Catrin Heite

Prof. Dr. Catrin Heite is a Professor of Educational Science with a focus on Social Pedagogy at the University of Zurich’s Institute of Educational Science (IfE). She also held a professorship at Leuphana University Lüneburg (2011–2012). Her expertise spans social pedagogy’s theoretical foundations, professionalization, childhood research, welfare state transformations, social inequality, and gender studies. She co-edits the journal soziale passagen and serves on the editorial board of the Austrian Yearbook of Social Work. Her research emphasizes interdisciplinary and international perspectives, addressing societal challenges through critical analysis and applied foundational research. She supervises doctoral students and teaches courses on social pedagogy, qualitative methods, and educational theory. Key projects include the WoKidS initiative exploring children’s well-being in German-speaking Switzerland and studies on recognition theory in social work.

Education & Academic Career:

• Habilitation in Educational Science (2011), Bielefeld University
• Doctorate in Educational Science (2007), Bielefeld University
• Postdoctoral Researcher in the Graduate School Youth Welfare in Transition (2007–2008)

Research Interests: Prof. Heite’s work critically examines social pedagogy’s role in addressing inequality, welfare state dynamics, and children’s agency. Her studies often involve empirical analyses of social transformation, including gender dynamics, migration, and childhood well-being. Recent projects focus on ethical reflexivity in child research and participatory methodologies.

Teaching & Academic Engagement: Courses include Social Pedagogy: Education and Upbringing in the Social Context and Qualitative Methods. She fosters international collaboration, including agreements with Dresden University for student exchanges. Her public lectures address topics like social reproduction and the societal role of social work.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Chair of Social Pedagogy at UZH, coordinating interdisciplinary research and doctoral supervision. Key projects like WoKidS involve multi-institutional collaborations to study child well-being and societal structures.