Gerlind Große

Gerlind Große is a Research Professor for Early Childhood Studies at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam and leads the interdisciplinary PINA Research Laboratory. She is deeply involved in applied and basic research focused on early childhood education, social-emotional development, and pedagogical architecture. As Head of the Master's programme in Early Childhood Studies, she contributes to academic leadership via roles in the Faculty Council and Senate.

Her research bridges developmental psychology and educational practice, with projects like BIKA (Participation in Daycare Everyday Life), NAWII (natural science interest in early education), and INSO (inclusive social space development). She emphasizes emotion regulation, language-emotion interplay, and pedagogical interaction quality, yielding publications on emotion vocabulary, analog/digital play, and teacher-child dynamics.

Recent publications highlight trends in educational psychology, cognitive development, and social-emotional learning. Collaborative work with teams at the University of Potsdam, Freie Universität Berlin, and international institutions underscores her interdisciplinary approach. Projects often intersect with public policy, such as the Babyhelfer App for parental mental health support and the BeoKiz initiative for daycare documentation.

As head of PINA, she integrates research across domains like inclusive schools, peer interaction, and developmental assessment. Funding from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs and partnerships with institutions like ASH Berlin and the University of Graz reflect her commitment to practice transfer and systemic educational reform.