Sociology in Practice: Scientific Coordinator of the German National Report on Education

• In Event: 1523 - Practice Symposium Roundtables
  In Informal Discussion Roundtable: Table 4: Working in Interdisciplinary Teams

Abstract

The German National Report on Education is a 360-page encompassing analysis of the German education system. My role as a scientific coordinator is threefold. On one hand, I coordinate the scientific activities around the preparation of the report. Eight institutes are involved in creating the report over a two-year period. Coordination is therefore not always of scientific nature but sociological knowledge of networks and hierarchies can be helpful to streamline and organize a project of this size. On the other hand I do my own research, analyze and write about the education yields but also about the overall trends in the German education system. Finally, part of my work is the transfer of our findings to the public, NGOs and politics.

Being a sociologist coordinating the German National Report on Education is not far from coordinating a project at a university. Yet it has its unique challenges that many sociologists face when working in an interdisciplinary and nationwide project that is not research driven. My sociological perspective and methodology help me to handle the challenges that come with the role as scientific coordinator but also raise new challenges. One exemplary challenge specific to the National Report on Education is that it is mainly written by educationalists who view the education system differently than a sociologist does. Here, my sociological training helps me to keep the educational system in focus and to redirect the discussions to the essentials. A downside to working in practice in combination with a self-conception as sociologist is the time constraint.

Overall, the task as a scientific coordinator is diverse with a lot of challenges and rewards. I would enjoy presenting those to my professional community of sociologists.

Author

• Jessica Ordemann, DIPF