bachelor's degree and these topics have also accompanied me professionally. Each of them has its blind spots and of course they are all very big! But if you filter out an important part for yourself and structure it theoretically, then you can make some progress yourself and perhaps also give others a well-founded insight into various interpersonal processes. So today I am a little more cautious with mere psychological findings that seem to be convincingly true with statistics and experiments - but what is relevant for me as an educational scientist are the underlying theories and assumptions. So if I want to investigate educational processes, I have to think about how I have people in mind and then approach the research design.

5) Why should you definitely study the Master's degree course in Empirical Educational Research?

To understand the structures and scope for interpretation of science and thus be able to make a well-founded, meaningful contribution to research.

6) When did you complete the course?

December 2016.

7) Our MAEB also has its limits. What should be covered more intensively in the Master's program?

Qualitative research, both in terms of content, theory and methodology.

Torsten Eckermann completed his Master's degree in Empirical Educational Research in 2010. At the time of the interview, he was already working as a research assistant at the Institute of Educational Science at the University of Kassel in the Department of Primary School Education. In the meantime, he has also completed his doctorate there (April 2016) and has held a junior professorship at the European University of Flensburg in the Department of School Pedagogy at the Institute of Educational Sciences since October 2016.

1) What made you decide to take up the Master's degree course in "Empirical Educational Research"?

The starting point for the decision to take up the Master's course in Empirical Educational Research was certainly the boom in empirical studies triggered by large-scale studies such as PISA and IGLU. Questions that I encountered in my teacher training course and that I consider to be highly relevant to society were now being discussed in the media and put on a broad empirical basis. By taking up the Master's course, I wanted to gain a deeper insight into the planning, implementation and evaluation of such empirical studies. In addition, I was also interested in checking to what extent my previous experiences from everyday school life matched what was being discussed in the media.

2) How would you rate your personal learning gain?

I was increasingly confronted with research findings from empirical studies during my studies and then particularly during my dissertation. I have to admit that at that time I was only familiar with the methodological approach of quantitative and qualitative studies to a very limited extent. Through the reception of many empirical studies, but above all through the opportunity to become active in research projects myself and to gain initial experience in the field of empirical research, I was able to learn a lot: On the one hand, this certainly concerns the "manual-technical" knowledge and skills such as how do I design a questionnaire, but on the other hand also organizational and administrative tasks (e.g. submitting applications for research projects).

3) What new perspectives has the Master's course opened up for you?

Completing the Master's degree in Empirical Educational Research has given me the opportunity to develop an alternative career to teaching. For me personally, it is very important to know that I can also work in another field, such as research or education policy, in addition to my job as a teacher. I believe that there is currently a need for people with pedagogical and didactic expertise to work in empirical research.

4) What is your current professional situation and what are your plans for the future?

I am currently employed as a research assistant at the University of Kassel. When it comes to the future, I agree with Albert Einstein: "I never think about the future. It will come soon enough". No, to give you an answer to your question: At the moment, I would like to gain further academic qualifications, i.e. I am aiming for a doctorate in educational science with a focus on primary school education. Time will tell whether I actually succeed in this. In any case, the prerequisites for this are in place thanks to the Master's degree course in Empirical Educational Research, as I have already been able to acquire many of the things that other doctoral students and doctoral candidates have to painstakingly acquire during their doctoral studies.