(Source: mta.hu, translated by AI)

Research groups awarded funding between 2022 and 2026:

MTA-ELTE Research Group on Physics Education with Digital Support

The research group leader: Assistant Professor Péter Jenei
ELTE Faculty of Science, Institute of Physics, Department of Materials Physics
E-mail: jenei@metal.elte.hu
Phone: +36-1-372-2500 / 6583

The rapid advancement of science and technology, changes in students' attitudes, and labor market demands necessitate the development of physics education at a societal level. This can only be achieved by renewing the content, methodology, and teaching tools of school physics instruction. The research group aims to advance this goal in two major areas:

1.) Digital and action-based physics learning. The core of this topic is to develop methods that enable students to achieve success in physics (and related sciences) as easily and in as large numbers as possible. The research focuses on the use of Arduinos, research, and learning journals. A particular emphasis is placed on improving gender equality in the fields of physics and engineering sciences.

2.) Physics education using artificial intelligence. In this project, we are developing and testing software through a large-scale experiment that utilizes machine learning to offer personalized learning pathways for students, maximizing developmental impact. The innovative idea is that the system provides practice exercises based on input test results. It then analyzes the learning process and its effects, refining the development tasks accordingly. With a large number of users, the algorithm can recognize correlations and learn the optimal process for effective skill development.

MTA-ELTE Research Group on Mathematical Learning Theory

Research Group Leader: Professor Csaba Szabó
ELTE Faculty of Science, Institute of Mathematics, Department of Algebra and Number Theory
E-mail: szabo.csaba.mathdid@ttk.elte.hu
Phone: +36-1-372-2500 / 2145

Recent findings in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience from the early 2000s have fundamentally changed our understanding of the learning process. These discoveries open up new possibilities for knowledge acquisition and the development of individualized learning pathways for students. The most effective known method for achieving long-term knowledge retention is the retrieval effect, which can be integrated into lessons in various ways, such as through end-of-class testing. Properly designed educational board games in the classroom can foster the development of formal logical and geometric thinking while reducing math-related anxiety. Today, problem-posing skills are considered a fundamental competency, contributing to general problem-solving abilities and the development of other key skills. The gamification of learning—by inducing a flow experience—can enhance student engagement and improve the effectiveness of these methods. The research group investigates the effectiveness of these four key areas in public education.

Research groups awarded funding between 2021 and 2025:

MTA-ELTE Research Group for Health-Conscious Children

Research Group Leader: Associate Professor Annamária Zsákai
ELTE Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology, Department of Physiology
E-mail: annamaria.zsakai@ttk.elte.hu
Phone: +36-1-372-2500 / 1839 

With the support of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), ELTE faculty members and teachers from its affiliated secondary school have established a research group to develop a comprehensive health education resource. This online educational package is designed to promote health-conscious behavior among primary and secondary school students and covers the following topics: Sex education, Nutrition and physical activity, Substance use, School and home hygiene, Online activity, Environmental awareness

The modules of the educational resource present the most essential health-related knowledge in an age-appropriate format, aligned with students' existing knowledge and structured by age groups (in accordance with the National Core Curriculum requirements). Additionally, interactive quizzes help reinforce and assess the acquired knowledge.

The group also aims to collect data on children's knowledge, attitudes, and lifestyle factors related to the developed topics, as well as to conduct smaller-scale scientific studies in these areas.

All members of the research group hold a PhD degree. Several university faculty members are habilitated associate professors, while members teaching in affiliated secondary schools hold the title of senior teachers.

MTA-ELTE Research Group for Inquiry-Based Chemistry Education

Research Group Leader: Assistant Professor Luca Szalai
ELTE Faculty of Science, Institute of Chemistry, Department of Analytical Chemistry
E-mail: luca.szalay@ttk.elte.hu
Phone: +36-1-372-2500 / 1517

The research group conducted the "Feasible Inquiry-Based Chemistry Education" project between 2016 and 2021 as part of the Subject Pedagogy Research Program supported by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. This large-scale, longitudinal pedagogical experiment found that reducing students' cognitive load by explicitly teaching the principles of experimental design led to improved learning outcomes. However, another key takeaway was that students’ attitude toward chemistry remained unsatisfactory throughout the project, and they did not fully grasp the importance of experiments in the natural sciences. To address these challenges, the ongoing 2021–2025 project, titled "Inquiry-Based Chemistry Education and Systems Thinking," introduces a simplified experimental design framework based on findings from the literature. This framework is designed to help students better plan scientific experiments. Additionally, to increase student engagement, the project incorporates elements of systems thinking into worksheets. The goal is to illustrate how chemistry concepts interconnect with other subjects. The researchers hope that by understanding these broader connections—such as those related to sustainability—students will find chemistry more relevant and valuable in their everyday lives.

31 chemistry teachers are involving approximately one thousand seventh-grade students in the project, who are expected to study chemistry at the same school (in a total of 25 educational institutions) for four years. The participating students have been divided into three groups. The control group conducts step-by-step prescribed experiments while familiarizing themselves with relevant aspects of systems thinking. The experimental groups also learn elements of systems thinking, but the students in these groups must additionally master the application of the previously mentioned experiment design framework. One experimental group performs the prescribed experiments first and then reflects on why the experiments had to be carried out in a specific way while filling out the framework. The other experimental group, however, without a predefined procedure, designs the experiments themselves with the help of the framework. In this project, the research group is also developing 24 worksheets (six for each school year). Each worksheet is produced in six versions, three for in-person learning and three for digital learning, tailored to the three student groups described above. Each worksheet also has teacher versions that include the expected solutions. The development of students' subject knowledge, experiment design skills, and attitudes toward chemistry and chemistry experiments is measured using five structured tests. One of these tests is taken by the seventh-grade students at the beginning of the project, followed by a new test at the end of each academic year until the end of the tenth grade. The results are statistically analyzed and published by the research group members. All student worksheets and tests (revised based on feedback from trial use) will be made freely available on the research group’s website.

MTA-Rényi-ELTE Mathematics Didactics Research Group

Research Group Leader: Associate Professor Ödön Vancsó
ELTE Faculty of Science, Institute of Mathematics, Center for Mathematics Education and Methodology
E-mail: vancso.odon@ttk.elte.hu
Phone: +36-1-372-2500 / 8515

Our research group is the result of the fusion of two projects that operated between 2016 and 2021 within the MTA Subject Pedagogy Research Program: MTA-ELTE Modern Complex Mathematics Education and MTA-Rényi Inquiry-Based Mathematics Teaching. The goal of the research group is to support the wider implementation of inquiry-based mathematics education in Hungary, where it is currently practiced only in a limited scope, as well as to develop and adapt existing practices to contemporary challenges. We aim to enhance international awareness of Hungary’s educational traditions within the global mathematics education community while integrating modern international research trends into domestic research, development, and experimentation. The participants in our project include researchers, PhD students, primary school teachers, and secondary school teachers working in various regions of Hungary and across the borders, representing different levels of mathematics education. Within the project framework, we provide opportunities for previously isolated researchers to collaborate, engage more intensively in international research, and involve as many young researchers and PhD students as possible in these efforts.