Overcoming the ivory tower: Transfer and societal responsibility as crucial aspects of the Bildung-Psychology approach

Abstract

Strong evidence indicates the importance of successful education for individuals as well as for society as a whole; however, evidence-based knowledge from educational psychology is frequently not (successfully) transferred to decision-makers and practitioners. Besides, there is an increasing demand for transfer of academic knowledge in general to help resolve diverse societal challenges – codified as the obligation of universities to perform a Third Mission. This paper aims to demonstrate Bildung-Psychology’s contribution to successful knowledge transfer. Two examples from Bildung-Psychology illustrate how teaching and research activities can contribute to fulfilling universities’ Third Mission. By localizing these activities within the structure model of Bildung-Psychology, we aim to depict how this framework may serve as a role model for other scientific fields to build a firm basis for successful transfer.

Keywords:

• Transfer
• education
• Bildung-Psychology
• Third Mission
• university