The sports scientist wants to overcome the long-established focus on performance—at least in elementary school classrooms. Today, she says, the focus must be on what’s known as “multi-perspectivity.” This means that in addition to performance, health, creativity, physical experience, risk-taking, and cooperation also play a role. To find out to what extent this principle, as required in the curriculum, is already being implemented in practice, she conducted a questionnaire survey among physical education teachers in Brandenburg.
She is writing her PhD dissertation in the department of “Sports Didactics with a Focus on the Elementary Level.” In addition to her part-time position at the university, she works another half-time position at the “Neue Grundschule Marquardt,” a private elementary school. “It’s important to me to also gain practical experience at a school in addition to my academic work at the university with an eye toward a future professorship in didactics.”
She specifically chose this school after spending a semester at a German school abroad in Geneva. “I think the multilingual aspect is so cool.” The school in Marquardt offers five hours of English starting in first grade, and French and Spanish starting in third grade. And she’s lucky. “The school is very open to the fact that I’m pursuing my doctorate and also have another job.” So she teaches there during the first half of the week, leaving the second half for her university studies.
Born in Berlin, she grew up in eastern Brandenburg and became interested in a career in teaching at an early age. “When we had to research universities in 8th grade, I read that the University of Potsdam has a good teacher-training program. That’s when I decided I would study here.” Because she coached children in Rhönrad gymnastics in Strausberg, she knew early on that she wanted to focus on teaching young children.
Tina Kowalzik studied mathematics and physical education: “Math because I struggled with arithmetic in elementary school and wanted to prove to myself that I could still do it,” she says laughing. “And I was never very good at sports either. But I enjoyed teaching the kids.” Starting in 9th grade, she trained for three years to pass the physical education aptitude test. “That’s why I didn’t take a break between high school graduation and college. And I’m very happy with my math-sports combination.” Math may have a bad reputation among kids, “but if you’re also a physical education teacher, they think it’s great. You have a completely different way of connecting with them.”
The programs offered by the Potsdam Graduate School helped her during her doctoral studies. “When I started working with my junior professor, Esther Pürgstaller, it was just the two of us—there was no one else who was currently pursuing a doctorate.” She therefore participated in the PoGS doctoral coaching program for a year, attended workshops, and got to know like-minded people.
Since then, she has served as one of two volunteers on the PoGS PhD candidate representation. “Up until now, PhD students at the University of Potsdam have always fallen a bit under the radar,” she criticizes. That has changed: “Anyone who googles us can get help if something isn’t working out with their advisor, the doctoral office, or funding.” Kowalzik has also advocated for establishing such a representation at the university itself starting in 2026, with two representatives from each faculty.
The PhD student is full of praise for the PoGS: “It has something to offer for everyone, whether it’s writing, publishing, or science communication.” However, you need time to take advantage of it. “Only PhD students with full-time positions can usually do that. And that’s quite rare.”
Tina Kowalzik hopes to finish by the age of 28. By then, she will have spent six years on her dissertation. In the long term, she envisions a professorship, as she enjoys making an academic impact. She plans to present the findings of her dissertation to the Brandenburg Ministry of Education to supplement the framework curriculum and improve instruction. “Why don’t some teachers adopt a multi-perspective approach? What bothers them about it? What are the challenges?” These are just small details, she says modestly. “But it’s about how we can support teachers.”
More information on Potsdam Graduate School (PoGS): https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/pogs/connect/20-jahre-pogs
This article appeared in the university magazine Portal - Eins 2026 „Inklusion“.