A Look at the Research Process: Literature from Educational Practice

In Conversation with Ingrid Gogolin

The research team at the University of Hamburg aims to identify which topics in the field of Integration through Education are considered relevant from a practical perspective, where research findings and practice-related concerns diverge, and whether practitioners perceive unmet research needs. To support this work, the team invited the 20 collaborative projects—each closely connected to educational practice—to recommend literature they consider particularly important and would suggest to other projects within the initiative.

Why is it important to know which literature educational practitioners draw on in their work?

Our meta-project aims to explore ways of improving educational opportunities in contexts of diversity through a co-constructive approach - that is, in collaboration with the funded projects, which themselves bring together researchers and practitioners. For this reason, the knowledge and experience of practice partners are just as important to us as existing research findings. Within the meta-project, we therefore examine both dimensions of knowledge production: the team in Nuremberg synthesizes the international research literature, while we focus on publications that originate in and are widely used within educational practice. By comparing these two sources, we hope to identify both common themes and potential differences. This will help reveal future research needs and shed light on areas where research findings may not yet have been communicated effectively beyond academic audiences.

Did anything about the responses surprise you?

In the first phase of our inquiry, we asked the projects to recommend publications they considered particularly important for the funding initiative as a whole. What surprised us most was the wide range of materials that were suggested. These included flyers and brochures from individual projects, contributions to books and journals, and even novels.

Which topics appeared most frequently?

Educational concepts and approaches to integration through education were mentioned most often. Closely linked to these were specific target groups - such as girls and women, parents, and refugees - as well as the intended aims of educational initiatives, including inclusion, empowerment, and labor market integration. Frequently cited areas of practice included early childhood education, civic education, social work, and schools. Some publications also addressed methodological questions, with qualitative research approaches appearing particularly often.

Who will benefit from this part of your research?

We hope that our findings will help strengthen the dialogue between research and practice. The results should also be valuable for those involved in producing educational materials and publications, such as ministries, foundations, associations, and other organizations. They will gain insights into whether the expectations they associate with these resources are actually being met by their intended audiences.

What are the next steps?

With the help of search engines, we have already compiled a substantial collection of texts and are continuing to expand it. The next step will be to identify the topics that receive the greatest attention across this body of material. To assess whether our analyses are on the right track, we plan to discuss our initial findings with experts from the funded projects in spring 2026 through a dedicated survey. Based on this feedback, we will finalize our analyses and disseminate the results in various formats, including reports in the newsletter and on the meta-project’s website.