The idea of the "challenge" that is currently spreading in German schools is a rare example of a grassroots innovation process - at the bottom of the German school landscape. It is a direct diffusion of innovation between individual schools, driven by individuals in mainly self-organized networks, reinforced by reports in the radio and press.

The research project "Challenges" traces and analyzes this diffusion process of innovation in the German school landscape from its origins at the Winterhude district school in Hamburg and the Evangelische Schule Berlin Zentrum (ESBZ). To this end, guided interviews are conducted with project managers at the individual schools on questions of their own adaptation of the innovation idea and possible changes and adjustments. In particular, the innovation paths - the relevant actors and multipliers of the dissemination of the idea of "challenges" - will also be investigated.

In addition, both quantitative longitudinal and summative evaluative surveys will be conducted on the implementation of the idea of "challenges" at specific schools - in particular with a focus on the perceptions and effects on the part of the students (see research offer for schools with challenges). These studies are carried out in coordination with researchers from other universities, so that in the medium term a comprehensive data set is created that allows the "challenges" project to be examined in its various implementations and variants.

Student research work will also be incorporated into these comparative studies, particularly in the participatory observation of challenges in the role of accompanying persons.

Project team: Dr. Matthias Rürup (Bergische Universität Wuppertal), Prof. Dr. Kerstin Helker (CBS University of Applied Sciences Cologne), Dr. Michael Zimmer-Müller & Dirk Sponholz (RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau)