Onderzoeksprojecten Academica University of Applied Sciences

Lifelong learning concerns us all. In a rapidly changing world, learning is our starting point. The complexity and interdependence of government, civil society, and the business sector calls for an integrated approach. In this context, Academica is shaping a new segment of educational offerings: robust, accredited, blended, modular training at higher vocational (HBO) level for outstanding professionals, aimed at creating added value.

Academica is an accredited institute of higher education. “Knowledge precedes skills” is the design principle guiding all our educational activities. We provide high-quality, evidence-informed education and professional development programs.

65 educational programs
1 MBA, 2 Masters
More than 2000 students per year
12 researchers in total

Research for Impact’s vision is to achieve sustainable school development in which research is closely intertwined with educational practice. Through research, Academica University of Applied Sciences will contribute to the further professionalization and improvement of educational quality. Research for Impact’s unique strength is that it not only focuses on effectiveness (evidence-informed and research-informed across various domains, including cognitive psychology), but also on what is just (ethics and law). This combination ensures a special interpretation of sustainability, which is a fundamental value and driving force behind our work.
With our practice-based research, guided by leading professors, we collaborate with school boards, principals, teachers, and communities to achieve sustainable improvements in educational practice—from the boardroom to the classroom.

We always start from a specific question arising from the educational field. Together with schools, educational and research institutions, we conduct research in which we develop evidence-informed interventions that perfectly match the specific context of each school or program. We do this in collaboration with primary schools, secondary schools, and vocational secondary schools), focusing on a wide range of topics, such as effective learning, didactics, educational ethics, pedagogical issues (e.g., labeling), professional learning communities, school culture, educational leadership, parent engagement, citizenship education, democratic culture, behavior, and more.

YOUROPE (Horizon Grant)

Research leaders: Professor Laurence Guérin and Javid Jafarov

Visionary Roadmaps: Crafting an Inclusive and Participatory European Democracy with Youth and Communities – Youth for Europe / YOUROPE

Main objectives:
This project aims to demonstrate the efficacy of the 'Community-Led Research and Action (CLRA)' methodology to foster democratic spaces and engender concomitant roadmaps to inclusive European policymaking with especially underrepresented young citizens and their communities. This is crucial for crafting robust and resilient future scenarios, enabling Europe to effectively respond to rapidly evolving societal contexts, a multitude of internal and global challenges, and shifting power dynamics. This action develops these roadmaps through a progressive, large-scale engagement with especially underrepresented young citizens and their communities, recognizing that youth-led participation is a strategic objective for the European Union. To achieve this goal, this action sets out to examine the effectiveness of the innovative 'Community-Led Research and Action (CLRA)' methodology in creating and nurturing democratic spaces within educational settings. It will also examine how these efforts can contribute to the development of sustainable and inclusive democratic roadmaps, extending from local democratic spaces to the level of European policymaking. This initiative is designed to bolster the long-term inclusive participation of young people and their communities, especially those from underrepresented groups, in efforts to create a more inclusive, resilient and representative European democracy.

Website YOUROPE

Parental involvement

Research leader: Professor Peter de Vries

Research Project 1: Effective School Leadership in Collaborating with ParentsThis project aims to investigate how school leaders can best foster collaboration between schools and parents. In close consultation with the principal, it explores what the existing body of scientific literature reveals about effective leadership in parent-school collaboration, how colleagues and parents perceive the principal’s current leadership approach, and what specific measures the principal can take to reduce stress and improve job satisfaction—even in challenging situations. Through this research, the project seeks to generate insights that empower school leaders to develop and sustain constructive partnerships with parents, ultimately contributing to a more supportive and engaged educational environment.

Research Project 2: Efficient Collaboration with ParentsFocusing on strategies for efficient parent-school collaboration, this project examines both home-based and school-based forms of parental involvement. It investigates which approaches are already in use at the school, how these are perceived by students, teachers, and parents, which activities may be overly burdensome or unproductive for teachers, and what new collaborative practices could be implemented to maximize perceived benefits. By exploring these questions, the project helps schools refine their approach to engaging parents, reduce unnecessary strain on teachers, and enhance overall educational outcomes.

Buurtmavo

Research leader: Professor Laurence Guérin in collaboration with The Hague University of Applied Sciences

Progresso, a secondary school and Foundation Saaam have joined forces to pursue community wealth building in order to give the students of Lumion and Calandlyceum a stronger starting position in society. We are convinced that the mothers of the students represent a source of (undiscovered) potential and talent. That is why we have formed a micro-alliance that draws on the involvement of mothers to help increase prosperity and well-being in and around both schools. This research project focusses on the Buurtmavo project, for which Academica has developed a homework support program. This research project investigates how the homework support program contributes to expanding social networks and improving the economic position of the mothers participating.

Behavior in Crisis in Education: Scope of the Problem and Consequences for Educational Quality

Research leaders: Professor Tom Bennett and Professor Orhan Agirdag

Visionary This exploratory study investigates the significance of classroom behavior, focusing on how disruptive conduct impacts learning outcomes, school belonging, and the teacher shortage in Dutch secondary education. Although these aspects have received limited attention in the Netherlands, recent PISA and TIMSS findings highlight the need to address them more thoroughly. Large-scale data indicate that behavioral issues exert considerable influence not only on students’ academic performance but also on the broader educational climate. By comparing the Dutch context with data from England, the research underscores the urgency of tackling these challenges. In addition, it offers practical, evidence-based approaches to mitigate the negative effects of disruptive behavior. These findings aim to inform educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders about strategies to foster higher educational quality and a more positive school environment.

Accessibility of Higher Education

Research leader for Academica: Professor Laurence Guérin in collaboration with the Foundation VISIO, The Hague University of Applied Sciences and The University of Utrecht of Applied Sciences

Despite progress in assistive technology for people with visual impairments, their labor force participation remains significantly lower than the general population. This gap contributes to high societal costs, mostly due to reduced productivity. Beyond difficulties in finding or keeping a job, many visually impaired people work fewer hours or in positions for which they are overqualified. Education level is a key predictor of employment, yet even with existing legal frameworks (e.g., the UN Convention, EAA, Marrakesh Treaty), institutions and organizations often fail to meet accessibility requirements, leaving these individuals’ theoretical right to study and work unmet in practice. The primary objective of this research project is to improve access to higher education for partially sighted and blind students. This particularly applies to (vocational) programs that, due to the nature of the profession—such as physical therapy or teacher training (PABO)—are not automatically accessible to partially sighted and blind students.

Prof. dr. Laurence Guérin Dean School of Education & Society

Sinds januari 2024 is Laurence Guérin dean van de School of Education and Society van Academica. Tevens is zij professor Burgerschap. Als nevenfunctie is ze lid van de Raad van Toezicht van het ROC Midden Nederland en bestuurslid van het Rathenau Instituut. Sinds 2019 was zij lector Wereldburgerschap aan De Haagse Hogeschool. En van 2017 tot 2023 was ze practor Burgerschap bij het ROC van Twente. Hiervoor was zij senior onderzoeker bij Saxion Hogeschool in Deventer en assistent professor bij de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.

Prof. Orhan Agirdag Professor School of Education & Society

Orhan Agirdag richt zich met zijn onderzoek op maatschappelijke thema’s in het onderwijs, waarbij de nadruk ligt op lerarenopleidingen, meertaligheid en digitalisering. Naast zijn werkzaamheden bij Academica werkt Orhan als professor aan de KU Leuven en als docent aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam. Verder is hij kroonlid bij de Onderwijsraad.

Gastprofessor Tom Bennett Gastprofessor School of Education & Society

Tom is oprichter en directeur van ResearchED, heeft vele boeken op zijn naam staan (o.a. Running the Room: The Teacher’s Guide to Behaviour) en is adviseur op het gebied van gedrag voor het departement Onderwijs in het Verenigd Koninkrijk. Tom zal zich samen met de beroepspraktijk en ons (onderzoeks)team inzetten voor onze missie: een beter leven door beter onderwijs.

Prof dr. Jim Heal Professor School of Leadership & Sustainability

Prof. dr. Jim Heal works as a professor of Educational Leadership at Academica. He brings more than 20 years of experience in education as a teacher, school principal, researcher and writer. He currently works as Director of Impact Academy at Deans for Impact, a national nonprofit that partners with universities across the United States to integrate principles of cognitive science into teacher education. He also works as an assistant professor at Harvard University. Previously, he was Director of Practice at Research Schools International at Harvard University, where he worked to connect research and practice at the school and systems level. Jim holds a master's degree in School Leadership and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Jim is co-author of "How Teaching Happens."

Prof. dr. Carl Hendrick Professor School of Leadership & Sustainability

Prof. dr. Carl Hendrick works as a professor of evidence-informed learning and teaching at Academica where he focuses on bridging the gap between research and practice. He was a secondary English teacher for 18 years in a range of different contexts and he completed his PhD in education at King’s College London. He is the a.o co-author of 2 very best sellings and prize-winning books in education: How Learning Happen with Paul Kirschner and How Teaching Happens with Paul Kirschner and Jim Heal. The latter was recently translated into Dutch.

Gastprofessor Anthony Muhammad Gastprofessor School of Education & Society

Anthony Muhammad, a highly sought-after consultant with nearly two decades of experience, has held various roles in education, including middle school teacher, assistant principal, and principal at both middle and high school levels. His approach to Transforming School Culture delves into the underlying reasons for staff resistance to change. During his tenure as a practitioner, Dr. Muhammad has been honored with numerous awards for his outstanding contributions as both a teacher and a principal. Notably, as principal of Levey Middle School in Southfield, Michigan, recognized as a National School of Excellence, he led a remarkable turnaround, doubling student proficiency on state assessments within five years. Utilizing the Professional Learning Communities at Work™ process for school improvement, Dr. Muhammad and the Levey staff have been highlighted in various media as a model of high-performing PLC. As a prolific researcher, Dr. Muhammad has contributed articles to esteemed publications in the United States and Canada. His latest book, "The Way Forward," which draws on the foundational work of Dufour and Dufour in the PLC at Work movement, has gained worldwide acclaim for its inspirational insights. Dr. Anthony Muhammad has recently joined Academica as a professor specializing in PLCs and school culture, adding his expertise to our esteemed team.

Gastprofessor of. dr. Daniel Muijs Strategisch adviseur

Daniel Muijs is een gerenommeerd onderzoeker op het gebied van leren en didactiek. Hij is werkzaam als professor of Education & Head van de School voor Social Sciences, Education and Social Work aan de Queen’s University in Belfast. Eerder was hij werkzaam als Dean van de School voor Education & Society van Academica. Specialiteiten: onderwijsonderzoek, leading schools en effectieve pedagogie.

Prof. Dr. Piet van der Ploeg Professor School of Education & Society

Als Lector (onderzoeker) Pedagogiek en Filosofie van onderwijs, opvoeding en jeugdzorg houdt Piet van de Ploeg zich bezig met de bevordering van de oordeelkundigheid van professionals in educatieve en pedagogische contexten. Verder ontwikkelt en verzorgt hij cursussen, trainingen en opleidingen. Piet is daarnaast hoofddocent Onderwijs- en Wetenschapsfilosofie aan de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Voorheen werkte hij onder meer als Lector Daltononderwijs aan de Saxion en als hoofddocent aan de Universiteit Utrecht.

Gastprofessor Christine Rubie-Davies Gastprofessor School of Education & Society

Christine Rubie-Davies heeft haar sporen verdiend in het onderwijs, zowel in het lesgeven als in het onderzoek. Ze werkte 20 jaar in het basisonderwijs voordat ze hoogleraar werd aan de Universiteit van Auckland, waar ze nu ook nog werkzaam is als hoogleraar. Tot op heden heeft zij bijna 150 boeken, artikelen en hoofdstukken gepubliceerd over de (hoge) verwachtingen van leraren, waaronder "Becoming a High Expectation Teacher-Raising the Bar" (2014). Christine is een gerenommeerde onderzoeker en spreker-zowel in Nieuw-Zeeland als internationaal. Zij werd in 2023 benoemd tot Lid in de Orde van Verdienste van Nieuw-Zeeland voor haar diensten aan het onderwijs.

Prof. Peter de Vries Professor School en Ouders

Peter verdiept zich al 20 jaar in school en ouders. Bij CPS ontwikkelde hij 'Ouderbetrokkenheid 3.0'. In zijn PhD-onderzoek aan de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen bestudeert hij de benodigde competenties voor leraren in samenwerking met ouders. Hij schreef meer dan tien boeken over dit thema.

Gastprofessor Dr. Laura Batstra Gastprofessor School of Education & Society

Research projects

Research project office team

Research for Impact

Ongoing research projects

YOUROPE (Horizon Grant)

Parental involvement

Buurtmavo

Behavior in Crisis in Education: Scope of the Problem and Consequences for Educational Quality

Starting research projects

PhD Research on High Expectation

PhD Research on Citizenship Education in Vocational Education

Upcoming research projects

Accessibility of Higher Education

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