Research approach
Research approach
The IDeA projects adopt a particular approach in that our scientists study the development of children over a longer period of time (usually over a number of years). Only with this approach are they able to discover more about the effect of specific social and neurocognitive factors on child development and how children can be appropriately supported in order to ensure optimal learning opportunities.
The longitudinal analysis of developments
The conditions and risks for child learning are multilayered and complex. In the IDeA research center the social and neurocognitive factors of child development are not only studied in isolation for a longer period of time, but close attention is also paid to their interplay. For example, research addresses the question of how characteristics of the family background affect the performance development of a child, and whether these effects become even stronger through biologically determined neurocognitive particularities, such as the working memory or the development of speech. Only longitudinal study over the course of the development promises reliable insights into cause-and-effect relations and leads to justifiable recommendations for practical intervention.
Interdisciplinarity
In the IDeA center scientists from different disciplines collaborate in joint projects in order to study the learning and developmental processes of children. The DIPF (German Institute for International Educational Research) and a number of departments at Goethe Universität are not the only participants in the IDeA; the Frankfurt Sigmund-Freud-Institut is involved as well. This interdisciplinary approach is necessary because the overall problems we address transcend the boundaries of our traditional disciplines. Experts from educational science, special education, math didactics of the primary school, language acquisition, educational and developmental psychology, psychoanalysis and neurosciences collaborate in order to draw a comprehensive picture of the conditions and risks for child learning.
Diversity of methods
The disciplines of those scientists involved in the IDeA are as diverse as the research methods they apply. Surveys and performance tests are used with which the developmental progress of larger samples of children can be studied. Similarly, detailed qualitative studies are conducted based, for instance, on interview data or the observation of behavior. For the study of neurocognitive risks, which hamper the ability of children to read, write and do arithmetic, non-invasive bio-psychological procedures are used, such as EEG and fMRI. All IDeA studies combine a number of these methods in order to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of child learning processes and their risks.
