Andresen has presented historical and discourse analytical works on the relationship between childhood and politics. One main focus of her research is on the well-being of children from an international perspective as well as on the threat to childhood by poverty and precarious life situations. In Andresen's empirical qualitative research, also on the family, and in her quantitative surveys she analyses the actors’ views and their intertwining. Since 2009 Andresen has been a board member of the International Society for Child Indicators and member of the committee of experts of the Federal Ministry of Families, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth.
Research
Families and their roles in all-day elementary schools: Extended study and qualitative case studies on responsibility concepts and conceptions of families
Good Prospects. Early Assistance for Families: Accompanying Empirical Research ; 2nd World Vision Study on Children
Precarious Childhood: How Children Experience Poverty ; The Family as Actor in All-Day Elementary Schools
Children, Leisure Time, and Poverty. Children at the “Arche”
1st World Vision Study on Children. Children in Germany
DFG Research Training Group “Youth Welfare and Social Services in Transition”, 3rd funding period 2005-2008
North Rhine-Westphalia's research school “Education and Capability“
“Marie-Curie Initial Training Network “Education as Welfare – Enhancing opportunities for socially vulnerable youth in Europe.“
Selected publications
with S. Fegter, K Hurrelmann, U. Schneekloth. 2017. Well-being, Poverty and Justice from a Child's Perspective: 3rd World Vision Children Study. Springer.
with I. Diehm, U. Sander, and H. Ziegler, eds. 2010. Children and the Good Life: New Challenges for Research on Children. Dordrecht: Springer.
with K. Hurrelmann and TNS Infratest Sozialforschung. 2010. Kinder in Deutschland 2010. 2. World Vision Kinderstudie. Frankfurt a. M.: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag.
2010. Education and Capabilities from a Historical Point of View. In Education, Welfare, and the Capabilities Approach – European Perspectives, eds. H.-U. Otto and H. Ziegler, 145–154. Opladen & Farmington Hills: Barbara Budrich.
with S. Albus, S. Fegter, and M. Richter. 2009. Wohlergehen und das „gute Leben“ in der Perspektive von Kindern. Das Potenzial des Capability Approach für die Kindheitsforschung . Zeitschrift für Soziologie der Erziehung und Sozialisation 29: 346–35.
2009. Bildung . In Handwörterbuch Erziehungswissenschaft, eds. S. Andresen, R. Casale, T. Gabriel, R. Horlacher, S. Larcher, and J. Oelkers, 76–90. Weinheim: Beltz.
2008. Kinder und soziale Ungleichheit. Ergebnisse der Kindheitsforschung zu dem Zusammenhang von Klasse und Geschlecht . In Jahrbuch Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung in der Erziehungswissenschaft , vol. 4, eds. A. Prengel and B. Rendtorff, 35–48. Opladen/Farmington Hills: Barbara Budrich.
2008. Kinder und Armut. Perspektiven der Forschung . In Lebensalter und Soziale Arbeit: Kindheit. Vol. 1 of Basiswissen Soziale Arbeit, 164–179. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Verlag Hohengren
with H.-U. Otto and H. Ziegler. 2008. Bildung as Human Development: An Educational view on the Capabilities Approach. In Capabilities – Handlungsbefähigung und Verwirklichungschancen in der Erziehungswissenschaft, eds. H.-U. Otto, and H. Ziegler, 165–197. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag.
2007. Vom Missbrauch der Erziehung . In Vom Missbrauch der Disziplin. Antworten der Wissenschaft auf Bernhard Bueb, ed. M. Brumlik, 76–99. Weinheim/Basel: List Verlag.
