From qualitative typology to quantitative measurement: Epistemological beliefs of teachers engaged in Teaching a Humanities Subject (TyMin)

• Applicants: Dr. Jana Costa; Dr. Caroline Rau
• Subject Area: Educational Research on Socialization, Welfare and Professionalism ; General and Domain-Specific Teaching and Learning
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 565507931

The proposed research project primarily aims to transfer qualitatively reconstructive research findings into a quantitative design. Specifically, the results of a typology will be translated into a quantitative framework. The methodological decisions involved in this process will be systematically documented and critically examined. This research project addresses the widely recognized need to extend qualitatively reconstructive research through quantitative studies. Based on a qualitatively reconstructive typology, a systematic measurement instrument will be developed. The selected field of study currently lacks sophisticated measurement instruments but is supported by qualitatively reconstructive research. As this work focuses on a specific area of investigation, a secondary objective is to contribute to research by developing a method for capturing epistemological beliefs of teachers teaching a humanities subject. Against the backdrop of a broader debate on measuring general epistemological beliefs, this project will develop a domain-specific differentiation of the epistemological beliefs of teachers teaching a humanities subject. Thus, the goal of the planned project is to develop an objective, valid, and reliable measurement instrument for assessing the epistemological beliefs of teachers in humanities subjects.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants