The Research Group on Special Education for Learning Disabilities conducts research and teaching on learning and behavioral difficulties in children and adolescents in both school and non-school settings.
Our goal is to better understand the learning and developmental conditions of children and adolescents so that educational interventions and support services can be implemented more effectively. A central focus is the study of assessment approaches that are oriented toward conditions of growth and development and integrated into educational practice. To this end, the research group develops new diagnostic approaches and establishes psychometric models to evaluate their quality.
A second focus of the research group is the study of the classroom as a space for social interaction and its influence on mental health and social exclusion among school-aged children. This includes questions about the design of peer-to-peer interactions, the relationship between teachers and students, and how teacher behavior can be shaped to meet children's needs.
Workshop on Psychological Basic Needs and Mental Wellbeing
On December 10, 2025, together with the Working Group on School Pedagogy & Inclusive Education, we facilitated a professional development day on psychological basic needs and mental wellbeing with the "Kompass Schule".
With 30 educators, we discussed questions of autonomy, social relatedness, and competence experience at school, and worked on how these basic needs can be realized at the level of individual students, the classroom, and the school as a whole.
Project Meeting in Leiden
On 5–6 December 2025, members of our team (Jürgen Wilbert, Lena Wallmeyer und Theresa Steiner) visited Leiden University (NL) for an international project meeting.
Together with colleagues from Leibniz University Hannover (Moritz Börnert-Ringleb, Taina Gabriel) and the Leiden research group (Christine Espin, Jochanan Veerbeek, Anja Van der Voort, Bart Vogelaar, Chao Xiang), we discussed two main topics: decision-making processes in evaluating learning progress graphs and dynamic testing with a focus on behaviour.
From 21 to 22 November 2025, our working group participated in the autumn conference of the Arbeitsgruppe Empirische Sonderpädagogische Forschung (AESF) in Dortmund. The AESF is a scientific network that promotes the exchange of current research findings in the field of special education and organizes conferences twice a year on current topics in empirical special education research.
Presentation & Poster: Attitudes, Self-Concept of Ability, and Self-Efficacy of Teachers in Dealing with Internalizing Problems in Primary School Age Baer, E. & Wilbert, J.
This study examines the extent to which primary school teachers differ in their attitudes, self-concept of ability, and self-efficacy in the context of internalizing problems compared to learning difficulties. It also analyzes whether these characteristics differ between diagnostic and intervention-related tasks.
Poster: Systematic International Comparison of Support Structures for Learners with SEN - Initial Findings from German-Speaking Countries Steiner, T. M., Tabin, M., Ranzato, E., Gomez Merino, N., & Lüke, T.
As part of the international CASES project, a structured template was developed to systematically compare educational and support systems for students with special educational needs across countries. Initial findings reveal significant differences between German-speaking countries in the balance between mainstream and special schools, as well as in interprofessional collaboration.
[Link to poster/DOI: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14476.37761]
Poster: Learning Difficulties within a Dynamic Network: A Conceptual Approach from Measurement Theory Daniel, F. & Wilbert, J.
This project investigates learning difficulties from a network-theoretical perspective to illustrate the complex interrelations among cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social factors. The objective is to develop a conceptual framework that captures the dynamic interplay between symptoms and contextual conditions, as well as potential overlaps with behavioral difficulties.
Hosting the 5th ENPAIR Conference in Münster
On 12 and 13 September 2025, we hosted the 5th ENPAIR Conference (European Network on Psychoeducational Assessment, Intervention and Rehabilitation) in Münster, together with colleagues from Leibniz University Hannover. The conference was organized by [Jürgen Wilbert] und [Jannis Bosch] (University of Münster) with support from [Moritz Börnert-Ringleb] (Leibniz University Hannover).
The conference aimed to connect researchers from different disciplines and to discuss current research on psychoeducational assessment, intervention, and rehabilitation for people of all ages and ability levels with special educational needs. The keynotes were delivered by Prof. Dr. Dieter Baeyens (KU Leuven) and Prof. Dr. Elmar Souvignier (University of Münster). The complete Book of Abstracts with all contributions can be found here.
Our research group presented the following contributions:
The effectiveness of sound gestures in early literacy instruction for students with intellectual disabilities: A single case study
Tebbe, M., Wilbert, J., Barth, M., & Zurbriggen, C. L. A.
Using an adapted alternating treatments design, this study investigated whether direct instruction with sound gestures is more effective than without for students with intellectual disabilities. Results indicate that both interventions were effective, with the sound gesture condition producing slightly greater learning gains for most participants.
A Comprehensive Framework of Learning Disorders: An Adaption from the Network Theory of Psychopathology
Daniel, F. & Wilbert, J.
This study develops a comprehensive conceptual framework for learning disorders based on network theory of psychopathology. The framework integrates cognitive abilities, motivational and emotional processes, self-efficacy, and fundamental needs, aiming for universal applicability across different contexts.
Enhancing teachers' proficiency in the visual analysis of single-case graphs
Steiner, T. M., Bosch, J., Lüke, T., & Wilbert, J.
This study examined the effectiveness of video-based training in improving teachers' visual analysis skills when evaluating single-case graphs. Results show that the training led to a 16% reduction in misclassifications in critical conditions, particularly for graphs with pre-intervention data trends.
Theses (BA / MA)
The Department of Special Education: Learning offers supervision for Bachelor’s and Master’s theses.
All relevant information on topic selection, registration, supervision, writing, and submission can be found in our Learnweb course (in German). If you require information in English, please feel free to contact us directly.
Next information session: Thursday, 11 December 2025, 12:00–14:00 (the Zoom link will be provided on Learnweb).
![Steiner, T. M., Tabin, M., Ranzato, E., Gomez Merino, N., & Lüke, T. (2025, November). Systematischer internationaler Vergleich der Förderstrukturen für Lernende mit SEN - erste Erkenntnisse deutschsprachiger Länder [Systematic international comparison of support structures for learners with SEN – initial findings from German-speaking countries]. [Poster presentation]. AESF Autumn Conference, Dortmund, Germany. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14476.37761](/imperia/md/images/ew/fittosize_170_240_5ae6d9cd60ae6847c5fbd8bf5e89d53d_aesf_steiner_et_al__2025_.png)
