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Our Research on Lesson Study

Our scientific publications on Lesson Study and collaborative lesson development

https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2026.2615294
Menschen geben sich ein High Five
Photo: Freepik

Perceived Effects of Lesson Study after 5 years

This Mixed-Method-Study examines teachers' perceptions on Lesson Study following the first LemaS phase - a five-year project with 15 primary schools in Germany. The results show that Lesson Study was perceived as beneficial and was associated with a slight increase in teachers' motivation (e.g., self-efficacy).

 

Kalinowski, E., Kager, K., Bolli, S., Bucher, J. & Vock, M. (2026). What is gained from lesson study? German primary school teachers on outcomes and preconditions for implementation, Professional Development in Education, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2026.2615294 [Open Access]

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-10-2023-0138
Photo: freepik

Lesson Study in Germany – Trend or sustainable approach?

In this systematic review, we reconstruct the history and spread of Lesson Study as a method of cooperative teaching development in Germany. Analysis of 50 articles shows that Lesson Study arrived in the German school landscape in three phases. The method was not only adopted, but also further developed, for example through the learning activity curve approach.

 

Bucher, J., Kager, K. & Vock, M. (2024). A systematic review of the literature on lesson study in Germany : A professional development approach under the radar of research? International Journal for Lesson & Learning Studies, 13(5), 35–48. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-10-2023-0138 [Open Access]

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-02-2024-0043
Lesson Study - The Boardgame
Photo: LemaS-Team der Universität Potsdam

Lesson Study – The Game ...

A key factor in the success of Lesson Study is the attitude and motivation of the participants. This article presents the development and evaluation of a board game as an introduction to the method. The results show that the game-based format not only motivates participants, but also encourages them to continue working in depth in their own practice.

You can download the actual board game for free from this website here.

 

Kager, K., Bolli, S., Bucher, J., Kalinowski, E. & Vock, M. (2024). Lesson Study – The Game: designing a game-based professional development opportunity for teachers and teacher candidates. International Journal for Lesson & Learning Studies, 13(5), 105-119. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-02-2024-0043 [Open Access]

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-05-2024-0101
Photo: wayhomestudio auf Freepik

Establishing Lesson Study in schools for the long term ...

In this interview study, we asked ten teachers and school administrators how they experience the Lesson Study method in their everyday school life. The results show that there are a few obstacles on the path to successful implementation, but just as many creative strategies for overcoming them. The result is a compact guide with ten practical recommendations from teachers for teachers, designed to make it easier for you to get started with Lesson Study.

 

Vock, M., Bucher, J. & Kager, K. (2024). Challenges and solutions when implementing lesson study from the perspective of German primary schools. International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, 13(5), https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-05-2024-0101 [not Open Access]

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103683
Photo: freepik

Engaging in critical reflection together in Lesson Study – but how?

Critical reflection on student learning is crucial to the effectiveness of Lesson Study. In this mixed-methods study, we therefore analyze the reflection processes of four Lesson Study teams. The results reveal key roadblocks in the evaluation meetings as well as ways to overcome them in a targeted manner.

 

Kager , K., Jurczok, A., Bolli, S. & Vock, M. (2022). “We were thinking too much like adults”: Examining teacher learning in reflective group discussions in the lesson study process. Teaching and Teacher Education, 113, 103683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103683  [Open Access]

Bucher, J., Kager, K., Kim, J. & Vock, M. (2026). Lesson Study in its original context: exploring Japanese teachers’ perspectives on an export hit of the Japanese education system. Professional Development in Education, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2026.2682240 [Open Access]

Kager, K., Mynott, J. P. & Vock, M. (2023). A conceptual model for teachers’ continuous professional development through lesson study: Capturing inputs, processes, and outcomes. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 5, 100272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100272 [Open Access]

Kalinowski, E., Jurczok, A., Westphal, A. & Vock, M. (2022). Welche individuellen und institutionellen Faktoren begünstigen die Kooperation von Grundschullehrkräften? Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 25, 999–1029. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-022-01081-4 [Open Access]

Jakobeit, M., Westphal, A., Jurczok, A., Kager, K. & Vock, M. (2021). Welche schulischen Rahmenbedingungen sind für die Kooperation von Lehrkräften in Lesson-Study-Prozessen förderlich? Eine Clusteranalyse von Grundschulen im Rahmen des Forschungs- und Schulentwicklungsprojekts Leistung macht Schule (LemaS). Journal für Schulentwicklung, 2(21), 17-26.

Vock, M. & Jurczok, A. (2021). Im Team leistungsstarke Schüler/-innen besser wahrnehmen und effektiver fördern: Potenziale der Methode „Lesson Study“. SchulVerwaltung spezial, 4 (Begabtenförderung).

Jurczok, A., Kalinowski, E., Kager, K. & Vock, M. (2020). Was Lesson Study zur Schulkultur beitragen kann. Erfahrungen aus dem Projekt Leistung macht Schule. Schule leiten, 22, 28–29.

Our scientific publications on gifted education

https://elibrary.hogrefe.com/book/10.1026/02850-000
Photo: Freepik

Gifted Education Texbook

This book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the theoretical foundations of giftedness as well as diagnostic and support options. It is well suited for (self-)study and professional development. The second edition of the book includes current study results and new topics such as gender differences and supporting gifted children in regular classrooms. It also discusses the development of giftedness and the characteristics of gifted individuals. Of particular interest are the specific support options available in kindergarten and school.

 

Preckel, F. & Vock, M. (2020). Hochbegabung. Ein Lehrbuch zu Grundlagen, Diagnose, Fördermöglichkeiten (2. erweiterte Auflage). Hogrefe. [Purchase Copy]

https://www.hogrefe.com/de/shop/giftedness-and-talent-97540.html

Giftedness and Talent

The book answers common questions of professionals and trainees, presents the state-of-art of theory, research and practice and explores the characteristics of gifted students. It is an ideal textbook for self-study or those training to become a professional. This book is of interest to child psychologists and psychiatrists, educational and school psychologists, educators, and students.

 

Preckel, F., Vock, M. & Olszewski-Kubilius (2024). Giftedness and Talent. What Educators and Psychologists Need To Know. Hogrefe. [Purchase Copy]

Bolli, S., Lazarides, R., Westphal, A. & Vock, M. (2024) Exploring the heterogeneous development of intrinsic value in language arts among scondary school students through growth mixture modelling. Learning and Individual Differences, 115, 102544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102544 [Open Access]

Kalinowski, E., Westphal, A., Jurzock, A. & Vock, M. (2024). The essential role of teacher self-efficacy and enthusiasm for differentiated instruction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 148, 104663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104663 [Open Access]

Mack, E., Gnas, J., Vock, M. & Preckel, F. (2023). The domain-specificity of elementary school teachers’ diagnostic competencies. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 72, 102142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.102142 [Open Access]

Neuendorf, C., Jansen, M., Kuhl, P. & Vock, M. (2022). Wer ist leistungsstark? Operationalisierung von Leistungsstärke in der empirischen Bildungsforschung seit dem Jahr 2000. Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Psychologie, 37(1-2), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1024/1010-0652/a000343 [Open Access]

Vock, M., Kretschmann, J., Westphal, A. & Gronostaj, A. (2022). Wie bewerten begabte und leistungsstarke Jugendliche in separaten Spezialklassen ihren Unterricht? Unterrichtsqualität in Deutsch und Mathematik in der Sekundarstufe. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 25, 1151-1173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-022-01118-8 (https://rdcu.be/cTIUH) [Open Access]

Preckel, F., Golle, J., Grabner, R., Jarvin, L., Kozbelt, A., Müllensiefen, D., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Subotnik, R., Schneider, W., Vock, M. & Worrell, F. C. (2020). Talent development in achievement domains: A psychological framework for within- and cross-domain research. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(3), 691-722. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619895030 [Open Access]

Wagner, G. & Vock, M. (2020). Mildly gifted students and their primary school per-formance in mathematics. Online Journal for Research and Education, 13, 1-24. [Open Access]

Westphal, A., Vock, M. & Stubbe, T. (2017). Grade skipping from the perspective of teachers in Germany: The links between teachers’ decisions, acceptance, and per-ceived knowledge. Gifted Child Quarterly, 61(1), 73-86. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986216670727 [Open Access]

Gronostaj, A., Vock, M. & Pant, H. A. (2016). Skip a grade, learn more? Estimating effects of grade skipping on gifted students’ language skills using Propensity Score Matching. Learning and Individual Differences, 49, 278-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.05.022 [Open Access]

Gronostaj, A., Werner, E., Bochow, E. & Vock, M. (2016). How to learn things at school you don’t already know – Experiences of gifted grade skippers in Germany. Gifted Child Quarterly, 60(1), 31–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986215609999 [Open Access]

Kretschmann, J., Vock, M., Lüdtke, O. & Gronostaj, A. (2016). Skipping to the bigger pond: Examining gender differences in students' psychosocial development after early acceleration. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 46, 195–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2016.06.001 [Open Access]

Westphal, A., Gronostaj, A., Vock, M., Emmrich, R. & Harych, P. (2016). Differenzierung im gymnasialen Mathematik- und Deutschunterricht – vor allem bei guten Diagnostiker/innen und in heterogenen Klassen? Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 62(1), 131-148. https://doi.org/10.25656/01:16709 [Open Access]