Kirsten Berthold

Prof. Dr. Kirsten Berthold is a Professor of Educational Psychology at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Psychology and Sport Science, Department of Psychology, where she leads Unit 13 - Educational Psychology. Her institutional roles include being a Deputy Member of the BiSEd Conference (Bielefeld School of Education) and an Institute Member at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Conflict and Violence Research. She serves as module responsible for Educational Psychology (27-AFNF-Paed), Learning and Development (27-BiWi3), and Psychology for Schools (27-BiWi3_ISP).

Prof. Berthold's research focuses on educational psychology with particular emphasis on learning processes in digital environments. Her work investigates how retrospective prompts, video tutorials, and journal writing can enhance learning outcomes. She explores cognitive mechanisms like retrieval practice, self-explanation, and metacognitive monitoring in educational contexts, with applications spanning vocational training, higher education, and school psychology.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2023-2025) reveals consistent research themes centered on optimizing learning protocols through strategic prompting. Her work demonstrates that retrospective note prompts significantly enhance learning from video tutorials, with particular effectiveness in technical education contexts. She has made substantial contributions to understanding the differential effects of cognitive versus metacognitive prompts, showing that cognitive prompts generally outperform metacognitive ones in enhancing comprehension and knowledge transfer. Her research on retrieval practice has established that repeated testing produces superior long-term retention compared to repeated learning protocols, with important implications for educational practice.

Within the university structure, Prof. Berthold contributes to the PINC (Processes of Innovation and Creativity) research focus area, which examines individual, interactive, and collective creative action across various domains. Her work bridges educational psychology with broader university initiatives on innovation in teaching and learning. She maintains an active research program with numerous recent publications in top educational psychology journals, demonstrating consistent productivity and scholarly impact in her field.