Nikola Ebenbeck

Open Science practices are increasingly promoted in educational research by funding agencies, scientific associations, and researchers. However, only a small proportion of published articles provide links to research data or other materials and fully adhere to Open Science principles. This article investigates the prevalence of repository links to OSF and GitHub in articles published in Frontiers in Education (Frontiers Media SA), Education Sciences (MDPI), Cogent Education (Taylor & Francis), International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education (IJETHE; Springer), AERA Open (AERA and Sage Publishing), Sage Open (Sage Publishing), and Frontline Learning Research (EARLI). Using the OpenAlex database, we identified and downloaded 15,953 open-access articles. Of these, only 223 contained a functional repository link that was related to the article, corresponding to 1.4% of the downloaded corpus. Among the articles with repository links, most employed a quantitative research design (75.3%), followed by mixed-methods designs (12.1%) and qualitative designs (4.9%). Review articles accounted for 3.1% of the sample, while conceptual articles, including didactic and instructional contributions, represented 2.7%. Methodological articles constituted the smallest category, comprising 1.8% of the included articles. We discuss these findings in relation to current Open Science practices in educational research.

Education unfolds within complex systems shaped by interacting structures, actors, and policies. Researchers are aware of this, but deliberately ignore the complexity in order to present a stable picture. We argue that understanding and improving learning requires methodological approaches capable of capturing systemic behaviour, particularly when exploring structural reforms that cannot yet be empirically observed. Education System Simulation is a methodological paradigm for modelling, analysing, and predicting the behaviour of education systems with the goal to inform political decision-making. Simulations enable researchers to examine system-wide interactions, explore hypothetical scenarios, and identify potential equilibria and perturbations. We outline phases of simulation research, from data foundation to modelling, validation, and hypothesis testing, and contrast the predictive power of simulations with the retrospective nature of traditional empirical methods. Education System Simulation integrates several approaches to investigate structural questions such as school placement, accessibility, resource allocation, and the systemic consequences of policy reforms. This methodological approach is now broadly usable with resent technical advances and therefore can enhance evidence-informed educational governance, provided it is developed transparently and supported by open data infrastructures. Education System Simulation offers a powerful tool for predicting how education systems respond to purposeful structural change.

Inclusive education is internationally established as a human right, yet its implementation and public legitimacy remain contested. This study examines how inclusive education was represented in regional newspaper coverage in two German federal states with contrasting approaches to inclusive transformation. We conducted a longitudinal comparative content analysis of 210 articles published between 2009 and 2025 in two regional daily newspapers. The analysis combined LLM-assisted inductive categorization with quantitative coding of framing variables, actor perspectives, single-case reporting, and represented disability categories. Findings show substantial regional differences. One newspaper framed inclusion and disability as significantly more normalized, positive and systemic than the other. Thematic patterns also differed regarding the focus on resources, policy reform, and access to schooling, via a focus on good practice, segregated schooling, and support structures. Results are discussed in context of medical and social models of disability, agenda-setting-theory, framing-theory, the visibility dilemma of disability and newspapers’ influence on public opinion on inclusive education.

Since the Salamanca Statement and the UN CRPD, countries have sought to transform their school systems towards inclusive education. While research on individual and school level has been widely synthesized, less is known about how the systemic level of inclusive education has been studied. This scoping review maps international empirical research on systemic dimensions of inclusive education published between January 2010 and May 2025. Three databases were searched for English-language, peer-reviewed journal articles on inclusive education regarding K–12 students with disabilities. In total, 95 studies were included and analyzed according to thematic focus, level of analysis, geographical context, disciplinary background, methodology, and data sources. Five thematic domains were identified: policy, funding, placement and accessibility, development, and organization of inclusive systems. Policy was the largest domain, followed by placement and accessibility, whereas organizational dimensions were least represented. Methodologically, policy and system development studies mainly used qualitative designs, while funding and placement studies more often relied on quantitative designs. The review identifies gaps in longitudinal, mixed-method, causal, geospatial, and simulation-based research with a stronger focus on system dynamics of inclusive education.

Despite widespread political and societal consensus on the importance of inclusive education (Amor et al. 2019), its practical implementation remains challenging across diverse school systems (Haug...

Strukturelle Transformationen im Schulsystem haben eine hohe Komplexität und langfristige, nur begrenzt vorhersehbare Wirkungen. Dieser Beitrag zeigt das Potenzial computergestützter Simulationen zur Unterstützung bildungspolitischer Entscheidungsprozesse am Beispiel inklusiver Transformationen von Grundschulen. Simulationen erlauben es, alternative Umsetzungsvarianten in modellierten Realitäten zu analysieren und ihre systemischen Folgen vergleichend zu untersuchen. Am Beispiel der Schließung einer Förderschule im Landkreis Weiden in der Oberpfalz werden zwei Szenarien modelliert: ein wohnortnahes inklusives System sowie ein Modell mit inklusiven Schwerpunktschulen. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen Unterschiede in Förderquoten und Ressourcenverteilung und unterstreichen den Mehrwert von Simulationen als empirische Entscheidungsgrundlage für inklusive Schulentwicklung.

Educational diagnostic skills are essential in special education, both for identifying students’ special needs and for making informed pedagogical decisions in daily practice. Simulation-based learning presents a promising approach in higher education by connecting theoretical knowledge to real-world problems and enabling in-depth analysis of diagnostic processes through the generation of data. This study examines the use of simulations in diagnostic case processing, comparing two formats: a digital structured click game and a discursive interaction with an AI-based Pedagogical Agent (PA). Both games were developed for students with special education needs who possess expertise in diagnostic processes. Findings indicate that both interactive learning environments effectively support the development of diagnostic skills and processes. All participants successfully completed the games, although 75% required additional support during the AI conversation. Participants demonstrated significantly varying levels of efficiency and accuracy in their diagnostic process across the two games. This paper explores the underlying reasons for these differences and discusses the potential benefits and limitations of interactive learning environments, with and without AI integration.

Although inclusive education is a human right, parallel systems of special and regular schools still exist in major parts of Germany. The self-preservation tendencies of special schools contribute to the stability of these systems and impede the transition to an inclusive school model. Thus, an inclusive education system necessitates the closure of special schools, followed by the redistribution of special education personnel across all schools. Special educators, as permanent members of the teaching staff, can then contribute not only to supporting individual students but also in advisory roles and school development.Simulation studies offer the opportunity to predict, based on data, the potential impacts of inclusive restructuring within the system. In this study, we utilize simulations to data-based model the redistribution of personnel resources following the closure of special schools. The simulations are based on primary school statistics from the German state of Bavaria, which still maintains parallel special and regular school systems, as well as open geographical datasets. We explore how the closure of special schools would affect the personnel resources available to primary schools in different inclusive scenarios. Specifically, we consider how many special educators would be available for an inclusive school system at primary level and how their distribution across schools of varying sizes in urban and rural regions can be optimized to ensure the permanent integration of special educators into every primary school.The results show that the closure of all special schools would result in 63.8% of primary schools receiving at least one permanent special educator. On average, primary schools would be allocated 1.88 full-time special educator positions (Min = 0.05; Max = 13.83). In the case of the closures of only some special schools, this proportion is reduced to 39.44%. Large cities receive significantly more resources than rural areas across all scenarios. In rural regions, the number of students with special needs at a primary school often does not suffice to fill a full special educator position, necessitating the rotation of mobile special educators between schools. This distribution could be efficiently managed in rural areas through geographical proximity and needs-based allocation within districts, with each special educator assigned to two primary schools.We discuss the necessity for parallel school systems to undergo comprehensive restructuring, particularly with regard to resource allocation, in order to develop inclusive structures. Additionally, we highlight the need for the permanent employment of special education professionals in inclusive primary schools and advocate for changes in both general and special education teacher training to support the successful implementation of inclusive education.

Standardized assessment tools are essential for informed, data-driven decision-making. Reading speedily is a crucial early skill that all students should have the opportunity to develop in inclusive classrooms. To facilitate classroom-based reading diagnostics in this area of reading, we developed a flash reading test that reliably measures the performance of students with and without learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities. This test can be administered in the classroom and completed independently by students, taking only a few minutes, without requiring them to read aloud. The test is designed to provide an accurate assessment of the speed of lexical recall for all students. To evaluate the difficulty-generating-item characteristics of the new instrument, 400 primary and special school students participated in the test. The results indicate that students with low abilities and disabilities are particularly differentiated by the combination of a short display duration and short words. We provide information for test developers interested in designing similar assessments and teachers who can use this instrument to make informed decisions in the classroom.

Background: Computerised adaptive tests (CATs) are tests that provide personalised, efficient and accurate measurement while reducing testing time, depending on the desired level of precision. Schools have different types of assessments that can benefit from a significant reduction in testing time to varying degrees, depending on the area of application, but for which the loss of measurement accuracy has a different impact. The implementation of CAT can take several approaches, each of which can potentially affect the resulting test length and accuracy. Objectives: We compare the methods of estimation‐based CAT and binary‐search‐based CAT to determine the extent to which they are suitable for school assessment in terms of their length and accuracy. Methods: This study uses simulations based on empirical data from a cohort of pupils with and without special needs ( n = 400) to examine the effects of probabilistic estimation‐based CAT and deterministic binary‐search‐based CAT on the length and accuracy of an adaptive reading test for pupils with different ability levels. Results and Conclusions: Estimation‐based CAT leads to a 40% test reduction with an average accuracy of r = 0.96, while binary‐search‐based CAT leads to a test reduction of up to 88% with an average accuracy of r = 0.83. Both methods demonstrate the applicability of CAT in educational environments. Practical advantages and disadvantages of both methods for learning environments are discussed, as well as which method is best suited for specific assessment needs.