On 11–12 November 2026, the second international educational research forum, “Global Perspectives in Educational Research”, will take place at the Research Council of Lithuania in Vilnius. The forum aims to strengthen the internationalisation of educational research in Lithuania, foster scientific dialogue, and explore the role of Lithuanian educational research in the global context.
The event will feature a presentation by Prof. Dr Lisa Bardach, Professor at Justus Liebig University Giessen (Germany) and Chief Researcher in the IMAGINE project implemented by Kaunas University of Technology (KTU). Her research contributes to the advancement of educational research at KTU and strengthens opportunities for research-based teacher education, which are particularly relevant to the Consolidated Teacher Education Centre.
At the international forum, Prof. Bardach will deliver a presentation entitled “Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Perspectives for Studying Learners’ Motivation in Digital Learning Environments”.
The presentation will address one of the most pressing questions in contemporary education: how to foster and sustain motivation in digital and artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced learning environments, what new opportunities adaptive technologies and learning analytics offer, and what motivational risks and challenges these developments pose for educational researchers.
Prof. Dr. Lisa Bardach is an internationally recognised researcher in educational psychology whose research interests include learning motivation, achievement goals, individual differences among learners, and digital learning.
She is a Professor at Justus Liebig University Giessen in Germany and serves as Chief Researcher in the educational research breakthrough project “Modelling Achievement Goals in Asynchronous Virtual Learning Environments” (IMAGINE), implemented by KTU.
Her involvement in the project strengthens KTU’s international research collaboration and creates opportunities to advance interdisciplinary educational research integrating insights from learning psychology, digital technologies, and educational sciences.
Digital learning environments provide opportunities for greater flexibility, self-paced learning, and access to education regardless of physical location. However, they also present challenges related to learner autonomy, maintaining motivation, social interaction, and the continuous monitoring of learning processes and outcomes.
These issues are particularly relevant in asynchronous virtual learning environments, where learning is largely self-directed and the roles of teachers and technologies increasingly intersect. In such settings, it is essential not only to make effective use of digital technologies but also to recognise potential motivational risks and tensions arising from personalisation, algorithmic decision-making, and human–AI interaction.
“Digital learning environments offer numerous opportunities, but technology alone is not enough to keep learners motivated. It is important to understand what drives their willingness to learn, how learning goals develop, and which conditions help sustain engagement. Our research seeks to explore how digital learning environments can be designed not only to provide access to knowledge but also to promote meaningful learning,” says Prof. Dr. Lisa Bardach.
These are precisely the issues addressed by the IMAGINE project implemented at KTU. Drawing on achievement goal theory, the project investigates how teachers can use virtual learning environments to create learning conditions that support motivation and engagement.
The project is based on the premise that technology is most effective not when it replaces teachers, but when it enables them to actively support students’ learning and progress.
The research aims to identify which elements of learning environments can strengthen learning motivation and which may become barriers to achieving better learning outcomes.
One of the key objectives of the IMAGINE project is not only to deepen scientific understanding of learning motivation but also to translate research findings into educational practice.
The project aims to develop methodological and analytical tools that will help teachers better understand learners’ motivation, monitor their engagement, and organise learning more effectively in asynchronous virtual environments.
The involvement of international researchers such as Prof. Dr. Lisa Bardach enables KTU researchers to exchange scientific insights with international partners, apply advanced research methodologies, and strengthen the international dimension of educational research conducted in Lithuania.
Educational research and international scientific collaboration at KTU contribute to a broader objective: strengthening research-based teacher education and continuing professional development in Lithuania.
This direction is particularly relevant to the Consolidated Teacher Education Centre, which brings together Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), Lithuanian Sports University (LSU), and Vilnius University of Applied Sciences (VIKO).
The Centre combines the scientific, academic, and practical expertise of its partners to develop a modern system of teacher education and professional development in which scientific knowledge is translated into practical educational solutions.
The IMAGINE project implemented by KTU is one example of how international educational research can contribute to these objectives. Research findings on learners’ motivation, engagement, and digital learning are relevant not only to researchers but also to teacher educators, teachers, and education practitioners.
“International scientific collaboration allows us to bring together diverse experiences, research methods, and perspectives on educational challenges. By working with KTU researchers in the IMAGINE project, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of learners’ motivation in digital environments and generate knowledge that benefits not only the academic community but also teachers. I believe that a strong connection between research and practice is essential for shaping the future of education,” says Prof. Dr. Lisa Bardach.
Such initiatives create opportunities for the partners of the Consolidated Teacher Education Centre to integrate the latest scientific insights into initial teacher education, enhance the professional competencies of practising teachers, and develop innovative teaching methods.
The KTU iSTEAM Centre for Teacher Education, as part of the Consolidated Teacher Education Centre partnership, seeks to strengthen the links between research and educational practice, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and provide opportunities for teachers to engage with the latest educational research findings and apply them in their everyday teaching.
International collaboration and participation in projects such as IMAGINE contribute to the shared ambition of the Consolidated Teacher Education Centre: to build an innovative, research-based teacher education ecosystem that responds to the future needs of education.
The project “Breakthrough in Educational Research” is implemented under Progress Measure No. 12-003-03-06-01 “Teacher First” of the Education Development Programme of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania, the managing authority of the 2021–2030 Development Programme. The project is funded by the European Union Funds for 2021–2027 and the state budget of the Republic of Lithuania.
