معرفی
Ellen Claes serves as Associate Professor at KU Leuven's Faculty of Social Sciences, holding multiple leadership roles including Head of Didactics in Social Sciences and Civic Education. She is actively affiliated with DigiSoc – KU Leuven Digital Society Institute, L-C&Y – KU Leuven Child & Youth Institute, and LIVO – KU Leuven Educational Research Institute.
Her research focuses on civic education, political socialization of youth, and diversity in educational settings. Key interests include political trust development among adolescents, teacher preparedness for culturally diverse classrooms, and educational tracking effects on citizenship competencies. Her work bridges political science and educational practice through mixed-methods approaches.
Recent publications reveal consistent thematic clusters:
- Political Engagement: Analysis of youth political trust across 15+ European countries and affective polarization in adolescence
- Educational Diversity: Teacher training for intercultural competence and classroom strategies for superdiverse societies
- Curriculum Innovation: Development of identity/diversity teaching resources for history and citizenship education
As principal investigator for major projects including 'Understanding Affective Polarization in Adolescence' (2025-2028) and 'Gender Stereotyping and Political Participation' (2024-2028), she secures substantial research funding. Her teaching portfolio covers civic education, youth vulnerability, and teacher preparation for diverse classrooms across multiple master's programs.
Claes leads the 'Voting and Democracy' research unit and contributes to institutional governance through the School of Education Advisory Committee and Faculty Council. Her work directly informs Flemish educational policy through curriculum development projects and national policy reports on the future of teaching professions.