Doctoral students in focus: Scientific exchange in Weggis!

Doctoral students in focus: Scientific exchange in Weggis!

In June 2025, the 8th doctoral conference of the graduate school “Empirical Didactic Research and Transfer” (EFFORT) took place in Weggis, Switzerland. The event represented a central forum for exchange between young researchers and experienced experts and attracted a total of 38 participants, including 11 professors, 20 doctoral students and 7 post-docs or workshop leaders. The aim of the conference was to present empirical research in an interdisciplinary environment and to promote intensive professional exchange.

The conference offered an extensive range of workshops and individual advice on qualitative and quantitative research methods as well as career development. This integrative approach aimed to support professional depth and methodological development, while at the same time striving for the academic and social integration of the participants. The doctoral conference not only acts as a central funding instrument for quality assurance, but also for international networking in educational and didactic research. This event has been organized by the Heidelberg and Lucerne universities of teacher education since 2018.

Excellent organization and leadership

The conference was coordinated by Andrea Maria Schmid and Priska Aregger (Lucerne). The management was the responsibility of the renowned professors Prof. Dr. Dorothee Brovelli, Prof. Dr. Markus Wilhelm, Prof. Dr. Stefanie Rinaldi (Lucerne), Prof. Dr. Markus Rehm and Prof. Dr. Hendrik Lohse-Bossenz (Heidelberg and Greifswald). This strong academic leadership ensured a high standard of scholarly debate, which was evident throughout the meeting.

Another important aspect of the conference was the discussion about the functionality of keywords in scientific literature. In the context of literature evaluations, these keywords are of crucial importance in order to combine German-language search terms with English-language subject indexing. In addition to the initiative to promote professional exchange, the conference contributed to improving research and publication practices in educational research. Further information is available at www.ph-heidelberg.de/promotionskolleg to find.

Influence on the qualification of young talent

The event not only left a lasting impression in terms of the exchange of ideas and experiences, but was also perceived as a platform for professionalization and training for young talent. With regard to scientific practices, the investigation of didactic questions is becoming increasingly important. The article by Timo Leuders, “Empirical research in subject didactics: A challenge for professionalization and the qualification of young talent” (2015, ISBN 3244481), reflects these developments and gives the topic additional depth.

The EFFORT conference is therefore an example of the further development of educational research and enables young scientists to access an established platform with high scientific standards.