Veranstaltungsprogramm

This study provides a comprehensive, system-level mapping of educational research conducted in and about Austria, adopting a policy-oriented perspective aligned with national and European strategic priorities. Drawing on higher education policy and bibliometric analysis, the study examines how research output is thematically structured and aligned with key policy domains, including digital transformation, teaching and learning innovation, open science, quality assurance and governance, social inclusion, and lifelong learning. Bibliometric data were retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus, integrated into a unified dataset, and analysed using a multi-label thematic classification approach that allows individual publications to be associated with multiple policy themes. Descriptive statistics, keyword analysis, thematic overlap mapping, and temporal trend analysis were applied to examine structural and longitudinal patterns. A total of 1,672 publications were identified, revealing a clear concentration of research activity within a limited number of universities. When the analysis is narrowed to publications explicitly focused on the education domain, the dataset is reduced to 136 outputs, which are predominantly clustered in the areas of Digital Transformation and Teaching and Learning Innovation. These two policy themes account for the majority of education-focused publications, indicating strong alignment between pedagogical research and digitalisation processes. In contrast, policy themes such as Lifelong Learning and Open Science/Open Access are comparatively underrepresented within the education-specific literature, highlighting potential areas for future research development, particularly with regard to equity, governance mechanisms, and lifelong learning strategies. While some studies are linked to a single dominant theme, the overlap structure reveals frequent intersections between Digital Transformation, Teaching and Learning Innovation, and Quality Assurance and Governance. Additional overlaps with Social Dimension and Inclusion and Open Science/Open Access suggest that digital and pedagogical initiatives are increasingly embedded within broader governance, accessibility, and openness agendas. Trend analysis indicates a shift from earlier emphases on students and quality assurance towards more recent focuses on learning, creativity, teacher education, and multilingualism. Overall, the findings highlight both the strengths and structural imbalances of the education research landscape and provide evidence-based insights to inform strategic capacity building, thematic diversification, and stronger integration between research and policy.

The effectiveness of integrated STEM education (iSTEM) critically depends on the extent to which core features of integrated instructional practice are actually enacted in classrooms and on whether this enactment can be captured with reliable and valid measures. For the Austrian pilot programme STEM Middle School (MINT-Mittelschule, MINT-MS), this creates a twofold need: (a) a theoretically precise specification of what constitutes “iSTEM teaching quality” within the national curricular context, and (b) the development of a psychometrically robust instrument that assesses the implementation of these quality dimensions from students’ perspectives.

We build on the Theoretical Framework for Instructional Practices in Integrated STEM of Thibaut et al. (2018), which captures five core dimensions (STEM content integration, problem-centred learning, inquiry-based learning, design-based learning, and cooperative learning). In addition, we draw on Roehrig et al.’s (2021) expanded framework, which places stronger emphasis on authenticity, including career orientation and STEM careers. For instrument development, we further consider operationalised instructional features derived from a validated observation tool aligned with this framework (Dare et al., 2021). On this basis, the following dimensions are used to capture integrated STEM education in Austria: STEM content integration, problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, and STEM careers.

At the same time, we acknowledge generic dimensions of teaching quality (classroom management, cognitive activation, and student support) (Klieme et al., 2006). Since purely generic or purely subject-specific approaches appear insufficient (Lindmeier & Heinze, 2020), we propose a combined model integrating both, in line with work from mathematics education (Jentsch et al., 2020; Spreitzer et al., 2022).

Data were collected in January 2025 from N = 3,679 secondary students within the Austrian STEM middle school pilot project (MINT-MS) (Müller et al., 2025). We examined the psychometric properties of the inventory using both Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory. Specifically, the Partial Credit Model (PCM; Masters, 1982) was applied for a comprehensive evaluation of the selected items. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the superiority of the proposed five-dimensional iSTEM structure over simpler alternatives. Overall, results indicate satisfactory measurement quality in terms of precision, item fit, and dimensionality.

Finally, we examine the validity of the iSTEM dimensions by analysing the nomological network and correlations with relevant outcome variables (e.g., generic teaching quality dimensions, motivation). The findings contribute to the theoretical and methodological discourse on iSTEM education and provide a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing iSTEM dimensions in secondary education.

The Austrian school pilot project STEM Middle School (MINT-MS; BMBWF, 2022) aims to integrate mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology & design into a single interdisciplinary subject (iSTEM). The introduction of such an integrated curriculum poses substantial organizational, personnel and structural challenges for schools as organizations. This contribution presents empirical findings from the formative accompanying evaluation of the pilot project, which is conducted across the levels of students, teachers, and school leadership (Müller et al., 2025).

Drawing on findings from research on school development and educational leadership, which identify school leaders as key actors in providing resources, using evaluation data, and shaping data-informed development processes (e.g. Bach et al., 2014; Klein, 2018; Ercan et al., 2021), and with regard to the sustainability of evaluation and accompanying research in terms of their impact on schools, the symposium contribution places particular emphasis on the perspective of school leaders.

The empirical basis at the school leadership level consists of a standardized, annually repeated survey of all principals involved in the STEM-MS pilot (N = 48–57), conducted between autumn 2023 and autumn 2026. The survey captures school-level implementation conditions, school development processes (including experiences with evaluation), and key factors influencing implementation success.

Initial results from the first two waves of data collection (school years 2023/24 and 2024/25) indicate a largely successful implementation of the pilot project, high demand for STEM classes, and strong identification of participating actors with the STEM profile. At the same time, structural challenges emerge, particularly with regard to personnel resources (e.g. team teaching), spatial and material infrastructure, and administrative frameworks. School leaders act as central steering agents by developing shared visions, initiating cooperation with regional enterprises and upper secondary technical schools, and strategically allocating resources, in line with prior research highlighting the importance of leadership and professional support for implementing integrated STEM education (Thibaut et al., 2018). In summary, the findings highlight the importance of systematically considering school-specific contextual conditions and point to opportunities for peer learning and the evidence-informed further development of the STEM pilot project.