In the Master of Arts in Art Education at the ZHdK, a significant part of the curriculum is to provide courses that teach competency in education-related research. The model of the “practitioner as researcher” (Donald Schön) and the approach of action and team-based research is taken as a starting point. Thereby, students are introduced to various approaches and processes of research methodology. They subsequently develop a research design on a specific issue that they implement as part of their research placement at a school. The fostering of a positive disposition towards research is intended to enable the students to reflect on and develop their own teaching as well as the subject taught.
In the specialization Theatre Pedagogy in the Bachelor of Arts, students gain familiarity with scientific research practices in the field of art. Depending on the topic of their Bachelor’s thesis, they present their findings in writing. In addition, they develop a research-focused perspective towards their own educational practice and theatre pedagogy pertaining to various institutional contexts.