This report describes a multi-year collaboration within the framework of a dance project between the Zurich Opera House (OHZ), the secondary school "Im Birch", and the Centre for School Improvement (ZSE) at the Zurich University of Teacher Education. The cultural project was initiated in response to experiences during the COVID-19 period; its aim was to strengthen the sense of belonging within the school. The report outlines the project, describes the activities, and explains how, in cooperation with the partners, the accompanying research and the format of feedback on the results were defined. Over the course of the long-term collaboration, a close connection developed between the partners, with the accompanying research framing both the further development of the project and the overall school improvement.
Schools are among the few social contexts in which children's presence is considered selfevident. As such, they represent a key setting for conducting research about young people as well as with them. However, as hierarchically organized institutions, schools are structured by pedagogical and education policy programs, spatial arrangements, generational power relations, and normative role expectations. These institutional conditions shape not only everyday school life but also the very processes of research: they influence whether participation can truly be voluntary, how children's perspectives are acknowledged and incorporated, and the extent to which research can be meaningfully participatory. Against this background, our discussion paper examines the extent to which ethically responsible research with young people is possible within school settings at all. Keywords: research; children; ethics; participation; responsibility
Against the backdrop of growing expectations for co-operation between school research and educational practice, the article aims to provide a school-pedagogical conceptualization of the frequently used yet theoretically still under-specified concept of co-construction. Starting from the premise that co-construction cannot be meaningfully conceptualized without considering the tension between knowledge-oriented and development-oriented approaches in school pedagogical research, the article conceptualizes the system-level differentiation between research and practice as a constitutive feature of their relationship. Building on this, design-and development-oriented research approaches as well as Design-Based Research, Research-Practice Partnerships and Boundary Work are discussed as complementary reference points for conceptualizing this relationship, before five structuring principles for co-constructive school improvement research are derived.
External support as school development consulting is becoming increasingly important in the context of school development processes. Important steps are taken at the beginning of a consultation in particular. However, empirical studies on this phase are rare. This article examines the initial phase of school development consulting processes at five primary schools in Austria using multi-perspective case studies. The focus is on key phenomena that can be observed during this phase.
The "ReTransfer" project developed and tested digital subject-specific training formats for the social sciences together with teachers. It focused on digital sovereignty, open educational practices, and digital subject concepts. Findings indicate strong acceptance but structural challenges. Sustainable transfer requires robust infrastructures, supportive OER cultures, and subject-specific professional development.
