Like many western societies, Germany is mired in a democratic crisis. For years now it is coping with rising populism, social inequality and a deep mistrust of political institutions. But the threat of fragmentation can be perceived not just in political and public life, it also affects the self-conception of educational research, scrutinizing especially the relationship between institutional education and democratic values (Andresen 2018; Oelkers 2010). Challenges, goals and possibilities of educational institutions are under consideration and discussed with the demands on the educational system concerning a democratic coexistence in a preventive, socialising and educational way, thereby contributing to increase equal opportunities for all. As a consequence, professional practice and politics react by implementing pedagogical initiatives and concepts, which are dealing with "democracy learning" or "democracy education", mainly pursuing participation, educational involvement and inclusion (Neumann et al. 2019; Richter et al. 2017; Prengel 2016; Albers/Ritter 2016). Nevertheless, empirical studies on the implementation processes of democratic educational concepts and their effects in childcare practice as well as thematically relevant assessments of children are still missing. Even though evaluation studies, which are explicitly linked to the implementation of various practical projects and their specific concepts, (e.g. Richter et al. 2017, Edelstein/Fauser 2001), mainly provide project-specific findings and do not reveal the basic issue. All in all emerging studies demonstrate, that participation formats often require competencies, such as verbal expression, understanding of rules or social negotiation, which children accomplish differently due to their social background (Neumann et al. 2019, Lokhande 2016). Therefore, participation formats, such as children's conferences or voting procedures, do not guarantee, that children receive self-efficacy.

Focusing the german early childhood education and care institutions, the research project BilDe examines on the one hand whether and how democratic education is framed in terms of education policy and curriculum and how it is implemented in childcare practice: Which meanings and concepts of democratic education shape the policy papers (policy curriculum)? Which guiding principles concerning democratic education get developed on the programmatic level (programmatic curriculum)? And which code of practice leads the educational experts (enacted curriculum)? On the second hand, the key aspects of the project are researching the conditions that create inclusive and equitable experiences and figuring out the impact of involvement concerning social inequality or discrimination. The empirical questions of the project are therefore: How do educational experts create their schedule? How do they act in their daily routine? And finally what are the experiences, that gain children in the educational process?  

As various research issues are investigated, different survey and evaluation methods are required. To answer the questions asked, case studies will be conducted in 12 kindergartens (approx. 120 professionals and approx. 400 children), distributed over three to five federal states in Germany, using different survey approaches. In order to explore how democratic education is developed, legitimised and conceptually framed in the sampled kindergartens, the educational programmes of the participating federal states as well as the concepts of the participating institutions and reference concepts dealing with democratic education are evaluated within content analysis (Kuckartz 2012). In order to collect data concerning the attitudes and orientations of the pedagogical staff on the subject of democratic education, a group discussion with the experts as well as an interview with the kindergarten management will be conducted in each participating institution. To be able to reconstruct not only explicit but also implicit attitudes, the documentary method is used to evaluate the group discussions and interviews (Bohnsack 2009; Bohnsack et al. 2006). The implementation of conceptual principles in educational practice is recorded by videographic observations of thematically relevant situations (e.g. children's conferences or morning circles) (Döring et al. 2016). The video sequences are also used to assess the well-being and involvement of selected children using the Leuven involvement scale (Laevers 2017). It is furthermore the aim of the research project to include and record the perspective of children. For this purpose, group discussions will be conducted with a maximum of five children in every kindergarten. Finally, digitally supported forms of data collection will record the children’s assessment of their own well-being in the social group.

The research project BilDe focuses on the question, how democratic education is implemented in the course of the curricular process from the policy curriculum to its programmatic design in childcare centres (programmatic curriculum) and pedagogical practice (enacted curriculum). It is of particular interest to examine under which structural and interactional conditions educational settings actually create inclusion and equal opportunities for all children. In addition, the focus is on how involved actors deal with divergent attitudes of others, e.g. by professionals or parents, to democracy, how professionals and children deal with inter- and intragenerational power asymmetry, and on the well-being of children. To answer the questions relating to the implementation of democratic education, case studies in approx. 12 childcare centres (approx. 120 professionals and approx. 400 children), which are spread across three to five federal states in Germany, will be conducted. In order to assess the attitudes and orientations of the educational experts, a group discussion with professionals as well as an interview with the kindergarten management are carried out in the childcare centres. The implementation of curricular elements in early pedagogical practice is captured by video-based observations of pedagogical action. The video sequences are also used to assess the well-being and involvement of selected children using the Leuven involvement scale. Furthermore, group discussions with a maximum of five children and the children's assessment of their own well-being in the social group will be conducted. The research project is in the beginning phase. The poster presentation will be used to present first results of the content analysis of policy curricula and to introduce and discuss the research question and design.

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