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Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology
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Prof. Dr. Birgit Heppt

Main research topics

  • Diagnostics, promotion and development of (educational) language competences in monolingual and multilingual learners
  • Implementation and evaluation of language education programmes
  • Professionalisation of teachers and specialists in the context of linguistic and migration-related heterogeneity
  • Recording and effectiveness of teaching processes

Office hours

By appointment via E-Mail to Birgit Heppt

Academic background

  • 2024: Completion of the Habilitation in Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin
  • 2016: Dr. rer. nat. in Psy­cho­lo­gy, Humboldt University of Berlin
  • 2009: Diplom in Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Professional background

  • Since 07/2024: Professorship for Empirical Educational Research in the School Context, TU Dortmund University
  • Since 10/2022–06/2024: Head of the KoPaS project, Humboldt University of Berlin in cooperation with the IQB
  • 10/2021–09/2022: Substitute for the Professorship of Educational Psychology, Institute of Educational Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin
  • 01/2013–09/2021: Research assistant, Humboldt University of Berlin in cooperation with the Institute for Quality Development in Education (IQB)
    11/2015–02/2016: Research assistant, Chair of Psychology I - Developmental Psychology, Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg
    11/2009–12/2012: Research Assistant, Department of Empirical Educational Research, Free University of Berlin

VITA

Download CV and list of publications Birgit Heppt

Further information

Laufende Projekte:

  • Multiprofessionelle Kooperation zur fachbezogenen Sprachbildung im schulischen Ganztag (KoPaS), project duration: 01.10.2022 - 30.09.2026
  • Olczyk, M., Heppt, B., Winkler, O., Schipolowski, S. & Edele, A. (2025). Academic achievement of refugee students at the end of primary school in Germany. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 28, 557-579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-025-01315-1
  • Heppt, B., Schwarzenthal, M. & Scharf, J. (2025). Discriminatory climate and school adjustment in ethnically minoritized adolescents and majority adolescents: An investigation of the mediating role of teaching quality. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 54, 1732-1755. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-025-02147-2
  • Schotte, K., Taraszow, T., Heppt, B., Gesner, K. & Stanat, P. (2024). Listening comprehension tests of elementary school students’ first language proficiency in Russian and Turkish: Test construction and validation. European Journal of Psychological Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000862
  • Henschel, S., Heppt, B. & Hardy, I. (2023). Structure and associations of science vocabulary, general academic vocabulary, and science knowledge. The Journal of Educational Research, 116(6), 356-370. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2023.2269545
  • Heppt, B., Olczyk, M. & Volodina, A. (2022). Number of books at home as an indicator of socioeconomic status: Examining its extensions and their incremental validity for student achievement. Social Psychology of Education, 25, 903-928. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-022-09704-8
  • Heppt, B., Henschel, S., Hardy, I., Hettmannsperger-Lippolt, R., Gabler, K., Sontag, C., Mannel, S. & Stanat, P. (2022). Professional development for language support in science classrooms: Evaluating effects for elementary school teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 109, 103518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103518
  • Volodina, A., Heppt, B. & Weinert, S. (2021). Relations between the comprehension of connectives and school performance in primary school. Learning and Instruction, 74, 101430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101430 
  • Heppt, B. & Stanat, P. (2020). Development of academic language comprehension of German monolinguals and dual language learners. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 62, 101868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101868
  • Heppt, B., Köhne-Fuetterer, J., Eglinsky, J., Volodina, A., Stanat, P. & Weinert, S. (2020). BiSpra 2-4. Test zur Erfassung bildungssprachlicher Kompetenzen bei Grundschulkindern der Jahrgangsstufen 2 bis 4. Münster: Waxmann. http://www.waxmann.com/buch4175
  • Heppt, B., Haag, N., Böhme, K., & Stanat, P. (2015). The role of academic-language features for reading comprehension of language-minority students and students from low-SES families. Reading Research Quarterly, 50(1), 61–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.83

 

  • College for Interdisciplinary Educational Research (CIDER)
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs); Fachgruppe für Pädagogische Psychologie
  • European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI)
  • IDeA-Zentrum (Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk)
  • Gesellschaft für Empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF)

Member of the ‘AG Lehre’ (Teaching Working Group) of Faculty 12 at TU Dortmund University for the reform of the main subject courses in Education (BA and MA) (since 2024)

Member of the Ombudskommission des IQB (2020-2024)

Member of the Arbeitsgruppe für gute wissenschaftliche Praxis des IQB (2019-2020)

Member of the Arbeitsgruppe Wissenschaftskommunikation des IQB (2020-2024)

Collaboration with specialised journals:

Member of the scientific advisory board of the journal Research on Language (https://researchonlanguage.de/) (since 2024)

Organisation of scientific conferences:

  • CIDER-Abschlusskonferenz, Cohort III (2022-2023)
  • International Organizing Committee der JURE Pre-Conference 2013 in München (2011-2013)