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Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology
Since April 2024 at the Goethe University Frankfurt/Main

Prof. Dr. Charlotte Dignath

Main research topics

  • Learner difference in cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational-affective learning processes
  • Self-regulation support for learners with and without learning difficulties
  • Learning as Hot Conceptual Change
  • Effectiveness of digital media in the classroom
  • Professional competence of teachers in the context of learning and developmental disabilities

Office hours

By appointment

Academic background

  • 2009: Dr. phil. in Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt
  • 2004: Diplom in Psychology, TU Darmstadt

Professional background

  • since 10/2022 Professor of Empirical Educational Research with a focus on Promoting Cognitive and Motivational-Affective Learning Processes at the TU Dortmund University
  • 2020-2022: Head of the Research Unit Promotion of School Learning Processes and the Emmy Noether Group SeLFI at the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education in Frankfurt
  • 2015-2020: Research assistant at the Goethe University Frankfurt
  • 2010-2015: Research assistant at the universities of Mainz and Mannheim
  • 2009-2010: Post-doc at the universities Groningen and Amsterdam
  • 2004-2009: Research assistant at the Goethe University Frankfurt

Further Information

Projects on learning processes of students

  • AMSeL
  • PuS-SeL - Lernprozesse
  • PuS-SeL Spezial

Projects on the effectiveness of instructional formats and teaching methods

  • DiSO
  • DiSO-LD
  • NawiSelf*digital
  • PuS-SeL – Trainingsstudie

Projects on learning processes of teachers

  • INCLASS
  • ReMento
  • StereoDisk
  • TeachingHowToLearn
  • TeBelIn
  • WieSeL
  • Dignath, C., Rimm-Kaufman, S., Van Ewijk, R. & Kunter, M. (2022). Teachers’ beliefs about inclusive education and insights on what contributes to those beliefs: A meta-analytical study. Educational Psychology Review. 34, 2609–2660. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09695-0
  • Dignath, C. & Mevarech, Z. (2021). Mind the gap between research and practice in the area of teachers' support of metacognition and SRL. Special Issue guest-edited in Metacognition and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-021-09285-5
  • Dignath, C. (2021). For unto every one that hath shall be given: teachers’ competence profiles regarding the promotion of self-regulated learning moderate the effectiveness of short-term teacher training. Metacognition and Learning, 16(3), 555-594. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-021-09271-x
  • Dignath, C., Fink, J. & Kunter, M. (2021). Reading persuasive texts affects preservice teachers’ beliefs about cultural diversity in the classroom. Journal of Teacher Education, 73(2), 188-200. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224871211002460
  • Dignath, C. & Veenman, M.J.V. (2021). The role of direct strategy instruction in promoting self-regulated learning - evidence from classroom observation studies. Educational Psychology Review, 33(2), 489-533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09534-0
  • Dignath, C. & Sprenger, L. (2020). Can you only diagnose what you know? The relation between teachers’ self-regulation of learning concepts, and their assessment of students’ self-regulation. Frontiers in Education, 5, 228. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.585683
  • Dignath, C. & Büttner, G. (2018). Investigating teachers’ direct and indirect promotion of self-regulated learning in primary and secondary mathematics classrooms – insights from video-based classroom observations and teacher interviews. Metacognition and Learning, 13(2), 127-157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-018-9181-x
  • Dignath, C. & Van der Werf, G. (2012). What teachers think about self-regulated learning: An investigation of teacher beliefs about enhancing students' self-regulation and how they predict teacher behavior. Education Research Internationalhttps://doi.org/10.1155/2012/741713 
  • Dignath, C. & Büttner, G. (2008). Components of fostering self-regulated learning among students. A meta-analysis on intervention studies at primary and secondary school level. Metacognition & Learning, 3, 231-264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-008-9029-x
  • Dignath, C., Büttner, G. & Langfeldt, H.-P. (2008). How can primary school students acquire self-regulated learning most efficiently? A meta-analysis on interventions that aim at fostering self-regulation. Educational Research Review, 3, 101-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2008.02.003

Memberships in scientific societies:

  • European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI)
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs)
  • Gesellschaft für Empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF)

Memberships in scientific networks:

  • Internationales wissenschaftliches DFG-Netzwerk: Self-Regulation Network SeReNe (2021-2023) – Principal Investigator
  • Emerging Field Group (EARLI): Integrated Model of Momentary Learning in Context (IMMoLIC) (PI: Jennifer E. Symonds, University College Dublin) (2020-2023)
  • IDeA-Center Frankfurt (since 2018)

Scientific coordination:

  • Coordinator of the Special Interest Group Metacognition of the EARLI (08/2019-08/2023)
  • Member of the Scientific Committee of the joint conference of EARLI-SIG 8 Motivation and EARLI-SIG 16 Metacognition in Dresden September 2020/2022 (since 05/2019)
  • Coordination of the Teaching and Teacher Learning SIG at the IDeA Center (2017-2019)
  • Coordination of the SIG Self-Regulation at the IDeA-Center (since 2020)

Academic self-governance and teaching:

  • Member of the Project Group Reaccreditation of Bachelor and Master Programs at the Institute of Psychology, Goethe University (01/2019-02/2020)
  • Member of the project group Restructuring of the Educational Psychology Accompanying Studies in Teacher Training, Goethe University (04/2018-02/2020)
  • Module coordination of the bachelor module Educational Psychology (PsyBsc 18/19), Goethe University (05/2017-03/2020)

Organization of scientific conferences:

  • Digital EARLI-SIG 16 Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning, 06-12/2022
  • Digital GEBF year digiGEBF21 (Society for Empirical Educational Research)
  • IDeA Research Center Digital Covid 19 Meeting, March 2021

Commitment towards Open Science:

  • Frankfurt Open Science Initiative at Goethe University (2019-2020)
  • Open Science AG of the department Teaching and Learning Quality in Educational Institutions (since 2021).
  • Organization of the Open Science Summer of the digiGEBF21 conference, together with Prof. Dr. Johannes Bauer (2020-2021)
  • Pre-registrations of my studies at https://osf.io/ and https://aspredicted.org/