Samuel Greiff
Professor of Educational Monitoring & Effectiveness
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Samuel Greiff
Professor of Educational Monitoring & Effectiveness
I am Dr. Samuel Greiff, a Full Professor of Educational Monitoring & Effectiveness at the School of Social Sciences & Technology (SOT) of Technical University Munich (TUM). I joined SOT in October 2024 and since then, I am also the Director of the PISA National Centre of Germany and the Chairman of the Centre for International Student Assessment, an interdisciplinary centre with dedicated chairs at TUM, DIPF, and IPN funded by the federal and state governments of Germany.
Prior to that, I worked as Full Professor of Educational Psychology & Artificial Intelligence at Goethe-University Frankfurt (in 2024) and as Full Professor of Psychology & Educational Assessment at University of Luxembourg (from 2012 to 2024). With a PhD in cognitive and experimental psychology from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, my research covers various areas, including educational psychology, artificial intelligence, educational technology, cognitive science, and, most notably, international large-scale assessments.
Prior to that, I worked as Full Professor of Educational Psychology & Artificial Intelligence at Goethe-University Frankfurt (in 2024) and as Full Professor of Psychology & Educational Assessment at University of Luxembourg (from 2012 to 2024). With a PhD in cognitive and experimental psychology from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, my research covers various areas, including educational psychology, artificial intelligence, educational technology, cognitive science, and, most notably, international large-scale assessments.
I get excited about international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) and the role of AI in education (AI Ed). In addition to this, I immensely enjoy editorial work. Over the years, I've been fortunate to secure research funds from esteemed organizations such as the German Ministry of Education and Research, the European Union, and the National Luxembourgish Research Foundation. As a fellow in the Luxembourgish Research Program of Excellence (ATTRACT), I've contributed to numerous peer-reviewed journals and books, fostering a meaningful presence in the academic community.
International Large-Scale Assessments: I have been involved in framework development, item development, implementation, user testing, scoring, analyses, reporting to various stakeholders, and research related to international large-scale assessments since 2010. Actively participating in global studies such as the OECD-conveyed PISA and PIAAC and contributing to student assessments on relevant topics such as problem solving, collaboration, mathematics, reading, science, learning in the digital world and others have been fulfilling endeavors. Chairing the problem-solving expert group for the 2nd cycle of PIAAC has allowed me to play a crucial role in shaping the understanding of transversal skills in these assessments. The collaborative nature of PISA and PIAAC and the close interactions between researchers, policy makers, and practitioners have not only enriched my research but have also contributed to the broader educational community by providing valuable insights and methodologies. See here for more.
Role of Artificial Intelligence in Education: Exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, education, and assessment is a passion of mine. I find great satisfaction in dedicating my research efforts to understanding how AI, log file data, and learning analytics can enhance both summative and formative assessment practices and make education better for everybody. See here for more.
Editorial Work: I derive immense joy from editorial work, especially as the current editor of Learning and Individual Differences and as associate editor of Journal of Educational Psychology, Psychological Test Adaptation & Development, and Technology, Knowledge, and Learning. I also edited European Journal of Psychological Assessment and German Journal of Educational Psychology. These positions allow me to actively shape the academic discourse, and I take great pleasure in navigating the diverse dimensions of the editorial process. Through this role, I've had the privilege of working with researchers from different directions in the field, fostering an environment that encourages meaningful scholarly contributions and a diverse academic community.
Please get in touch with me anytime to discuss these topics further or explore potential collaborations. Feel free to reach out, and let's continue the conversation.
Some selected publications
My academic publications circle around ILSAs and AI Ed, but I am also interested in 21st Century Education, transversal skills, meta-analyses & systematic reviews, and in questions of innovative assessment in more general. You can find a list of all my publications here.
If you are interested in any of these publications, send me a brief note through the contact form and I will send you the PDF.
Below, you find a selection of some of my publications. In a way, my personal favorites:
If you are interested in any of these publications, send me a brief note through the contact form and I will send you the PDF.
Below, you find a selection of some of my publications. In a way, my personal favorites:
- Iliescu, D. & Greiff, S. (2024). Adopt universal standards for study adaptation to boost health, education and social science research. Nature, 628, 36. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00970-4
- Yan, L., Greiff, S., Teuber, Z., & Gasevic, D. (2024). Promises and challenges of Generative Artificial Intelligence for human learning. Nature: Human Behaviour, 8, 1839–1850. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-02004-5
- Börte, K., Lillejord, S., Chan, J., Wasson, B., & Greiff, S. (2023). Prerequisites for teachers’ technology use in formative assessment practices. A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 41, 100568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2023.100568
- Demetriou, A., Spanoudis, G, Christou, C., Greiff, S., Makris, N., Vainikainen, M. P., Hudson, G., & Gonida, E. (2023). Cognitive and personality predictors of school performance from preschool to secondary school. An overarching model. Psychological Review, 130, 480-512. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rev0000399
- Taye, A., Borga, L., Vögele, C., Greiff, S., & D’Ambrosio, C., C. (2023). Predictors of self-protecting behaviors during the early wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A machine learning approach. Scientific Reports, 13, 6121. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33033-1
- Botes, E., Dewaele, J. M., & Greiff, S. (2022). Taking stock. An overview of the literature and a preliminary meta-analysis of foreign language enjoyment and other individual differences variables. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 12, 205-232. http://dx.doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2022.12.2.3
- Fokkema, M., Iliescu, D., Greiff, S., & Ziegler, M. (2022). Machine Learning and prediction in psychological assessment. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 38, 165-175. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000714
- Greiff, S. & Borgonovi, F. (2022). Teaching 21st century skills needs to be informed by psychological research. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1, 314-315. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-022-00064-w
- Pokropek, A., Marks, G. N., Borgonovi, F., Koc, P., & Greiff, S. (2022). General or specific abilities? Evidence from 33 countries participating in the PISA assessments. Intelligence, 92, 101653. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2022.101653
- Eichmann, B., Goldhammer, F., Greiff, S., Brandhuber, L., & Naumann, J. (2020). Using process data to explain group differences in complex problem solving. Journal of Educational Psychology, 122, 1546-1562. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000446
- Fiore, S., Graesser, A., & Greiff, S. (2018). Collaborative problem solving education for the 21st century workforce. Nature: Human Behavior, 2, 367-369. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0363-y
- Shute, V., Wang, L., Greiff, S., Zhao, W., & Moore, G. (2016). Measuring problem solving skills via stealth assessment in an engaging video game. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 106-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.05.047
- Greiff, S., Wüstenberg, S., & Avvisati, F. (2015). Computer-generated log-file analyses as a window into students' minds? A showcase study based on the PISA 2012 assessment of problem solving. Computers & Education, 91, 92-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.10.018
- Greiff, S., Wüstenberg, S., Csapo, B., Demetriou, A., Hautamäki, J., Graesser, A. C., & Martin, R. (2014). Domain-general problem solving skills and education in the 21st century. Educational Research Review, 13, 74-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2014.10.002
And what else...?
In my leisure time, you will find me cycling or playing soccer. I also love spending time with my three children (born 2013, 2018, and 2021) and recently we started enjoying the games of SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the 3rd German soccer league.