Causes and Effects of Handling Challenges of Interdisciplinary Teaching in Social Science Subjects

• Applicant: Dr. Marcel Grieger
• Subject Area: General and Domain-Specific Teaching and Learning ; Educational Research on Socialization, Welfare and Professionalism
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 541229524

Interdisciplinary subjects in the social sciences are commonplace in secondary schools in 13 federal states in Germany. They usually combine political, historical, and geographical perspectives. However, except for the state of Brandenburg, there is no interdisciplinary initial teacher education for these subjects. Teachers often find themselves having to teach out-of-field. As expected, working in interdisciplinary subjects presents many challenges that can be stressful in the short term and straining in the long run. Teachers and professionals in other social fields already feel more mentally and emotionally exhausted compared to members of other professional groups. Given the prevailing teacher shortage, it is an urgent task to keep teachers healthy and in the school system. Whether teachers feel capable of dealing with challenges and what the causes and consequences of said confidence may be, are crucial yet unanswered questions for interdisciplinary subjects in the social sciences. Thus, the first objective of this project is to empirically examine the challenges and potentials attributed to interdisciplinary subjects in the social sciences through a nationwide questionnaire survey. Secondly, self-efficacy expectations of teachers who teach this subject regarding how to handle these challenges will be determined. Thirdly, the project will investigate the impact of this perceived stress on long-term strain, which manifests itself, among other things, in burnout or the desire to quit the teaching profession, and identify the resources teachers use to counteract these negative effects. Fourthly and finally, the project will determine to what extent differences in the aforementioned relationships depend on the degree of out-of-field-ness. Ultimately, the aim of this project is to contribute to the long-term strengthening of the education system by identifying the conditions for creating a supportive environment that keeps teachers (mentally) healthy within the school system. Initial teacher education and continuing professional development may address the connections between resources, stress, and strain.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants