Why do children draw?
Initially hesitant, but as the evening progressed, the children accompanied by their parents made their way to seminar room 1 on the first floor of the Ágnes-Heller-Haus. Prof Claudia Scheid and student assistant Janina Eisenrieder were already waiting for them there with wax crayons and paper. The young science enthusiasts got started and ended up infecting their older companions as well. Together, young and old put their experiences on paper in the form of drawings. Prof Scheid then explained what can be investigated using children's drawings.
Theory formation explained in practice
One room further on in seminar room 2, on the other hand, Guido Thaler awaited interested parties for a workshop. The participants took on the role of researchers and tried to develop a theory together with Guido Thaler in a group discussion about why they themselves took part in the Long Night of Research. Contrary to the workshop leader's expectations, more "older" young people (aged 18 and over) and fewer "young" young people attended. Interest and curiosity played a greater role in the visit to the Long Night of Research than the search for orientation for the right degree programme. The process in this short workshop allowed the participants to experience the scientific process of qualitative social research at first hand.
Students present their research work
How does the political self-efficacy of young people change over short periods of time? How do students with family or child(ren) perceive the compatibility of studying and family at the University of Innsbruck? How do the educational biographies of students who are the first in their family to attend university develop? To what extent is the habitualisation process of these students characterised by conflicts? These are just a few of the research questions that students from the faculty have addressed in their Bachelor's and master's theses. As at "real" academic conferences, the students were available to answer questions from the audience in a "poster session". Scientific posters present the research question or research interest, the research results and the way to get there in a short and concise manner. Students in particular, who still have to write their theses themselves, found their way to seminar room 9 to find out how to actually do "that"; how to come up with the idea, how to develop this idea further and which methods can be used to address the research question.
Information on the contributions on the "Long Night of Research" page: