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Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology
[Translate to English:] © Orbon_Alija​/​istock.com

Katharina Molitor

Main research topics

  • Reduction of educational inequality
  • Mediation of family background
  • Relation among motivational factors and educational attainment
  • Well-being of students

Office hours

by appointment

Academic background

  • 2025: PhD in Educational Science (Dr. Phil.), TU Dortmund University 
  • 2019: M.A. Sociology, University of Duisburg-Essen
  • 2016: B.A. Sociology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena

Professional background

  • Currently working in project NEPS (National Educational Panel Study) – Stage 4: transition from lower to upper secondary school
  • since 11/2019: research assistant in team McElvany at the IFS

Vita

Further Information

Current Projects:

  • National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), project duration: since 01.07.2009

  • Molitor, K. (2025). Towards equal opportunities– Understanding predictors of educational attainment and well-being in secondary education. (Dissertationsschrift). Dortmund: TU Dortmund, Eldorado. http://dx.doi.org/10.17877/DE290R-25828
  • Molitor, K., Fabian, P., & Stang-Rabrig, J. (2025). Obtaining Abitur without teacher recommendation – the role of social background, opportunity costs, and motivation. In N. McElvany, S. König, R. Schaufelberger, M. Becker, H. Gaspard, B. Heppt & A. Naumann (Hrsg.), Jahrbuch der Schulentwicklung (Band 24, S. 128–157). Weinheim: Beltz Juventa.
  • Molitor, K., Fabian, P., Thums, K., & McElvany, N. (2022). Is the relation between family background and obtaining an Abitur mediated by malleable motivational variables? Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 81(2), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-022-01096-x
  • Molitor, K., Fabian, P., Thums, K. & McElvany, N. (2021, September). Mediieren motivationale Faktoren den Einfluss der sozialen Herkunft auf das Erreichen des Abiturs. Tagung der Fachgruppen Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie (PAEPSY) der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs), digitale Konferenz.
  • Molitor, K., Fabian, P., Thums, K. & McElvany, N. (2022, Juli). Family background and educational attainment: The mediating role of malleable motivational factors. Vortrag auf der internationalen Konferenz der Junior Researchers of Earli (JURE), Porto, Portugal.
  • Molitor, K., Fabian, P., Stang-Rabrig, J. & McElvany, N. (2023, August). Attending the academic track without teacher recommendation – predictors of educational attainment. Symposiumsvortrag auf der internationalen Konferenz der European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI), Thessaloniki, Griechenland.
  • Molitor, K., Stang-Rabrig, J., & McElvany, N. (2025, Januar). Das Wohlbefinden von Schüler*innen in differenziellen Lernumwelten: Zur Bedeutung von familiären, individuellen und kontextuellen Faktoren. Symposiumsvortrag auf der 12. Tagung der Gesellschaft für empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF), Mannheim.