Ongoing Doctoral Dissertations
in co-operation with our Partner Universities
Katharina Gerarts has a scholarship from the Cusanuswerk and is working as researcher for the World Vision Institute. As a child educator, she is working on her doctoral dissertation at the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University at Frankfurt/Main on the topic “The perspective of 5-9-year old children upon family rearing. An educational science analysis based on childhood theory and power theory.” The study deals with the question of how children experience family upbringing. To carry out the study, Katharina conducts qualitative surveys using group discussions and interviews with children enrolled in kindergarten and elementary school. She will analyze the emerging data by using grounded theory. Her research focuses on what role power processes play in terms of the subjective perspective of the child.
Dominik Rüede, a researcher of the World Vision Foundation, is working on the project “Social Innovation in Germany”, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). After having graduated in 2010 (university diploma), he started working and researching for the European Business School’s “Center for Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship”. The working title of his doctoral dissertation is: “The legitimacy of business-nonprofit partnerships”. While pursuing these research interests, he is working on the above-mentioned government-funded project. Dominik’s main focus deals with the question of how trans-sectoral partnerships are legitimized internally and externally over a period of time.
Kathrin Lurtz, a researcher of the World Vision Foundation, is working on the project “Social Innovation in Germany”, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). After graduating as a Dipl.-Kffr., she started to work and research at the EBS Business School in the area of social innovation and social entrepreneurship. The current topic of her cumulative dissertation project is "Entrepreneurial Orientation in the Context of Social Venture Creation". For investigating her research question she follows a qualitative case study approach. The focus here is to look at the antecedents and drivers of NGOs and Corporations who successfully establish social ventures.
Daniela Kloss is an educationist working on her doctoral dissertation at the University of Bielefeld, with the help of a World Vision scholarship. Her thesis carries the working title “Spirituality and the Well-being of Children”. Her focus is on how children aged between six and twelve years perceive responsibility and justice. Her studies relate to World Vision’s child well-being focus which aims at children’s well-being in four different areas: (1) health and nutrition, (2) early intervention and education, (3) spirituality and responsibility, and (4) child protection, and child participation. Daniela’s focus is on the 3rd area (spirituality and responsibility) and how it can be perceived as contributing to child well-being. For this ground-breaking study she will rely on qualitative survey, using group discussion and philosophical interviews with children.
Frieder Schaefer has a scholarship from the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation and is attached to the Diakoniewissenschaftliches Institut (Institute for the Study of Christian Social Service) at the University of Heidelberg. In collaboration with the World Vision Institute, he is pursuing his doctoral dissertation on the topic “The relationship between social service and the promulgation of the gospel within three Christian development NGO´s”. Schaefer will investigate how they differ in terms of their missiological understanding and how they incorporate this understanding into their development work. As a basis for his investigation, Schaefer will first define terms like “diakonia”, “kerygma” and “missio dei”.
Pei Rong Lin has been a co-worker of World Vision International, and is pursuing her doctoral dissertation at the Diakoniewissenschaftliches Institut of the University of Heidelberg. The working title of her thesis is: “The importance of organizational identity on the effectiveness of operations of international non-governmental organizations. A study of religion as a fundamental that affects organizational culture.” In short: how is the issue of religion influencing the work of NGOs? Pei Rong will particularly look at World Vision as a Christian NGO. To do her research, she will participate in World Vision offices of several countries, doing interviews and researching relevant documents. She is working from the premise that an NGO’s self-understanding of and corporate culture will determine and influence the work of that NGO in the field.
