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Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology

International activities at the IFS

The connection to the international scientific community is of great strategic importance for the IFS.  Thus, the IFS is anchored in top national and international research. Furthermore, scientists regularly publish their research results in English-language journals or present them at international conferences. In addition, the institute regularly hosts visiting scholars; on the one hand, staff members spend research stays abroad, and on the other hand, guest lecturers from abroad come to the institute for research stays, project exchanges or guest lectures. Finally, the area of teaching at the institute is also characterized by its international orientation, as there are, for example, teaching concepts for the implementation of intercultural education in teacher training.

Bild von Menschen auf einem hell gekachelten Platz aus der Vogelperspektive, wobei verschiedene Menschen mit schwarzen Linien verbunden sind © Orbon_Alija​/​istock.com

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New Article published in Journal of Educational Psychology

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© 2026 American Psychological Association & Ines Blatterer​/​bearbeitet
The study examines the development of career aspirations in math and reading as well as their relations to motivation and achievement.

The study “Domain-Specific Career Aspirations, Motivation, and Achievement in Math and Reading Across Adolescence” by Elisabeth Graf, Jörg-Tobias Kuhn and Nele McElvany investigates how domain-specific career aspirations in mathematics and reading develop across adolescence and how they relate to motivation and achievement.

Drawing on longitudinal data from 8,317 adolescents in Germany, the authors analyse the stability, trajectories, and predictors of math- and reading-related career aspirations from early adolescence to young adulthood. In addition, the study examines whether associations with motivational beliefs—such as intrinsic motivation—change over time and whether career aspirations themselves predict later motivational beliefs and achievement.

The findings show increasing stability of domain-specific career aspirations as well as slight increases in both math- and reading-related career aspirations across adolescence. Moreover, associations between intrinsic motivation and reading-related career aspirations are stronger at age 16 than at age 13.

Furthermore, the analyses provide partial support for associations between career aspirations and motivational beliefs measured two years later. The results underline adolescence as a critical period for career development and offer important implications for career counseling and the promotion of domain-specific interests in educational contexts.

To the paper: Article in Journal of Educational Psychology


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