Lea Schäfer

Dr. Lea Schäfer is an academic staff member at the Institute of Educational Science, Pädagogische Hochschule Schwäbisch Gmünd, specializing in Primary Education. She holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2019) and a Diplom in Educational Science, Psychology, and Psychosocial Medicine from Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (2009). Her academic roles include positions at Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg (as Visiting Professor for Inclusive Education Research) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Her research focuses on:

• Inclusive education systems and institutional change
• International comparative studies of inclusive practices
• Diversity, discrimination, and intersectionality in schools
• Sexualized violence prevention in educational settings
• Special education professionalism and teacher competencies

Schäfer's publications predominantly explore comparative inclusive education frameworks, institutional transformations in Spain and Germany, and teacher belief systems. Recent works emphasize policy implementation challenges and participatory methodologies in disadvantaged schools.

She coordinates the DFG-funded scientific network Inclusive Education in International Comparison (2020-2024) involving researchers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Her current project examines participatory structures for students with learning disabilities in socially disadvantaged primary schools.

Additional roles include academic service as module coordinator, internship supervisor, and developer of guidelines for scientific writing at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. She maintains memberships in the German Educational Research Association (DGfE) and German University Association (DHV).