Dimensions of emotional maltreatment in educational settings. Theoretical determinations and empirical analyses.

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Anne Piezunka
• Subject Area: Educational Research on Socialization, Welfare and Professionalism ; General Education and History of Education
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 527490401

In pedagogical settings, children and adolescents often experience emotional maltreatment by teachers and other pedagogical professionals. The experience of emotional maltreatment can have an impact on the course of education and on the psychological well-being of adolescents. With regard to current discourses, there are links to the current campaign of the German Child Protection Agency "Gewalt ist mehr als du denkst" (Violence is more than you think) and to the question of who has the authority to interpret what violence is in educational settings. The phenomenon emotional maltreatment has been the subject of occasional debates in educational and social science discourse, but there are hardly any established theoretical definitions. The in-depth study within the framework of an interdisciplinary network is intended to contribute to the elaboration of various dimensions of the phenomenon, which, among other things, will make it possible to visualize different understandings of emotional maltreatment. By incorporating different theoretical and methodological approaches, we hope to reveal previously unknown areas of tension. We will focus on three main areas: (1) (existing) normative positionings, (2) forms of emotional maltreatment, and (3) professional theoretical perspectives (and classifications). The network, which is located in the educational sciences, strives for an interdisciplinary discussion. Therefore, researchers from the fields of social work, social psychology, law, social philosophy, special education, school education and sociology are involved. The members of the network have research experience on emotional maltreatment or related topics. Through different formats, e.g. joint analysis of already existing data sets in small groups as well as exchange with (inter-)national experts, the members of the network shall gain new insights on a theoretical as well as empirical level. These are to be reintroduced into existing discourses within the framework of a special issue of an educational science journal as well as through further publications and conference contributions. Furthermore, the chosen formats also enable the further qualification of the network members, who are in different phases of their qualification.

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks