Prof. Dr. phil. Andrea G. Eckhardt completed her habilitation at the Faculty of Human Sciences at the Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg with Prof. Dr. phil. Hans-Günter Roßbach, former Chair of Elementary and Family Education, with the cumulative habilitation thesis "Qualitätssicherung und -entwicklung von Angeboten Frühkindlicher Bildung, Betreuung und Erziehung ( FBBE)" (Quality assurance and development of early childhood education and care services ) and received the teaching qualification for the subject "Empirical educational research". Her current publications examine the quality of childcare for children under the age of three in daycare facilities and childminders. You can find more information about her and her research interests on the following website. The Public Relations Office conducted an interview with the habilitated professor.

Dear Professor Eckhardt, congratulations on your habilitation. Can you briefly outline your topic?

In eastern Germany, around 50% of all children under the age of 3 attend a daycare center or daycare for children; for children over the age of 3, the figure is as high as 96%. Children are particularly well supported in their development when the quality of the educational processes in childcare is high. In my habilitation, I am therefore investigating the quality of educational processes in child daycare and childminding.

What inspired or fascinated you about this topic? What were the particular challenges?

Early childhood education has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. Initially, the focus was on expanding childcare facilities. However, it has also become increasingly clear that, in addition to the number of places, good quality care must be guaranteed. Some of the conditions that influence the quality of childcare are already well known from studies, while others have not yet been researched to any great extent. In particular, the quality of care for children under the age of 3 is a field of research that has received little attention to date. I am particularly interested in the question of the conditions under which children can grow up and develop well in daycare and childminding.

It was a particular challenge for me to find the time to conduct intensive research alongside my teaching work. For my articles, I was mainly able to draw on data from previous research projects.

You have been working as a professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences since 2011. What impact has your habilitation had on your teaching activities at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences?

In order to strengthen the quality of the early childhood education and care system, degree courses have been set up throughout Germany, including the Childhood Education course at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. My research is directly incorporated into my teaching activities: on the one hand, by incorporating theories and concepts that form the basis of my research into my teaching, and on the other, by discussing research findings in my courses.

Your habilitation qualifies you to teach "Empirical Educational Research". Can you briefly explain what this means?

Empirical educational research is located at the intersection of the disciplines of education, sociology and psychology. It examines how educational processes take place. This can involve the educational processes of children in daycare centers and schools as well as those of adults in education, training and further education. A central question is also what effects educational measures have on the acquisition of skills.

Will this area become part of your teaching canon with immediate effect?

Here, too, there is already a close link between research and teaching. Theoretical concepts from education and sociology are the subject of my teaching, as are methods of empirical social research, which students acquire on the Childhood Education course. Students also have the opportunity to work on research projects.

How did you find a balance during the stressful phases of work?

That is certainly always a challenge. It is important to me to consciously plan time with my family, e.g. joint excursions.